Incoming freshman students interested in nursing should apply to Cornerstone as a pre-nursing major and enroll in pre-nursing classes. After their first semester at CU, students will be eligible to apply for competitive admission into the BSN program.
Direct vs. Competitive Application
There are two types of nursing program applications, direct and competitive.
Direct Admission Application
Direct admission provides a guaranteed spot in the BSN program with nursing classes beginning the first semester of your sophomore year.
Direct admission is available to select incoming freshmen who have a 3.5 or higher GPA, are admitted to Cornerstone University and have completed the direct admission application by Dec. 1. Test scores are not required for fall 2022.
If you qualify to apply through the direct admission process, you will be notified via email. In-person or virtual interviews will be required for all candidates.
Incoming freshmen who do not initially meet the academic requirements for direct admission are encouraged to apply for admission to the nursing program during their first semester of their freshman year as a CU pre-nursing student.
The direct admission application is available to incoming freshmen in the fall. Up to 50% of the yearly seats will be available for students who meet the requirements for direct admission.
ACT, SAT, CLT Requirements
For fall 2022 admission to Cornerstone, students are not required to submit test scores (ACT or SAT). However, students who have taken a test are encouraged to submit scores. Upon enrolling at Cornerstone, test scores will be used to place students into the required English and math courses to maintain a four-year BSN program graduation timeline.
To place directly into the required first-semester English (ENG-212) and math (MAT-108) courses, test scores are as follows:
- English Subscore: ACT 25 or SAT 630
- Math Subscore: ACT 21 or SAT 530
Students who have not taken the ACT or SAT should plan to take Cornerstone placement tests to place into their first-semester math and English courses. Students who do not place directly into ENG-212 and MAT-108 may need to take J-term and/or summer courses to stay on a four-year BSN graduation timeline.
Pre-nursing majors who do not receive approval into the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program will obtain an Associate of Science in health services degree or should consider changing majors.