What kind of GPA do I need to get into Nurse Practitioner school?

djmatte, ADN, MSN, RN, NP · May 3, 2018

GPA is usually school dependent. The majority are at least a 3.0 with more selective schools being a 3.5. There are some that will accept less than a 3, but they have specific requirements. I would worry more about getting through your current school and consider options for follow on when you cross that bridge.

Trauma Columnist · May 4, 2018

Moved to Student NP forum

Rocknurse, MSN, APRN, NP · May 4, 2018

My school required a 3.5 and above.

SopranoKris, MSN, RN, NP · May 4, 2018

Hi,
I just completed my first semester of the RN BSN program. These were the courses I took this semester and my grades:
Foundations of Nursing-A (92%)
Health Assessment-A (92%)
Pathophysiology-(I am still waiting on my final grade for this one I believe I may get an 89%)
Concepts of Prof Nursing-B+ (88%)
I almost had straight A's this semester but I missed it by a couple points, so I'm a bit dissapointed. I know it's early for me to be thinking about going to graduate school but I just want to prepare ahead. I'm not exactly sure what my GPA is as of now as I know it resets in nursing school. But what is the average GPA I'll need to obtain to get into a good nurse practitioner program in the future?
My school offers a nurse practitioner program and I would hope to go there.
Thank you

I don't necessarily think your GPA "resets" in nursing school, you simply have separate GPAs at each institution you attend. The program I went to required grades from all schools attended, even non-nursing. You then got a report which showed your cummulative GPA (all courses), your nursing course GPA, your science GPA, math GPA, English GPA, etc. Then it was broken down by GPA for freshman level courses (100s), sophomore (200s), Junior (300s) & senior (400s).

They put emphasis on nursing, science & math GPAs. You still had to meet the overall cummulative GPA requirement, but from what I'm told, your nursing, science & math needed to be 3.5 or higher to be competitive. Plus your nursing experience weighed heavily, so if your GPA was borderline, having extensive experience in critical care or advanced specialties helped.

Keep striving for good grades, seek out opportunities at work to advance your skills, and get certifications to make your student resume look desirable. Beware of the schools who will accept you with just a promissory note and a pulse :)

rizahawkeye, BSN, RN · May 4, 2018

Preparing ahead of time is great! I'm glad you have that kind of mindset. I never realized I want to pursue NP school until I started working. I worked hard in my BSN degree but my GPA is not that great but I am proud to say that I was prepared for my NCLEX-RN and passed it at 75 questions. My advice is just do your best in every subject you have right now, prepare for NCLEX-RN, get some work experience then apply to NP school. You'll have numerous school options. Each school has different requirements.

I will start NP school next week.

Best regards!

rizahawkeye, BSN, RN · May 4, 2018

Keep striving for good grades, seek out opportunities at work to advance your skills, and get certifications to make your student resume look desirable. Beware of the schools who will accept you with just a promissory note and a pulse :)

I super agree. Thumbs up!

JWEMT · May 5, 2018

I got in with a 2.45, but it was a struggle to get in.

ProgressiveThinking, MSN, CRNA · May 6, 2018

NP schools take anybody with a RN degree. I've witnessed this first hand with my coworkers.

23,000 new NPs between 2015 and 2016? Pretty sure there's a school that will take you.

AANP - NP Fact Sheet

Crygrrpfoot · May 7, 2018

I got into Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Program with an overall 3.0 GPA. That was the minimum listed in the program requirements. Most other schools in my area require a GPA of 3.0 or 3.2 to apply. However, I do know that they look and put more priority on your Bachelor GPA and grades in health, math, and science. My friend got into the same program with me with a GPA just under 3.0. Also one school in my area allowed you to take some sort of test to kind of counterbalance if you had a GPA less than the 3.2 requirement. I feel like it really depends what exactly your going for your masters in. Nurse anesthetist is more competitive while family nurse practitioner is not.

guest416560 · May 7, 2018

These days with a NP school on almost every corner, if you can pull a 2.0 GPA, have a pulse and the $$ to pay for school you can pretty much get a spot. It's sad what has happened to a once noble profession.