Application & Admission

Application Criteria

1. A minimum total cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
2. Completion of required Core Pre-requisites with a minimum C grade.

Pre-requisite Courses

Students must complete pre-requisite courses for application and admission eligibility. All coursework must be completed with a minimum C letter grade.

Core Pre-requisites must be completed prior to program application:

• BIOL 201 Anatomy & Physiology I
• BIOL 202 Anatomy & Physiology II
• CHEM 111 Chemistry of Life Processes Part II
• ENG 101 Foundations of Writing & Rhetoric
• KSP 235 Human Development
• STAT 154 Elementary Statistics

• GEOG 103 Intro to Cultural Geography (Not required for students following the 2023-2024 Academic Catalog and beyond)
• NURS 101W Courage, Caring & Teambuilding (Not required for students following the 2023-2024 Academic Catalog and beyond)

*Core pre-requisites may be repeated one time each (2 overall attempts). The average grade will be used to calculate the Core GPA for admission ranking. A withdraw is considered one attempt.

Support Pre-requisites must be completed prior to beginning program:

• BIOL 271 Principles of Microbiology
• FCS 242 Nutrition for Healthcare Professionals
• NURS 236 Family & Societal Inquiry (Required for students following the 2024-2025 Academic Catalog and beyond)
• NURS 282 Pathophysiology for Healthcare Professionals
• NURS 286 Relationship-based Care
• PSYC 101 Intro to Psychological Science

• NURS 284 Pharmacology for Healthcare Professionals (Not required for students following the 2024-2025 Academic Catalog and beyond)

Application Procedures

All students making application to the Pre-Licensure Program are required to submit the program application, complete the TEAS Exam and participate in the group interview. Detailed application instructions and procedures are included in the program application, which is posted November 15^th and July 1^st of their respective application cycles. The application deadline is always the 4^th Friday of each term.

Timeline

Application Cycles

• Student apply in the spring semester for a Fall Program Start
• Students apply in the fall semester for a Spring Program Start

Application Packet Available

• November 15 - Fall Program Start
• July 1 - Spring Program Start

TEAS Exam Dates

• January Testing – Fall Program Start
• September Testing – Spring Program Start

Application Deadline

• 4^th Friday of Spring Semester – Fall Program Start
• 4^th Friday of Fall Semester – Spring Program Start

Group Interviews

• February – Fall Program Start
• October – Spring Program Start

Admission Notifications (Emails Sent)

• Mid-March – Fall Program Start
• End of October – Spring Program Start

English Language Proficiency Requirement

Applicants to the Pre-Licensure Program from non-English speaking countries must demonstrate minimum English proficiency requirements in one of the following ways:

• TOEFL iBT minimum score of 84 with a minimum speaking score of 26
• TOEFL PBT minimum score of 560
• IELTS overall score of 6.5 with a minimum of 6.0 on all modules

English Language Proficiency Requirement Document

Admission Ranking

Each applicant pool is rank ordered using the Core Pre-requisite GPA, the total TEAS Exam score and the group interview score.

• The Core Pre-requisite GPA is 50%
• The total TEAS score is 25%
• The group interview score is 25%

The School of Nursing currently offers admission to the top 72 students from each applicant pool, every semester.

Admission Notification

Admission notification letters will be emailed on Wednesday, six weeks after the application deadline. All letters will be emailed to the applicant’s email address provided to the School of Nursing on the application. Admitted students are required to attend a mandatory admission advising session held the following week.

Admission

Full admission to the Pre-Licensure Program requires students to fulfill the following requirements prior to program start date:

• Certified as a nursing assistant, and listed as active on a Nursing Assistant Registry in the United States.
• Completion of required Support Pre-requisites with a minimum C grade.
• Approval to work with patients without supervision from the Minnesota Department of Health Background check.

Admission Data

The following data should be used to inform and assist students with academic planning and major progression assessment. The data was compiled from students admitted to the Pre-Licensure Program.

