Pre-licensure BSN Program - FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions about the Pre-Licensure BSN Program at Ferris State University

Questions About Admission to the Program

What kind of tracks or programs do you offer for students who want to become a registered nurse?

We currently have one track in the pre-licensure program. The BSN pre-licensure track is designed for students who are seeking their first academic degree or pursuing a career change to become a Registered Nurse. These students complete a five-semester professional sequence in two calendar years or 24 months.

Are students accepted directly into the nursing program, or are there pre-requisites to take first?

All students are initially admitted to the University with a declared major. Students with a nursing major complete the pre-nursing phase during which they complete qualifying or pre-requisite courses. After completion of the qualifying courses, students can then apply to the professional sequence of the program. Professional sequence, also known as the clinical sequence, refers to the set of required courses in the nursing major. These are the courses with the NURS prefix.

How do you “qualify” for admission to the professional sequence?

There are designated courses with minimum grades and an overall GPA of 2.7 required to be considered qualified for admission to the professional nursing sequence. The qualifying criteria and application forms for the BSN pre-licensure program are available on the BSN Application webpage.

How many students are accepted into the nursing program each year?

We accept up to 96 students per academic year (AY). Cohorts of 32 students are admitted for the summer (May start), fall (August start), and spring (January start) semesters.

If I have a bachelor’s degree in another field, am I allowed to apply to the pre-licensure program?

Yes, you can apply for the pre-licensure degree program.

How do you determine which students to admit to the program?

All students must meet the same standard for admission in terms of qualification for the program. Students are then admitted to the program in the order that they qualify for the program. Since students qualify by semester there are multiple students with the same qualifying semester. This means that applicants who qualified in the earliest semester are admitted first. If there are still seats remaining, students qualified in the next semester are admitted. If there are too many students who qualified in the same semester for the number of available seats, the number of FSU credits is used to rank order students who qualified in that semester.

Is there any consideration for students with a higher GPA?

If students meet the minimum qualification criteria, there is no distinction between a 4.0 and a 2.7 cumulative GPA in terms of ranking for admission. All students must have the required GPA at the time of application and maintain it until seated in the program.

Please note: The BSN pre-licensure program reserves 25% of the seats for competitive admission. To qualify for competitive admission, an applicant must have earned an overall 3.70 GPA at Ferris, completed all the qualifying courses with no repeats, and completed 24 credits at Ferris.

Is there any mechanism for consideration for early admission?

Yes, we extend an opportunity for early admission to students who are recipients of a ROTC scholarship, which is time limited. For each Fall & Spring cohort, two seats are designated for students in the ROTC program. To be admitted, these students must still meet the qualification criteria. If a student is granted early admission to the program based on their status in this outstanding academic program, it is the expectation that they continue their enrollment in ROTC for the duration of the nursing program.

Once I am qualified, when can I apply for the nursing program?

All students who are qualified or will be qualified by the end of the semester of application can apply to the professional sequence for the next admission semesters. Applications are accepted February 1 – 15 for the upcoming summer, fall, and spring semesters.

Is there a wait list for the nursing program?

We do not retain a wait list because qualified students are required to apply for admission during a specifically identified application cycle as noted above. Once all cohorts (group for a designated start date) are filled, those students who were qualified but were not accepted are invited to apply during the next application cycle. Typically, more students apply for every seat available each cycle, but this can vary every year.

How long do students typically wait to enter the program?

The average wait to enter the program once qualified varies for each individual student and by the number of qualified students at any point in time.

How will I be notified regarding my admission status?

All students are notified by letter sent via email within four weeks of the end of the application cycle. Applicants are categorized as:

• Qualified & admitted to a designated cohort.
• Qualified, but not admitted due to no space; encouraged to apply again.
• Not qualified, with specification as to what information is missing or what criteria is not fulfilled.

If I qualify for the program, but am not admitted the first time I apply, will I be guaranteed admission for the next cohort?

No, there is never a guarantee because there is no way to predict how many students will apply for any cycle. However, if you are willing to wait and reapply, you are essentially guaranteed an eventual admission. Remember that with each admission cycle you move closer to the top in terms of qualifying semester date, as applicants are not ranked by GPA or a Point system.

Once I have applied, will you just keep my application on file for the next cycle if I am not accepted?

No, we require students to resubmit their application materials every cycle so that we can be certain you are still interested in the program. In addition, you may have additional information to include in a subsequent application or the information required for the application may change. Therefore, if you wish to be considered for subsequent application cycles, you must submit a new application packet. For this reason, it is suggested that you always retain a copy of the materials submitted for application so that you have them to refer to if needed.

What am I supposed to do while I wait to enter the program?

Keep in mind that there are enough non nursing courses required by the University to fulfill the requirements of the bachelor’s degree to fill two additional semesters if you qualify for the pre-licensure program in two semesters. This means that you can spend an additional academic year completing the non-nursing (general education) courses so that when you enter the nursing sequence, you can focus on just the nursing courses. This is the most ideal way to complete the program. If you find that you are still waiting for admission to the nursing program after completing all general education courses designated for the nursing curriculum, you can consider the options outlined in the next Q & A.

What if I complete all the non-nursing courses and I am still not admitted to the professional sequence…what do I do then?

