Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.) Admission Requirements

Criteria and Selection
Eligibility
Transfer Information
Physical and Mental Performance Policy
Standards for Readmission

Criteria and Selection

Admission to the B.S.N. program is highly competitive. For a candidate to be considered, a fully completed application packet is due to the Department of Nursing on or before the published priority deadlines.

Admission Date and Deadlines
Semester	Opens	Priority Deadline*
Fall	First Monday of October	Feb. 1
Spring	Last Monday of May	Aug. 31

Applications will not be considered complete and will not be evaluated until all the following required information has been submitted. Submission of documents to the Department of Nursing is the responsibility of the applicant. Incomplete applications will not be considered in the selection process.

*To be considered for admission, applicants should apply by the priority deadline. If seats are available in the program after the priority deadline and extenuating circumstances prevent you from applying by the priority deadline, you may contact the nursing department to inquire about submitting a late application.

Please call the Nursing Department at 325-942-2224 or email us at nursing@angelo.edu for more information.

Meeting pre-acceptance requirements does not guarantee admission to the Generic B.S.N. program.

You must apply to the university before applying to the B.S.N. program. All requirements for regular admission to Angelo State University must be met.
Completion, or enrollment in, the following prerequisite courses:
1. Biology 2323/2123 - Human Anatomy and lab, Biology 2324/2124 - Human Physiology and lab; or Health Science Professions 2301/2101 - Human Anatomy and Physiology I and lab, Health Science Professions 2302/2102 - Human Anatomy and Physiology II and lab.
2. Chemistry 1306/1106 - Chemistry for Health Professions and lab.
3. Communication 1315 - Public Speaking.
4. General Studies 1181 - Freshman Seminar.
5. English 1301 - English Composition, English 1302 - Writing Across the Curriculum or English 2311 - Introduction to Technical and Business Writing.
6. Health Science Professions 4315 - Human Nutrition and Dietary Supplementation.
7. History 1301 - History of the United States to 1865 and 1302 - History of the United States, 1865 to Present.
8. Language, Philosophy, and Culture:
  Cultural Competence 2323, English 2321, 2322, 2323, 2326, 2329, 2331, 2341, History 2311, 2312, 2322, Philosophy 1301, 2306.
9. Mathematics 1314 - College Algebra or 1324 - Finite Mathematics I or 1332 - Introduction to Contemporary Mathematics or 1342 - Elementary Statistics.*
10. Nursing 2324 - Pathophysiology.
11. Biology 2420 - Microbiology for Non-Science Majors.
12. Political Science 2305 - Federal Government and 2306 - Texas Government.
13. Psychology 2315 - Psychology of Adjustment or 2301 - General Psychology, and 2304 - Developmental Psychology.
14. Statistics: Health Science Professions 4337 - Statistical Techniques for Health Science Professionals or Mathematics 3321 - Statistics or Psychology 2321 - Research Methods and Statistical Analysis or Mathematics 1342 - Elementary Statistics.*
15. 3 semester credit hours of Creative Arts.
Minimum grade of “C” is required for all nursing prerequisite courses listed below:
1. Biology 2323/2123 - Human Anatomy and lab, Biology 2324/2124 - Human Physiology and lab; or Health Science Professions 2301/2101 - Human Anatomy and Physiology I and lab, Health Science Professions 2302/2102 - Human Anatomy and Physiology II and lab.
2. Chemistry 1306/1106 - Chemistry for Health Professions and lab.
3. Health Science Professions 4315 - Human Nutrition and Dietary Supplementation.
4. Mathematics 1314 - College Algebra or 1324 - Finite Mathematics I or 1332 - Introduction to Contemporary Mathematics or 1342 - Elementary Statistics.
5. Nursing 2324 - Pathophysiology or any other pathophysiology course.
6. Biology 2420 - Microbiology for Non-Science Majors.
7. Statistics: Health Science Professions 4337 - Statistical Techniques for Health Science Professionals or Mathematics 3321 - Statistics or Psychology 2321 Research Methods and Statistical Analysis or Mathematics 1342 - Elementary Statistics.*
  