• Average Core GPA: 3.4 - 3.6
• Average TEAS score: 77 - 78%
• Average Interview score: 21.8 / 23

Test Dates

The University Testing Center offers the TEAS exam to Pre-Licensure Program applicants in the months of September and January. Testing availability will become limited as the application deadline approaches. Students are encouraged to plan ahead. Specific testing dates and times are made available at least two months prior to application deadline, in July and November. Students on file with Accessibility Resources should review the Accommodations section below for advanced planning.

Visit the University Testing Center ATI TEAS page for upcoming test dates and registration availability.

Registration

Registration & payment will be completed online through the ATI Website.

Follow the student instructions to create an ATI account, register for the TEAS Exam and secure your seat.

Registration for the TEAS will close at 12:00am, 24 hours prior to the exam date.

TEAS Exam

Purpose: The ATI Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS) measures basic essential skills deemed most appropriate and relevant to indicate readiness and success in a nursing program. It is a computerized exam, administered in-person by the University Testing Center, in partnership with the School of Nursing, and required for admission consideration.

Format: Multiple Choice, 170 questions

Delivery: All TEAS exams administered through Minnesota State University, Mankato will be delivered in-person on the Minnesota State University, Mankato campus.

Cost: $97 paid directly to ATI

Time Limit: 209 minutes (about 3 ½ hours). Each subject area has a time limit.

Subject Areas:

• Reading - 64 minutes
• Mathematics - 54 minutes
• Science - 63 minutes
• English & Language Usage - 28 minutes

Scoring: The total score from the exam will be used towards the admission ranking process. The total score is 25% of the ranking. There is no minimum score requirement.

TEAS Exam Policies

• The TEAS must be completed by the application deadline- fourth Friday of the semester.
• The TEAS is expected to be taken during the semester a student applies to the Pre-Licensure Program at MSU.
• TEAS exams must be taken in-person. ONLINE proctored exam scores will not be accepted.
  • Exception: ONLINE TEAS proctored exam scores earned prior to July 1, 2024, will still be accepted if they have not yet expired.
• TEAS scores are valid for one year.
• The TEAS may only be completed once a semester.
• If the TEAS is taken more than once a semester, the School of Nursing will only use the score from the first attempt.
• The highest valid TEAS score will be used towards admission ranking when attempts occurred in different semesters.
• Students may test in-person at another site. Official TEAS transcripts must be sent to the School of Nursing and received by the application deadline.

Preparation

ATI recommends approximately 6 weeks of preparation prior to taking the exam.

A variety of preparatory products and packages, ranging in costs, are available for purchase in the Online Store of your ATI account.

Students may also purchase Prep Products and find resources. ATI recommends students check out their Facebook page for live TEAS prep events as well as previously recorded videos and their ATI Student Blog.

Accommodations

Every attempt will be made to accommodate qualified students with disabilities. Students on file with Accessibility Resources are advised to contact the University Testing Center directly at TestingCenter@mnsu.edu for arrangements. Reasonable accommodations will be provided in accordance to the plan established with Accessibility Resources.

Please notify the University Testing Center at least 2 weeks prior to the first testing date scheduled so arrangements with staffing and room reservations can be made.

Published test dates on ATI's website does not guarantee accommodations are available for that session. In some circumstances, a separate testing date may need to be scheduled after the nursing application deadline, in consultation with the School of Nursing.

Group Interview

Pre-Licensure Program applicants must participate in a group interview for admission consideration. Each group interview may hold up to 5 students and will be conducted by two nursing faculty.

After the application deadline, student applicants will be contacted via email with interview information including available dates, times and sign up. Interviews will take place in September and February during the respective application periods. Sample interview questions will be provided after interview date and time is confirmed.

The purpose of the interviews are to evaluate the student's:

• Ability to communicate independently and within a group.
• Ability to critically think and articulate their ideas.
• Professional behavior in demeanor, dress, and interactions.