Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)

High school students apply for direct admission to the nursing major as freshman through the Undergraduate Office of Admissions. Freshman direct admission to the nursing major is a highly competitive application process.

The College of Nursing takes into consideration a wide range of factors when making admission decisions. Beginning with the fall 2024 freshmen direct admit pathway, we require students to complete the Holistic Admissions Questionnaire to be considered for admission into our Traditional Bachelor of Science in Nursing program.

The final deadline for high school students applying as a freshman to the nursing major is December 15 of the applicant’s senior year. Space for the nursing major is limited; high school students are encouraged to apply as early as August. Freshman applicants must indicate the major code of Nursing when applying through the UT Office of Undergraduate Admissions.

Applications received after December 15 will not be considered for admission to the nursing major.

Applicants may apply online through Undergraduate  Admissions.

Applicants must meet the statewide US history requirement for a bachelor’s degree (either one unit at the high school level or 6 credit hours at the college level).

Note: Freshman applicants who anticipate earning more than 45 hours of dual enrollment credits or earning an Associate of Arts or Associate of Science degree upon high school graduation must contact the College of Nursing, Office of Student Services before submitting a freshman application to the Undergraduate Admissions Office as direct admission may not be the best fit for you.

Application Process:

• Current UT students must submit a NursingCAS application.
• Transfer students must submit both a NursingCAS application and a transfer application through Undergraduate Admissions.
• Transcripts sent to Undergraduate Admissions are not available to the College of Nursing, so students must also send official transcripts to NursingCAS. Admission to the University of Tennessee through Undergraduate Admissions does not guarantee admission to the College of Nursing BSN program.

Admission Criteria:

• A minimum combined GPA of 3.2 or higher. This includes all coursework from all institutions attended. Please note that meeting the minimum GPA requirement does not guarantee acceptance.
• Completion of both Human Anatomy and Human Physiology with a C or higher by the end of Fall 2025. This applies to both the didactic and lab portions. These courses must be completed by no later than the end of Fall 2025 to be ready for a Spring 2026 start. Admission will not be offered to students completing these courses in the Spring 2026 term.
  • Anatomy must be equivalent to EEB 250+251, ANTH 250+251, or NURS 250+251.
  • Physiology must be equivalent to BCMB 230.
• Courses that show up in the transfer table as “UD” are not equivalent to UT courses and do not meet our requirements. Courses that show up as “LD” or do not show up at all may not be equivalent and/or may need to be evaluated. Transfer coursework is typically evaluated several weeks after a student is admitted to the university. For more information, please visit the Transfer Credit Policy page.
• For year-long Anatomy & Physiology courses (e.g., “Anatomy & Physiology I” and “Anatomy & Physiology II”), both must be completed at the same university. These combined courses cannot be mixed with standalone “Anatomy” or “Physiology” courses (e.g. “Anatomy & Physiology I” + “BCMB 230 Physiology” does NOT meet our requirements). Please use the transfer equivalency table to check how your courses transfer.
• Completion of Microbiology and/or Human Development with a C or higher. One of these courses may be outstanding to be taken in the Spring 2026 term of admission.
  • Microbiology must be equivalent to MICR 210 or BIOL 220+229.
  • Human Development must be equivalent to HDFS 210, CFS 210, or PSYC 300.
• 44 credit hours of VolCore general education courses must be completed. Of these 44 credits, students may have up to 2 outstanding VolCore courses that they take during the Spring term before entering upper division coursework.
• For guidance, please see the BSN catalog page. From this page, students must complete all requirements for Terms 1, 2, and 3 prior to admission. For credit transferring from other institutions, please check UT’s transfer equivalency table.
• The list below reflects the VolCore courses that must be completed.
  • English 101 (3 credits)
  • English 102 (3 credits)
  • Oral Communication (3 credits)
  • Quantitative Reasoning (6 credits)
  • Natural Science with Lab (4 credits)
  • Natural Science with or without Lab (4 credits)
  • Arts & Humanities (3 credits)
  • Global Citizenship International (3 credits)
  • Global Citizenship U.S. (3 credits)
  • Expanded Perspectives Electives (6 credits)
  • Unrestricted Electives (6 credits)
• Students graduating after July 1, 1978 must have completed 1 unit of U.S. history in high school or 6 semester hours of collegiate U.S. history, as required by Tennessee law. UT’s HIUS 221+222 courses fulfill this requirement if not completed in high school.

