The Bachelor of Science in Nursing in the School of Nursing is a full-time four-year program built for traditional entry from high school. Application deadlines are November 1 for Early Decision and Early Action, and January 5 for Regular Decision. Please visit the Office of Undergraduate Admission for admission requirements.
Students from other colleges and universities and from other schools within the University of Virginia, including current first year UVA nursing students can apply to transfer to the School of Nursing’s accelerated two-year transfer track. Accelerated transfer students complete two years of full-time study, which includes two summer sessions. The application deadline is October 1 for a summer start.
To be considered for admission to this program, applicants must:
For summer admission:
Students from other colleges and universities and from other schools within the University of Virginia can apply to transfer to the School of Nursing’s three-year transfer track. Students in the three-year transfer program complete three years of full-time study. The application deadline is February 1st for internal transfer applicants and March 1st for external transfer applicants. This program starts in the fall semester.
To be considered for admission to this program, applicants must:
For fall admission:
The RN to BSN program at the UVA School of Nursing is a 21-month, part-time hybrid program for associate degree or diploma prepared nurses to obtain their BSN. Students are admitted to one of our three locations: Charlottesville, Richmond or Northern Virginia. Students attend in-person classes at least once a month and all other learning occurs online. The University of Virginia has a Guaranteed Admission Agreement with all schools in the Virginia Community College System for the RN to BSN program; please refer to this link for more information.
To be considered for admission, applicants must submit a completed application and:
General education requirements:
Cooperation and personal attention mark the relations between advisors and students. Each undergraduate student is assigned an academic advisor upon admission to the school, and students are encouraged to avail themselves of this resource. The School of Nursing Office of Admissions and Student Services (OASS) provides assistance and serves as a source of information for other support resources.
Nursing students are required to meet with their academic advisor once every semester. An advising hold, preventing enrollment in the following semester’s courses, is placed on the student’s account and cannot be lifted until that meeting has taken place. This hold can only be lifted by the student’s academic advisor.
First-year students in the pre-professional component of the program are considered to be in good academic standing if they earn no more than one grade below C-. Additionally, first year nursing students are required to earn a minimum C- grade in anatomy and physiology, chemistry, microbiology, lifespan development and cells to society. Students who do not earn a C- or higher in either semester of anatomy and physiology, chemistry, microbiology, lifespan development or cells to society are required to retake the course(s). This may alter the planned sequence of courses and may lengthen the time for completion of the program.
Second-, third-, and fourth- year students in the professional component of the program are considered to be in good academic standing if they have a semester average of at least 2.000 and no grades below a C- in required nursing courses, regardless of the semester average. Grades of D and F are failing grades for all required nursing courses in the professional component of the program. Students earning a grade of D or F in a required course in the professional component will be placed on academic warning and must successfully repeat the course with a grade of C- or above. This may alter the planned sequence of courses and may lengthen the time for completion of the program.
First year students must maintain a semester grade point average (GPA) of 1.8. Students who do not meet these standards will be placed on academic warning. Nursing students in years two, three, or four will be placed on academic warning if their semester GPA falls below 2.0. All undergraduate students will be required to maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.0 for all credit hours attempted to maintain financial aid eligibility. A grade of D is included in the student’s GPA and counts toward credits earned. An F grade is included in the student’s GPA but does not count toward credits earned.
A nursing student is subject to suspension if (1) the student earns a total of two D’s or one F at any time in the professional component of the program (years two through four), (2) the student’s GPA is below 2.000 for two semesters, (3) the student has been placed on academic warning two semesters, or (4) the student earns fewer than 9 credits in a semester.
The UVA School of Nursing expects all students to meet established academic standards satisfactorily for all course requirements, including meeting learning objectives, clinical practice objectives/standards, and professional standards of behavior for safe and quality nursing practice.
This policy promotes academic achievement, maintains academic and professional standards, and achieves fairness and consistency in decisions about students with academic or professional concerns. Faculty members as course professors or clinical instructors are responsible for assessing and monitoring each student’s academic and professional progress, including knowledge gained, skills acquired, and professional behavior, as well as adherence to policies and procedures concerning clinical education and the health system/clinical facility policies.
