The RN to BSN program is for students currently licensed to practice as registered nurses. The RN to BSN option allows an RN with a diploma or an associate degree in nursing from a regionally accredited school to earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing.

• Acceptance at USF (Tampa) as a degree-seeking undergraduate student
• Application to the College of Nursing prior to the published deadline for the intended term of entry 

Students must be admitted by the USF Tampa Undergraduate Admissions Office before they can submit their application to the College of Nursing (students must have USF Tampa campus as their home campus). 

To learn more about admissions requirements and prerequisites, consult the Undergraduate Catalog.

Important Notification:

All admitted nursing students are required to complete a background check, immunization verification, and drug screening. Additionally, students will be required to provide proof of current health insurance. Admitted students will be provided with the steps to complete this process.

Please refer to the catalog for your academic year. Visit the online Undergraduate Catalog, select the appropriate catalog year, choose the College of Nursing, and select Admissions Requirements for more information.

To view our competitive GPA and program statistics, please click here.

The College of Nursing offers a BSN for registered nurses. This degree consists of 30 hours of coursework.

For information about curriculum, please consult the Undergraduate Catalog.

This program of studies has been organized into four clusters: Leadership/Management OR Patient/Staff Education OR Clinical Excellence OR Ambulatory Care.

Be sure to contact your advisor to declare a cluster and get a listing of electives. 

Sample cluster courses include:

Experiential Learning Hours

The RN to BSN curriculum is designed to integrate new practice related knowledge and skills to function in the professional role as a baccalaureate-prepared nurse. Experiential Learning is a required element in three of the core courses.  Students in NUR 4828C complete their Experiential Learning hours at their place of employment if the facility approves; experiential learning hours must be completed in the state of Florida. It is the expectation that the student would have an opportunity in this situation to gain a broader and deeper perspective of his or her own organization, as well as for the employer to have the opportunity to provide a forum for professional growth within the organization for the employee.  Additional hours are incorporated in NUR 4169C and NUR 4634C to meet student learning outcomes in Evidence Based Practice and Population Health through faculty guided experiences.

• Organizational cultural assessment
• Patient education project 
• Evidence-based practice project
• Assessment of a specific patient population using health care issues and community resources

Interested students who meet the minimum published criteria are encouraged to apply by deadline for each term. Follow the steps below to successfully apply for the RN to BSN program (current USF students may skip step 1):

Step 1 Submit a USF Admissions Application

Submit a degree-seeking application to Undergraduate Admissions. For questions regarding undergraduate admissions (including USF deadlines), please call (813) 974-3350 or check the website.

Required documentation: Submit official transcripts from every college or university attended directly to the USF Office of Undergraduate Admissions, 4202 E. Fowler Avenue, SVC1036, Tampa, FL 33620-6900. Transcripts will not be considered until they are received, opened, and processed in the system by the Undergraduate Admissions office. Please request a hard copy of your ASN transcripts to be sent to USF Undergraduate Admissions. Sending the transcript electronically may delay your admission to USF.

Step 2 Submit a College of Nursing Application

Once you have completed step 1, and have been admitted as an undergraduate pre-nursing student at USF, complete the College of Nursing application (SOAR). The application requires a university identification number (UID) to apply.

Please note the following: If you are still completing your prerequisite coursework, have not yet graduated with your ASN degree, or have not yet received your RN license, please wait to apply through SOAR. The College of Nursing can only consider applicants who meet all the minimum criteria.

Apple users, please note: The SOAR application is not compatible with the Safari internet browser; please use Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox as an alternative.

All steps in the application process must be completed by 5 p.m. on the deadline for the application term.

Important: The RN to BSN curriculum is designed to integrate new practice related knowledge and skills in the student’s professional role as a baccalaureate prepared nurse. Core courses include required Experiential Learning hours, which take place in the state of Florida, and students admitted to the RN to BSN major are expected to complete their practicums at their place of employment. Students must be a resident of the state of Florida with evidence of a current Florida RN licensure in good standing for the duration of the program.

1. Complete a practicum at a site in the Tampa Bay region assigned by the College of Nursing. 
2. Self-identify an appropriate venue (with agreement by the College of Nursing). USF will attempt to secure an Affiliation Agreement with that identified site; however, if this agreement cannot be procured, the student will not be able to register for classes.