DSN competitive?

nurse2033, MSN, RN · Oct 29, 2012

What reservations do you have? They are accredited according to their web site. Do you know different?

FloatFNP-C, BSN, MSN, NP · Oct 29, 2012

Just that they aren't CCNE accredited which is something the bigger league schools are.

lisha4113 · Oct 29, 2012

Kerleigh,

I think you & I are in the same position. I did not get an interview at CU, and am now applying to DSoN. I have talked to a couple people at the school and an upcoming March graduate about the accreditation. They are now nationally accredited and are supposed to be regionally accredited this Spring.

On many forums DSoN graduates have mentioned there haven't been problems applying/getting into graduate programs.

The school had pretty high NCLEX passing rates and good reviews...

I can't put off school another year just to attend CU.

FloatFNP-C, BSN, MSN, NP · Oct 29, 2012

Kerleigh,
I think you & I are in the same position. I did not get an interview at CU, and am now applying to DSoN. I have talked to a couple people at the school and an upcoming March graduate about the accreditation. They are now nationally accredited and are supposed to be regionally accredited this Spring.
On many forums DSoN graduates have mentioned there haven't been problems applying/getting into graduate programs.
The school had pretty high NCLEX passing rates and good reviews...
I can't put off school another year just to attend CU.

I know neither can I. Maybe I'll get into Regis this time but you never know. I did not know they are supposed to receive regional accreditation this spring... That's great news! So which program are you applying for? I applied for the accelerated one starting next summer.

lisha4113 · Oct 29, 2012

Accelerated, starting in April. If I do not get into that one, I will reapply for the July start.

Nursedenver · Nov 1, 2012

Your original question was about how competitive it is to get into DSN. I know that because they start four times a year they don't have a waitlist. The next sentence is off of the DSN website when you click on Application Deadlines page and then click on the BSN Completion Option line. "Important note: This program has an admissions process where students are selected based on a number of factors including personal statement, previous health care and or volunteer experience and cumulative / science GPA (acceptance is not based solely on GPA)." I hope this info helps. I just found out one of my fellow BSN grads just got a job at University Hospital! That NLNAC accreditation is doing great things for the school and the graduates. It's so exciting!

Sand_Dollar, BSN · Nov 1, 2012

Have you considered UNC? They have a few extra pre-reqs but is way more affordable than Regis. We have a woman in our class who drives from Denver and it hasn't been a problem for her. There are various clinical sites in Denver too.

If you have any specific questions about it, feel free to PM me. :)

mrnightinggale · Nov 2, 2012

So, do they turn people away? Does anyone know of someone that has applied and not gotten in? Still not truly sure if the school has competitive entry.

Boxer Mama · Nov 2, 2012

I have wondered the same thing. I am applying this February for the BSN completion program for the October 2013 start. My friends who are nurses have wonderful things to say about the DSN students/graduates. I am sure that getting the NLNAC will bring more people to the school.

Nursedenver · Nov 2, 2012

I think the way the admissions worked when I enrolled was that if you met the qualifications and passed the entrance exam you would start. I'm sure with the NLNAC accreditation they'll start getting more applications, but with four big starts a year I'm not sure if they'll have any wait list problems like some of the Colorado schools. My friend that's going to graduate next year told me that the NCLEX pass rate so far this year is 97.3%! Awesome!

SummitRN, BSN, RN · Nov 2, 2012

As far as I know, nobody who qualified was rejected, although a few people might get kicked to the next start if the NLN boost occurs.

97.3% is as of June 30th and is much higher than previous years. The average for the previous 6 years is 84.5%

Please note that DSN only lets students who score high enough on the HESI Exit Exam take NCLEX. HESI Exit Exam predicts the likelihood that a student will pass NCLEX on the first attempt. This restriction inflates DSN's pass numbers as students who might not pass the NCLEX on the first try are not given a chance to take NCLEX at all.

Other schools like Regis, UNC, Metro, and University of Colorado schools do not employ this practice. All graduates can sit for NCLEX.