A student’s failure to meet the established academic, clinical and/or professional standards requires faculty documentation of an academic action plan and may be initiated at any time.
This process is intended for faculty members to address single instances of significant errors (such as failure of an exam or a medication error) and patterns (such as repeated tardiness to clinical).
Consequences for a student with 3 or more notices:
Faculty should refer to the SON Faculty/Staff Handbook for procedures with Academic Action Plans.
Students who wish to appeal a course grade must first attempt to resolve the issue with the instructor of the course. Absent a satisfactory outcome, the student consults their academic advisor before meeting with the Senior Assistant Dean for Academic and Student Services.
The student will be advised by the Senior Assistant Dean for Academic and Student Services to file a formal appeal to the Associate Dean for Academic Programs. The appeal letter must address the grounds for the appeal including any claims of grading errors, perceived inequities based on policies/syllabi discrepancies or extenuating circumstances.
For grades awarded for the fall semester, the written appeal must be submitted no later than 14 calendar days after the beginning of the spring semester. For grades awarded for the spring semester or summer sessions: the written appeal must be submitted no later than 14 days after the first day of the fall semester. For January term, a written appeal must be submitted no later than 14 days after the end of that session or term. Appeals submitted after the deadline will be heard only in exceptional cases, as determined by the Senior Assistant Dean for Academic and Student Services.
The Associate Dean for Academic Programs shall make a final decision after full consideration of the materials submitted and/or a committee’s recommendation. The student will be notified of the decision within three weeks of receipt of the student’s appeal.
University policy and procedures are described in PROV-019 for students seeking to appeal an academic decision as defined in that policy. Nursing students seeking to appeal an academic decision must follow the procedures outlined in PROV-019 and the contacts/procedures as outlined above for appealing a grade.
The School of Nursing recognizes exceptional academic achievement attained by undergraduate nursing students each semester. The requirements for this honor include:
Nursing students who demonstrate superior academic performance (GPA of 3.4 or above) are encouraged to apply for the School’s Distinguished Majors Program (DMP) to pursue a substantive project of their own that they would not have the opportunity to develop as part of their regular program of study. The application process requires students to define a detailed research project and to obtain agreement of a faculty member to guide the research. Once accepted in the program, students design and implement their research project as part of the Distinguished Majors Seminar I (3 credits in the Fall) and Seminar II (2 credits in the Spring). The research should be focused and well-defined, but it should also shed light on broader themes and questions within the general field in which the thesis falls. The final project should result in a manuscript, suitable for publication, and a public presentation.
Diploma with Distinction: Diplomas inscribed “with Distinction” are awarded to graduates who have earned a cumulative UVA grade point average of 3.400 and successfully completed the Distinguished Majors Program, or to students with a cumulative UVA GPA of 3.750 who have not completed the Distinguished Majors Program.
Diplomas inscribed “with Highest Distinction” are awarded to graduates who have earned a cumulative UVA GPA of 3.750 and have successfully completed the Distinguished Majors Program.
The faculty member placing students and the students assigned to agencies are responsible for knowing and adhering to the contents of the affiliation agreement, including its conditions and responsibilities.
The School does not provide legal advice to the student regarding whether to submit to the conditions set by the facility. The School does not pay any student costs related to the clinical experience. If the student declines or fails to participate in or complete the clinical experience and the experience is a requirement for the course, the student will not successfully complete the course and may not graduate. The student is solely responsible for the consequences of their decision regarding whether to submit to the conditions or requirements established by the facility.
Students who are unable to finish clinical hours within the term are required to have written approval of the faculty member and must submit the Incomplete Grade Form for approval. Students cannot begin clinical hours before the semester begins.
The UVA ID badge must be surrendered to the Program Coordinator, UVA clinical faculty, or UVA Nursing Information Systems once the need for the badge no longer exists. To surrender the badge to UVA Nursing Information Systems, students should visit McLeod Hall, Room 3014, or postal mail the badge to UVA Nursing Information Systems, PO Box 800782, Charlottesville VA 22908-0782.
Students are required to complete HIPAA training through WorkDay. Students found to be in violation of patient confidentiality guidelines and/or HIPAA may be subject to criminal and civil penalties, which could include monetary fines. Student violations of patient confidentiality guidelines will be reported to the health system whose privacy policy was violated, the UVA Honor Committee and the School of Nursing. Disciplinary action for the violation may include dismissal from the program.
