The Upper Division nursing pathway is our traditional nursing pathway for students who have completed nursing prerequisite courses and university general education requirements. This is a full-time, limited-access nursing pathway and is structured sequentially. Admission is competitive. Admissions are determined on the basis of the availability of sufficient qualified faculty, laboratory and classroom facilities, and clinical teaching resources. To view our competitive undergraduate nursing pathway statistics, please click here.

Criteria for Admission

• Admission to the University of South Florida by March 1st.
  • Apply directly to the semester you plan to begin classes at the university. Students who do not enroll in classes during the term they were admitted will have their admission to USF cancelled for non-enrollment by the Office of Admissions.
  • Choose Nursing as your major and select Tampa as your campus as a degree seeking student if you are applying directly to the fall semester when the Upper Division nursing pathway begins.

• “Verified” NursingCAS application by February 15th.
  • Please use this guide to understand each status in NursingCAS and how to become verified.
• 3.6 overall undergraduate GPA.

• Completion of the 8 state-mandated nursing prerequisites with a C grade or better before the nursing application deadline.
  • Students may have their one, final nursing prerequisite in progress past the application deadline for the Upper Division nursing pathway, however, they will be offered conditional admission, if selected. These applicants will be required to submit proof of a C grade or better earned in the final prerequisite course at the end of the spring semester. Students who earn a C- or below in the final prerequisite will not meet the conditions of their admission and have their admission rescinded.
  • Students that take the nursing prerequisites outside of Florida may be required to provide a course syllabus from the original institution where the course was completed to be reviewed by faculty. The syllabus for each course must be from the correct catalog year when the course was originally taken.
• ENC 1101 English Composition I (3 credits) and ENC 1102 English Composition II (3 credits) completed with a C grade or better.
  • Applicants with a FL AA degree from a school that is part of the Florida College System will automatically satisfy this requirement.
  • These courses cannot be in progress during the application cycle.
  • Students who are not certain if their course will satisfy this requirement can submit an evaluation request directly to the USF English Department.
• State Computation Math (3 credits) completed with a C grade or better.
  • Applicants with an AA degree from a school that is part of the Florida College System will automatically satisfy this requirement.
  • MAC 1105 College Algebra or MGF 1106 Finite Mathematics preferred.
  • This course cannot be in progress during the application cycle.
  • Students who are not certain if their course will satisfy this requirement can submit an evaluation request directly to the USF Math Department.
• Completion of the university’s foreign language entrance requirement (FLENT), general education requirements, and Civics Literacy exam before the intended term of entry.
  • Transfer applicants who have obtained an Associate of Arts degree (AA) from a Florida College System institution automatically meet the general education requirements. FLENT and the Civics Literacy exam are not satisfied by the FL AA degree and must be completed separately.
• Complete the Bull Nurse Virtual Interview Assessment
  • Once a student reaches the “verified” status in NursingCAS, the College of Nursing admissions team will evaluate the application for eligibility.
  • Students that meet all minimum admission requirements at that time will be invited to participate in a live virtual interview using Microsoft Teams.
  • All eligible applicants will be contacted to schedule a 20 minute interview and answer randomized questions presented by College of Nursing faculty.
  • Detailed instructions and interview resources will be sent to students once they reach the “verified” application status in NursingCAS and have been evaluated by the College of Nursing.
  • Students who do not reach the “verified” status in NursingCAS by the deadline will not have the opportunity to interview or be considered eligible for the current cycle.

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

Important Notification:

All admitted nursing students are required to complete a background check, immunization verification, drug screening, and more. Additionally, students will be required to provide proof of current health insurance. Admitted students will be provided with the steps to complete this process. It is important to note that most states require a social security number to take the NCLEX and/or to be issued a registered nurse license.

The Upper Division nursing pathway is only available to students pursuing their first bachelor’s degree. Please consider the Accelerated Second Degree nursing pathway if you are about to graduate with or currently hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution.

Applicants who have attended, but not completed, another registered nursing program must provide a letter of good standing from the Dean of Nursing, or their appointed designee, that addresses the potential for success in a BSN program, safety in providing nursing care, interpersonal communication skills, and other information the campus director deems important. This letter should be uploaded to the NursingCAS application before submitting. Prior enrollment in another nursing program and/or nursing course failures may impact your admission decision.

Do you still have questions? Please attend an information session to learn more about the Upper Division nursing pathway or sign up for a nursing admissions advising session with one of our nursing admissions advisors!

The Upper Division nursing pathway is 5 consecutive semesters and admits once a year to the fall semester only.

