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

Home > Admissions > Pre-Licensure BSN Program Admissions (On-Campus, St. Paul)

To be considered for admission to the CSP Nursing program (Traditional Track), students must first be accepted to the University (Step 1), ensure prerequisite coursework has been completed (Step 2), and confirm specific Nursing Program requirements have been met and apply to the Nursing Program (Step 3).

Please see the details below.

Step 1: Apply to Concordia University, St. Paul (CSP)

Please click here for information on how to apply to CSP.

For information about licensure requirements and limitations, even before you start at CSP, please click here and scroll to Nursing.

CSP offers a Preferred Admission Pathway! Please scroll down to Step 2-Preferred Admission section for more details. Your admissions counselor can answer any questions you have about this exciting pathway option!

Contact Admissions

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 651-641-8230

Step 2: Complete Nursing program Admissions Requirements, including prerequisite courses

Students must complete a number of courses before beginning the CSP Nursing program, including prerequisite and general education courses, which could be taken at CSP. The academic advising team can create a plan that fits your needs, including pursuit of the Preferred Admission Pathway option.

Listed below is the typical timeline for CSP’s 4-year degree program. Students have the ability to speed up or slow down their prerequisite and general education coursework.

  • Semesters 1-3 Start with Prerequisites and General Education Courses
  • Semester 3 Apply to the Nursing Program and Finish Prerequisites and General Education Courses
  • Semesters 4-8 Nursing Major (Reminder: You will start clinicals in your first semester).

  • The CSP Bachelor of Science Nursing (BSN) pre-licensure catalog page has details regarding GPA, grade, and other necessary requirements. Click here for the link to the BSN Pre-Licensure catalog page.

  • 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).

  • For students needing additional credits to qualify for the BSN program, CSP offers a “preferred admission” pathway. This pathway prioritizes admission to the CSP Nursing program for students in this pathway who meet eligibility and nursing admissions requirements.

    • Eligibility Requirements: Prospective students must have a 3.0 incoming cumulative college (transfer student with previous college experience) or high school GPA (first-year college student). Additional eligibility requirements can be found in the CSP Nursing Preferred Admission Pathway Acknowledgement Form.
    • Benefit #1-Preferred Admission Seat: By completing at least 15 credits toward the prerequisite and general education requirement for the CSP pre-licensure BSN at CSP, students will have a prioritized seat in CSP’s pre-licensure nursing program. Please speak with admissions and/or advising regarding how this prioritization process works.
    • Benefit #2-Seamless Admission to Program Process: By declaring as a preferred admission pathway student, you will not need to re-apply to CSP’s nursing program. Students in this pathway are classified as having already applied to the Nursing program.
    • Benefit #3-Familiarity with CSP Overall: Blackboard, financial aid, advising, student life and others. Learn about and be a student at the University before becoming a nursing student.
    • Benefit #4-Prerequisite Preparation: CSP offers excellent science and math courses designed to help you be successful in the nursing program. Courses like MAT165 Quantitative Reasoning for Healthcare Professionals cover relevant concepts like dosage calculation to prepare you for future success in the nursing program.
    • Benefit #5- Assessment Technology Incorporated (ATI) Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS) Waived if 3 of 4 Science Courses are Completed at CSP: 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.
    • 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.

Step 3: Apply to the On-Campus Pre-Licensure BSN Program

The application window for Fall applications runs from April 1-July 1, and Spring applications from August 1-November 1.

When applying, please ensure you have access to the following items:

  1. Concordia ID (L Number, L00******) (Reminder: Students must be admitted to CSP overall which assigns you a Concordia ID, also known as an L Number).
  2. TEAS exam score, if needed (You will need to attach your results in the application).
  3. In-progress course listing if taking outside of CSP (Reminder: You can apply to the Nursing program with courses in progress if they will be completed before the program begins).

Reminder: Review the CSP Nursing Program GPA & Policies catalog pages prior to applying to ensure minimum requirements have been met.

Nursing Program FAQs

  • 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.

  • CSP’s 2021 Minnesota NCLEX-RN first-time pass rate was 93.75%. Minnesota Board of Nursing Baccalaureate and Higher Degree Nursing Program pass rates are available on https://mn.gov/boards/nursing/education/education-statistical-data/.

  • 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.

  • Course lectures, labs, clinical learning experiences, and simulations are offered on the St. Paul campus. The University may use online delivery of coursework to support student learning.

  • The BSN program offered to be completed in 5 semesters during the fall and spring semesters (no classes during summer semesters).

  • Students can find the application link above. To complete the application, students will need their CSP ID (L number), coursework in-progress, and TEAS exam score, if needed.

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

  • 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.

  • 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 Preferred Admission Pathway to secure a seat in the CSP BSN program if they meet all eligibility requirements.