  *Mathematics 1342 may be used to fulfill the Mathematics or Statistics requirement but not both.
All science courses must be within 10 years of the start of the nursing program. Science courses include: BIOL 2323/2123 and 2324.2124 or HSP 2301/2101 and 2303/2102; BIOL 2420; CHEM 1306/1106; and NUR 2324. For applicants who hold a current, active, unencumbered LVN license, the 10-year requirement is waived for BIOL 2323/2123 and 2324/2124 or HSP 2301/2101 and 2302/2102 and CHEM 1306/1106.
1500 word or less Personal Statement addressing the following 5 questions:
1. How has your life experiences shaped who you are today? Include any activities such as community, volunteer, military, healthcare, etc. that you feel make you a strong candidate.
2. How do you see yourself contributing to the profession of nursing?
3. Why should you be admitted to this program?
  
  Emotional and mental stress are common occurrences within one’s academic career. Nursing school is notorious for amplifying students’ emotion/mental stress levels due to rigorous academic coursework in order to succeed in obtaining practice licensure.
4. Describe an emotional or mental stressor you have overcome in your life.
5. Discuss your personal attributes/strengths that helped you overcome that situation that you believe will benefit your ability to overcome nursing school stressors in the future.
A minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.50 on all previous college work.

The Department of Nursing requires a Nursing Admissions Assessment test for students applying for the B.S.N. track option. Exam results are used to determine readiness for admission and future success in the nursing program. Students may take and submit results from the Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS, version V or higher) exam as part of meeting the admission requirements for the program.

Applicants will be allowed a total of two attempts for the TEAS exam, regardless of the number of applications to the nursing program. However, applicants must wait a minimum of 30 days in between attempts. Combining scores from both attempts will NOT be considered. Only the most current attempt will be used to consider qualification. Applicants must earn the minimum (see below) subject scores or higher on either the first attempt or if necessary their second attempt to qualify for evaluation for admission

TEAS Minimum Requirements: Must make 70% or higher on reading section AND a 70% or higher on math section to qualify for consideration. For qualified candidates, all sections of the TEAS are evaluated and considered during the admission process.

Meeting pre-admission requirements does not guarantee admission to the B.S.N. program.

Additional requirements upon admission to the program include the following:

Successful completion of federal background check, including fingerprinting, will be required upon admission.
Drug screening will be conducted upon admission prior to the first clinical learning experience.
Submission of complete immunization records will be required upon admission.
American Heart Association Healthcare Provider-level CPR certification will be required upon admission.
Documentation of health insurance will be required upon admission.

Starting Your Application

Submit your application to Angelo State University through Apply Texas.
An ASU Identification Number will be issued and is required to begin the application with NursingCAS (Nursing Centralized Application Service).
Initiate application through NursingCAS, Create an account and complete the required fields in order to start your application. Input your ASU ID number into the “Additional Information” section.
A personal statement/essay must be submitted in PDF format. Questions and prompts are listed in NursingCAS (1500-word maximum).
All official transcripts must be mailed from each issuing institution’s registrar’s office directly to NursingCAS. In order to expedite the processing, be sure to include the Transcript Request Form. NursingCAS cannot process transcripts stamped with “Issued to Student.” Request transcripts to be sent as soon as possible. Mailing Address: NursingCAS, P.O. Box 9201, Watertown, MA 02471
In the “Designations” section of NursingCAS, you will select the Angelo State University Undergraduate nursing program.
Submit the NursingCAS fee prior to electronic submission. If ASU is the first Undergraduate program you are applying to via NursingCAS, you will be charged $60. If it’s an additional program you are applying to via NursingCAS, then you will be charged $35.

Note: All applicants are required to complete the “Coursework” section of NursingCAS. Be sure to have a copy of your transcript(s) in hand in order to complete this section. All college-level course work (including in-progress course work) must be entered into the application in this section. This will be the most time-consuming aspect of the application process.

If you would rather have NursingCAS staff enter your coursework data on your behalf, then you have the option of paying an additional fee to use the Coursework Entry Service. The data entered into this section is used to calculate GPAs in order to make admissions decisions.

Monitor the Status of Your Application

The “My Messages” section of the NursingCAS application will include any messages that NursingCAS or a school has sent to you. Please check your “My Messages” to see if you have received any vital information about your application. Messages will be sent to the “My Messages” inbox and your personal email address that you used to create your account.

Use the “Quick Status Menu” options to check to see your Transcript(s), Document(s), or Payment(s) have been received after you submit them. To check to see which Designations you have selected (in other words, programs you have applied to), click on the Designations option under the Quick Status Menu. The “GPA Calculations” option under the Quick Status Menu will display any GPA calculations NursingCAS has generated for you based on the coursework data you entered. Your application has been “verified” once your GPA Calculations are complete.

Contact Information

For questions regarding the NursingCAS application, please contact NursingCAS support via phone at 617-612-2880. The phone line is open Monday – Thursday, 9 a.m. – 7 p.m. Eastern Time, and Fridays 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Eastern Time.

You can also contact NursingCAS via email at nursingcasinfo@nursingcas.org, or post questions to NursingCAS by following their Twitter and/or Facebook accounts. Detailed instructions and FAQs are also available. Instructional videos are posted on the NursingCAS YouTube channel.

Apply Now with NursingCAS

A number of factors, including regulatory agencies’ requirements, availability of clinical sites, and university resources dictate the number of candidates who can be accepted into the B.S.N. program. Because the number of applications exceeds the number of candidates that can be accepted into the program, each complete application submitted by the published deadline meeting the above pre-acceptance requirements, will be evaluated by a faculty committee utilizing an objective scoring system. Points are awarded in a number of areas including:

Non-nursing curriculum course work grade point average (GPA).
Number of non-nursing semester credit hours completed with a “C” or better.
1500 word or less Personal Statement addressing the following 5 questions:
- How has your life experiences shaped who you are today? Include any activities such as community, volunteer, military, healthcare, etc. that you feel make you a strong candidate.
- How do you see yourself contributing to the profession of nursing?
- Why should you be admitted to this program?
  
  Emotional and mental stress are common occurrences within one’s academic career. Nursing school is notorious for amplifying students’ emotion/mental stress levels due to rigorous academic coursework in order to succeed in obtaining practice licensure.
- Describe an emotional or mental stressor you have overcome in your life.
- Discuss your personal attributes/strengths that helped you overcome that situation that you believe will benefit your ability to overcome nursing school stressors in the future.
Grades in pre-requisite science courses.
Number of withdrawals and failures on transcripts.

Statistics on Recent Classes
Averages	Fall 2019	Spring 2020	Fall 2020	Spring 2021	Fall 2021	Spring 2022
GPA	3.3	3.4	3.51	3.516	3.45	3.5
TEAS Overall	79%	79%	81%	79.226%	76.3%	75.5%
TEAS Reading	82%	83%	81%	81.962%	81.1%	80.2%
TEAS Math	90%	90%	90%	90.8%	88.6%	87.2%
TEAS Science	70%	71%	74%	69.369%	64%	65.1%
TEAS English	73%	73%	74%	74.922%	73%	69.1%

– Not calculated during application cycle

Admission to the nursing program is competitive, and priority consideration is given to students who complete their science prerequisites at Angelo State University.

Applicants will receive written notification and email notification within 30 days of the application deadline. All applicants not accepted will need to submit a new application form to be considered for the next B.S.N. course sequence. For more information, please call the Nursing Department at 325-942-2224 or email us at nursing@angelo.edu .

Eligibility to take NCLEX-RN Examination

Declaratory Order (DO)

The Texas Board of Nursing (BON) has identified certain circumstances that may render a potential candidate ineligible for licensure as a registered nurse in the state of Texas. A petition for Declaratory Order (DO) is formal disclosure to the Board of Nursing of an eligibility issue that may prevent an applicant from taking the NCLEX-RN and receiving initial licensure. The DO permits the Board of Nursing to make a decision regarding a student’s/petitioner’s eligibility for licensure prior to entering or completing a nursing program.

You should submit the Do if:

You submitted fingerprints as part of the New/Accepted Student Roster Process (see process below) and you received an outcome letter from the Board of Nursing requesting the submission of the DO.
OR
You submitted fingerprints as part of the New/Accepted Student Roster Process and received a Blue Card, But have to disclose a non-CBC (Criminal Background Check) related eligibility issue (questions 2-5 on the DO).

New/Accepted Student Roster Process

BON New/Accepted Student Criminal Background Check Process:

Step one:
The Texas based nursing program submits the New/Accepted Student Roster to the BON.
Step Two:
BON staff enters the data into our internal fingerprint database. This step is what adds them to the list with Morpho Trust.
Step Three:
BON staff sends an email to the designated contact at the school advising that the roster has been entered into our system.
Step Four:
Students will receive an email from IdentoGo including the Service Code and instructions on scheduling their appointment. The email will be sent to the email address provided on the school roster. Students should not attempt to schedule fingerprinting until contacted to do so. Make sure your email is current with your nursing program records. Attempts to get fingerprinted before data is entered into the BON database could delay the process and cause the student to repeat the entire process over.
Step Five:
The BON receives information from The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) and the federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) regarding the criminal background check (CBC) results and staff inputs this data within ten business days.
Step Six:
If a Declaratory Order (DO) has to be filed with the BON based on the results of step 5, the BON will contact the student to do so. If a student knows that something is going to show up on the back ground check, the student can begin to accumulate the necessary documentation needed to file a DO; however, the BON recommends students wait until receiving notification from the BON to actual file the DO.

Questions on the DO to help determine the need to disclose

Criminal Background
Question 1 on the DO pertains to criminal offenses. If the Board of Nursing wants you to submit a DO based on your CBC (criminal background check) from your fingerprinting, you will be contacted by the board with instruction on how to initiate this process.

Non-Criminal Background
Question 2-5 on the DO pertain to non-criminal offenses. If you answer yes to any of the questions 2-5 below, you need to disclose (file a DO) to the Board of Nursing.

2. Are you currently the target or subject of a grand jury or governmental agency investigation?

3. Has any licensing authority ever refused to issue you a license or ever revoked, annulled, cancelled, accepted surrender of, suspended, placed on probation, refused to renew a professional license, certificate or multi-state privilege held by you now or previously, or ever fined, censured, reprimanded or otherwise disciplined you?

4. In past five (5) years have you been diagnosed with or treated or hospitalized for schizophrenia and/or psychotic disorder, bipolar disorder, paranoid personality disorder, antisocial personality disorder, or borderline personality disorder which impaired or does impair your behavior, judgment, or ability to function in school or work?

(You may answer “No” if you have completed and/or are in compliance with TPAPN for mental illness OR you’ve previously disclosed to the Texas Board of Nursing and have remained complaint with your treatment regime and have had no further hospitalization since disclosure.)

5. Within the past five (5) years have you been addicted to and/or treated for the use of alcohol or any other drug?

The Declaratory Order process permits the BON to make decisions regarding eligibility for licensure prior to an applicant entering or completing a nursing program. The review process can take a minimum of three months to two years depending on the petitioner’s case, after you provide all required documentation. Statutes and rules governing the petition may be found in the Texas Occupations Code 301.257, 301.452-301.454 (Nursing Practice Act) and in the Board Rules and Regulations relating to Professional Nurse Education, Licensure and Practice, 22 TAC 213.27- 30 and 217.11-12. These statutes can be found on the BON’s website. Students who have obtained a Declaratory Order Petition must notify and inform the programmatic administrator of the outcome of their petition.

For more information on the Texas Declaratory Order see the Texas BON website under declaratory order.

Transfer Information

We often get questions from students about which courses will transfer to ASU. Students should be approved for admission before the Office of Transfer Student Services can evaluate their transcripts.

Your transfer hours from accredited two-year colleges may be used toward ASU degree plans. ASU requires 30 semester credit hours to be taken in residence to receive a bachelor’s degree from ASU. Visit the transfer students page on the Office of Admissions website for more information about courses that transfer to ASU.

Students interested in transferring nursing coursework into ASU for use toward the B.S.N. program must meet the following transfer guidelines in addition to all pre-acceptance requirements by the application deadline. Being granted transfer credit for nursing coursework is rare and evaluated on an individual basis. For more information, please call the Nursing Department at 325-942-2224 or email us at nursing@angelo.edu.

Physical and Mental Performance Policy

In order to accomplish the objectives of the program students must be
able to meet and maintain the following performance requirements:

Visual acuity with corrective lenses to identify cyanosis, absence of respiratory movement in patients, and to read small print on medication containers, physician orders, monitors, and equipment calibrations.
Hearing ability with auditory aids to understand the normal speaking voice without viewing the speaker’s face and to hear monitor alarms, emergency signals, call bells from patients, and stethoscope sounds originating from a patient’s blood vessels, lungs, and abdomen.
Nursing students must be able to provide general care including: physical ability to stand for prolonged periods of time, perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation, lift patients, and move from room to room or maneuver in limited spaces.
Ability to communicate effectively in verbal and written form. Ability to write legibly and correctly in patient’s chart for legal documentation. Students must be able to process and accurately convey information about the patient in a timely manner.
Manual dexterity to use sterile techniques and insert catheters.
Ability to prepare and administer IV, PO, SQ, and IM medications.
Ability to function safely under stressful conditions, adapting to ever-changing clinical situations involving patient care.

Standards for Readmission into B.S.N. Program

B.S.N. Program

Readmission to the B.S.N. Program is not automatic. Any student who has been dismissed for disciplinary reasons or withdrew from the B.S.N. Program for academic reasons, and is not in good standing, is not eligible for readmission into our B.S.N. programs.

Any student who withdrew from the B.S.N. Program, in good standing, due to academic reasons or personal issues is eligible to reapply to that program. Any student who failed one B.S.N. course is eligible to reapply to that program. Students are only allowed one readmission into the B.S.N. Program. If a student withdraws or is unsuccessful a second time, they are not eligible to reapply to the nursing program.

A student seeking readmission must complete the B.S.N. Readmission Application showing the expected entry point. Students will have up to 1 academic year eligible for readmission. Entry points for readmission are for “next academic semester” or “following the next academic semester”. Any student seeking readmission after one year will have to go back through the program admission process for the B.S.N. program and will be required to repeat all previously completed courses if accepted back into the program.

A student reapplying must have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.5 to be eligible for readmission. All readmission applications must be completed and submitted no later than 3 days after the end of the semester of withdrawal or course failure. All areas of the readmission application must be completed. Any application that is incomplete will not be accepted for review by the Readmission Committee.

The Readmission Committee reviews all readmission applications and may take one of the following actions regarding readmission of a student who withdrew in good standing or failed their first B.S.N. course:

eligible and admit pending space available in nursing courses and in sequence of application submission in relation to other readmission applicants
eligibility pending interview with student
not eligible.

The Readmission Committee carefully considers each student’s unique circumstances that led up to a nursing course failure or withdrawal and what changes the student is willing and able to make to ensure success in the nursing program.

Interviews with the Nursing Readmission Committee

A student is allowed only one readmission to the B.S.N. nursing program. Readmission for qualified applicants is approved on a space available basis. Students applying for readmission after one year will be required to repeat the program application process and re-take all previously completed nursing courses.

On occasion, the Readmission Committee may request an interview with a student reapplying to the B.S.N. program before a final decision toward readmission is made. If you are chosen to interview, you will be contacted by the nursing department and a time to interview will be scheduled.

B.S.N. Readmission Application