WGU Pre Licensure- no prior degree

Nursing Students Western Governors

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Hi everyone!

I have had a total change of heart in career choices and am putting all of my eggs into the prelicensure program.

I have done extensive research and I know it's highly competitive. I have a 3.85 GPA from prestigious colleges and CNA training. I haven't taken the TEAS yet.

My question is: how much of a disadvantage am I at because I do not have a prior degree? I am concerned this will prohibit me from getting accepted.

I would love to hear from anyone who got accepted and does not have a prior degree. WGU is meant for me!

Thanks so much everyone!

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Hi everyone!

I have had a total change of heart in career choices and am putting all of my eggs into the WGU prelicensure program.

I have done extensive research and I know it's highly competitive. I have a 3.85 GPA from prestigious colleges and CNA training. I haven't taken the TEAS yet.

My question is: how much of a disadvantage am I at because I do not have a prior degree? I am concerned this will prohibit me from getting accepted.

I would love to hear from anyone who got accepted and does not have a prior degree. WGU is meant for me!

Thanks so much everyone!

Why would you need a prior degree? A Prelicensure BSN program is for people who are not already RNs. The alternative would be a ASN to BSN program for people who are already Registered Nurses, but lack a BSN.

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The program gives priority to those with a prior degree and many applicants have an associated or bachelors in an unrelated (or other health) field.

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Specializes in ICU.

Just be sure the nursing school you plan to attend will accept credits from .

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The program gives priority to those with a prior degree and many applicants have an associated or bachelors in an unrelated (or other health) field.

That's very odd ....do you know what their reasoning is?

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Specializes in NICU, ICU, PICU, Academia.

Because is a college for working adults, a small consideration is given for students who have successfully completed some type of prior degree. But not having one is absolutely NOT a barrier to admission.

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Just be sure the nursing school you plan to attend will accept credits from WGU.

Uh, *IS* a nursing school!!! I graduated prelicensure with NO DEGREE before hand. I've had no problem finding a job and neither have any of my classmates.

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Hi everyone!

I have had a total change of heart in career choices and am putting all of my eggs into the WGU prelicensure program.

I have done extensive research and I know it's highly competitive. I have a 3.85 GPA from prestigious colleges and CNA training. I haven't taken the TEAS yet.

My question is: how much of a disadvantage am I at because I do not have a prior degree? I am concerned this will prohibit me from getting accepted.

I would love to hear from anyone who got accepted and does not have a prior degree. WGU is meant for me!

Thanks so much everyone!

Depends on the location. Some states are more competitive than others. I didn't have a degree. I did have a lot of credits though and a certificate from a medical assistant program. We had other people though in my cohort that had no degree at all. It's not essential. Your grades are competitive. Just nail your TEAS test. Study for it. It's a weird test. I did okay on mine, but my enrollment counselor was really pushing hard and I didn't have as much time to study for it as I should have. I definitely could have scored higher had I specifically studied for it. I think you got a good chance at getting in. Go for it!

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Specializes in Cosmetic RN.

I have been accepted to the program (starting Oct1) and I also do not have a prior degree. I do however have a lot of college credits, which doesn't matter because all they really care about is the pre-reqs that they require. I have heard that they give preference to those who have a background in Healthcare, which I do (medical assistant). I don't know where you are located but I doubt highly doubt that (for this program) a degree would give other candidates a more competitive advantage. I would think that grades & test scores, would make a bigger difference and something like a degree could serve as a tie breaker. But who knows, maybe the competition is so fierce, they use a prior degree to narrow the applicants down. I do know this..They look at the student holistically, which includes other areas of your history and life as well as your academic history.

The best advice could give you is to just call and speak with someone in admissions. They are very nice and can give you actually real information rather than speculation.

And one more thing...even if they do "give preference" to those with degrees, don't allow this to discourage you from applying.

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