Rutgers- Spring 2021 Application

I participated in an online info session for Rutgers ABSN program and thought I would share some of the important points. Some of this information is the same as previous semesters but some is new. One big change this year is that the program is no longer offered at the New Brunswick campus. This means that instead of ~50-60 students being accepted at each campus, now there will be ~100-110 students accepted each semester (Spring and Summer) at Newark, out of approximately 300 applicants. Note: Camden also continues to offer an ABSN program.

In terms of the application, your science prereq GPA is critical. This includes your grades for A&P I and II, Microbiology, and Gen Chem II or Organic Biochemistry. This GPA should be >3.0, and specifically A&P I and II grades must be B or higher. These courses must be completed within the past 10 years. All other prereqs- Nutrition, Lifespan and Development (can be substituted with a CLEP score of 50 or higher), and Statistics can be taken anytime. As for your previous Bachelor’s degree, they want to see a cumulative GPA of 3.3 or higher, although this isn't a strict requirement.

Even though the website says the school can’t review individual coursework to determine if you have completed the prereqs, if you have questions about whether your prior classes will be accepted, you can try e-mailing the admissions staff.

The personal statement is also weighted highly, although the term “a holistic approach” to reviewing the application was mentioned a few times. Given that the application doesn’t require past health experience or letters of recommendation, grades and the personal statement are pretty much all that’s left. Maybe current students can offer more information on their application experiences.

As for COVID-19, currently the Fall semester is being taught online and the students have limited clinical experiences with several restrictions. She didn’t elaborate on that. They are awaiting state guidelines for the Spring semester. This will be interesting to see how it all plays out. Online classes would certainly be easier to deal with schedule-wise, but I wonder if waiting another semester to apply makes more sense.