Nursing

Admissions Policy for Option I – generic nine semester BSN track

To be considered for admission into the Cumberland University nursing program:

Students must be admitted to Cumberland University and declare nursing as their major in order to be considered for admission into the nursing program.
Students must meet the required cumulative college grade point average (GPA) of 2.75 on a 4.0 scale.
Students must submit the Nursing Candidacy Form (nursing application) by March 1 for fall admission and September 1 for spring admission.
Students must submit all required documentation by the application deadline including:
- official transcripts from ALL colleges and universities attended
- high school transcript if available
- Nursing Candidacy Form (nursing application)
- ATI TEAS Entrance Exam Scores
Students must take the ATI TEAS (Test of Essential Academic Skills) exam prior to the deadline for application to the nursing program. The student must choose Cumberland University as the college which will receive the ATI TEAS score so that the score can be available for admission consideration. TEAS Exam scores must be earned within one year of seeking candidacy to the nursing program. The test can be retaken once each application period after a 30 day wait time. A set cut score is not required on the TEAS Exam; however, exam scores are one component of the ranking admission process to identify students for admission into the nursing program. The nursing program highly recommends that the student score at the proficient level or higher to be considered for enrollment in the nursing program. If the student scores at the basic or developmental level, the nursing faculty recommend that the student plan a course of study to strengthen basic academic skills in reading, English, math, and science. The basic and developmental level scores indicate inadequate preparation for success in a nursing program. Information regarding scheduling of the ATI TEAS is available at http://www.atitesting.com, as well as study materials available for purchase. The student schedules and pays for the exam through ATI. The Testing Center located in the Learning and Career Commons serves as a testing site for this exam as indicated on the dates listed on the ATI site. The exam may also be taken at other sites around the United States as long as the student indicates that exam results are to be sent to Cumberland University.
Candidates must have successfully completed the following science courses with a grade of "C" or higher: BIO 203, BIO 213, BIO 214, CHEM 103, and PSY 205. These must have been satisfactorily completed prior to entering the first semester upper division nursing courses (NO EXCEPTIONS).
Prerequisites must have been satisfactorily completed, with the exception of nine hours of selected courses prior to entering the first semester of upper division nursing courses.
- Acceptable lower division coursework, up to nine hours, that may be taken in the summer semester between the first and second year of the nursing program include the following: CIS 170, ENG 215, ENG 216, HIS 111, HIS 112, HIS 191, HIS 192, HIS 201, HIS 202, or Fine Arts (ART 191, ENG 210, MU 129, or THR 100). The Nursing faculty highly recommends that all prerequisites be completed prior to enrollment in the nursing program so that the student might take advantage of internships available in regional healthcare facilities in the summer between the first and second year of nursing school.

PLEASE NOTE: Financial Aid may not be available in the summer semester. Please consider the availability of financial aid when planning schedules for prerequisite courses prior to enrolling in the nursing program.

Tennessee Promise recipients may not delay completion of these nine courses between the junior and senior year. These students must complete all the core general education core courses to be eligible to earn an Associate’s Degree to successfully complete the Tennessee Promise Program. Please refer to information regarding the Tennessee Promise program for specific information regarding the program requirements.

Admission Process

All candidacy applications, transcripts, and ATI scores will be reviewed by the Nursing Program Admission-Progression Committee.
A weighted admission ranking system will be used to determine admission to the nursing program. The ranking is based on the pool of candidates for a particular semester and the number of clinical sites and lab slots available.
- Candidates must have earned a minimum of 2.75 cumulative GPA on a 4.0 scale in coursework to be placed in the pool of candidates for ranking (NO EXCEPTIONS).
- Additional factors which will be weighed in the ranking scores are: ATI TEAS scores, grades in science courses, and enrollment at Cumberland University. Grades of "D", "F", course repeats, and withdrawals will adversely impact the ranking. Grades of "D" or "F" in science courses with repeats negatively impact ranking. Failure from another nursing program will negatively impact the ranking.
Applicants will be notified of acceptance or denial into the nursing program approximately six weeks after the application deadline.

Degree Requirements

Area I - Foundation Skills - 3 hours

FSL 101	Foundations of Scholarship and Learning	3
	or
HON 101	First Year Honors Seminar	3

FSL 101 is required for new and transferring freshmen with less than 24 credit hours. Students must earn a "C" or higher in FSL 101 or HON 101.