Bachelor of Science in Nursing (PL-BSN) | College of Nursing | Washington State University

Bachelor of Science in Nursing (PL-BSN) | College of Nursing | Washington State University
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Bachelor of Science in Nursing
PRE-LICENSURE
College of Nursing
Undergraduate Program Options
Bachelor of Science in Nursing (PL-BSN)
PL-BSN Page Menu
Deadlines
How to Apply
Student Compliance Requirements
Admission Requirements
Prerequisites
Application Requirements
Program Requirements
Program Outcomes
Paying for the Program
FAQ
A BSN from the WSU College of Nursing is valued throughout the Northwest for the quality of our graduates.
A BSN is a four-year degree.
At Washington State University, students spend two years on their general university requirements and nursing prerequisites. Those can be done at Pullman, Tri-Cities, or through equivalent transfer coursework from outside WSU. Students then apply and have two more years of Nursing classes. After that comes graduation, followed by the national licensure test called the NCLEX, then applying for licensure at the state level. Then you are ready to tackle the job as a Coug Nurse who is in demand by employers throughout the region. For more information on licensure, visit the
DAESA website
Contact
509-358-7900
Request Information
Visit a Campus
How to Apply
Train Locally. Stay Rooted.
Earn your BSN while living and working in your rural community through WSU’s new Rural Nursing Pathway.
Explore the Rural Nursing Pathway
Events
There are no upcoming events.
Application Deadlines
Fall Semester Start
(Spokane or Tri-Cities)
Spring Semester Start
(Spokane or Tri-Cities)
Application Opens: October 1
Application Opens: May 15
Deadline: December 20
Deadline: July 15
How to Apply
Admissions
Information
Holistic
Admissions Process
~60%
Acceptance Rate
85%
Washington Admits
Start Your Application
Tuition
~$12,000/yr
Washington Residents
~$29,000/yr
Non-Residents
See Additional Costs
Scholarship
& Financial Aid
Over $200,000 in scholarship aid was awarded to students in Spring 2023
View Scholarships
Experience what makes WSU extraordinary!
I am the oldest of five, I am from the Colville Tribe, and I am currently undecided on my track of nursing but I am very interested in OBGYN specialties.
Jasmine T., BSN Student
I will be starting my J2 semester in the spring of 2023. I will also start working as a nurse tech. My goal is to graduate with my BSN degree in May 2024. I’m very excited about becoming a nurse and am really looking forward to impacting the lives of patients with care and compassion.
Brenna O., BSN Student
…there are some amazing, caring, and kind staff members who show a deep passion for what they do and are amazingly supportive and helpful to students. I had some phenomenal professors, clinical instructors, and general staff who really did support me as a student and facilitated my growth and development as a nurse.
BSN Student
I took a job at Seattle children’s after completing my practicum there. I thought WSU did a nice job connecting us to future job opportunities.
BSN Graduate
I appreciate the education I received and I believe I am very fortunate to have this degree
BSN Graduate
Admission Requirements
UCORE
What are the WSU College of Nursing prerequisites and University Common Requirements (UCORE)?
All students and transfer students must complete the WSU College of Nursing prerequisites and University graduation requirements. Please note, students with a DTA (Direct Transfer Agreement) degree or a bachelor’s degree in another field have completed the UCORE requirements through the DTA/prior degree.
As of Fall 2023, WSU’s UCORE Inquiry set now includes 7 designations: ARTS, BSCI, DIVR, EQJS, HUM, PSCI, SSCI courses. Students who entered into Nursing in Fall 2023 or later will only need to
complete
6 out of the 7
designations
How do I know if my other courses will transfer?
Applicants may send an unofficial transcript to a nursing advisor for feedback to determine whether courses will apply towards the U-CORE requirements. They may also reference the
WSU Transfer Center
website, which is a tool that helps transfer students determine unofficial course equivalencies and request course evaluations. Note that official assessment of transfer course work for prerequisite and UCORE needs is completed at the time of application to WSU.
