ABSN applicants must meet the following admission requirements:
- General acceptance to Western Carolina University
- Bachelor’s degree from a regionally-accredited college or university
- Registrar's Office will determine if the degree has sufficient general education coursework
requirements to waive the required WCU liberal studies requirements
- The degree may be in progress at the time of application but must be conferred before
starting the ABSN program
- A minimum of a 3.0 GPA for the last 60 hours of coursework taken
- A Science GPA score will be taken for three of the five completed science prerequisites
(if more than three science prerequisites are complete by the program application
deadline, the three highest scores will be used to determine the science GPA)
- Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS)
- Official scores must be sent to WCU Nursing from Assessment Technology Institute (ATI).
To learn more, visit the TEAS website
- Completion of the ABSN program application through NursingCAS
- Completion of Course Prerequisites (or approved equivalents, with a grade of ‘C’ or above):
- Science Prerequisites (3 of 5 must be complete by application deadline)
- Chemistry 132 – Introductory Chemistry with lab (4hr)
- Chemistry 133 – Survey Organic/Biochemistry with lab (4hr)
- Biology 291 – Human Anatomy & Physiology with lab (4hr)
- Biology 292 – Human Anatomy & Physiology with lab (4hr)
- Environmental Health 260/261 – Etiology of Infectious Disease with lab (3hr)
- Nursing Prerequisites (should be taken summer before program starts at WCU)
- ND 338 – Normal & Therapeutic Nutrition (taken through WCU)
- NSG 101 – Introduction to Professional Nursing (must earn a B or higher/taken through
WCU)
- NSG 346 – Pathophysiology for Nursing (may only be repeated once/taken through WCU)
- Other Course Requirements
- MATH 130 or higher - MATH 170 (Statistics) preferred
- Psychology 150 – General Psychology (3hr)
Note: Three of the five science prerequisites must be complete by the application
deadline and all must be complete by program matriculation. Nurisng prerequisites may
be taken online through WCU the summer prior to the start of the program.
Transfer Credit:
To see what courses will transfer into the University to meet the prerequisite requirements
you will need to complete the WCU Transfer Application. The application will require all official transcripts and official test scores (AP,
CLEP, DANTES, etc.) to be sent to the Undergraduate Admissions Office for processing.
You may also uilize the Credits Earned Elsewhere page to see how courses taken outside of Western Carolina University will transfer into
WCU.
You can utilize the NCCC Course Equivalents document to assist you when signing up for prerequisites at a local community college.
Application:
The application is offered through NursingCAS with a deadline of January 15th annually for admission the following fall semester. Applicants must complete the appropriate
University Admissions application for WCU before submitting the program application. Review of applications
will begin promptly after the deadline. Face-to-face interviews will take place during
the month of February with final decisions expected to be made made in March.
Scoring:
The School of Nursing uses a comprehensive application review for the ABSN Program.
Admission selection criteria for eligible applications will be based on:
- GPA of last 60 Credit Hours - 25%
- Science GPA (best 3 of 5 sciences) - 25%
- TEAS Admission Assessment Exam Score - 25%
- Combined Interview, Resume, and Cover Letter - 25%
ABSN ESTIMATED COST OF ATTENDANCE
NC Promise Reduced Tuition Information
There are financial benefits that are possible due to this program change. Students
will now be able to work part-time around their class and clinical schedules due to
the 14-17 credit hour course load per semester. To learn more, contact the WCU Office
of Financial Aid (finaid.wcu.edu) for more information.
Students can also apply for the CFNC Forgivable Education Loans for Service (FELS)
opportunity. The priority deadline for applying is April 1. For more information,
visit cfnc.org/fels.
There are also a variety of scholarships that may be available to current students,
awarded by the School of Nursing and external organizations. To learn more, visit
the Nursing Scholarships website.
The ABSN Curriculum Plan provides the courses that will be taken during each of the four semesters of the
program.
INFO SESSIONS WILL BE HELD VIRTUALLY
Information sessions are held monthly (March-November), from 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.,
virtually through Zoom. The sessions are for students wanting more information about
the program and admission requirements. Topics that will be covered include general
information about the program, admission requirements, prerequisites/transfer equivalencies,
preparing for the TEAS exam, etc. A reservation is required. You will receive the
zoom link via email the morning of the session.
Session Dates:
Monday, October 12th, 2020 at 6:30pm
Thursday, November 5th, 2020 at 6:30pm
Reserve a seat at an upcoming session
If dates are not showing available, all seats have been filled for that date. You
can check back to see if someone has dropped their reservation.
*Please Note: Attending an information session is required prior to requesting an
individual appointment. We also ask that you complete your WCU application for admission
and provide all official trascripts to the University before you ask for evaluation
of your coursework.
