Undergraduate BSN FAQ

If you will be applying as a first-time freshman, please select “Nursing” as your intended major on Cal State Apply. Students who apply as first time freshman and are admitted will be declared as “Pre-Nursing” majors.  This does not guarantee admission to the BSN nursing program.  Once enrolled, Pre-Nursing majors will work with their academic advisor to complete the required prerequisite coursework and apply to the School of Nursing.

This is not a direct entry program, students declared as “Pre-Nursing” will need to complete the required prerequisite coursework and apply to the School of Nursing when they have met all the requirements.

There is no priority given to CSULB Pre-Nursing majors when applying to the School of Nursing - all applications are scored and ranked amongst the entire applicant pool (made up of current undergraduate pre-nursing students, undergraduate transfers from other schools, and second-degree BSN applicants).

Once enrolled, CSULB University Center for Undergraduate Advising can assist with information related to changing majors. 

All prerequisites must be completed before the School of Nursing Application period.  Please refer to the schedule below for prerequisite course completion deadlines.   

Only the first Science or GE course with a C or better grade which fulfills a prerequisite will be used for calculation of the GPAs.

Prerequisite courses in the natural sciences (anatomy, physiology, microbiology, chemistry) must have been taken within the last 5 years.

Prerequisites in the social sciences (anthropology, communication studies, economics, education, geography, history, law, linguistics, political science, psychology, sociology) must have been taken within the past 10 years.

The School of Nursing will consider the application deadline as the time courses expire.

Example: Example: Spring 2023 application is due September 21, 2022 so the earliest natural science coursework acceptable is from Summer 2018 (final grades as of September 21, 2022).

Students may take the prerequisites at any college or university if the courses taken are equivalent in units and content (based on the course description/summary and course syllabus) to the CSULB prerequisite courses listed above. It is the responsibility of the applicant to determine course equivalency. Do not assume that the courses you took will be equivalent to CSULB’s courses. Also, do not assume a course is equivalent even if it is accepted by another nursing program. In addition to using Assist as a resource, applicants are advised to review coursework with a counselor or advisor from their home community college/University/transfer institution to determine course equivalency. The School of Nursing will not review requests to determine course equivalency. Please use the resources below to determine course equivalency.

• General Education Requirements
• Enrollment Services: Supplemental Application Information
• University Outreach and School Relations: Transferable Courses

If you are coming from a community college outside of California or a non-CSU university, we cannot guarantee your course will be accepted at CSULB.  Only after you apply to CSULB and your transcripts are received by Enrollment Services, a transcript evaluation will be performed to determine articulation.

The School of Nursing cannot enroll students into Nursing courses if they are not yet admitted into the Nursing major. Applicants are advised to complete CSULB GE requirements. Some applicants may opt to take the Nursing BSN Support courses (gerontology, sociology, psychology), if they can enroll in the courses. Please read course descriptions and syllabi to ensure courses will be equivalent. The School of Nursing does not advise applicants regarding the support courses, please consult The College of Health and Human Services (CHHS) Advising Office to plan coursework.

• General Education Requirements
• Enrollment Services: Supplemental Application Information
• University Outreach and School Relations: Transferable Courses

AP courses are not scored or calculated for the GPA, only credit is given that the prerequisite is met.

AP English with a 3 or higher score may be acceptable for the Written Communication prerequisite.

AP Chemistry with a score of 4 or higher is acceptable to meet the chemistry 111A requirement. 

Only a statistics course or AP statistics (with a score of 3 or higher) may be acceptable for the statistics prerequisite (equivalent to CSULB STAT 108, STAT 118, HDEV 190, PSY 110, SOC 170). Other math courses will not be acceptable.

AP psychology may be acceptable for CSULB PSY 100 (see Nursing BSN catalog).

Only sociology courses may be equivalent to CSULB SOC 100 (see Nursing BSN catalog).

International and out-of-state applicants (non-residents) may apply to the BSN Basic (prelicensure program).  However, priority is given to residents from California, including California community colleges, other California universities, and veterans that are residents of California following the CSU Enrollment Management Policy and Practices.  It is highly unlikely that space will be available for non-resident applicants for this program.  Additionally, CSULB cannot guarantee eligibility for international students to sit for the national licensing (NCLEX-RN) exam. 

