Admission to the WWU School of Nursing

RN to BS Entry

Acceptance of RN's into the Walla Walla University Bachelor of Science with a major in nursing is based on available space in the fall quarter senior class each year.  Application files are to be completed by the end of summer so that they can be evaluated by the Admissions Committee for acceptance and be ready if space is available.

To qualify to apply to the RN to BS program you need:

• A current unencumbered RN Oregon license
• A cumulative GPA of 2.9 or above.  This includes college level class work only, from all regionally accredited colleges attended.  Grades from vocational schools are not included in this calculation.
• To have completed the following pre-requisite courses from a regionally accredited university or community college (see the transfer guide for appropriate courses from various Portland area schools)
  • College Writing (English Composition) - 6 credits
  • Research Writing - 3 credits
  • Physical Education (physical activity courses) -2 credits
  • Anatomy & Physiology with labs - Full sequence
  • Microbiology with labs
  • Introductory Chemistry with labs - 8 credits
  • Human Nutrition
  • General Psychology
  • General Sociology
  • Applied statistics (must have a MATH prefix or additional math courses may be required)
  • Human Development
  • History - 8 credits
  • Humanities - 12 credits (WWU limits humanities to literature, philosophy, art/music appreciation and history.  No hands on music or art is accepted)
  • Religion courses are not a pre-requisite; do not take them from other colleges as they may not transfer
• To have completed enough transferrable credits to be classified as a college senior (136 credits)
• To pass a standardized examination to validate nursing knowledge to receive advanced standing as a senior level nursing student (validation exam only needed if student has been licensed for longer than 5 years).  Based on successful completion of this exam, RN's with a current license are granted 15 lower division nursing credits and 29 upper division nursing credits and are exempt from taking NRSG 210, 211, 212, 213, 321, 331, 344 and 354.
• To submit a completed application file to the WWU Enrollment Department.  The content of this application file is the same as for any other Portland campus transfer student with the addition of a copy of the RN license.
• Acceptance by the WWU SON Admissions and Progression Committee.

Steps to applying

1. Work with a nursing advisor to evaluate prior coursework.  The advisor for RN to BS entry is Tori Wilson, her email address is portland.advising@wallawalla.edu.
2. Apply to Walla Walla University. Have a credit card handy for the $40 application fee. 
3. Send official college transcripts to:
   Office of Enrollment
   Walla Walla University
   204 S. College Ave
   College Place, WA 99324
   (This includes an official transcript for any Advanced Placement credits from College Board.)
4. Submit a copy of your current RN license, any state, to the Office of Enrollment.
5. Submit three (3) letters of recommendation (prefer teacher, employer or co-worker, not a family member). This can be done online or by paper copy sent to WWU Office of Enrollment. One letter must be from the director of the school of nursing from which the applicant graduated, or from the employer if applicant is more than five years from graduation.
6. Complete WWU School of Nursing pre-admissions testing which must be scheduled with the Portland admissions advisor, see below. (Your pre-admission test scores will be sent to the Office of Enrollment by the School of Nursing who administers the tests.)

Pre-admissions testing

Students applying to enter nursing classes at WWU School of Nursing must take and pass pre-admission tests during the admission process. There are three (3) required tests:

• Accuplacer Reading Comprehension (Next Generation)
• Accuplacer Arithmetic Test (Next Generation)
• Health Science Reasoning Test

Testing info

• It takes about 3 hours to complete all three (3) tests, sometimes longer.  Please plan accordingly.  
• You are allowed two (2) attempts to achieve the minimum required score for each test per year.
• There is a $10 fee for each test. Please bring $30 exact cash for all three tests. (No credit/debit cards.)