Nurse midwifery program with low GPA?

SillyFever, ADN, BSN, RN · May 8, 2021

While you may have a lower GPA than another candidate - this isn't always what Graduate Schools look at. They will take everything into consideration, especially since you do have 20 years of experience in doula & childbirth education. However, this also depends on the geographic location of where you are at and how populated of an area you plan to go to school at. Not every grad school is the same. I would suggest maybe getting the contact info of the program director at the school that you plan to attend to and ask her/him of what their opinion is on your situation.. Anyways, you can always try to apply for the program(s) and see how it goes! Many programs have interviewing as one of their criteria and this is where you can really shine. Sorry if I was not more helpful but, I wish you the best of luck!

BSNMomOf6 · May 8, 2021

11 minutes ago, VitaminSea said:

While you may have a lower GPA than another candidate - this isn't always what Graduate Schools look at. They will take everything into consideration, especially since you do have 20 years of experience in doula & childbirth education. However, this also depends on the geographic location of where you are at and how populated of an area you plan to go to school at. Not every grad school is the same. I would suggest maybe getting the contact info of the program director at the school that you plan to attend to and ask her/him of what their opinion is on your situation.. Anyways, you can always try to apply for the program(s) and see how it goes! Many programs have interviewing as one of their criteria and this is where you can really shine. Sorry if I was not more helpful but, I wish you the best of luck!

This is helpful, thank you! I am specifically looking at the program at East Carolina University in North Carolina, since I live here in NC and it's only a few hours away. I was also considering Frontier, but I heard they are pretty strict on the 3.0 min GPA requirement. I'm open to any program that's distance learning though, if they have requirements to come onto campus I'm okay with that as well as long as it's not for weeks at a time, if that makes sense.

JennyBabyRN · Jun 21, 2021

Hi there!! I was in the same boat as you. I had a low GPA around 2.7 I think and I was recently accepted into Bethel Universities CNM program on a provisional basis. Frontier won’t even look at your application if it’s less than 3.0. Bethel is online with 3 required on campus intensives throughout the program. I chose the 3 year track, since I have 4 kids. What I also like is they give you summers off, like a regular school schedule. I also reached out to Thomas Jefferson University and they will also review your whole application and not just your GPA. As far as East Carolina’s program I am not familiar with it, but I would reach out to an enrollment counselor, as they are well versed on all the application requirements and decide if it’s worthwhile to apply. I hope this helps, good luck!!
Jen

MariannaCNMstudent, ADN, BSN · Jul 8, 2021

On 6/21/2021 at 8:28 AM, JennyBabyRN said:

Hi there!! I was in the same boat as you. I had a low GPA around 2.7 I think and I was recently accepted into Bethel Universities CNM program on a provisional basis. Frontier won’t even look at your application if it’s less than 3.0.

I don't like Frontier for the lack of communication from their side. I had a lot of questions they never answered and they seem to like being very competitive that I believe not a good thing in midwifery education. Cincinnati Uni also has a way around low GPA, but more complex than Bethel. Bethel 2 years track is 16 credits per semester. Kind of tough for somebody with job and kiddos. Other than that they are nice, communicate well, promptly answer your questions, and the price tag is modest.

JennyBabyRN · Jul 8, 2021

I agree about Frontier, and when I spoke to them, they made me feel stupid for my GPA being so low. I know I am not stupid, but I also know that I didn’t apply myself the way I should have (I always said it didn’t matter because I would never go back to school ?, oops). I have 4 kids and I have chosen the 3 year track, which is between 7-9 credits per semester (or 3 classes with different credit values). I know the 2 year track is 4 classes, but not necessarily 16 credits, as some of the classes are 2 and 3 credits each. I also like that they give you the Summer off, which is a nice perk since I can focus on family time during the summers when my kids are home.

I initially was placed on the waitlist and I was totally bummed out, but was accepted about 2 weeks later. They keep class sizes small, and only accept 30 students per year between the 2 and 3 year tracks. I also reached out to Cincinnati U and they unfortunately can’t take students from my state (R.I). I have read really good things about their program as well.

Side note…I don’t know if you listen to podcasts at all, but I highly recommend “Journey to Midwifery”. It interviews Midwives (CM, CNM, CPM and LM’s) about their school and pathways, their pay, what their schedule looks like etc… after listening to it, it really just confirmed how much I wanted to pursue this career path.

MariannaCNMstudent, ADN, BSN · Jul 8, 2021

1 hour ago, JennyBabyRN said:

Side note…I don’t know if you listen to podcasts at all, but I highly recommend “Journey to Midwifery”. It interviews Midwives (CM, CNM, CPM and LM’s) about their school and pathways, their pay, what their schedule looks like etc… after listening to it, it really just confirmed how much I wanted to pursue this career path.

Thank you, Jenny. I have no reservations about the career path because I was I midwife in another country. I know it all, good and bad. And thank you for the podcast suggestion, I will listen, it looks really interesting.

MariannaCNMstudent, ADN, BSN · Jul 9, 2021

19 hours ago, JennyBabyRN said:

Side note…I don’t know if you listen to podcasts at all, but I highly recommend “Journey to Midwifery”.

I found it and started listening. It's amazing! Thank you so so much!