International students are eligible for admission in the RN-BSN and Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) programs.  For more information, refer to CSULB School of Nursing website. 

The School of Nursing will confirm active duty or veteran status with Enrollment Services, please indicate this on your Cal State Apply application.

We do not require any additional documentation. If you have any other questions, or you have paperwork that you need the School of Nursing to complete, please email us nursing@csulb.edu

While there is no limit to the number of times an applicant may apply for the BSN Prelicensure program, applicants are considered for admission with the pool of applicants at that time.  It is highly unlikely for an application submitted and denied admission three or more times to be successful in the admission process and applicants are encouraged to consider applying to other programs.  Waitlisted applicants that are not fully admitted during an application cycle must re-apply for further future consideration. 

The School of Nursing receives hundreds of applications from highly competitive, qualified applicants.  While we wish that we had the capacity to admit all qualified candidates, there are limited number of spaces.  The number of admits varies each application cycle.

No. The NCLEX can only be taken after the BSN has been awarded by the University.

For the Nursing BSN program, each semester is scheduled for 15 or 16 units. Some students take general courses during the summer or winter break to decrease the number of units during the regular semester. If students must be out a semester, the leave of absence procedure must be followed (see Student Handbook and Policies).

Nursing courses are usually offered during the day or early evening. Lecture and lab classes are offered one or two days a week. Clinical classes are offered Monday through Sunday during day or evening shifts.

A limited number of summer courses are offered but the program is designed as a Fall/Spring program with summers off. 

Once admitted, BSN students are required to have current health insurance, current CA driver's license, auto insurance, CPR certification, and must also meet the health requirements of the university and assigned clinical agencies.

Health clearance requirements include the following: physical exam, two (2) step Tuberculosis screening, and positive titers for Measles, Mumps, Rubella, Varicella, Hepatitis-B, and flu vaccine.

The majority of healthcare agencies require that nursing students have a clear criminal background check and a 12-panel urine and drug screen in order to participate in clinical placement(s) at their respective facilities; background checks will be required of all students upon enrollment. Additionally, some healthcare agencies may require updated drug testing prior to beginning clinical placement(s).

Please see CSULB Tuition and Fees.

The School of Nursing BSN application is entirely online. There are no paper applications to mail in. All official transcripts should be mailed to CSULB Admissions/Enrollment Services. Any and all transcripts received by the School of Nursing will be forwarded to CSULB Admissions/Enrollment Services.

• All communication will be via email.
• All applicants will be notified via email by late April (for Fall applications)/late November (for Spring applications) from CSULB Admissions and/or the School of Nursing.
• Applicants should check their listed email inboxes and/or Applicant Self Service to check their application status and admissions decision.
• If you have any questions regarding your admission status, please contact CSULB Admissions.

The School of Nursing receives hundreds of applications from highly competitive, qualified applicants. While we wish that we had the capacity to admit all qualified candidates, there are a limited number of spaces. The number of admits varies each application term.

Your individual profile, rankings, and/or applicant pool "cut-off" scores or ranking information will not be shared, please do not inquire about this information. If you wish to appeal the admission decision, please contact CSULB Admissions for the appeals procedure. The School of Nursing will not review your application prior to submitting an appeal with CSULB Admissions. All phone, email, and in-person inquiries regarding admissions decisions will be directed to CSULB Admissions.

Options for BSN applicants who are not admitted:

1. For current CSULB students: pursuing another major in the health sciences or a related discipline is an option. The College of Health and Human Services (CHHS) Advising Office can assist with information related to changing majors.
2. Completing an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) program at a community college and returning to CSULB for completion of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) via the RN-to-BSN (a.k.a. ADN-to-BSN) program.
3. The BSN program Spring terms generally have smaller applicant pools - if you reapply, your application may fare better.

We receive many applications for each program with high caliber students.  It is highly competitive and we take the top tier students. 

Applicant Pool Statistics (for Basic BSN)

It is impossible to predict how many admitted applicants will decline their offer of admission in any application term. It is important for waitlisted applicants to submit all required documents by the deadlines to both the School of Nursing and the University. The School of Nursing will contact alternates via email or telephone if a spot becomes available. 

Waitlisted applicants are not guaranteed admission. If not admitted into the current application term, these applicants are not on an alternates/waitlist for the next application term. Alternates/waitlisted applicants must submit a new application to a future application term.