Bachelor of Science in Nursing Admission Process

Bachelor of Science in Nursing Freshman Entry

The BSN program is offered in cooperation with Holy Names University, Oakland, Mills College, Oakland, Saint Mary’s College of California, Moraga, and Norte Dame De Namur, Belmont. This  program allows students multiple options to secure the liberal learning and science courses required as the foundation for professional nursing education. For admission to the Samuel Merritt University BSN program, completion of the previous course work with a "B" average (3.0 GPA) or better is strogly recommended, and attainment of a score at or above the national average on the Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS) is strongly recommended.  Successful completion of a criminal background check is also required. Prospective students should consult the catalogs of these respective colleges for admission requirements and courses to be taken.


Transfer Entry

Samuel Merritt University will continue to admit direct entry transfer students from the community college and other universities on a space available basis in fall and spring. The admission is as a first semester junior and it will take 4 semesters to complete the program. Below are the admission requirements and prerequisites necessary for consideration. These are subject to change without notice.

Nursing Success! Seminar, Summer 2012

Samuel Merritt University is pleased to announce our first Nursing Success! Seminar for Summer 2012.  The goal of the program is to introduce underrepresented, pre-nursing students at California's Community Colleges to the profession of nursing and to the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program offered at Samuel Merritt University.  The Nursing Success! Seminar will be held on the SMU campus in Oakland, CA, June 13-15, 2012, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

For more information on the Nursing Success! Seminar and how to apply, please visit our Nursing Success! Seminar page.

Virtual Drop In Counseling

Virtual Drop Ins have been discontinued temporarily. We hope to have them up and running again by September 15th.

Applying For Admission

The fall entry deadline is March 1; the spring entry deadline is September 1. These are considered postmark deadlines. Applications may begin to be filed beginning two months prior to the application deadline, keeping in mind that it is to your advantage to include as many available grades as possible with the application for admission. For example, with the postmark deadline of March 1 for fall entry, you should wait to submit an application until your fall grades are available. After the deadline, applications may be accepted on a space available basis. Contact the Office of Admission for further information once the deadline has passed.

The application for the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program at Samuel Merritt University can be printed directly from our website. Please see: http://www.samuelmerritt.edu/admission/application.

Admission Information

To be considered for admission, prospective students must meet the following criteria:

  • A minimum of 66 semester units of transferable work including all prerequisites by the time of entry into the program
  • A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 or higher and a prerequisite science GPA of 2.50 or higher. The exact GPA required for admission will vary by term depending on the applicant pool
  • At least one term with a minimum of 9 semester or 14 quarter units of academic courses completed in the past 2 years with a GPA for the term of 2.50 or better.
  • The TEAS is required of all applicants and scores must be submitted with the application.  It is highly recommended that your TEAS scores meet or exceed the national average scores for your particular test date.  These national average scores are reported on the score report you receive from ATI.  
  • The need for TOEFL will be assessed based on information provided by applicants on the application for admission. If required, a score of 79 (Internet Based Test) must be achieved and official score results provided.
  • Letter of reference
  • If you have attended a nursing program at another college or university, a statement explaining your reasons for seeking a transfer will be required. Additionally, a letter from the Dean or Director of your nursing program indicating that you are in good standing and eligible for continued enrollment in the nursing program will be required.
  • CPR - Basic life support certification at the healthcare provider level from the American Heart Association or AHA approved course earned prior to the start of classes.
  • Writing Sample

For a list of FAQs, click here.

Prerequisites

All prerequisites must be completed by the start of the program and may be in progress or planned when the application for admission is submitted. It is not possible to complete any prerequisites concurrently with the BSN program. The following prerequisites must be completed with a "C-" or better and can only be repeated one time:

  • Human Anatomy with Lab*
  • Human Physiology with Lab*
  • Microbiology with Lab
  • Chemistry with Lab (minimum of 4 semester units; biochemistry content preferred but not required)
  • English Composition (equivalent to English 1A)
  • English Literature/Critical Thinking (equivalent to English 1B or English 1C)
  • Interpersonal Communication (a public speaking course is not acceptable)
  • General Sociology or Cultural Anthropology
  • General Psychology
  • Statistics
  • Life Span Developmental Psychology (content to include all ages, i.e. birth through death)
  • Nutrition
  • Fine Arts (Theory) Class (example: Art History or History of Music; not painting or piano)
  • Introduction to Philosophy, Ethics or Bioethics (one class only)
  • 1 Humanities elective (example: Humanities course, religious studies, foreign language, theory courses in art, music or theatre, or an additional philosophy course)
  • American History (any time period)
  • Modern World History (1865 to Present)
  • Course in Diversity/Ethnic Studies (Course in culture, race or ethnicity. Generally taught in a social science department.)

*These courses are often taught at Samuel Merritt University, please check the home page of the website for current information.

Prerequisite Course Equivalencies At California Community Colleges

Please check here for equivalent course prerequisites at California Community College.

Admission Statistics Admission Statistics about all of SMU's programs are available on our statistics at a glance website.