Question regarding Ivy Tech Nursing program

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Hello all,

I am currently in my second semester of "Pre-Nursing" at Ivy Tech Community College in Lawrenceburg, Indiana. So far I am really enjoying being a student at ITCC. I have heard through the grapevine of my friends, peers, and co-workers that Ivy Tech is a bull***t school to attend for Nursing. The reason I am being told this is that there is an extremely long waiting list and acceptance into the program is almost impossible. What I am trying to do is to see if people can debunkify these "possible" myths for me and put my mind at ease about attending this college for Nursing. Truly, what I am wondering is that people may find Ivy Tech a bit too intimidating and then proceed to make up all of these lies in order to make themselves feel good about not successfully completing the program.

1. Is Ivy Tech really as hard as people say to get accepted into Nursing if you dedicate yourself?

2. Is it true that there is a long waiting list even though the college states that they are no longer kept?

Please help put my mind at ease and to help me figure out if I am making the right decision.

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I was hearing all these rumors as well. I know several people who have been nurses for 15+ years w/ degrees not from IvyTech, and they say that Ivy Tech's nursing program is outstanding, and hospitals are pleased with the nurses that come from there. I'm in central Indiana. Perhaps some areas prefer BSN over ASN, but overall, IvyTech is not a bad school.

As for getting in, its on a point system, and it really just depends on what the points on for that semester of entrance. I have been accepted into the ASN fall program at Anderson with a 162 or 167(I'd have to go back & look). I also applied at Lawrence, but only got accepted into PN. I have a 4.0 gpa. Most colleges will tell you that you pretty much have to get A's in all your pre-reqs to get into the program. For the most part, it is true, but I have heard many have gotten in with a B or two.

I personally chose IvyTech because of the location and the cost. I briefly went to IUPUI 15 yrs ago,(there was a wait list to get into the nursing program &very competitive back then as well), I reapplied to the college, met with the advisor, and she told me I'd have to get straight A's which is impossible, and should look into something other than nursing. Nice huh!! After the 40 min drive & seeing the cost, I transferred to IvyTech. I have managed to get all A's, it took a lot of work, and I really want to go back to IUPUI and shove my transcript in that advisor's face:)

It is competitive everywhere for nursing. The lowerest gpa they except is usually 3.8. I heard Univ Of Indpls(I think that one) lowered there gpa to 3.1 to get more students into their nusring program.

Not sure if I helped with your question or not, but just know it is competitive, but it's not impossible:) Best of luck

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Thank you for the reply. Everything you have said I have found quite true. Nursing is a very competitive field to pursue these days and I completely understand why. If everybody could go to school for Nursing and get accepted, just think of some of the people we would have taking care of us! I believe that if we want something bad enough then we can achieve it if we put all of our effort and hard work into it.

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Specializes in CMSRN.

I am a current ASN student at the Bloomington Ivy Tech campus. I can definitely dispel both of those rumors. First, while the Ivy Tech nursing program isn't a breeze to get into, it's also not impossible. Admission is based on your scores in APHY 101 & 102, Psych 101, and English 111. Those scores are combined with the TEAS score to get your total points. I actually had a B in English and had a total score of 169 and was accepted into the ASN program. Most of my fellow students also had a B, many of which were in one of the APHY classes. Oh and Bloomington is one of the most competitive campuses from what I've heard. Anyway, so as you can probably tell it's not even close to impossible to get in. Second, there are NO waiting lists. Each term is considered separately and each interested applicant has to reapply each time. Yes, there may be 400 applicants but if your scores are where they need to be, there won't be someone in front of you with dibs on a spot. And one last thing, I have worked in doctors offices and around healthcare for a few years now. I know that at least in Bloomington, even with IU down the street, Ivy Tech nurses are extremely highly thought of. Our clinical skills are second to none, as a huge emphasis is placed on them from the very beginning. I don't think you will regret pursuing a nursing degree at Ivy Tech (and no I don't work there, even if it sounds that way!! LOL). :-)

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I'm so glad to see this question asked and answered! I actually just found this site by searching online for these answers. LOL I will be starting my second semester at ITCC Ft Wayne campus. I started with some math this summer but will be starting my classes that really count this fall and have put myself into a frenzie worrying if I can even do it. I have been out of school for 15 years and all the stories I keep hearing makes me nervous that I might be wasting a whole lot of money in student loans. LOL I plan to bust my buns and have waited this long to go back to school so that I am at a point in life where I can dedicate all my time into my studies. Hopefully it will pay off. Thank you to those who answered. This was a huge help to me! :)

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I started in the spring 2012 ITCC-Kokomo campus...I had been out of school for 20+ years and I made it into the program...Don't let people try to stress you out...Just do your best...and get the Teas V study guide and start studying for your TEAS test...it is never too early...Best of luck to you!! :)

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I am getting ready to start the ASN program next month. I was told the same rumors when I was doing my pre-reqs. The advisors even tell you to have a plan B in case Nursing doesn't work out for you. I applied to 3 campuses and was accepted at all 3. I had all A's and a 82 on my TEAS. I did receive a B in one of my anatomy classes, but chose to retake it to get the A. I have a friend that is starting with me in August and she had a B in one of her classes and chose not to retake the class and made it in. It takes hard work, but it definitely not impossible. I have been out of high school for almost 20 years and still was able to do it. Just don't give up! I know there were several times I thought about it, but I'm so glad I stuck in there! Good Luck!

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Specializes in psych, addictions, hospice, education.

Ivy Tech does keep one sort of waiting list. Let's say there are 20 spaces for students in the ASN program, but 25 people applied. The extra 5 would be placed on a waiting list, for that semester only, in case some of the original 20 decided not to enroll after all.

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Um...there is no waiting list at Lawrence. That's a new one to me. They told me it would be really difficult to get in, but I didn't let that get me down. If you want to be a first round pick at Lawrence (Indy), I would say straight A's in your Prereqs and an 80 percent and above will most likely get you in for ASN. I'm telling you right now. A "B" in an anatomy class is bad news if you are going for ASN. There is an alternate list for people who are a few points shy of the cutoff for ASN. I had straight A's and an 85 on the TEAS and I got in for the ASN program on the first try and I didn't even apply to the LPN program.

If you are strong in the science field, then you will do well. Good luck!

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The wait list the other post is referring to is referred to the "Alternates". If someone who made it in the program decides not to take the spot, then the spot it offered to an alternate. Some refer to it as a wait list.

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I just got accepted into the program at Lawrenceburg, Indiana. I had all A's in my prerequisites and an 83 on the TEAS V which I opted to only take once. Total combined score was 173. I was number 4 out of 19 people accepted at the Lawrenceburg campus out of 30 applicants. Those are some statistics for you. The Lawrenceburg campus is only hard to get into due to the small number of students accepted (19) as opposed to the Madison campus which accepted 70. As for Ivy Tech's reputation as a nursing school, all you need to do is converse with those out in the field to learn that ASN's from Ivy Tech are just as competent as anywhere else as they are all nationally certified by the NCLEX. It is important to note that the health industry is shifting toward BSN's as LPN's are slowly ruled out (especially at magnet hospitals.) So, it is best to pursue a BSN after completing the ASN program and there are a lot of programs out there that make the transition possible. I hope this helps.

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I don't think Madison accepted 70 people into the nursing program. But as far as the original question, it's not that bad to get into the program. Lawrenceburg and Madison are smaller campuses and don't have as many applicants as your bigger campuses so I really think your chances are greater at a smaller campus. Get your a's and study study study for the teas and you will be okay. Good luck.

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