Other Considerations:

• If pursuing a minor, all minor courses must be completed before the junior term begins.
• All progression requirements must be met by the end of the Spring term to advance to upper division courses.
• Applicants who are admitted must be prepared to take NURS 201 Introduction to Nursing and NURS 319 Pathophysiology at the University of Tennessee in Spring 2026.

NursingCAS Student Guide

Student Admission Checklist

The University of Tennessee Medical Center (UTMC) and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, College of Nursing have partnered to create a new undergraduate nursing pathway at a satellite campus adjacent to UTMC. The BSN Scholars Program is a robust academic-practice partnership that will offer nursing students an opportunity to learn and train inside UTMC, the region’s academic medical center. Students accepted will attend class and complete their clinical rotations at UTMC with access to an onsite learning lab and simulation center at the satellite campus, which is located in the UT Research Park at Cherokee Farm. This program has the same accreditation standards and follows the same mission, vision, values, and honor code as the existing programs. BSN Scholars receive the same high-quality education as traditional BSN students, with access to campus resources, events, and activities, ensuring a full University of Tennessee student experience. Students in the BSN Scholars Program are awarded a minimum of $17,000 in tuition assistance from UTMC with a three-year work commitment post-graduation.

Please note: UTMC does not have a pediatric unit. If this is your area of interest, this pathway may not be the best fit for you.

Application Process:

• Current UT and College of Nursing students must submit a NursingCAS application.
• Transfer students must submit both a NursingCAS application and a transfer application through Undergraduate Admissions.
• Applicants will be required to submit a resume and complete a virtual interview with UT Medical Center (UTMC).
• Admission decisions are based on the admission criteria being met and the final decision made by UT Medical Center. 
• Transcripts sent to Undergraduate Admissions are not available to the College of Nursing, so students must also send official transcripts to NursingCAS. Admission to the University of Tennessee through Undergraduate Admissions does not guarantee admission to the College of Nursing BSN program.

We welcome applications from both in-state and out-of-state students. While we value and encourage the diversity that out-of-state applicants bring to our program, please be aware that preference may be given to in-state applicants. We look forward to reviewing your application and considering you for our esteemed program.

Admission Criteria:

• A minimum combined GPA of 3.2 or higher. This includes all coursework from all institutions attended. Please note that meeting the minimum GPA requirement does not guarantee acceptance.
• Completion of both Human Anatomy and Human Physiology with a C or higher by the end of Fall 2025. This applies to both the didactic and lab portions. These courses must be completed by no later than the end of Fall 2025 to be ready for a Spring 2026 start. Admission will not be offered to students completing these courses in the Spring 2026 term.
  • Anatomy must be equivalent to EEB 250+251, ANTH 250+251, or NURS 250+251.
  • Physiology must be equivalent to BCMB 230.
• Courses that show up in the transfer table as “UD” are not equivalent to UT courses and do not meet our requirements. Courses that show up as “LD” or do not show up at all may not be equivalent and/or may need to be evaluated. Transfer coursework is typically evaluated several weeks after a student is admitted to the university. For more information, please visit the Transfer Credit Policy page.
• For year-long Anatomy & Physiology courses (e.g., “Anatomy & Physiology I” and “Anatomy & Physiology II”), both must be completed at the same university. These combined courses cannot be mixed with standalone “Anatomy” or “Physiology” courses (e.g. “Anatomy & Physiology I” + “BCMB 230 Physiology” does NOT meet our requirements). Please use the transfer equivalency table to check how your courses transfer.
• Completion of Microbiology and/or Human Development with a C or higher. One of these courses may be outstanding to be taken in the Spring 2026 term of admission.
  • Microbiology must be equivalent to MICR 210 or BIOL 220+229.
  • Human Development must be equivalent to HDFS 210, CFS 210, or PSYC 300.
• 44 credit hours of VolCore general education courses must be completed. Of these 44 credits, students may have up to 2 outstanding VolCore courses that they take during the Spring term before entering upper division coursework.
• For guidance, please see the BSN catalog page. From this page, students must complete all requirements for Terms 1, 2, and 3 prior to admission. For credit transferring from other institutions, please check UT’s transfer equivalency table.
• The list below reflects the VolCore courses that must be completed.
  • English 101 (3 credits)
  • English 102 (3 credits)
  • Oral Communication (3 credits)
  • Quantitative Reasoning (6 credits)
  • Natural Science with Lab (4 credits)
  • Natural Science with or without Lab (4 credits)
  • Arts & Humanities (3 credits)
  • Global Citizenship International (3 credits)
  • Global Citizenship U.S. (3 credits)
  • Expanded Perspectives Electives (6 credits)
  • Unrestricted Electives (6 credits)
• Students graduating after July 1, 1978 must have completed 1 unit of U.S. history in high school or 6 semester hours of collegiate U.S. history, as required by Tennessee law. UT’s HIUS 221+222 courses fulfill this requirement if not completed in high school.

