GPA of avg. nursing applicant?

faith4life · May 4, 2006

I was just wondering, how important is GPA when applying to nursing school? I know that nursing schools are competitive and you should try to maintain a high GPA. Anyhow, I'm kinda worried right now b/c I've heard that you need straight A's to get into practically any nursing program, especially in TX. Is that true? I have a 3.29 right now which is very low but I'm going to try my best to bring it up this coming year. So what's the GPA of the avg. nursing applicant?

SummerGarden, BSN, MSN, RN · May 4, 2006

Overall GPA does not mean squat in most Nursing Programs. Your GPA in Pre-reqs and Co-reqs are what count. So lets say you have some Cs in non pre-reqs and non-co reqs but you are pulling a 4.0 in pre-reqs and co-reqs. The 4.0 will count.

You have come to a good forum. Many Texan pre-nursing students were admitted recently and they can give you an idea of what the competition was like for this Fall. Good luck. :nuke:

stpauligirl · May 4, 2006

I was just wondering, how important is GPA when applying to nursing school? I know that nursing schools are competitive and you should try to maintain a high GPA. Anyhow, I'm kinda worried right now b/c I've heard that you need straight A's to get into practically any nursing program, especially in TX. Is that true? I have a 3.29 right now which is very low but I'm going to try my best to bring it up this coming year. So what's the GPA of the avg. nursing applicant?

Our college Allied Health Profession advisor recommends at least a 3.6 GPA, higher is of course better. I am in Texas. Try to get A's in the science pre-requisites because nursing programs look at your A&P and Microbiology grades very closely.

kmbridges · May 4, 2006

It all depends on where you go. Obviously, GPA is important for any degree for any school.

The school I applied to had two options to apply: A) SAT or ACT score - they ONLY look at your test score and do not look at your GPA OR B) you apply using your GPA of a BIOL, ENGL, and MATH.

I used my ACT score (which I think was good enough -30-) because last semester, the GPA average of the students that were accepted were 4.0!!!

Some of the students had taken the BIOL or MATH course 3 times just to get the A so their GPA would be a 4.0. I don't have that kind of time to take a class three times!!! NOR do I have the money, since I am paying for everything with no help.

JaxiaKiley · May 4, 2006

You'd have to be more specific about the area in Texas. Some schools use a points-based system where you get points for hospital work, interviews, volunteer stuff and classes. It really just depends.

karmyk · May 4, 2006

It depends on what (exact and type of) school or program you're applying to...

Some CC's have lottery systems, so someone with a 3.0 or 2.8 has just about the same chances as someone with a 3.8 or 4.0. Some schools weigh only certain classes. Some put more emphasis on science prereqs than on overall GPA. etc. etc.

Travellpro · May 4, 2006

I agree, you need to know what the admission selection is like at your school. At my school they recently changed it and now as long as you have a 2.5 (i think) you can get in. I have a 3.9 gpa but still had to wait a year to get in just like the students with the lower gpa's. With the schools who only take the top 100 students for example, you may never get in with a 3.1 and so you will just apply year after year and never get in. I think the only way to raise your gpa after that is to retake the classes you didn't do so well in - not sure...that's why my school changed their admission. It sucks for me, but I guess helped hundred's others. I'm curious to know what the drop out rate is since the change at my school. Anway, good luck!

SarasotaRN2b · May 4, 2006

Personally, I think that a lottery is the worst way to get a nursing school together. It is just not fair to those who have worked hard and have gotten good grades, especially in the prereqs. The truth is that with nursing schools having a different grading scale that the norm (C=75-82, B=83-92, and an A=93+), if you don't have a B at least in your prereqs, you are really going to have a tough time.

Just my 2 cents.

Nurse-To-Be-Joy · May 4, 2006

At my college, the breakdown is the GPA of your pre-reqs, GPA of your co-reqs, NET score, and amount of co-reqs already completed. Each has a 25% weight, so GPA isn't everything.

joshuaclay · May 4, 2006

Houston area BSN programs have been very competitive this year (usu. 3.75 and above), but it's cyclic. They set the base GPA based on their applicant pool. If they have 500 applicants above 4.8 and they only need 100 students, you can bet it will be pretty hard to get in.

Kim O'Therapy, BSN, RN · May 4, 2006

It all depends on where you go. Obviously, GPA is important for any degree for any school.
The school I applied to had two options to apply: A) SAT or ACT score - they ONLY look at your test score and do not look at your GPA OR B) you apply using your GPA of a BIOL, ENGL, and MATH.
I used my ACT score (which I think was good enough -30-) because last semester, the GPA average of the students that were accepted were 4.0!!!
Some of the students had taken the BIOL or MATH course 3 times just to get the A so their GPA would be a 4.0. I don't have that kind of time to take a class three times!!! NOR do I have the money, since I am paying for everything with no help.

I agree with you and hope that the admission committee considers how many times a student retakes a class in order to get an A. Sorry this is a little :offtopic: