Prospective Student

• Minimum 3.0 prerequisite GPA 
• Minimum 3.0 overall GPA
• Minimum score of 75% on the TEAS

Students are required to take the Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS) which is available through the ATI website at https://www.atitesting.com/ as well as many other testing locations throughout the state. Students must pass the test with a score of 75% or higher, and are given two attempts to do so.

For additional information regarding the TEAS, please contact the College of Health and Human Services Advising and Career Development Center at 559.278.5027.

Fall Admission Cycle (February 1-28)
Open to ALL eligible applicants.(Transfer, 2nd Baccalaureate, Continuing Fresno State Pre-Health students) 

• Prerequisite courses must be completed the previous Fall
• TEAS must be completed by February 28th

Spring Admission Cycle (July 1-31)
Open to all eligible continuing Fresno State Pre-Health student applicants and Second Baccalaureate students.

• Prerequisite courses must be completed the Spring prior
• All course grades must be posted on transcript at time of application
• TEAS must be completed by July 31st

All incoming undergraduate Freshman students that are interested in Nursing must apply and be admitted to the University as Pre-Health. These First Time Freshman students must be declared Pre-Health to apply to the nursing program.

• Incoming First Time Freshman Pre-Health Students: Will follow specific Pre-Health criteria to apply to the Nursing Program
• If you are not declared Pre-Health at the beginning of your freshman year then you cannot apply to the Nursing Program

For new transfer students (Fall Only), entry into the Nursing major requires two applications:

• The University application, which is submitted on-line at https://www2.calstate.edu/apply  and
• NursingCAS.org*

Transfer students must directly apply to Fresno State's BSN Program as a Nursing Major (Fall Only)

• Pre-Nursing is discontinued as of Fall 2019 and students will need to directly apply to the program
• If a student is not admitted to the Nursing Program they will be admitted to their secondary choice.
• If a students starts in their secondary choice they must graduate with that major and reapply as a second bachelors applicant. Once a students starts at the university they will not be allowed to apply to the Nursing Program. 
   

All students applying as a 2nd-Baccalaureate Nursing student must do the following:

• Apply to the University through Cal State Apply
• Application filing period: October 1 - January 30th 
• Apply to School of Nursing Supplemental Application through NursingCAS
• Application filing period: See Supplemental Application Information for Fall and Spring Admissions Cycle

*Note: Admissions to the University is dependent upon admissions to the School of Nursing's Bachelors of Nursing. 

The Cal State Apply application fee is nonrefundable.  Therefore, please assure that you have met all of the criteria and application requirements prior to submitting your application for the desired application filing period.

*NursingCAS application closes 11:59 EST (8:59 PST).

If you are an incoming first time freshman starting Fall 2020 and are interested in Nursing you will apply to CalState Apply in the Pre-Health program.

Until you are admitted into the nursing program, you are listed as a Pre-Health if you are a incoming first time freshman student starting Fall 2020 and forward. 

Pre-Health students take a sequential order of courses. Once a Pre-Health student is admitted into the Nursing program, their major status will change to Nursing.

If you are not accepted to the Nursing program then your major will be changed to undeclared. You will need to then change you major and  you must graduate with that major and reapply as a second bachelors applicant.  

No. Only incoming freshman students for the Fall 2020 semester and forward will be Pre-Health. 

All current Pre-Nursing students who started prior to the Fall 2020 semester will stay Pre-Nursing and will apply to the Nursing program as usual. 

• The TEAS is similar to your state standardized tests. A student knows how well they will perform on these types of tests. They can judge how much they need to prepare for a certain section on the TEAS. A student should take the TEAS after completing all four science prerequisites as these courses serve as good review for the science section on the test.
• If you fail to obtain a 75%, allow at least one month to pass from your previous attempt before re-taking the test. Your thought process or ability to do better on the next attempt will not improve at all if you take the test again within days to a one or two weeks. Plan accordingly.
• Start preparing at least one month early with a daily study schedule planned out.
• Look into other resources and the TEAS study manual.