Although this is not an ideal scenario, it does happen with the high demand for the program. You have several options. Many students decide to pursue a minor or complete a certificate or take electives in a related area that could enhance their nursing degree. Examples of areas of study include Spanish, gerontology (study of the elderly), business or administration. Finally, there is no requirement for you to take courses if you have completed all the general education courses you need for the degree. You can leave the University for one or more semesters while you wait for entry to the program. Remember that you will need to still apply for admission to the nursing program if you want to be considered for a later cohort and you will also need to complete a reapplication to the University online when you do start classes again.

Another consideration to keep in mind is that it is important to remember that the professional sequence for the pre-licensure program is only two years in length, so if a student spends 2 or 3 years waiting for entry, the entire degree is still 4-5 years in length, which is consistent with the length of most bachelor's degrees.

If I take a year off and must re-apply to the university, will I lose my previous standing for admission consideration?

No, although the university requires you to re-apply online for re-admission and you will need to submit another application to the nursing program during the appropriate semester. We do encourage you to keep in touch with the website in your absence in case there are any changes made to the requirements or the application process.

Do I need to do a new criminal background check when I apply to the program?

A criminal background check will be required before attending clinical experiences. Your admission will be revoked if the background check results show a felony.

I understand that nursing students must pass a criminal background check to enter the program. What if I have a “record”…does that mean I can’t ever be a nurse?

It depends on the severity of your offense and in some cases how long ago it occurred. You will be required to complete a criminal background check before entering the clinical phase of the nursing program. If an offense is reported, the School of Nursing will refer to the current guidelines the State of Michigan has provided to use to determine if a student can be placed in a clinical setting. If the clinical setting will not allow a student to be placed, then the student cannot enter or progress in the program. If you have a question about your specific situation, you should contact the Michigan Bureau of Professional License: [email protected] or call (517) 241-0199 so that you can make an informed decision regarding the choice of a career in nursing.

Admission Questions Specific to Transfer Students

I see that the nursing program requires an overall 2.7 GPA for admission. What if I have transfer credits…how are those calculated in the admission decision?

If you are transferring from just one institution, the GPA from that college or university is used. However, if you have also taken courses at Ferris to qualify for the nursing program, your transfer GPA and Ferris GPA will both be considered when determining your GPA for consideration for admission.

Will you accept my transfer credits toward the prerequisites?

If the courses you are transferring in meet the FSU equivalent, they will be accepted if they meet the following criteria:

• Grade of B- or higher in the Math and Biology courses.
• Grade of C or higher in the Chemistry course.
• You earn the minimum required grade in the Math, Biology, and Chemistry courses noted above in no more than three total attempts collectively.

Note: Students are only allowed a TOTAL of TWO repeat attempts in the Math or Science courses collectively, whether those courses are taken at Ferris or another institution prior to your transferring to Ferris. Grade of W counts as an “attempt”.

How can I determine if my courses will transfer to Ferris?

When you send your transcript as part of the application process, your courses will be evaluated as part of that process and the transcript evaluation will be available to you through Ferris360. If you want to see if a course will transfer to Ferris before taking it at another institution or you want to see how your courses might compare before you apply, you can go to the Transfer Credit Equivalencies webpage.

Click on either Michigan or Other institutions. Then Click on the institution from the list provided. The Prefixes for that institution’s courses will appear in the Choose a Subject box. Click on the appropriate prefix and scroll down to see how those courses might transfer to Ferris.

If I have other questions about admission to the Nursing Program, who should I contact?

The College of Health Professions has two Pre-Professional Advisors for all programs, including Nursing. You can contact the College of Health Professions, Student Academic Affairs office by calling 231-591-2270 or email [email protected] (this mailbox is checked throughout the day to ensure quick response back).

Other Questions About the Nursing Program

Is this program only offered on the Big Rapids Campus?

All of the lecture and laboratory courses are offered on the Big Rapids Campus, but the clinical courses are scheduled in a variety of health care settings.

Where are the clinical sites for the pre-licensure program and how do students get there?

Students in the pre-licensure program are typically placed at clinical sites within a 60-mile radius of Big Rapids and will vary by course. Clinical settings include (but are not limited to): Corewell locations in Big Rapids, Fremont (Gerber), and Greenville (United Memorial) or a variety of other settings in Grand Rapids, Public Health, Home Care and other community settings. Students are responsible for their own transportation to the clinical sites.

How much does the program cost in addition to tuition?

Please refer to the cost sheet available on the School of Nursing website. There are special costs for the nursing program that include the cost of uniforms, standardized tests, software, lab supplies, and other specialized equipment.

Are there scholarships available to help with the cost of the degree?

Yes, there are a variety of nursing scholarships available, but many of them are limited to amounts of $500 or less, although some are for higher amounts. There is some information about scholarships available here.

Nursing scholarships are offered by a variety of organizations and usually require the same kind of application, so students can apply for multiple scholarships with the same essay and if desired. It is important to note that with the publicized nursing shortage, the availability of scholarships is widespread.

If I have another bachelor’s degree and used financial aid for that degree, am I eligible for more financial aid for this degree?

That depends on how much financial aid you accepted for your first degree. There are limits on the amount of loans or other aid for the attainment of a bachelor’s degree. If you expended all of your loan or other financial aid limit with your first degree, you will not be eligible for additional financial aid and will need to make other arrangements such as taking out a personal loan. If you did not exhaust the limit for a bachelor’s degree, you may be eligible for the remainder of the previously established undergraduate loan limit. This is an important detail to consider, and we recommend that you consult with the financial aid office to see what your particular situation is in regard to financial aid.

 

 

Updated: March 2025