Is my GPA good enough?

Mr. Murse · Jan 29, 2014

depends on the school and the group of applicants, but you should be fine with that GPA. Just apply to at least 2 or 3 schools because it's all really relative to the others that happen to be applying when you do, and what the criteria is for the school you're applying to. Say you're one out of 300 to apply to a certain school where the minimum required GPA is 3.0, but the average GPA in that group of applicants is 3.8 and they can only accept 75 students. If the school puts a lot of weight on GPA then you might not make the cut off. On the other hand if you apply to that same school and the average GPA of this year's applicants is 3.4, then yes, you have a good shot at it.

Either way, you have a decent enough GPA to be accepted to most schools, just apply to a few different ones and at least one will work out.

dsingh24 · Jan 29, 2014

Thank you so much! I feel a lot less stressed out now. My school is really impacted in nursing which explains why the cutoff to getting in is a 3.8 GPA, but now that I know my GPA will get me into most schools, I'll continue on w/ my desired major (nursing) and will do more research on other schools! Thank you so much again! Really appreciated your feedback :)

CDEWannaBe · Jan 29, 2014

Contact the nursing schools you are interested in and ask. Each program gives different weight to overall, prereq, and science class GPA.

RunBabyRN · Jan 29, 2014

If you're looking at CSUs, you'll need probably a 3.7 or above to be competitive (and kick butt on the TEAS to boost your chances even more). When you take your prerequisites, you NEED to get As. Those courses are double counted, because there's your overall GPA, then your prereq GPA.

From what I've seen, CSUs get about 10x as many applicants as they have slots for students. Their requirements vary some, so check out the different CSUs you'd consider attending, and apply to as many as you can when the time comes.

Good luck!

dsingh24 · Jan 29, 2014

Definitely will take your advice and try to boost up my GPA. I had chemistry last semester, which is the one and only science subject I dread taking and though I used up the most time studying for chemistry, I still ended up with a B even though I was striving for an A. I couldn't sign up for any science classes this semester since I had last priority to sign up and spots got filled up quick, so I'm forced to take all GE courses. I'll definitely try to make use of this semester and try to get A's in all my GE classes. Thanks for the Advice :)

dsingh24 · Jan 29, 2014

By chance do you the GPA cutoff range for the average non CSU nursing school?

CDEWannaBe · Jan 29, 2014

No one can tell you a solid cut off line. Every school has a minimum GPA, but you are competing against the other students for a limited number of openings. If you call the schools you're interested in applying to they can give you an idea if you're competitive. But you may want to wait to do that until you only have a few last prereqs to take so they can judge your academic performance.

ake sure to call before you apply. It costs at least $100 for each application, so don't waste your money.

RunBabyRN · Jan 29, 2014

You'd have to look at the individual schools to find out. If you were to go the community college route, and then do an ADN-BSN program at a CSU later, that would be another option. The community colleges in the area all run off of a lottery system, so as long as you qualify, you have equal standing in the pool as everyone else (but cast a wide net, because they have just as many applicant per slot as CSUs do). CSUs were $50 per application when I first applied, but depending on your income, that can be waived. The only other cost is transcripts. I'm not sure if community colleges have an app fee. I'm sure the private universities do.

Samuel Merritt, Dominican, and the other private universities in the area don't have very high NCLEX pass rates, so consider that (and the very high cost of tuition) when you look at programs.

Work to get your GPA up as best you can- you're still really early in your college career, so there's plenty of time to boost your GPA. Don't let life/love/stress get in your way. :)

__patiently_waiting · Jan 29, 2014

After my first semester of college I finished with a 3.56 GPA. I was able to bring it up to a 3.80 before I applied to nursing school. Still waiting on my acceptance or rejection, but you definitely have time to bring it up.

Good luck!

Awesomocity0 · Jan 30, 2014

Definitely work hard to bring your GPA up. I hate to say it, but at the beginning of your college career, you should be getting 4.0s. Your classes now are going to be easier than your nursing classes. I can say that, because I was a biology major for 2 years, and even genetics class didn't kick my butt nearly as much as Pediatric nursing did. Just buckle down and study, and your GPA will reflect that in three more semesters.

lifelearningrn, BSN, RN · Jan 30, 2014

It's fine, keep trying to improve it, but yes, you can get into nursing school with your GPA.. I just graduated with my BSN (took NCLEX yesterday) and my overall GPA was lower than yours. Focus on all As for the nursing related prereqs though, because those often weigh heavy when they are deciding who to accept. Just keep up the good work and follow your goals!