Admissions Pathways
- McDaniel College offers several pathways for admission to the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.) program. Admission consideration for Nursing is a multi-step process. In all cases, applicants will first be reviewed for admission to McDaniel College. Only those who are admitted to McDaniel will be considered for the Nursing program. The strongest applicants will be invited to a mandatory interview as part of the Nursing admissions process. Following the interview, candidates will be notified if they have been admitted to the Nursing program.
- Direct Entry:
- McDaniel College is pleased to admit a small number of students into the Nursing track in our Health Sciences major as incoming first-year students. This pathway guarantees a spot in the Nursing program, assuming students meet all required progression criteria including completing the prerequisite requirements.
- English Composition (ENG 1102)
- General Chemistry I with lab (1103)
- Biology I with lab (BIOL 1111 with lab)
- Statistics (STA 2215)
- Anatomy and Physiology I and II with lab (BIO 1120 AND BIO 2211 with labs)
- Microbiology
- Gated Entry:
- Students who may not be sure of their interest in pursuing nursing until they are already enrolled at McDaniel or are not admitted to the direct entry program will have an opportunity to apply to the Nursing program after successfully completing the science course prerequisites for the program. In order to be part of a fall admission cycle, students are encouraged to apply no later than Nov. 15 prior to the intended fall, and will be required to meet all admission criteria to the Nursing program at this time. Qualified students will be invited to an admission interview.
- Transfer Entry:
- Students from other colleges or universities are eligible to apply as transfer students for admission directly to our B.S.N. program. Transfer students will be required to meet all program prerequisites prior to direct admission.
Simple B.S.N. Entry
McDaniel College is pleased to admit students directly into the Nursing track in our Health Sciences major as incoming first-year students. Students with direct entry admission complete most liberal arts and basic science courses prior to beginning the Nursing major courses in the third year. Students must meet minimum progression requirements in their first and second year of study while in the Health Sciences - Nursing track to matriculate to the B.S.N. program and begin taking Nursing courses in the third year.
Application Requirements
- We strongly encourage all interested Nursing candidates to have their application submitted by Nov. 15. Applications will begin to be reviewed following Nov. 15. Candidates may be considered throughout the recruitment cycle but for the best possible chance of admission, earlier application is preferable and encouraged.
- Though there are no minimum GPAs to be considered for Nursing, average GPAs for admitted students are generally expected to be 3.5+ or higher, and high school preparation should include the following to be considered a competitive candidate:
-
- 4 years of English
- 3 years of math
- 3 years of natural sciences
- 3 years of social studies/history
-
The application requirements include:
-
- The Common Application or the McDaniel application
- All High School and College Transcript(s)
- Letter of reference, preferably from a school counselor or teacher (strongly recommended, not required)
- SAT/ACT test scores (recommended, not required)
- Once the application is complete, it will be reviewed by the Admissions department. McDaniel College supports a holistic application review. Qualified candidates will be invited to the next step of the process: the required interview.
-
Admissions Interview
- The admissions interview is a required component of the application process. Applicants who have a completed application prior to the Nov. 15 early action deadline will be considered for the college's Nursing Interview Day. This special event will provide not only an interview opportunity to select candidates, but also a chance for applicants to meet with the Nursing program director, program faculty, and academic administrators. In all cases, applicants should plan to attend Interview Day.
- Students who are unable to attend Interview Day or whose application is not complete prior to Nov. 15 will be invited to participate in a Zoom virtual interview.
- Interviews will be held by two members of the McDaniel community. Interviews are 25 minutes long and follow a standard format.
-
Admissions Outcomes
- Students must be admitted to McDaniel College to be considered for the Nursing program. There are a variety of admission outcomes:
-
Admitted to McDaniel College and the direct-entry Nursing program
-
- Students begin their studies as a Health Sciences major in our Nursing specialization. Students must maintain the college’s progression requirements to be eligible to matriculate into the Nursing major and begin Nursing courses in their third year. A student who does not meet the progression requirements will not be able to continue in the B.S.N. program. These students will work closely with an academic advisor to either continue in the Health Sciences - Nursing specialization or to find an alternate major.
-
Admitted to McDaniel College but not admitted to the direct-entry Nursing major
-
- Students may still enroll at McDaniel and reapply for admission to the Nursing major in their second year of study. Admission to the Nursing major is only guaranteed for Health Sciences majors admitted through direct entry as a first-year student. However, current McDaniel students who qualify for admission to the Nursing program receive preference for admission decision.