Learn more about the TEAS

Upon completion of the pre-licensure nursing curriculum, graduates will be eligible to take the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN). 

The NCLEX-RN is designed to test knowledge, skills, and abilities essential to the safe and effective practice of nursing at the entry level.

 

Fresno State's NCLEX-RN pass rate for 2021-2022 is 92.62%

 

Registration is done on through the Fresno State student portal. If you apply to the University and have not created a Fresno State email address, go to my.fresnostate.edu to sign up for one. Once you have an email address, you can register online and check your registration status.

Current Class Schedule

Always prepare a schedule and have alternate courses for nursing additional requirements and General Education ready when you register.

• GE Area A1Oral Communication (COMM 3, 7, or 8)
• GE Area A2 English Composition (ENGL 5B or ENGL 10)
• GE Area A3 Critical Thinking (SOC 3 preferred) 
• GE Area B4 Statistics (Math 11 or PH 92)
• GE Area B1 & B3 Introduction to Chemistry (CHEM 3A)
• GE Area B2 Microbiology (BIOL 20)
• Human Anatomy (BIOL 67A: Human Anatomy & Physiology I)
• Human Physiology (BIOL 67B: Human Anatomy & Physiology II)
• Students taking these courses at a community college please view equivalent courses at your college or visit ASSIST.

The following courses, offered by other departments, are required in the "Nursing Additional Requirements" to the nursing major. These courses are not required before beginning the nursing major, but may be taken prior to beginning the major:

• Nutrition & Health (NUTR 53)
• Introductory/General Psychology (PSYCH 10)
• Philosophy of Ethics (PHIL 20 or 120, depending on your G.E. needs or choices)
• Upper Divsion General Educaiton IB (Anth 161)
• Upper Divsion General Educaiton ID/Upper Divison Writing Requirement (Anth 116W)

See the G.E. requirement sheet. For nursing majors only, Microbiology (BIOL 20N) satisfies the G.E. Area B2 requirement.

If you are uncertain of your catalog year or which G.E. courses to take schedule an appointment with a CHHS ACDC Academic Counselor for G.E. consultation and advising.

Yes. The following prerequisite courses double count as lower division general education courses:

• GE Area A1 Oral Communication (COMM 3, 7, or 8)
• GE Area A2 English Composition (ENGL 5B or ENGL 10)
• GE Area A3 Critical Thinking (SOC 3 preferred) 
• GE Area B4 Statistics (Math 11 or PH 92)
• GE Area B1 & B3 Introduction to Chemistry (CHEM 3A)
• GE Area B2 Microbiology (BIOL 20N)

Yes. For G.E. Area B4, Math 11/11L or PH 92 may be taken rather than any courses listed for area B4 on the G.E. list.

For G.E. area B2, Pre-Nursing students take Microbiology (BIOL 20N) instead of the courses listed for that area. These are exceptions placed towards Pre-Nursing students hoping to apply to the Nursing program.

All freshmen admitted to Fresno State register for their courses during their Dog Days Orientation over the summer prior to starting their fall semester at the university. It is important for all freshman Pre-Health students to remember that the program is block scheduled and courses will be structured for you in the first semester. These courses will include courses that will count towards any of the four majors within Pre-Health which also include Nursing prerequisites. 

A 'prerequisite' means that there is a requirement for completion of another course prior to taking the course of choice.

This applies to Chemistry 3A (CHEM 3A), which is a G.E. area B1 course with a prerequisite. In order to register for CHEM 3A, G.E. area B.4 (MATH 11/11L or Public Health 92 preferred) must be completed first. Both Math 11/11L and PH 92 are statistics courses that fulfill G.E. area B4. 

A student has the option to select either course to take to fulfill area B4. In addition, G.E. area B4 can be taken concurrently with CHEM 3A or completed to enroll into CHEM 3A.

Note: Microbiology (BIOL 20N) can only be taken after CHEM 3A has been completed. 