Nursing Prerequisites
Below is the general list of College of Nursing prerequisites for the BSN program. Please note that you must have an average minimum prerequisite GPA of 3.0, and every individual prerequisite course must be at least a C grade/2.0 GPA. Additionally, you may have no more than 3 prerequisite courses in progress at the time of your application submission.
For more detailed information of specific course equivalencies, please refer below to the lists of common approved transfer institutions’ course work. If there are questions about course work not listed, please contact the
Academic Advisor
of the campus to which you are applying.
Course Subject
Semester Credits*
Quarter Credits*
Notes
Human Anatomy & Physiology courses with labs
10
Must include 2 labs in total. Our preference is that you take both courses at the same institution to ensure full coverage of content. If you find that you must explore taking these at differing institutions, please contact your campus advisor to explore if pre-approval will be possible and provide a syllabus for both courses.
Chemistry courses with labs to include inorganic, organic, & biochemistry
10
Must include labs for both classes.
Rarely, schools will only offer one course that covers general, organic, and biochemistry (GOB) chemistry in one package. If you would like to see if that will work for us, please contact an academic advisor for a chemistry review by providing that course’s syllabus.
Human Growth & Development across the Lifespan
Developmental Psychology will be approved only if it addresses conception through death. Courses only covering conception through adolescent development will not be approved, unless coupled with a secondary course covering adulthood through death.
Human Nutrition
Sports nutrition not acceptable.
Introduction to Sociology/Social Problems
Other social science courses, diversity courses, or medical communication courses may work as well. Please contact an advisor to review options if you have not taken a sociology course.
Introduction to Psychology
Microbiology with lab
Must include lab.
Statistics
Must include inferential and descriptive statistics.
*Minimum number of credits required.
Did you take nursing prerequisites at another institution?
Review our
BSN Transfer Guide
to see course equivalencies.
Application Requirements
Junior Standing – 60 semester (90 quarter) credits completed.
Cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher. This includes
all
college level coursework ever attempted. Official transcripts from every college and/or university you have attended will be required during the application process and go into that calculation.
Students planning to begin the program in Fall must complete all course requirements by the end of their Spring term. Students planning to begin the program in Spring must complete all requirements by the end of the Fall Term. (i.e. if you are applying for Fall 2025, requirements must be completed by the end of Spring 2025). If you anticipate this impacting your application, please reach out to a
campus advisor
Completion of prerequisite courses. Please note that you must have an average minimum prerequisite GPA of 3.0.
Further, every individual prerequisite course must be at least a C grade/2.0 GPA.
You may have no more than 3 prerequisite courses in progress at the time of application submission.
Prerequisite course information can be found on our
BSN Transfer Guide
Minimum
TEAS
exam score of 70. Version 7 of the TEAS is accepted.
TEAS must have been taken within a year of application submission.
For more detailed information, and study suggestions, please refer to our
TEAS page
for details.
Work and/or volunteer experience within the last 3 years is recommended, but not required. While there is no minimum experience requirement, it does help your application. Up to 500 total hours will be considered in your application.
Health care related hours will be weighed more heavily than non-health care related hours.
Reference contact information will be asked of you during the application step to verify those hours.
Experience hours are combined to hit that 500 hour cap.
For example, if you had 400 hours of experience at a hospital, and 200 hours of experience in retail, we would score you as 400 healthcare hours and 100 non-healthcare hours to equal a total of 500 hours.
For example, if you had 600 hours of experience at a hospital, we would score you as 500 healthcare hours to reach the cap.
Successful completion of NursingCAS application. Additional details are outlined in
Steps to Apply
. Please note that application deadlines in CAS are for 11:59pm
EASTERN
(8:59pm Pacific) time. We recommend you do not wait until right before the deadline to submit your application.
Additionally, if you feel that there is an extraordinary and unavoidable reason why you do not meet an application minimum, please please reach out to a
campus advisor
to discuss an appeal. Appeals are available as part of your application and a campus advisor can discuss that process with you. For example, if you have a cumulative GPA barely below a 3.0, but meet other requirements and feel you would be a stellar applicant in other areas, we encourage you to discuss with an advisor.
