Getting into NP schools (GPA)

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Hello everybody,

I am a nursing student finishing up my last year. I am interested in becoming a FNP and am wondering what are the GPA's of the students who get accepted into the top NP programs. I do understand it is not all about GPA but GPA is certainly something that is looked at closely. UM, UF, GW, COLUMBIA, NYU, UPENN, GEORGETOWN, EMORY, ETC.. are all schools I am interested in. If anyone who has gotten accepted into any of these (or other) NP schools could share the GPA they got in with that would be great. Thank you!

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Specializes in Education, FP, LNC, Forensics, ED, OB.

Welcome to allnurses.com

Thread moved to Student NP forum.

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Specializes in GENERAL.

novastuden9595: Don't worry about GPA. If you are considering these schools you are de facto a good student with competitive grades. As a male though, I would be more concerned with any school's ability to help you obtain the several preceptors you will need, ie., OB/GYN. Very difficult to obtain for a male student. Have the school guarantee in writing that they have the clout to get these for you or you will be screwed. Also, and I know that you know this, never, ever, consider a for-profit school like South University. They are in the loan not education business. Be careful when selecting a school and know that education these days is a shark tank. But forewarned is forearmed. Spread the word and good luck.

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Specializes in Psych/Mental Health.

@novastudent9595 - you might want to take a look at USNews graduate nursing rankings (requires subscription). It has mean/average GPAs of admitted students. From what I've seen, most schools have mean GPA around 3.5-3.6. But I'm not sure how accurate the information is because some of these nursing programs show unbelievably high acceptance rates. The GPA figure is probably higher (acceptance rate lower) for FNP because FNP is likely the most competitive specialty.

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My local public University has 3.0 listed as the minimum GPA but I learned from an admissions counselor that 3.5 is a more realistic number. They have 4 applicants for every seat.

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Specializes in ER, progressive care.

I do not attend any of those mentioned schools but I had a 3.5 undergrad GPA and I got in.

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Specializes in Critical Care and ED.

I'm in the acute NP program at UCONN and there were only 15 places for multiple applications. My GPA was 3.96 (darn that 0.04%!) and I had 23 years critical care experience. I don't know what the GPA was of the others in my class but all of them are currently working in critical care. It's an excellent school and our preceptors are found for us.

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novastuden9595: Don't worry about GPA. If you are considering these schools you are de facto a good student with competitive grades.

How on earth did you arrive at this conclusion? "De facto a good student with competitive grades"? I've known any number of students over the years who had completely unrealistic expectations about getting into graduate schools. I'm not saying the OP is one of those, but without further information, we have absolutely no way of knowing how "competitive" the OP may be.

OP, I am a CNS, not an NP, but I attended a top graduate school like the ones you list, and I had a 4.0 undergrad GPA. All the students I knew at my school (inc. those in the NP tracks) had v. high GPAs. For graduate programs at the elite schools, the schools are looking v. closely at how capable you appear of doing graduate level academic work, not so much how warm and caring you are, or how much you want this, or your extensive work history, or your interesting background. All those things matter, but they don't make up for a weak (or average) academic record.

Best wishes for your journey!

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If you don't mind me asking, which school did you attend for your NP degree.

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