Regular attendance in classes and clinical is a vital part of the nursing program. At the University of Virginia each student is expected to accept the responsibility of attending classes and clinical regularly and promptly. Instructors are encouraged to state their policy on attendance in course syllabi; any student whose attendance record faculty consider unsatisfactory will be referred to the Senior Assistant Dean for Academic and Student Services. If you are unable to attend class or clinical for any reason, including illness, you must notify your instructor in advance of the class or clinical (unless specified otherwise in the course syllabus). If you believe that you have an illness or are developing an illness (i.e., have symptoms such as fever, aches, or a cough), you should notify your instructor (unless specified otherwise in the course syllabus). Absences commonly excused are those that occur because of hospitalization, serious illness, death in a student’s family, religious observance, professional nursing conferences, or authorized participants in University events (i.e., ROTC, Division I athletes, etc.).
Students anticipating the need to be absent are expected to consult with the instructor in a timely manner. Please consult the course syllabus for additional information. Instructors are not obligated to allow students to make up missed work; it is the instructor’s decision, not the dean’s, whether students may be allowed such a privilege. Neither the Department of Student Health nor the dean’s office issues excuses for class or clinical absence or for missed quizzes. Only when students are unable to contact instructors themselves (e.g., debilitating illness, leaving town suddenly for family emergencies, protracted absences) does the Senior Assistant Dean for Academic and Student Services send notification to instructors; otherwise it is the student’s responsibility to consult directly with the instructor regarding absence from class or clinical.
UVA nursing students taking courses in the College or other schools of the University are governed by the attendance regulations of the instructor in that division; unexcused absences from such courses are subject to the penalties prescribed.
Students change their class schedules via SIS. Students may add and drop full-semester courses through the deadlines stated in the University Registrar’s Academic Calendar.
Traditional BSN students who wish to enroll in more than the allowed maximum credit hours for their program (17) must gain approval from the Senior Assistant Dean for Academic and Student Services. To receive approval, a student must complete a Request for Increased Course Load form (available at: https://community.nursing.virginia.edu/students/forms/). The student submits the digitally signed request to the School of Nursing Registrar’s Office for processing. RN-BSN students are part-time students and enroll in 6-7 credits/semester.
The University of Virginia School of Nursing accepts a maximum of 60 credits of transfer credit from institutions other than the University of Virginia toward the baccalaureate degree.
Students who receive advanced standing for a required course transferred into the University of Virginia from another institution may be responsible for replacing the credits not earned in that course with another course at the University.
Exception: Upon completion of selected courses, RN to BSN students receive up to 42 hours of advanced standing credit for equivalent course credit earned in their basic RN program. Therefore, not all prior credit hours may be transferable for credit. For example, pharmacology, assessment, and life span are all part of the 42-credit-hour package of advanced credit hours; therefore, these credits do not transfer in as additional credits.
Nursing students who plan to pursue intra-university transfer into one of the other undergraduate programs at UVA need to meet with the Senior Assistant Dean for Academic and Student Services prior to transferring out. Students pursuing transfer out may have one semester to be released from nursing requirements in order to take courses in their future program. It is the student’s responsibility to be accepted into another program. Once a student is approved for transfer out, the School of Nursing will not hold a place for the student to return.
The University of Virginia offers two tracks leading to the degree of Bachelor of Science in Nursing: A traditional BSN program and an RN to BSN completion program. The degree is awarded after satisfactory completion of a prescribed program of study. Graduates of the traditional BSN program are eligible to apply to take the National Council Licensure Examination.
The Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree is conferred by the general faculty upon candidates recommended by the School of Nursing faculty as having completed a prescribed course of study of no less than 120 credits with a cumulative grade point average of 2.000 (C). All candidates for degree must apply to graduate in SIS by the deadline stated by the University.
The residence requirement for a BSN is a minimum of two academic years in the School of Nursing. The residence requirement for RN to BSN students is two academic years (30 credits) in the School of Nursing.