No. The science prerequisite courses are sequential and are prerequisites to the other science prerequisite courses at Fresno State.

CHEM 3A is a prerequisite for BIOL 20N, CHEM 3A and BIOL 20N are prerequisites for BIOL 67A, and BIOL 67A is a prerequisite for BIOL 67B.

Equivalent prerequisite science courses can be taken outside of Fresno State. Student will need to check with institution on their course offerings and assist.org for equivalency.

Yes. A score of 3 or higher on an AP exam will count as college credit. Send Fresno State a copy of your score(s) through your College Board account.

A 3 or higher on AP Statistics gives a student credit for MATH 11, allowing him or her to register for CHEM 3A. A score of 3 or higher on AP Calculus AB or BC gives a student credit for GE area B4, but still requires him or her to take MATH 11 or PH 92 to fulfill one of the prerequisites. However, AP Calculus will allow a student to take CHEM 3A still.

A score of 3 or higher on AP English Language & Composition fulfills GE area A2 requirement, which is a prerequisite for Pre-Nursing and allows a student to register in other GE areas that have A2 as a prerequisite.

The Upper Division Writing Requirement is a graduation requirement to be met after you attain junior standing (60 units). Students have the option of taking a “W” course or the exam to fulfill the requirement.

See Upper Division Writing Requirement (UDWR) in the Catalog or contact Testing Office in FFS Bldg, room 110, or phone 559.278.2457.

For further information regarding the UDWR, please contact the College of Health and Human Services Advising and Career Development Center at 559.278.5027.

Most students take more than four years to complete the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree. The nursing major is a five-semester (two and a half-years) sequential program, with little opportunity to condense or "fast-track". Most students take two to three years to complete the prerequisite and lower division G.E. courses before beginning the major.

Advising for current Fresno State Pre-Health students and all Nursing students is available through the College of Health and Human Services (CHHS) Advising and Career Development Center (ACDC); call 559.278.5027 or stop by McLane Hall, Room 194 for walk-in advising. (Please call ahead of time for advising hours). 

If your schedule does not allow for walk-in hours, then you are welcome to call the CHHS ACDC at 559.278.5027 or email acdc@csufresno.edu.

Visit the College of Health and Human Services scholarship webpage. Additionally, the School of Nursing posts scholarship information including specific scholarships for students enrolled in the nursing major on the McLane Hall nursing bulletin board.

 No. The Pre-Nursing program has been discontinued and is not accepting any new students.

If a students starts in a different major they must graduate with that major and reapply as a second bachelors applicant. Once a students starts at the university they will not be allowed to apply to the Nursing Program.

Yes, the nursing major is impacted (limited and competitive entry) because there are more students applying to the major than there are spaces available. 

 

Registered Nursing Boot Camp (RNBC) is a 3-day orientation event held prior to the beginning of each semester at Fresno State. It is organized by nursing students in the School of Nursing. This event offers recently admitted students an opportunity to meet nursing majors ahead of them in the program (mentors), build friendships with students in other semesters and within their own cohort, and receive informational sessions on various topics essential for nursing.

Overall, students who have attended RNBC have really enjoyed the experience and state having been better prepared for their first semester before classes started. RNBC was founded at Fresno State a few years ago and was the first university to create such orientation event for a Nursing program. Many other universities have followed in Fresno State's steps by starting an orientation event also, with permission from Fresno State.

 

If a student is not admitted to the Nursing Program they will be admitted to their secondary choice.

If a students starts in their secondary choice they must graduate with that major and reapply as a second bachelors applicant. Once a students starts at the university they will not be allowed to apply to the Nursing Program. 

No. The Spring Application cycle is open to all eligible continuing Fresno State Pre-Health student applicants and Second Baccalaureate students only. 

 

 No. If a students starts in a different major they must graduate with that major and reapply as a second bachelors applicant. Once a students starts at the university they will not be allowed to apply to the Nursing Program.