Western Governors University Pre-Licensure RN

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I recently inquired about the Pre-Licensure RN program at Western Governors University (I'm interested in the CA campus) and I'm waiting to hear back from them. However, I'm VERY confused about the information on their website!

In one area of the website, it looks like they include all lower-division classes (such as English, Anatomy, Micro, etc) in their course plan, but then in another area, the following admissions requirements were listed:

"To be considered for enrollment into the Pre-Nursing Curriculum, you must meet the following requirements:

  • Possess a current CPR certification at the Healthcare Provider Level.
  • Submit at least one letter of recommendation from your current healthcare employer.
  • Submit official transcripts from all previous institutions that show:
    • You have earned a bachelor's or associate's degree AND/OR
    • You have completed the program admissions prerequisites in Liberal Arts and Sciences and Behavioral Sciences
    • You have completed all nursing-related science prerequisites in:
      • Anatomy and Physiology
      • Microbiology
      • Biochemistry"

I have an AA in liberal arts and have completed Micro, but not some of the other pre-reqs. It doesn't seem like this is a Pre-Licensure program if they expect you to have recommendations from a "healthcare employer" and have CPR certification at a "Healthcare Provider Level." :uhoh3:

Has anyone been accepted into the Pre-Licensure RN program there (CA campus)? What are the ACTUAL admissions requirements? Thanks so much!

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By healthcare employment, they want you to be employed as a CNA at least, or LVN. Perhaps other healthcare employment would suffice, such as paramedic or respiratory therapist, etc. You would have to pose your question to them. When I talked to them, they were stressing that one have minimally, a CNA certificate. CPR certification at the healthcare provider level can be obtained by a student, and is required for most healthcare providers as a matter of course, so that should not be a problem.

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When they first advertised the program in SoCal, they stated that they wanted all prerequisite courses done. Since then, they have stepped back and are allowing people to enter with prereqs remaining. They are allowed to fulfill those prereqs by doing the WGU version. Once completed, then, I believe, one must be accepted to start the nursing portion of the program. I do not like the "competitive" remarks all the time. When you ask them to define "competitive" they beat around the bush and can't give you an answer. By this action, it is apparent that theoretically a person could enter the school with prereqs remaining, pay for, and complete these prereqs, then not be admitted to the nursing portion because, they were not "competitive" enough on Day One.

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I do not like the "competitive" remarks all the time. When you ask them to define "competitive" they beat around the bush and can't give you an answer. By this action, it is apparent that theoretically a person could enter the school with prereqs remaining, pay for, and complete these prereqs, then not be admitted to the nursing portion because, they were not "competitive" enough on Day One.

Definitely sounds like a big fat con to me. Plus, I'm not a CNA, and I don't want to take the time to complete that program on top of a BSN. I'd do an ADN program at a community college but I still have to do Anatomy, Physiology, and possibly a Chem class also before I can even apply. And then there's that 1-2+ year waiting list to consider... I have kids and I need to bypass all this waiting! Looks like I may have to shell out the big bucks for a private school.

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On the surface, WGU still seems like a better deal than most of what is out there. Better than waiting forever and competing to get into community colleges, but who knows? You could be lucky and get into a community college RN program quickly. Whatever you do, stay away from West Coast University. That place is a bona fide ripoff from what is being written about it.

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Whatever you do, stay away from West Coast University. That place is a bona fide ripoff from what is being written about it.

Funny, I looked into that program last year! As convenient as it sounds, I decided not to go that route because I really don't want to (and can't afford to) pay that much for a nursing degree. If I wanted to pay over $100,000 I'd just go to medical school! I can't imagine what their loan payments look like each month.

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I also was not impressed by the complaints about the quality of the program. I believe someone said they had to go back to the beginning to repeat when they were unable to pass the required HESI test to go to the next term. There is HESI every term. And for that kind of money, one would think they would be organized and could do a better job of presenting material as well as treating students with a little more fairness. I would use that kind of money for a good down payment on a house!

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Specializes in TCU, Post-surgical, Infection Prevention.

Aww, that is too bad about WCU.

I was initially thinking about that school, wasnt too concerned with the loan payment because I plan to go into the Army afterwards (WCU = $126K out the door, Army pays $120K); but stopped dead in my tracks when the Healthcare Recruiter said they weren't "on the list" - that was good enough for me. Additionally, the idea of potentially having little to no classes per term made me anxious, then it would really take four years!

I am getting an AS in Health Sciences and Spanish, spring 2011 - and in that have (will have) completed any pre-reqs any school could want.

My first choice and love is UNLV, but I am definitely taking a look at WGU - although I would have to scramble to get a healthcare related job, jeesh. But the tuition, time frame and location are enticing...

Keep posting about pros and cons, please...

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If I recall correctly there are now three cohorts in progress in SoCal, July 09, Jan and April 10. The next cohort starts in September. I am surprised nobody who is already participating has posted yet about their experiences on this site. I look forward to hear what they have to say.

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Specializes in TCU, Post-surgical, Infection Prevention.

OOOOh, three times a year like my dream school.

Yes, I would be extremely interested in their feedback!

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Actually, you can enroll any month, if you are taking prerequisite courses. The listed months are when the nursing cohorts start because you go through the nursing portion with a group.

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Specializes in TCU, Post-surgical, Infection Prevention.

That's pretty cool...

More food for thought, although I have my heart set somewhere else, good to know I have other accelerated options...

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