Final examinations are given in regularly scheduled courses during a designated period of time at the end of each semester. Final exams in courses may be given only at the times listed on the UREG (Office of the University Registrar) website. Examinations in courses not fitting the regular class times are scheduled by UREG in consultation with the instructor. Faculty members are not authorized to change the announced times of their examinations. Such changes may be authorized only by the Senior Assistant Dean for Academic and Student Services, and then only for compelling reasons. All students must have the opportunity to take the exam at the time announced on the UREG website.
Students are not permitted to take a final exam before its regularly scheduled time. When a student has three exams scheduled over two consecutive days, the student may request a postponement of one of their exams. The student must file the exam postponement request, endorsed by the instructor of the course, no later than one week prior to the first day of the examination period.
Credit/No Credit Grades
Students have the option of receiving the grades CR (credit) or NC (no credit) in place of the regular grades, A through F, for a given course except for courses in the major or those that fulfill basic area competency requirements. Courses used to fulfill area requirements must be taken on a graded basis. Students may take up to 6 credit hours for CR/NC.
This option is selected when students register for courses. The last day to change the CR/NC option is the same as the last day to add a course. Instructors may deny students permission to take courses on a CR/NC basis. If this occurs, students may either change back to the regular grading option or drop the course entirely. Students may not use a CR/NC course to repeat a course in which a grade has already been given.
Two essentially identical courses, whether under the same course number or not, may not both be counted for degree credit. If a course is passed and repeated, only the first grade received is entered in the computation of grade point average. However, only the repeated course counts toward the 120 credits required for graduation. Both the original and repeated course, and their grades, appear on the student’s transcript. If a course is failed and repeated, both courses and grades appear on the transcript, the repeated course with a passing grade counts toward the 120 credits, and both courses are computed in the grade point average. All F’s are calculated into the grade point average.
No final grade may be changed without the approval of the course instructor after it has been posted in the Student Information System (SIS). The School of Nursing is not authorized by the faculty to change a final grade, except when an instructor certifies that, because of errors in calculation or transcription, an incorrect grade has been submitted. Extra work to raise a final grade, once submitted, is not permitted.
An undergraduate student’s work in a course is graded on the basis of A+ (100), A (95-99), A- (90-94), B+ (87-89), B (83-86), B- (80-82), C+ (77-79), C (73-76), C- (70-72), D+ (67-69), D (63-66), D- (60-62) and F (59-0).
An incomplete grade may be given to students who are unable to complete scheduled coursework due to reasons beyond their control. A grade of IN becomes an F 30 days after the end of the examination period unless a form requesting an extension of time has been signed by the course instructor and approved by the Senior Assistant Dean for Academic and Student Services. Instructors are not authorized to extend the time for completion of course work without the Dean’s approval. Forms for securing extensions are available from the School of Nursing website. Prior to the end of the course, students must initiate the request for an IN and secure the instructor’s approval.
Students with two or more outstanding incomplete designations (in the same semester or cumulatively) may not enroll in courses in subsequent terms. Students who have had an incomplete grade lapse after 30 days and become an F may not enroll in courses in a subsequent term until the grade has been changed, or a new incomplete form has been approved and turned into the SON Registrar. A student’s degree cannot be conferred with a grade of Incomplete (IN) on record, even if that course is not required for the degree being sought.
A student in good standing may request a leave of absence from the School of Nursing for up to two semesters. Refer to the “Leaving and Returning to the University” section of the “University Regulations: Academic” section of this Record for more information.
All policies, procedures, and timelines governing withdrawal from the University in its various forms (Enforced, Medical, Voluntary) are outlined in the “Leaving and Returning to the University” section of the “University Regulations: Academic” section of this Record.
Students should consult “Leaving and Returning to the University” in the “University Regulations: Academic” section of this Record for policies that govern their readmission to the University. Students in the School of Nursing who have been suspended must wait one full fall term and one full spring term before being eligible to apply for readmission. A student who has been readmitted following suspension will be permanently dropped from the school if she or he becomes subject to suspension a second time. Nursing students on an approved leave of absence who wish to return do so by initiating the Return to the University process in the Student Information System (SIS).
