ABSN General Admission Guidelines

Admission of nursing students to the ABSN program is based upon consideration of the completed application form, official college transcripts, letters of recommendation, a personal statement, and a personal plan to complete all prerequisites before nursing classes begin. Students filling out an application are not guaranteed admission into the nursing program as student numbers in the clinical practicum may be limited due to clinical availability.

All applications should be completed with supporting documents and sent to the nursing admission office. Evaluation of qualifications will determine eligibility. Students are eligible to apply to the ABSN program once they have completed all program, all prerequisite courses (listed below) and 65 units. Those admission requirements are as follows:

ABSN General Admission Criteria

1. Traditional or Hybrid ABSN applicants must have completed a Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts in any discipline from a regionally accredited institution or may be an advanced standing student. A bachelor degree earned from outside the U.S. must be evaluated by a NACES-approved evaluation agency verifying the equivalent of a regionally accredited U.S. bachelor's degree.

2. First degree and advanced standing students must have completed 65 or more units.

3. Prerequisite courses must be completed with a minimum cumulative GPA of B (3.0) or higher and a C or better must be earned in each course, except the science courses (see a below). A maximum of three in-progress courses are allowed by the application deadline.

   • Science prerequisites (Chemistry 1 with lab, Microbiology with lab, Anatomy and Physiology I with lab, and Anatomy and Physiology II with lab):

     • must have a four-unit value or higher

     • must have been completed within the last five years (prior to the start date of intended ABSN admission)

     • must include lab portions

     • require a “B-” or higher in each course

     • of the four science prerequisite courses only two of them can be repeated once

4. Applicants must have earned a minimum of 3.25 (on a 4.0 scale) cumulative GPA. Cumulative GPA refers to the combination of bachelor degree and classes taken after degree completion. Upon acceptance to the program, applicants must complete the following:

   Nursing Core Classes	50
   Bioethics	3
   Theology/Philosophy	6
   Additional Prerequisites* and General Education courses	65
   *Prerequisite Courses: (ANT 210 or SOC 101), BIO 246, BIO 247, BIO 351, CHE 221, (COM 111 or COM 216), KIN 306, MTH 265, PSY 101, PSY 320, WRT 102
   Total Units	124

5. Completion of a minimum of 75 hours of qualifying patient care experiences. Examples of qualifying patient care are as follows: Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), COPE Health Scholar, Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), Medical Assistant (back office), Home Health Aide, Physical Therapy (PT) Aide.

6. Interviews are required and by invitation only.

7. If an international student has an undergraduate degree from an English speaking university, a Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is not required. A TOEFL or IELTS score is required if the international student has an undergraduate degree from a non-English speaking university. The required scores are:

   • TOEFL - 100 or higher

   • IELTS - 7.5 or higher

   International Student I-20 requirements can be found here.

ABSN Admission Requirements

1. Submit an application and a non-refundable application fee.

2. Two letters of recommendation.

3. Statement of intent / personal essay (all essay questions must be answered and the statement should be at least 2 pages [maximum of 4 pages], typewritten, and double-spaced).

4. Signed background check waiver form.

5. Completed prerequisite plan form.

6. All official college transcripts. Advanced standing students must also show proof of high school graduation by submitting an official final high school transcript, equivalency certificates or diplomas through the General Educational Development Test (GED) or the California High School Proficiency Exam (CPE).

ABSN Entrance Requirements

Once the applicant has been admitted to the ABSN program and prior to the onset of classes, each student must provide:

1. A current Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS) health care provider / professional Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) card from the American Heart Association.

2. Proof of individual, current malpractice insurance, e.g., California Nursing Association (CNA) or the Nursing Service Organization (NSO).

3. Current immunization status and complete health requirements (see health policy for nursing students).

4. A current California driver’s license to travel to clinical sites and required automobile insurance.

5. Background check and drug screening completed.

6. Health care insurance.

Validation of Official Transcripts

As part of the undergraduate admission process application, all students must submit official transcripts from all high schools and colleges attended. Students must submit an official transcript from the high school where the student graduated. The transcript must include the date of graduation. Transcripts are deemed official when either:

• The transcripts arrive directly from the sending institution via the U.S. Mail or are hand-delivered in a sealed envelope that includes the institution's return address. The transcript must include the sending institution’s requirements to be deemed as official, for example, the signature of the school designee, embossed school seal, or any other written instructions.

• OR, the transcripts are transmitted electronically directly from the sending institution. Electronic transcripts must be received via one of the following approved agencies and have a corresponding CEEB/ACT code:

  • Common App/Naviance

  • Parchment

  • National Student Clearinghouse

  • Scribe/Scribbles 5. IERF/Spantran/IEE (for International institutions)

When official transcripts are received by Concordia University Irvine’s Admissions Office, official transcripts will be entered into TargetX/ Salesforce with a timestamp recording the date received. Transcripts are then scanned and indexed into Banner Document Management System (BDMS).

The Office of the Registrar at Concordia University Irvine may alter the requirements and process for the validation of official transcripts at any time.

Freshman Advantage Nursing Pathway Admission Guidelines

New freshmen attending Concordia University Irvine are eligible to participate in the Freshman Advantage Nursing Pathway which guarantees admission into our ABSN program. A new freshman is defined as an incoming student who has completed less than 30 semester units at the time of undergraduate admission. Those units may include the equivalent of ANT 210/SOC 101, BIO 111, CHE 101, COM 111/COM 216, MTH 265, PSY 101, and WRT 102. The following eight (8) admission requirements are:

1. Maintain a minimum cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.25 overall for all coursework. This benchmark must be met by the end of the freshman year and at the end of every subsequent semester thereafter.

2. All prerequisite classes for the ABSN program must be completed with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0.

3. Must earn a “B-” or higher in each science prerequisite course: Chemistry 1 with lab (CHE 221; 4 units), Microbiology with lab (BIO 351; 4 units), Anatomy and Physiology I with lab (BIO 246; 4 units), and Anatomy and Physiology II with lab (BIO 247; 4 units). All other prerequisites courses must earn a “C” or higher.

4. Out of the four science prerequisite courses (see #3) only two of them can be repeated once.

5. Completion of prerequisites for the ABSN program must meet the following guidelines:

   • All science prerequisite classes must be completed at Concordia.

   • All non-science prerequisite classes that are not transferred in at the time of admission must be completed at Concordia.

6. Must be continuously enrolled as a full-time student at Concordia.

7. A minimum of 75 hours of qualifying patient care experiences must be completed prior to completion of undergraduate studies. Some examples are: Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), COPE Health Scholar, Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), Medical Assistant (back office), Medical Missions, Home Health Aide, Physical Therapy (PT) Aide.

8. Completion of three interviews with Concordia nursing admission committee prior to beginning the nursing program. During these interviews, students will be evaluated and must meet the benchmark of “Average/Meets Standards” of the ABSN Interview Rubric.

Based on completion hours and curricular alignment to ABSN prerequisite coursework, it is recommended that students declare a BA in Biology, a BA in Psychology, or a BS in Kinesiology as a major, although others can be offered. In addition, the Freshman Advantage Nursing Pathway provides safe harbors for students. If a student is not able to meet the requirements, they will be withdrawn from the Freshman Advantage Nursing Pathway and continue to pursue their declared degree and apply for the nursing program (if desired) once they graduate with their undergrad degree.