Nursing, Accelerated Option, B.S.N.

The Nursing B.S.N. Accelerated Option is designed to enable students who have a four-year degree to obtain a B.S.N. in nursing in 14–15 months. The student will acquire the knowledge and skills needed to function as a professional nurse in a variety of healthcare settings. Throughout the curriculum, the student will obtain competencies for professional nursing practice, including critical thinking, decision making, communication, leadership, and high-tech procedures to respond to the changing needs of today’s healthcare settings.

Nursing Student Services is available to help you whether you are just beginning to consider the right university or already have a focused plan and are ready to apply. We strongly recommend all interested persons contact Nursing Student Services prior to applying to the university to ensure all applicants are eligible to apply and to be informed of their application year.

Application Deadline

We have a two-step admission process. All applicants must first apply to the university before applying to the Accelerated Nursing option.

Step 1: Apply to North Carolina Central University

All intended nursing majors must first apply to NCCU. Visit the NCCU Office of Undergraduate Admissions to apply and for information requests regarding financial aid or SOAR orientation. Any questions about NCCU undergraduate admissions, application forms or official transcript submission should be directed to the following:

North Carolina University

Office of Undergraduate Admissions

1801 Fayetteville St.

Durham, NC 27707

919-530-6100

Second Step: Apply to the Accelerated B.S.N. Option

NCCU students with a declared major in Pre-Nursing must apply by the application deadline. All applications must be filed with Nursing Student Services (NSS) by June 1 of each year. No exceptions are granted. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Applicants are required to meet with an NSS advisor prior to the application day to ensure program requirements are met. Only students who have a formal, written acceptance into the program will be registered in upper-division nursing courses by an advisor in NSS. NSS advisors will register all admitted students into Nursing courses at the start of the Nursing curriculum to graduation.

All candidates must possess the physical health sufficient to meet the demands of nursing practice and provide safe patient care. In addition, fluency in speaking, reading and writing English is also required. The minimum admission requirements to be considered are as follows:

• A bachelor's degree from an accredited college in any major
• A minimum 3.2 undergraduate GPA on a 4.0 scale for first bachelor's degree
• A minimum of 3.2 math or science GPA (Note: All math and science courses expire within five years of the application deadline. Students cannot have more than two math or science failures. We do not recommend any math or science failures.)
• A minimum TEAS score of 70

Our program requires all admitted students to have completed the required prerequisite courses prior to the start of classes. An earned minimum grade of "C" or higher in each nursing prerequisite course is required. These courses may be taken at any accredited college, university or community college. The prerequisite requirements do not have to be completed prior to the application being submitted. However, in order to be considered priority status, applicants must be enrolled in the last outstanding prerequisites during the Spring semester of their application year. Applicants enrolled in last outstanding courses in Summer Session I are labeled as non-priority and waitlisted until decisions are made.

For more information regarding tuition and fees, please do a search on this website for tuition and fees.

There are additional costs to Pre-nursing students for TEAS exam attempts. Admitted upper-division nursing students must pay for uniforms, books, a background check, drug screening, clinical testing and supplies, and liability insurance. Students must also have a current CPR certification. Costs for these requirements vary from $25 to $75. More detailed information (including time frames, vendors, appropriate forms, etc.) is dispensed by Nursing Student Services.

Pre-Nursing students who are struggling with a Math or Science course should talk with their advisor before deciding whether to withdraw from it as well as if they have intentions to repeat a Math or Science course.

A retake course is a course that was passed with a C or better on the first attempt, but the student chooses to take it again to improve the grade. This is usually in an attempt to achieve a more competitive Math/Science GPA for the nursing admissions process. (WC scores are not included in this designation.)

Students are only allowed to retake one Math/Science prerequisite course to be calculated in the nursing GPA at an accredited institution.

This criteria also applies to any student wishing to transfer required Math/Science courses from a university/institution other than NCCU. Therefore, a course taken at another university that transfers in as equivalent will be counted as an attempt.

Students applying for the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program, Accelerated B.S.N. option, are required to take the Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS). The TEAS is a standardized test required to apply to both the Traditional and Accelerated BSN options at NCCU. The department of Nursing continuously receives many applications each year, making for a very competitive admission process. The faculty in department of Nursing approved the use of the TEAS test to help determine an applicant’s entry-level skills and abilities suited for success in the program. The Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS) measures basic essential skills in the academic content area of reading, mathematics, science, English and language usage. For more information regarding TEAS, students can visit atitesting.com.

The NCCU Department of Nursing’s policy is that students can take the TEAS a maximum of two times within an application cycle. Students must allow at least 30 days between attempts. 

Students should take the TEAS test at least once by November of their application year.

Students are encouraged to inquire about the TEAS Test Prep Online course at Durham Technical Community College ($75) for test preparation prior to their first attempt of the TEAS test.

This exam must be taken within the appropriate timeframe (for Accelerated, June–May). Although applicants can opt to schedule to take the test at NCCU (always in coordination with NSS during the application year). The applicant’s composite test score is only good for one application year.  Students are required to take the TEAS exam in the NCCU Testing Center.  Information about signing up for the exam will be provided at the A-B.S.N. Application Information Session. 

Please do not take the exam without first scheduling an advising session to speak with an NSS advisor to determine your nursing eligibility.

Applications must be submitted by the deadline — no exceptions!  In order for an application to be considered complete, the following documents must be received:

• Completed online application (application link only sent by advisors in Nursing Student Services)
• Official copy of all post-secondary educational transcripts (either mailed or sent electronically to Undergraduate Admissions, with unofficial copies sent to Nursing Student Services)

Students must also attend one informational session with Nursing Student Services. All dates are made available on their page.

Once the application is complete, the file will be forwarded to the Admissions Committee. The candidate will be notified of the admissions decision via email by Nursing Student Services. Admissions decisions are made by June (Fall term admission). Candidates not offered admission will receive either a wait-list status invitation or a deny/decline decision. Should space become available, candidates will be notified individually via Nursing Student Services. An offer of admission is not guaranteed for wait-listed candidates.

All newly admitted A-B.S.N. students are required to attend a mandatory orientation session prior to the start of courses during their first semester. This date, along with course start date, will be a part of the acceptance packet each admitted student will receive.

All students admitted to the Accelerated B.S.N. option are required by the North Carolina Board of Nursing to provide documentation of their fitness to provide safe nursing care to the public. Failure to provide required documentation will result in the withdrawal of the admission offer. Additionally, North Carolina law requires incoming students to present to the University, before the first day of enrollment, evidence verifying that the student has received all required immunizations. The required paperwork is a part of the Nursing application.

It is essential that everyone interested in applying keeps in mind that the Accelerated B.S.N. major at NCCU receives more applications to the upper-division nursing major each year. Each application year raises the bar in how competitive the program is. Thus, every applicant needs to demonstrate strong academic performance in order to increase their chances of being accepted into the upper-division major. Students who struggle meeting the minimum criteria are strongly encouraged to meet with their academic advisor to discuss their likelihood of acceptance into the major and adjust their academic progression in the event they are not admitted.

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Note: Nursing courses completed at other institutions are not accepted as transfer credits. Students who were not successful in other nursing programs are not eligible for admission to the nursing program at NCCU. If a student has failed a nursing course, they are not eligible for the accelerated nursing option.