ADMISSION POLICIES AND PROCEDURES:

Students apply for full admission to the School of Nursing’s Traditional BS program following the completion of certain prerequisite courses. Admission to the University does not imply or guarantee admission to the traditional Bachelor of Science in Nursing program, hereafter "the program."

The Nursing Admission Committee will review student records after applications are received. The Committee will make recommendations to the Dean and the Dean will admit the most qualified students based on cumulative GPA, math/science GPA, previous academic records, credits completed at Edgewood University, and the strength of supplemental admission criteria.

Students may be disqualified from entering the program if their cumulative or math/science GPA drops below the required minimum in the semester before admission.

All students who are admitted to the program must hold CPR/BLS for AHA Healthcare Providers certification, complete a Certified Background Check, and meet health requirements prior to beginning nursing courses.

Admission to the program is competitive; even students who meet the minimum requirements may not be admitted. Because of enrollment limits in the major, the School of Nursing may deny admission to qualified students.

Applicants who are not admitted may reapply in a subsequent semester or pursue a major in another field of study. Students who have applied in the past are not given special consideration and their records will be reviewed as a member of the current applicant pool.

Admission to the Program in Nursing for Students Admitted to Edgewood University as Freshmen

Students who are admitted as freshman pre-nursing majors will be given priority for full admission to the program if they meet the following criteria:

• Maintain at least a 2.75 GPA in Edgewood courses

• Maintain at least a 2.75 GPA in required math and science courses.

• A minimum grade of “C” is required in all requisite Math and Science courses

• Apply for full admission to the program the semester before they are eligible to begin nursing studies. Students are admitted to the program in both Fall and Spring semesters:

  • Students anticipating admission to the program for the Spring semester must complete their application between August 15th and October 1st.

  • Students anticipating admission to the program for the Fall semester must complete their application between November 15th and February 1st.

• Candidates for admission are required to submit applications through the Nursing Centralized Application Services (Nursing CAS) at http://nursingcas.org/. Students must submit all official transcripts and reference information to Nursing CAS directly.

• All application requirements must be complete by the priority deadline.

Admission to the Program in Nursing for Students Admitted to Edgewood University as Transfer Students

Students apply for full admission to the program the semester before they intend to begin nursing studies. Students are admitted to the program in both Fall and Spring semesters:

• Students anticipating admission to the program for the Spring semester must complete their application between August 15th and October 1st.

• Students anticipating admission to the program for the Fall semester must complete their application between November 15th and February 1st.

Candidates for admission are required to submit applications through the Nursing Centralized Application Services (Nursing CAS) at http://nursingcas.org/. Students must submit all official University transcripts and reference information to Nursing CAS directly.

Admitted transfer students must submit high school transcripts to Edgewood University's Admissions in order to register for courses.

Progression in the Program

In order to progress in the program, students must:

• Maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.5

• Maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.5 in all nursing courses,

• Maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.5 in the required science and math courses

• Earn a grade of “C” or better in each nursing, math, and science course.

• Earn a grade of “Pass” in each clinical course

If these requirements are not met, the student is not eligible to progress in the program.

Clinical Requirements: Current CPR/BLS for AHA Healthcare Providers certification, physical exam, and health data are required before entering any clinical course. A number of clinical agencies require drug screening as part of the routine health data requirement. COVID vaccination and boosters are required by all clinical agencies. Students are responsible for costs associated with obtaining necessary health data or testing. Students are responsible for their own transportation to clinical sites. See the Nursing Student Handbook for specific health requirements.

Background Checks: The School of Nursing and all clinical agencies under contract to the School require that every student and faculty member have a background check completed by the Criminal Justice Department of Wisconsin:

• Background Information Disclosure forms must be completed by students before entry into the program.

• Students are responsible for notifying the School of Nursing of any criminal charges or convictions that occur while they are progressing through the program.

• Students who have been convicted of certain types of offenses may not be able to participate in clinical placements and therefore will not be eligible to earn a degree in nursing.

• It is also possible that a student may not be eligible for licensure by the State of Wisconsin or another state licensing authority if certain types of criminal offenses are identified in the background check.

Drug and Alcohol Testing: Random alcohol and drug checks may be done in clinical agencies at the discretion of the faculty members throughout the duration of a student’s clinical experiences.

Policies for Repeating Courses

In accordance with University policy, a student may choose to repeat a course taken at Edgewood University to improve a poor or failing grade:

• Most courses cannot be repeated for additional credit.

• The credits for a course are earned only once, provided at least one of the attempts results in a passing grade.

• All repeated courses and their grades will appear on the transcript in the terms they were taken and repeated courses will be notes as “R” (Repeated).

• In accordance with University policy, if a student repeats a course at Edgewood University that was previously accepted for credit at the time of transfer, the transferred credits are removed from the student’s record.

• The repeated course grade is used to compute the GPA for the program. A course required for the program may be repeated only once for GPA calculation in the nursing GPA.

Individuals may appeal to the School of Nursing any decisions affecting their progression in the program.

Assessment

The School of Nursing participates in an assessment process that compares Edgewood University nursing students with other nursing students across the country using a standardized exam. The computerized examinations, completed at regular intervals throughout the curriculum, provide benchmarks for student performance in critical thinking, nursing process, and therapeutic communication. The results are useful in preparing students to take the national licensing examination after graduation.

An additional fee for the assessments is added to the tuition bill for each nursing theory course.

Student abilities in meeting other program objectives are evaluated throughout the program of study.