Other Considerations:

• If pursuing a minor, all minor courses must be completed before the junior term begins.
• All progression requirements must be met by the end of the Spring term to advance to upper division courses.
• Applicants will be required to submit a resume, and complete a virtual interview with UT Medical Center.
• Applicants who are admitted must be prepared to take NURS 201 Introduction to Nursing and NURS 319 Pathophysiology at the University of Tennessee in Spring 2026.

Interested in learning more about BSN Scholars? Fill out an interest form here.

NursingCAS Student Guide

Student Admission Checklist

General Guidelines:

• The BSN Scholars Program covers last dollar (after scholarships or grants) towards the payment of tuition and fees. This includes tuition, fees, program and service charges. The BSN Scholars Program does not cover room and board, meal plans, e-books, nursing student insurance, etc.
• Prior to the start of semester/term, the College of Nursing provides the list of BSN Scholars Program students to the Bursar’s Office. This applies to fall, spring and summer. 
• Tuition and fees (mandatory and course fees) will be covered by a UT Medical Center contract payment. This contract payment is placed on the student account on the tuition due date each semester. On the payment due date for the semester/term, financial aid will disburse scholarships/grants. There may be adjustments to the contract payments based upon additional scholarships/grants disbursed to the students accounts after the initial contract payment is applied (in particular, when the financial aid award is disbursed after the payment due date or later in the semester).
• If a student does not receive any scholarships or grants, the tuition and fees will be paid in full through the tuition assistance provide by UT Medical Center.
• You are not required to accept student loans as part of the BSN Scholars Program. 
• After tuition is finalized for the semester, an invoice is created and submitted to UT Medical Center. This invoice is usually sent 4-6 weeks after the start date of the semester to ensure the tuition dollar amount owed is accurate. 
• UT Medical Center will provide a minimum of $4,250 of tuition assistance per semester. If the total amount of your tuition and fees is less than the minimum tuition assistance coverage (based upon the dollar amount of scholarships and grants that you receive), the student will receive disbursement of excess aid funds. Excess aid funds will not be applied to the student’s account until after UT Medical Center is invoiced by the College of Nursing (separate invoice from tuition & fees) and payment is received by the Bursar’s Office from UT Medical Center. The payment of excess aid funds is usually received and applied to the student’s account towards the latter part of the semester. 
• If a student thinks their account balance is incorrect, or they have any additional questions related to account balances, please email [email protected]. The student may also contact [email protected] (Bursar’s Office) to discuss the account balance (contract payments and excess aid funds).

Expected Application Timeline- Transfer/Traditional BSN

Decisions for the Traditional BSN (TBSN) program are expected to be released after the priority deadline of November 10, 2025. Please note that the application timeline is subject to change due to unforeseen circumstances. This process can take time, so you should apply as early as possible. We recommend starting your application at least two months before the application deadline.

• Late May – Application opens
• November 10 – Priority Deadline
  • Students who apply by this date may be given priority.
• Early December – Academic Update for Fall 2025
  • You may be required to submit updated transcripts to NursingCAS.
• December 15 – Final Deadline for NursingCAS and UT applications
  • All NursingCAS and UT applications must be submitted by this date to be considered.
• December 22 – Materials Deadline
  • This applies to students who have submitted applications by the December 15 deadline and have remaining materials to send. New applications will not be accepted after December 15.
  • All NursingCAS applications must be verified by this date.
• Late January – TBSN program begins

Expected Application Timeline- BSN Scholars

Applications for the BSN Scholars program are continuously reviewed as they are completed. The first round of decisions are expected to be sent out in August. Afterwards, decisions will be sent on a rolling basis as applications are completed. Admission will be offered until seats are filled. Please note that the application timeline is subject to change due to unforeseen circumstances. This process can take time, so you should apply as early as possible. We recommend starting your application at least two months before the application deadline.

• Late May – Application opens
• Early August – 1st round decisions sent
• November 10 – Priority Deadline
  • Students who apply by this date may be given priority.
• Early December – Academic Update for Fall 2025
  • You may be required to submit updated transcripts to NursingCAS.
• December 15 – Final Deadline for NursingCAS and UT applications
  • All NursingCAS and UT applications must be submitted by this date to be considered.
• December 22 – Materials Deadline
  • This applies to students who have submitted applications by the December 15 deadline and have remaining materials to send. New applications will not be accepted after December 15.
  • All NursingCAS applications must be verified by this date.
• Late January – BSN Scholars program begins

The College of Nursing partners with Army and Air Force ROTC programs to provide multiple pathways for nursing admission into the BSN program.

• Admission into the College of Nursing as a direct freshman entry, a student must have met all competitive criteria used by the faculty of the College of Nursing to earn one of the allocated seats for the freshman class.
• Admission into the College of Nursing through the Change of Major process a student must have met all competitive criteria used by the faculty of the College of Nursing to earn one of the allocated seats for the freshman class.
• If not accepted into the College of Nursing as a direct entry freshman, an ROTC scholar will have a second opportunity for review of admission prior to the start of freshman year. (Preference will be given towards two prospective students who were denied admission at time of review for the direct entry process). Admission into the College of Nursing as a freshman through this process must be selected jointly by the College of Nursing and ROTC. There is a two seat maximum for this pathway.

• Direct freshman admission to the nursing major
• Freshman Nursing Living and Learning Community on campus
• Active Student Nurses Association within the college
• Excellent clinical experiences at major hospitals, community clinics, health departments, schools, and other health care facilities in the region
• Highly qualified faculty who are experienced teachers, researchers, and leaders in nursing and health care
• Technology-enhanced classrooms and accredited simulation laboratory facilities
• Outstanding preparation for the NCLEX, the national licensing exam for RNs—UT College of Nursing graduates consistently exceed both the state and national pass rates

The baccalaureate nursing curriculum is guided by the following assumptions:

• Persons and their health and well-being are the focus of nursing.
• Nursing is a caring practice profession, an art, and a scientific discipline.
• Persons are influenced by a complex environment (both internal and external) that affects their health and well-being.
• A goal for nursing is to modify environmental factors to promote, maintain and restore health.

The curriculum integrates the themes of holism, diversity, and caring and emphasizes critical thinking, communication and leadership, and management principles and skills.

A broad base of general education, a thorough study of human behavior; an emphasis on health maintenance, promotion, and restoration; and a strong family and community orientation are all essential components of baccalaureate nursing education.

Maintaining a high-quality relevant program responsive to the increasing complexity of health care delivery, the changing health needs of society, and the changing and expanding role of the nurse enables graduates of the program to:

• Assume beginning leadership positions in a variety of settings
• Work collaboratively with other health professionals
• Function as socially conscious and contributing citizens
• Pursue advanced education on either a formal or informal basis

Undergraduate Catalog

For more information regarding fees please visit our Undergraduate Tuition & Fees page.

Due to the high volume of individual visit requests for prospective students, the College of Nursing holds Information Sessions for those interested in our nursing pathways. More information regarding open houses and information sessions can be found here.

FAQs

For more information regarding our undergraduate programs please see the Undergraduate Programs Handbook.