This program is for you if you have never completed a Nursing program and don’t already possess a four-year college degree. This includes high school students, current or former Penn State students who have not yet completed a college degree, transfer students and adults interested in completing a four-year Nursing degree and obtaining a license to practice Nursing.
Upon completion of required coursework and clinical experiences, you will be eligible to sit for the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) and begin your nursing career! Employment settings include trauma centers, community hospitals, home health agencies, rehabilitation centers, long-term care facilities, hospice agencies, schools, industrial and organizational settings, the military, and so much more.
Nursing is everywhere!
In its report The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health, the Institute of Medicine recommends that 80 percent of all nurses possess a bachelor’s degree by 2020. Many institutions have higher pay grades for baccalaureate-prepared nurses or will not hire nurses with less preparation. A four-year degree is also the necessary foundation for advanced practice positions (nurse practitioner, clinical nurse specialist, nurse midwife, nurse anesthetist) and other advanced nursing roles (administrator, educator, or researcher).
Penn State Eire, The Behrend College
Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus
University Park (Direct admission only; not an option for transfer or change of major students)
Apply as a first-year student for direct admission (hyperlink to Admissions page, My Penn State account: https://admissions.psu.edu/MyPennState/index.cfm/login/index ) to one of our six Penn State campuses for summer or fall entry.
This is the appropriate option for students applying while in high school, adult students with no prior college experience or students with less than 18 credits earned from another college institution. Nursing students must start and remain at the campus of admission all four years (changing campuses after admission is not possible).
Apply as a transfer or change-of-major student for the Entrance to Major Review (I will provide content for another page to link to here)
Transfer or Penn State change of major students may apply through a competitive process at five Penn State campuses: Altoona, Erie, Fayette, Mont Alto, or Scranton. This option is available only at the five campuses listed; it is not available at University Park.