Please note that an offer of admission is provisionally contingent upon acceptance to the University, satisfactory completion of all academic coursework prerequisite to nursing, completion of all general requirements by the end of the semester prior to beginning the program, and
completion of all required onboarding and compliance needs prior to their relevant deadlines
Application Evaluation
Applications are evaluated using a holistic admissions process. This means that we review more than just academic metrics when you apply. For us, academic metrics are worth roughly half of the application, so we recommend that you also focus on your experiences and interview skills.
A typical applicant is well-balanced across all admission requirements above. However, an applicant who is stellar in one arena may balance out if they are lower in another arena, due to the fact that multiple elements are weighted in this process. For example, a stellar TEAS score or amazing interview may overcome the fact that an applicant has a below-average GPA.
The average cumulative GPA is a 3.69 with a standard deviation of 0.295; the average prerequisite GPA is a 3.72 with a standard deviation of 0.259, and the average TEAS is an 81.45 with a standard deviation of 6.3. For non-academic metrics, the average amount of healthcare experiences is 280 hours, and non-healthcare experiences is 161 hours.
Program Requirements
Technical Standards
Nursing education requires that the accumulation of scientific knowledge be accompanied by the simultaneous acquisition of skills and professional attitudes and behaviors.
View PL-BSN Technical Standards
PL-BSN Clinical Passport Requirements
The College of Nursing calls the combination of proof of licensure, immunizations, required trainings (e.g. CPNW Modules), and certifications (e.g., CPR) the “Clinical Passport.”
View Requirements
Required Courses
CRN
Title
Credits
NURS_FPC 306
Professional Development I: Contexts of Care
NURS_FPC 311
Pathophysiology and Pharmacology in Nursing
NURS_FPC 315
Nursing Practice: Health and Illness
Clinical Requirement:
Students will complete 8 hours per week at an assigned clinical site.
Clinicals may begin as early as 6:00 a.m.
NURS_FPC 316
Introduction to Nursing Practice in Health and Illness: Theory
NURS_FPC 317
Health Assessment
Total
15
CRN
Title
Credits
NURS_FPC 308
Professional Development II: Evidence Based Practice
NURS_FPC 322
Health Equity in the Context of Care
NURS_FPC 324
Nursing Concepts in Acute and Chronic Illness in the Adult
NURS_FPC 325
Nursing Practice in Acute and Chronic Illness in Adult
Note
Clinical Requirement:
Students will complete 12 hours per week at an assigned clinical site starting as early at 6:45 a.m.
Total
15
CRN
Title
Credits
NURS_FPC 408
Professional Development III: Leadership and Management
NURS_FPC 412
Family and Community as a Context of Care
NURS_FPC 414
Child and Family Health: Theory
NURS_FPC 415
Children and Families as the Focus of Nursing Care
Clinical Requirement:
Students will complete 12 hours per week at an assigned clinical site starting as early at 6:45 a.m.
NURS_FPC 416
Childbearing Health of the Family
NURS_FPC 417
Nursing Care of Childbearing Families
Note:
Clinical Requirement:
Students will complete 12 hours per week at an assigned clinical site starting as early at 6:45 a.m.
Total
15
CRN
Title
Credits
NURS_FPC 409
Professional Development IV: Transition to Practice
NURS_FPC 424
Psychiatric/Mental Health Nursing Concepts
NURS_FPC 425
Nursing Practice: Psychiatric/Mental Health
Clinical Requirement:
Students will complete 8 hours per week at an assigned clinical site.
NURS_FPC 426
Community Health Nursing Theory
NURS_FPC 427
Community Health Nursing Practice
Clinical Requirement:
Students will complete 6-8 hours per week at an assigned clinical site.
NURS_FPC 430
Senior Practicum
Note
Clinical Requirement:
Students will complete 12 hours per week at an assigned clinical site. Shifts could be daytime or nighttime.
