What is your school's HESI policy?

I am a senior nursing student at Wright State University in Ohio. I am set to graduate in November. Throughout my education at Wright State, the policy on the HESI has been that you have to take it the quarter before you graduate, but you don't have to have any sort of minimum pass rate. It was more of a tool to see where we needed to study for the NCLEX.

Well, this week Wright State College of Nursing announced that starting with MY class, you have to pass the HESI in order to graduate. From past statistics, there has been a 20-25% first time pass rate at WSU for the HESI. It is now part of one of our 400lvl classes, and is worth 10% of our grade. We have two attemps at the test and then we have to take the class over again, which is not offered for 6 months, and if we don't pass it the 3rd time, thats it. No pass, No degree.

My whole class is distraught over this announcement. We have had no prior warning, and in 3 months we will be taking a test that could possibly ruin our careers. We do not take an NCLEX review class until AFTER we take the first shot at the HESI. Starting with the new nursing classes below us they will be implementing a HESI/NCLEX review portion in their core nursing classes. But my class has to just have a go at it and see how it works. We feel like the lab rats, I just don't understand how my school is willing to do this to us as we are soo soo close to graduating.

I am wondering what other nursing schools policy on the HESI is? And are we over-reacting or does in one else think that this is crap??

Marion Tech is one of the premier schools (self-proclaimed or actual is to be debated) for 2 year programs in Ohio, and nobody there has heard of the HESI? Interesting.