Nursing Program Application Requirements

Traditional first year students

• First-year admissions requirements, with a GPA of 3.0 or greater
• High school or secondary school transcript is required at time of application. You will be required to submit final transcripts documenting graduation).
  • Verification for any non-U.S. based secondary education must be validated by an approved agency. Four approved agencies include: Center for Educational Documentation, World Education Services, North American Educational Group, or Educational Credential Evaluators
• All first-year students are required to submit their SAT/ACT scores to be fully considered for the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program. Students must have a 990 (SAT) or 19 (ACT) to be eligible for the BSN program. Student with an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) are exempt from this testing requirement. IEP must be submitted to qualify for this exemption.
• All applicants to the nursing program must provide evidence of adherence to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health Immunization Requirements for Health Science students upon enrollment at Salem State University.

Non-traditional first year students

(a non-traditional student has been out of high school for more than 3 years or has a GED)

• Minimum high school or equivalent GPA of 3.0
• High school or secondary school transcript is required at time of application. All admitted students will be required to submit final transcripts documenting graduation.
  • Verification for any non-U.S. based secondary education must be validated by an approved agency.  Four approved agencies include: Center for Educational Documentation, World Education Services, North American Educational Group, or Educational Credential Evaluators
• All applicants to the nursing program must provide evidence of adherence to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health Immunization Requirements for Health Science students upon enrollment at Salem State University.
• Non-traditional applicants should contact the admissions office at Salem State University to request additional information about specific requirements at admissions@salemstate.edu.

Transfer students

• 12 credits of college-level work completed with a minimum GPA of 3.0
• Official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended. Transcripts from a college or university outside the U.S. must be validated by an approved agency*.
• Two required science courses (BIO105, CHE117, BIO200, BIO201, and BIO304 or equivalent) completed with a minimum C grade.
• The TEAS test version 6.0 or 7.0 is required. Applicants must score at the proficient level in all four categories: Math, English, Science, and Reading.
• High school or secondary school transcript are required at time of application. All admitted students will be required to submit final transcripts documenting graduation, GED or equivalent. Students who have already completed a bachelor's degree do not need to submit high school documentation.
  • * Verification for any non-U.S. based secondary education must be validated by an approved agency. Four approved agencies include: Center for Educational Documentation, World Education Services, North American Educational Group, or Educational Credential  Evaluators
• All applicants to the nursing program must provide evidence of adherence to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health Immunization Requirements for Health Science students upon enrollment at Salem State University.

• An unencumbered LPN license
• Official transcript from an accredited LPN program attended with a minimum GPA of 3.0/>80%
• 12 credits of college-level work completed with a minimum GPA of 3.0. Transcripts from a college or university college or university outside the U.S. must be validated by an approved agency*.
• Official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended
• Two required science courses completed with a minimum C grade
• The TEAS test version 6.0 or 7.0 is required. Applicants must score at the proficient level, or higher, in all four required categories: Math, English, Science, and Reading.
• High school or secondary school transcript are required at time of application. All admitted students will be required to submit final transcripts documenting graduation, GED or equivalent. Students who have already completed a bachelor's degree do not need to submit high school documentation.
  • * Verification for any non-U.S. based secondary education must be validated by an approved agency. Four approved agencies include: Center for Educational Documentation, World Education Services, North American Educational Group, or Educational Credential Evaluators
• All applicants to the nursing program must provide evidence of adherence to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health Immunization Requirements for Health Science students upon enrollment to Salem State University

At this time the RN to BSN program has been suspended, this program is no longer available for Spring 2022, Summer 2022 and Fall 2022 admission. Updates regarding the status of this program will be released as of March of 2023.

• An unencumbered RN license
• Official transcript from an accredited RN program and any other college transcripts from all colleges and universities attended. A minimum GPA of 2.7 across all coursework is required.
• High school or secondary school transcript are required at time of application. All admitted students will be required to submit final transcripts documenting graduation, GED or equivalent. Students who have already completed a bachelor's degree do not need to submit high school documentation.
  • Verification for any non-U.S. based secondary education must be validated by an approved agency. Four approved agencies include: Center for Educational Documentation, World Education Services, North American Educational Group, or Educational Credential Evaluators
• All applicants to the nursing program must provide evidence of adherence to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health Immunization Requirements for Health Science students upon enrollment at Salem State University.

• A completed bachelor’s degree from a U. S. college or university with a minimum GPA of 3.0. For students with degree from outside the U. S., please see below*.
• An applicant may be enrolled in up to two prerequisite courses at the time of the application deadline. Applicants must have all prerequisites completed prior to enrollment. Completed transcripts must be submitted prior to the start of the program in May.
• Completion of the following pre-requisite courses with a minimum grade of B-: Anatomy and Physiology I and II (with a lab), Microbiology (with lab), Chemistry (with lab), Statistics, and Developmental Psychology.
• All applicants to the nursing program must provide evidence of adherence to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health Immunization Requirements for Health Science students upon enrollment at Salem State University.

* Graduates of a non-U.S. college or university are eligible to apply if the following two conditions are met:

• Submit a complete, official transcript documenting the award of a bachelor's degree. All transcripts from institutions outside of the United States must have an evaluation from an approved agency of all courses completed, final grades, academic degree(s) earned, and grade point averages.
• Completion of the MassTransfer Block at a Massachusetts Community College with the official stamped transcript on or before the start of Summer Session I (May 1) of the year in which enrollment begins. Please see the Salem State University for information pertaining to the MassTransfer Block: Salem State University Catalog

Online Biology Coursework

Online biology courses are not transferrable, hybrid biology courses are only transferrable if the lab is classroom-based. For semesters affected by COVID–19 online biology courses with lab may be transferrable from institutions where biology coursework is normally transferable, and courses have been reviewed and approved. Transferability of courses can be referenced on our Transfer Equivalency Viewer, for any courses not listed please email admissions@salemstate.edu.

Pass/Fail Grades

In response to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the delivery of courses at institutions across the United States, otherwise transferable courses taken in the spring 2020 semester, with an earned grade of P (Pass), will be granted transfer credit. This exception excludes courses that may be required to have a specific letter grade as a prerequisite or requirement of a student’s intended program of study. In those cases, students may present additional documentation of a letter grade equivalent for their Pass grade to Transfer Services to have their credit considered for transfer. Nursing pre-requisite courses needed for admission must have an assigned letter grade.

Transfer Nursing Information Sessions

Tuesdays at 4 pm and Fridays at 12 pm

Programs covered include Transfer BSN, ABSN, and LPN to BSN. Learn about Salem State University, transfer admissions requirements, and transferring credit. This session is not geared towards prospective high school students looking to apply as a first-year nursing student.
Register now!