For information about curriculum, please consult the Undergraduate Catalog.

Please review theCollege of Nursing Student Handbookfor details on progression, policies, and standards for admitted nursing students.

Applicants who meet the admission requirements should complete the steps below to apply:

Please follow these steps to be considered for the Upper Division nursing pathway. Applicants that do not meet all admission requirements and deadlines will not be considered.

Transfer Applicants Only:

• Submit a transfer undergraduate application to USF through the Office of Admissions
  • Select “Bachelor’s Degree”.
  • Select Nursing as your major.
  • Select the Tampa campus and apply now.
  • Apply directly to the term you plan to start classes at USF.
• Submit all official transcripts to USF Admissions.
  • Submit official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended.
  • Submit official AP, IB, CLEP, etc. test scores from CollegeBoard.
  • Some applicants may be required to submit additional documents as needed by the USF Office of Admission

All Applicants:

• Submit a NursingCAS Application
• Students must have their USF ID number (Example: U12345678) before starting the NursingCAS application.
• Select your intended term of entry.
• Create a NursingCAS account and submit the application with fee.
• Submit all official transcripts to NursingCAS.
  • Submit official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended.

For technical questions regarding your NursingCAS account, please contact NursingCAS at 617-612-2880 or nursingcasinfo@nursingcas.org. Please refer to the Application Deadlines tab for reference if you do not see your desired term of entry in NursingCAS.

Military Commissioning Program Applicants:

• Air Force Nurse Enlisted Commissioning Program (NECP)
  • Upper Division is currently eligible under the NECP guidelines.
  • Students will receive an official letter of admission after a formal decision has been made by the College of Nursing. A signed program plan, tuition and fees statement, and signed Form 48 will be created for applicants once they have been admitted to USF through the Office of Admissions and reach the verified status in NursingCAS.
• Navy Medical Enlisted Commissioning Program (MECP)
  • Upper Division is currently eligible under MECP guidelines.
  • Students interested in submitting a packet to MECP should apply for the Upper Division nursing pathway a year in advance. Students who go through the formal admission process and are selected will receive a deferred admission decision for the following fall or spring semester. This will allow applicants to receive all required documentation necessary to complete the MECP packet before the military deadlines.
• Army Medical Department Enlisted Commissioning Program (AECP)
  • The USF College of Nursing does not currently meet the online course requirements for this commissioning program. Upper Division has 5 courses coded as online in the curriculum. Please connect with your AECP representative to inquire about the possibility of a waiver for this requirement. Students must apply for the pathway a year in advance if a waiver is awarded by AECP.

Note: The Upper Division nursing pathway is a limited-access program and requires both admission to the university and an application to the College of Nursing through NursingCAS. Admission to the university is not a guaranteed admission to the College of Nursing. Applicants must meet all minimum admission criteria, be officially admitted to USF for the correct term of entry and have a “verified” NursingCAS application by the nursing application deadline to be considered for admission to the desired nursing pathway. Any deviation from the posted criteria will cause the applicant to be ineligible for admission.

The College of Nursing will evaluate prerequisite coursework after the USF Office of Admissions has determined course transferability to the university and posted the official results in DegreeWorks, which requires all official transcripts to be processed by the USF Office of Admissions. For questions regarding the status of your university application and transcript processing please call (813) 974-3350 or email at admissions@usf.edu.

DegreeWorks can be found by logging into your OASIS account and clicking the link under the “Student” tab. Access DegreeWorks using your activated USF NetID. If you do not have a NetID, you will first need to activate it. Please view the Online Tutorial for Activating Your USF Net ID.

Do you still have questions? Please attend an information session to learn more about the Upper Division nursing pathway or sign up for a nursing admissions advising session with one of our nursing admissions advisors!

*Transcripts submitted to USF Admissions after this date are not guaranteed to be processed before the nursing application deadline passes. This may cause ineligibility.

Nursing orientation is mandatory for all undergraduate students. Students who do not complete orientation will forfeit their seat in the program.

Note: Please read the Admission Requirements and Application Process sections carefully. Applicants will be deemed ineligible for admission to the Upper Division nursing pathway if any portion of the process is not satisfied by the posted deadlines. Admission to the College of Nursing is not rolling at the undergraduate level. Once the nursing application deadline passes all eligible applicants will be evaluated. Please contact USF Undergraduate Admissions regarding your university application. USF Office of Admissions cannot expedite processing for any student for any reason.

Do you still have questions? Please attend an information session to learn more about the Upper Division nursing pathway or sign up for a nursing admissions advising session with one of our nursing admissions advisors!