Admission Criteria for the Nursing Program

Admission Requirements for the School of Nursing (BSN and LVN-BSN):

  1. Be an accepted student to SHSU through Undergraduate Admissions.
  2. Complete ≥ 30 credit hours in Nursing Prerequisite courses and Texas Core Requirements prior to application deadline (6 out the 8 Nursing Prerequisite Courses must be completed prior to application deadline; All 8 Nursing Prerequisite Courses must be completed prior to start of program.). See the BSN Curriculum Plan.
    • Students can be accepted in the School of Nursing on a conditional basis if an applicant has no more than two (2) Nursing Prerequisite Courses in progress the semester after the application deadline (Summer term for Fall admission and Fall term for Spring admission).
  3. Have a ≥ 3.0 GPA in Nursing Prerequisites by the application deadline.
    • Sciences courses (BIOL & CHEM) must be seven (7) years fresh. Nutrition does not count as a science course. This does not apply to current LVN-BSN or RN-BSN applicants.
    • Anatomy and Physiology courses must be a matching set. i.e. Human Anatomy and Human Physiology are a set. Human Anatomy & Physiology I and Human Anatomy & Physiology II are a set. They cannot be interchanged.
    • Only two (2) graded attempts of a lab-science course is allowed within 7 years.
    • College Algebra requirement is equivalent to MATH 1314 or higher. College Mathematics (MATH 1332) is not accepted.
    • MATH, STAT, or PSYC based statistics is accepted.
    • RN-BSN applicants should email the nursing advisor for transcript review, as substitutions could be made.
  4. Have ≥ 3.0 GPA in all lower-level degree requirements (Includes Nursing Prerequisites and Texas Core Requirements completed).
    • If you are "core complete" with another public, Texas institution, you will be considered "core complete" at SHSU.
    • All attempted nursing degree requirements must be a "C" or higher by the application deadline.
    • Any "P" or "S" grade that includes letter grades below a "C" is not acceptable to the nursing degree program at SHSU.  All "P" or "S" grades proven to be a "C" or higher will be calculated as a "C" for gpa calculation in the admission process for the nursing application. For Spring 2020 or after, if your college/university assigns grades in this type of format (e.g. pass/fail), the Registrar’s office at your institution must provide an explanation of the grading scale underlying the “pass/fail” system.
  5. ATI TEAS (TEAS 6 or 7) accepted until application for fall 2024 (must be taken within 2 years of the application deadline).  TEAS 7 only TEAS accepted beginning application period for fall 2024 (must be taken within 2 years of application deadline). Overall Score must be ≥ 70. Each subject area must be ≥ 55. Reading and Math sub-scores will be used at a higher rate than other subject areas.
    • Student will submit one TEAS Individual Performance Profile during the application (pre-licensure BSN and LVN-BSN).
  6. Unencumbered LVN license (LVN-BSN applicants only)
  7. Immunizations are no longer due with your application to the School of Nursing.  If accepted, immunizations will be due by the middle of the first semester of the program.  Applicants may want to begin updating their immunization record before admission notifications are sent out.

Background Check and Immigration Status Clearance:

Background checks are required to protect and promote the welfare of the people of Texas by ensuring each person holding a nursing license is competent to practice safely. To achieve this, the Texas Board of Nursing (TBON) requires that newly admitted nursing students complete fingerprinting and a criminal background check to gain clearance prior to enrollment.

An individual enrolled or planning to enroll in SHSU School of Nursing who has reason to believe they may be ineligible for the RN License, may petition the Texas Board of Nursing for a declaratory order. Neither the University nor its faculty can answer this question for a person. The Texas Board of Nursing Declaratory Order Petition form can be found here. TBON may be reached at: 333 Guadalupe #3-460, Austin, TX 78701, (512) 305-7400.

All questions about nursing criteria should be sent to prenursing@shsu.edu. Email is the preferred method of communication.