-
Not admitted to McDaniel College
-
- Students must be admitted to McDaniel College to be admitted to the Nursing major. Students may reapply to the college and the Nursing major in future years or as a transfer student. Admissions counselors are happy to advise students on steps that could strengthen a future application.
- It is also possible for students to be admitted to McDaniel and placed on a waitlist for Nursing. In all cases, every attempt will be made for waitlist decisions to be announced by July 15. However, students on the waitlist could be admitted to the program as late as the first week of classes.
- Direct Entry Progression Requirements
- Students who are admitted through direct entry must meet minimum progression requirements in their first and second years to maintain their acceptance to the Nursing major.
First Year
- Cumulative grade point average of 3.0 by the end of the first year of study in the Health Sciences major (minimum 24 credits).
- Grade of B- or better in the following courses:
- ENG 1101
- CHEM 1103
- BIO 1111
- BIO 1120
- STA 2215
- PSYCH 1106
Sophomore Year
- Cumulative grade point average of 3.0 by the end of second year in order to matriculate to the Nursing major and begin taking Nursing courses in the third year.
- Students who do not have a 3.0 overall GPA at the end of their second year will work closely with an advisor to identify an appropriate plan of academic study which could include remediation or another academic pathway.
- Students ending their second year with a GPA between 2.8-3.0 are required to take TEAS. Though this will not delay a student’s progress into the junior year and the official declaration of Nursing as a major, results will help identify academic support services for the student, which could be required for a student to maintain the Nursing major.
- Grade of B- or better in the following courses:
- Human Physiology with lab
- Medical Microbiology
- Nutrition
Students may repeat up to one course if they do not achieve the required grade of B- or better. Since only one course may be repeated, receiving a second grade below a B- in a required course would make the student ineligible to progress to junior year and the Nursing major. They will work closely with an advisor to identify another academic pathway.
Gated Entry
- Some students may not be sure of their interest in pursuing Nursing until they are already enrolled at McDaniel, or they may not be admitted to the direct-entry program. For these students, admission to the Nursing program is a two-step process. The first step is being formally admitted to McDaniel College and enrolling. Due to the structured nature of the Nursing major, we encourage all students to reach out to an advisor if they are even considering Nursing as a possible academic path. This will allow for appropriate advising.
- Following the end of the third semester, students will complete an application to the Nursing program itself. If admitted, they would begin their Nursing major the following fall (beginning of the third year) upon successful completion of all prerequisite courses with a grade of B- or better.
-
Application Requirements
- The application requirements include:
-
- Minimum 3.0 McDaniel GPA
- Completion with no grades below a B- of the following courses:
- ENG 1101
- CHEM 1103
- BIO 1111
- BIO 1120
- STA 2215
- BIO 2211
- McDaniel Nursing application
- Application essay
- Copy of McDaniel College transcript
- Letter of reference from a McDaniel faculty member (recommended, not required)
- Interview with two members of the McDaniel community
- The application deadline is Jan. 6.
-
Admissions Interview
- The admissions interview is a required component of the application process. Interviews are held by two members of the McDaniel community. Interviews are 20 minutes long and follow a standard format, with 15 minutes of prepared questions and 5 minutes for applicants to ask their questions of the interviewers.
Transfer Entry
Students from other colleges or universities are eligible to apply to transfer to our Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.) program. Due to the required coursework, it is likely that transfer students will need to complete at least three years of coursework following their transfer to complete the B.S.N.
-
Application Requirements
- The application requirements include:
- Minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA from all colleges/universities attended
- No grades below a B- in the following courses (if completed):
- English Composition
- General Chemistry I with lab
- Biology I with lab
- Statistics
- Anatomy and Physiology I and II with lab
- Microbiology
- McDaniel transfer application
- Application essay
- Official transcript(s) from all colleges/universities attended
- Letter of reference, preferably from a college professor (recommended, not required)
- Interview with two members of the McDaniel community
-
Admissions Interview
- The admissions interview is a required component of the application process. Applicants who have a completed application prior to the Nov. 15 early action deadline will be considered for the college's Nursing Interview Day. This special event will provide not only an interview opportunity to select candidates, but also a chance for applicants to meet with the Nursing program director, program faculty, and academic administrators. In all cases, applicants should plan to attend Interview Day.
- Students who are unable to attend Interview Day or whose application is not complete prior to Nov. 15 will be invited to participate in a virtual interview.
- Interviews are held by two members of the McDaniel community. Interviews are 20 minutes long and follow a standard format, with 15 minutes of prepared questions and 5 minutes for applicants to ask their questions of the interviewers.