Total
15
BSN Total Required Credits – 6
(Updated 08/2023)
Program Outcomes
Formulate nursing practice decisions using the foundation of a liberal education and evolving knowledge from nursing science, the biological and behavioral sciences, and the humanities.
Apply leadership concepts, skills, and decision-making in the provision of high-quality nursing care, health care team coordination, and the oversight and accountability for safe care delivery in a variety of settings.
Integrate reliable evidence from multiple credible sources of knowledge including basic and health sciences to inform practice and make clinical judgments.
Demonstrate skills in using patient care technologies, information systems, and communication devices that support safety and quality nursing practice.
Demonstrate basic understanding of the role of nurses in advocating for patients, communities and populations in discussions related to health care policy, finance, and regulations.
Use inter- and intraprofessional communication and collaborative skills to advocate for safe, evidence-based, high-quality patient-centered care.
Demonstrate basic understanding of the role of health promotion, and disease/injury prevention in improving population health across the lifespan.
Demonstrate the values central to nursing practice including altruism, autonomy, human dignity, integrity, advocacy, social justice and life-long learning.
Provide safe, competent, compassionate, ethical, culturally sensitive, and evidence-based nursing care to individuals, families, groups, communities and populations through promotion, maintenance and restoration of health; prevention of illness, and physical, emotional, and spiritual support throughout the life span including end of life, and across the continuum of health care environments.
(Updated 5/2019)
Paying for the Program
What does it cost to attend the program?
Visit the
WSU Student Financial Services
website for information on tuition and expenses at the program and campus level.
How much does it cost to apply?
Nursing CAS itself will cost approximately $55. You will also have to order official transcripts from everywhere you have attended.
Applicants who are invited to the final step of an interview will be charged approximately $15 in Kira Talent fees.
What support can I get with financial aid?
Please see our
Financial Aid
page for information on scholarships.
Item
Amount*
AY 25-26 Tuition
Resident: $613 per credit
Non- Resident: $1,468.20 per credit
Students in the PL-BSN program take 15 credits per semester for 4 semesters. Undergraduate full-time is considered 12 or more credits and additional costs do not increase after 12 credits
Campus & Student Fees
Please note that individual campuses may have additional annual campus or student fees on top of the base tuition amount. Those are:
Spokane $804
Yakima $804
Tri-Cities $968
Course and Program Fees
Costs vary per semester and are tied to specific courses - details for each of these fees are shown when students go to enroll into the courses. We recommend to set aside approximately $1,400 per semester for fees.
Books
Book costs for the whole program are approximately $2,800, with the majority of that expense occurring in the J1 semester for books that are used throughout the program. A few books are introduced in J2, S1, and S2 semesters as well.
NCLEX License
$203 for
WA License NCLEX Fee
After graduating you still need to apply to take the NCLEX to become an RN. WA joined the nurse licensure compact in July 2023 so you may practice in other compact states without getting additional licenses.
Equipment
Specific equipment requirements are provided to students upon admission offer. In general, please plan for these approximate costs:
$10: Cougar Card
$250: Approximate cost for stethoscope, BPC, watch, and penlight
$200: Approximate attire cost for scrubs, shoes, community polo, and optional scrub jacket
Immunization & Onboarding Requirements
Specific immunization requirements are provided to students upon admission offer.
Please also note that some immunizations and requirements are required annually, and pricing will vary depending on individual health plans
In general, please plan for these approximate costs:
$15: liability insurance
$65: BLS training
*Please note costs listed on this page are estimates for budgeting purposes only. This is not a bill. For additional budgeting information, refer to the Financial Services figures. Washington State University reserves the right to increase or modify tuition and fees without prior notice, upon approval by the State of Washington and Washington State University Board of Regents and to make such modifications applicable to students enrolled at WSU at the time as well as to incoming students. In addition, all tuition and mandatory fees are subject to change at any time for correction of errors.
Personal Budgeting
Transportation
You will have to travel to different clinical sites, up to 50 miles from the base campus. This may also be before public transport begins, or out of range. This may also be during winter – please be prepared to occasionally drive safely and slowly in icy and snowy conditions.
