Requirements

Admission Requirements for New Students

Students who wish to apply for admission to Cedarville University and major in nursing should show a strong commitment to leading a godly lifestyle and a desire to use nursing as ministry for Christ. Acceptance by Cedarville University does not guarantee acceptance into the nursing major. A college preparatory curriculum including four years of both mathematics and science (algebra, biology, and chemistry required) provides the best academic preparation for the nursing major. An ACT composite score of 24 (or SAT composite of 1160)* or higher is required to enter the nursing program.

Progression to Nursing Clinical Courses

Students must fulfill academic, non-academic, and technical requirements in order to progress in the nursing program. In addition, students must receive a positive recommendation from the faculty of the School Nursing each semester.

• Checkpoint #1
  • End of freshman year, after May session grades have been submitted
  • Students must have an unrounded cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher to progress to sophomore-level (2000) nursing courses for fall semester
  • If GPA is less than (<) 3.0:
    • Change major
    • 5-year plan
    • **Request for extension of GPA audit (see below)
  • Meets all academic requirements
• Checkpoint #2
  • A transcript audit will be performed early spring semester of sophomore year to verify:
    • Student is on track for progression to junior year plan
    • Student has earned C- or higher in all nursing, psychology, and science courses
      • Anything less than C- must be repeated and may be repeated one time only
    • Student has no more than four remaining general education/Bible courses at start of junior year clinical courses
    • Meets all academic requirements
  • Students will be permitted to progress into 3000-level clinical courses depending on availability of faculty and clinical sites. In the event numbers of eligible students exceed clinical site availability, registration for 3000-level clinical courses will be ranked by GPA.
• Checkpoint #3
  • End of sophomore year, after May session grades have been submitted
  • Students must have an unrounded cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher to progress to 3000-level nursing courses for fall semester
  • If GPA is less than (<) 3.0:
  • • Change major
    • 5-year plan
    • **Request for extension of GPA audit (see below)
  • Meets all academic requirements

Academic Requirements

1. Maintain GPA as follows:
   1. End of freshman year unrounded cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher
   2. End of sophomore year unrounded cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher
   3. End of fall semester of junior year (or first 3000-level clinical course) through  graduation, unrounded cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher
2. Any course for which the minimum grade is not achieved must be repeated
   1. A C- or higher is required in all nursing, psychology, and science courses:
      1. CHEM-1000 Principles of Chemistry
      2. GBIO-2210 Principles of Microbiology
      3. GBIO-2010 Human Anatomy and Physiology I
      4. GBIO-2015 Human Anatomy and Physiology II
      5. PYCH-1600 General Psychology
      6. PYCH-2610 Statistics
   2. Students may repeat a course one time only.
3. Earn a weighted exam average of ≥75% in all nursing courses that have two or more exams. The final exam will be part of the weighted exam average in determining passing or failing a course. If a student achieves an exam average less than 75%, but an overall grade greater than 75%, the student will be given a D+ in the course. If a student achieves an overall course grade less than 75%, the student will be given the overall course grade earned.
4. A student receiving less than C- in a nursing course will fail the course.
   1. A failing grade or WF (withdraw fail) in two 2000-level or higher nursing courses in the same or subsequent semesters will result in removal from the program.
   2. A single failure in any 2000-level or higher nursing course will result in student being placed on academic probation.
   3. A student will not be removed from academic probation. After a first nursing course failure, student will be on probation until another nursing course failure resulting in removal from the program, or until successful completion of the program.
5. Any prerequisite course taken at another institution must be transferred to Cedarville University and posted on the student’s Cedarville University transcript by the end of the first full week of classes in order to remain in the nursing course for which the prerequisite was required. If a prerequisite course is not posted on the student’s Cedarville University transcript by this deadline, the student will be required to withdraw from that nursing course immediately. Transfer courses show as credit (K) on the transcript and do not affect GPA.
6. Students must meet all clinical objectives and fulfill all other clinical requirements.

Nonacademic Requirements

Students must practice the characteristics of empathy, integrity, respect, self-confidence, self-motivation, stewardship, teamwork and diplomacy, time management and dependability, and tolerance. The faculty reserves the right at any time to enact probation or remove from the nursing major students who exhibit unprofessional, immoral, illegal, or unethical behavior, or who compromise the safety of self or others.

Technical Standards Requirements

Students must demonstrate ability to follow technical standards: physical/neurological, motor, communication, judgement, and social/behavioral/emotional coping skills.*
*Fully described in the nursing student handbook.

Graduation Requirements

Candidates for the BSN degree must complete the required 129 semester hours, earn a grade of C- or better in all nursing courses, maintain a GPA of 2.5 or higher, register for the NCLEXRN examination, apply for state licensure, and meet University requirements for graduation.

* SAT Test Scores: Based on SAT tests taken March 2016 and afterwards.