Students who decide to complete requirements for a minor or a second major must contact the department to request information on that course of study. Once a minor or second major has been declared, a declaration of major/minor form must be signed by someone in the major/minor department and then submitted to School of Nursing Registrar. The second major or minor must be completed prior to or at the same time as the nursing major. Students may not return to the University to complete a second major/minor after the nursing curriculum has been completed.
Courses that nursing students take that count toward their minor/second major may also be used to satisfy BSN general education and area requirements.
As a member of the State Authorizations Reciprocity Agreement, the University of Virginia (UVA) is authorized to provide curriculum in a distance learning environment to students located in all states in the United States except for California. (34 CFR 668.43(a)(6)& 34 CFR 668.72(n)).
Upon completion of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing at the UVA School of Nursing, graduates may be eligible for initial professional licensure in another U.S. state by applying to the licensing board or agency in that state.
Please visit the University’s state authorization web pages to make an informed decision regarding which states’ educational requirements for initial licensure are met by this program. (668.43(a)(5) (v)(A) - (C))
Enrolled students who change their current (or mailing) address to a state other than Virginia should update this information immediately in the Student Information System as it may impact their ability to complete internship, practicum, or clinical hours, use Title IV funds, or meet licensure or certification requirements in the new state. (34 CFR 668.402).
The UVA School of Nursing is enthusiastic about preparing our nursing students to embrace the challenges and exciting opportunities of our global community. Study abroad programs are centered around deep and sustainable global partnerships that integrate research, education, and clinical experiences.
First year nursing students have the opportunity to participate in Valencia First! This global experience gives students a unique opportunity to begin their UVA career in Spain. Students will take their required first-semester nursing courses along with one Spanish language course. There will be opportunities for site visits to local hospitals and clinics, a speakers series featuring local medical experts, and a language partner program with local nursing students.
The School of Nursing offers J-Term study abroad courses, interdisciplinary summer global health electives, and independent study opportunities. A semester-long exchange program with the University of Queensland, Australia supports reciprocal studies and broadening cultural experiences for participating fourth-year students.
Nursing students may pursue individual opportunities for study abroad through the University’s International Studies Office. An interdisciplinary Global Sustainability minor complements the School of Nursing degree, preparing students to incorporate sustainable practices into their future careers.
The School of Nursing will consider requests for transfer of credit from other fully accredited two- or four-year colleges or universities for courses which may be equivalent to those in the baccalaureate or master’s nursing programs. Other University of Virginia faculty and departments may evaluate courses equivalent to those in other areas. Implementation of this policy will not negate the residency requirement policy.
Undergraduate students may not transfer courses that are a required part of their curriculum in the Nursing school. Students may only transfer courses that fulfill their general education requirements. Please refer to this link for further information.
Students who have taken dual enrollment courses while in high school must arrange to send an official transcript to nursing-admissions@virginia.edu. Transcripts will be evaluated as they arrive, and the credit will be posted in SIS. If dual enrollment credit is not posted by October of the first semester, check with the BSN Program Manager to see if transcripts have been received. You may not transfer in your first writing requirement through dual enrollment.
Pre-approved departmental equivalencies for qualifying higher-level IB examination scores can be found here: http://college.as.virginia.edu/iclec. The School of Nursing accepts only IB scores sent directly from IB North America (http://www.ibo.org). We award no credit for standard-level (SL) examinations.
The University of Virginia participates in the College Board’s Advanced Placement Program by awarding advanced standing (course exemption and academic credit hours) or advanced placement (course exemption without credit hours) to entering students who have qualifying scores on the Advanced Placement (AP) tests. Students may receive credit in any academic discipline in which an AP test is offered so long as the test was taken before the end of the senior year in high school. If an AP test was not taken in high school, one cannot be taken once a student has matriculated into the University. Also, if a student enrolls in a course equivalent to that of an advanced placement course, the student waives the Advanced Placement credit. If a student places out of a course without having received credit hours, that course cannot count towards degree requirements.
Students may also earn course exemption (without credit) for qualifying scores on foreign language tests. The University does not award credit based on College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) tests; for information on possible placement refer to Admission .
Accepted students should have AP score reports sent directly to the University Office of Undergraduate Admission (College Code 5820) in the summer following the senior year of high school. Be sure to ask that test scores include those taken prior to your senior year be sent. For more information, visit AP Credit .