Computer Needs
If you do not already have a computer,
one option is this agreement between WSU and Dell
. WSU Nursing IT recommends a Windows computer to ensure familiarity at clinical sites and general compatibility.
Housing Needs
If you are moving to the campus, make sure you are considering rent costs and locations. There are not dorms at any of the Nursing campuses.
Parking (Spokane)
Parking varies at Spokane with two options of lots
. Parking at the Tri-Cities campus location is free.
Student Organizations
Optional association with
student organizations
may have small fees or charges attached.
Frequently Asked Questions
Student Requirements
If I meet all the admission criteria, will I be admitted?
Since the number of applications to the College of Nursing frequently exceeds the number that can be admitted, there is no assurance that everyone meeting the admission criteria will be selected. Experiences, cumulative GPA, prerequisite GPA, and TEAS Score are initially factored into a weighted formula. From there, top prospective students are invited to complete an interview. All interviews are conducted remotely, via Kira Talent, with at least 2 reviewers attached to the College of Nursing. From there, admission is determined by the combined information on the applicant through a Holistic Admissions process. This means we take into account attributes and experiences that are not normally reviewed as part of the standard admissions process. For more information, please view the
Washington Center for Nursing’s video on Holistic Admissions
What is the University Writing Portfolio?
The
University Writing Portfolio
is a mid-career diagnostic to determine if students’ writing abilities have advanced in ways that can handle the writing demands of upper-division courses and courses in their major. Specific submission guidelines and forms are online and available for download as pdfs. They include step-by-step instructions on how to complete the writing portfolio. Visit WSU’s
University Writing Portfolio
page for more information.
Do all WSU students have to complete the writing portfolio?
Successful completion of the
University Writing Portfolio
during the junior year is a requirement for graduation at Washington State University. The writing portfolio may not be required if you have already earned a bachelor’s degree from another institution.
Prior & Volunteer Experience
What type of experience counts toward this requirement?
The goal of the experience is to have a better understanding of the role of professional nurses in health care. All volunteer/paid experiences should be in the last 3 years. Up to 500 hours will be considered, with health care experience weighted more heavily than non-health care experience.
A non-exhaustive sample of approved health care experiences is below. These should have direct patient interaction.
Long-term care agencies
Formal hospital volunteer programs
Camps for disabled/chronically ill children (e.g., diabetes)
Homeless shelters with a health care clinic
Free health clinics
Volunteer with school nurse in health-related activities
Certified Nursing Assistant
Emergency Nurse Technician
Outreach programs or health-related missions
Volunteer at First Aid stations
A non-exhaustive sample of approved non-health care experiences is below. These will not have direct patient interaction but may showcase interest in nursing, or transferrable skills in dealing with diverse types of people. Please include them if you do not have other health care experience!
Cleaning or stocking support in a health care agency (i.e. sanitizing toys in a peds unit)
Vaccination volunteerism outside of patient monitoring (i.e. car direction for drive-in clinics)
Camp staff buddy/mentorship
Customer service jobs (i.e. retail or food service)
How should I track my volunteer or work experience and how do I submit this information to the college?
We will ask you this as part of your Nursing CAS application. You will not need a reference letter, but you will need to provide reference contact information. We will then use that to contact your reference as part of a random audit process.
Which campus is the best fit for you?
The Graduate Nursing programs are offered on four (4) WSU campuses. Each campus is unique and offers students who attend different experiences. Be sure to read about each campus to see which is the best fit for you!
Campus Information
Undergraduate Program Advisors
The Washington State University College of Nursing BSN, MN and DNP programs are accredited by the
Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)
, 655 K. Street, NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20001, 202-887-6791.
Ready to take the next step?
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How to Apply
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Office of Tribal Relations
and
Native American Programs
to guide us in our relationship with tribes and service to Native American students and communities. We also pledge that these relationships will consist of mutual trust, respect, and reciprocity.
WSU’s Land Acknolwedgement