BSN Traditional Pre-Licensure: Admissions to Program (On-Campus, St. Paul)

Direct Admissions Requirements

CSP Nursing offers a Direct Admission Pathway for incoming first-year and transfer students waiting to pursue the Traditional BSN Program. Students who qualify (upon acceptance to the university) will have a seat within the program upon completion of all Nursing program requirements.

• Eligibility
  • Incoming First-Year Students admitted to CSP with a 3.0 or higher cumulative high school GPA will automatically be considered for CSP’s Nursing Direct Admission upon admission to the University.
  • Incoming Transfer Students admitted to CSP with a cumulative college GPA AND Science GPA of 3.0 or higher will be eligible for direct admission.
  • All students must meet the following criteria to maintain their eligibility:
    • Maintain a 3.0 or higher cumulative GPA and science GPA.
    • Complete all Nursing program requirements (prerequisite coursework, TEAS exam, latency and retake policies are met, etc.).
    • Submit the Nursing Acknowledgment Form and attend the mandatory Nursing orientation (both items are sent upon acceptance to the program).

  Apply to CSP to determine your eligibility!

Direct Admissions Benefits:

• Automatically accepted to CSP’s College of Nursing: Students with a cumulative high school GPA or cumulative college GPA of a 3.0 or higher will have a prioritized seat in CSP’s pre-licensure Nursing Direct Admission.
• Nursing Application Waived: Direct admission students will be exempt from submitting CSP’s nursing program application. Students are classified as having already applied to the Nursing program once declared a direct admission student as long as all program requirements are met at the intended program start term.
• TEAS Exam Waived: CSP waives the TEAS requirement if 3 of 4 Science prerequisites are completed through CSP (BIO300, BIO315, BIO316, or CHE105) and minimum science GPA and grades have been met.

Standard Admissions Requirements

CSP Nursing offers standard admission for those who do not qualify for Direct Admission​ upon acceptance to the university.

• T​he following requirements must be met to apply as a standard applicant:
  • Acceptance to the university.
  • Cumulative and science GPA of 3.0 or greater.
  • ​Successful completion all Nursing prerequisite coursework and requirements.
  • TEAS score of 65% or greater (waived if 3 out of 4 science courses are completed through CSP)​.
  • ​Submit​ the Nursing Acknowledgment Form and attend the mandatory Nursing orientation (both items are sent upon acceptance to the program)​.

Reminder: Please view the CSP catalog for details regarding GPA, grade, and other related requirements.

• PSY230 Lifespan Developmental Psychology (4 credits)
• MAT165 Quantitative Reasoning for Health Care Professionals (3 credits)
• CHE105 Chemistry for Health Sciences (4 credits) Note: CHE115 General Chemistry (4 credits) can be taken instead.
• BIO300 Microbiology Note: BIO120 General Biology I with lab (or equivalent, if taken outside of CSP) is a prerequisite to this course if taken at CSP.
• BIO315 Human Anatomy and Physiology I with Lab (4 credits) Note: BIO120 General Biology I with lab (or equivalent, if taken outside of CSP) is a prerequisite to this course if taken at CSP.
• BIO316 Human Anatomy and Physiology II with Lab (4 credits) Note: BIO315 Human Anatomy and Physiology I with lab (or equivalent, if taken outside of CSP) is a prerequisite to this course if taken at CSP.

Latency Policy: 

• All science and math prerequisites must be current within seven years from the date of acceptance to the University.
• PSY230 must be current within ten years from the date of acceptance to the University.
• General education requirements transferred from another institution do not expire.

Retake Policy:

• Prerequisite courses may be repeated in their entirety in order to meet the grade and GPA requirements: Only two re-takes due to failure/withdrawal are allowed (Note: This is two re-takes total, not two re-takes for failure and two re-takes for withdrawal).

• Assessment Technologies Institute (ATI) Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS) must be submitted with a score of 65% or higher. Although proficiency is not required in each subject area, proficiency in each subject area can enhance the candidate’s application.
• Complete the TEAS exam within one year prior to your application to the Nursing Program (only two attempts allowed per year).
• Reminder: The TEAS requirement is waived if a student completes 3 of 4 Science prerequisites through CSP (e.g., BIO300, BIO315, BIO316, or CHE105) and minimum science GPA and grades have been met.
• CSP does not accept the HESI exam in place of TEAS.

Complete the TEAS Exam Through CSP

The TEAS Exam is offered through CSP virtually. This is open to anyone to register, including CSP pre-nursing and non-CSP students. Students can also complete the TEAS exam outside of CSP.

• Register here: https://atitesting.com/teas/register#prep
• Registration will close 24 hours prior to exam.
• Cost of exam is $100. Applicant will pay upon registration.
• Applicants will receive an email prior to the exam (12 hours) with a link to log onto for the dry run. Check spam inbox.

This will be available to you during the application window for the semester you’ll be eligible to apply for the program.  Please connect with Academic Advising to confirm your Nursing start term and access to the Nursing application.

Our traditional BSN offers two starts a year in St. Paul: Fall semester and Spring semester.

• For Fall semester, students can apply as early as April 1, with the final deadline of July 1.
• For Spring semester, students can apply as early as August 1, with the final deadline of November 1.

Students can apply to the nursing program with courses in progress as long as the in-progress courses are completed prior to starting the nursing program.

CSP offers a Direct Admission Pathway to secure a seat in the BSN program if they meet all eligibility requirements and maintain program requirements upon ready to apply to program.

There is a fall (September) and spring (January) start each academic year.

The nursing program follows our traditional undergraduate tuition and financial aid structure. In addition, there are Nursing Program fees charged throughout the program, these can be found here.

The BSN program offers course lectures, labs, clinical learning experiences, and simulations are offered in person at the St. Paul campus. Courses can be daytime, evening and/or weekends.

The University may use online delivery of coursework to support student learning. Students interested in a fully online delivery method should apply to the ABSN program.

Upon acceptance to the BSN program, it is structured to be completed in 5 semesters (2 years) during the fall and spring semesters (no nursing classes during summer semesters).

This varies by term and year.

We typically recommend that our students allow themselves the opportunity to focus on their BSN education full time.

Students begin clinical learning experiences in their first semester of the nursing program. Clinical learning experiences occur in a variety of healthcare and community-based settings throughout the Twin Cities metropolitan region and through a variety of modalities including simulation.

CSP’s 2023 Minnesota NCLEX-RN first-time pass rate was 90.38%. Minnesota Board of Nursing Baccalaureate and Higher Degree Nursing Program pass rates are available on https://mn.gov/boards/nursing/education/education-statistical-data/.

CSP requires a 3.0 cumulative GPA and 3.0 cumulative Science GPA to be considered for admission to the BSN program. Each incoming cohort varies as to their average GPA.

CSP accepts 24 qualified candidates each start. The number of applicants each term varies. We encourage all qualified candidates to apply.

Double majoring is not recommended for students pursuing the BSN program due to the rigorous coursework.