BSN Programs in Minnesota

Bemidji State University
1500 Birchmont Dr, Bemidji MN
The four-year nursing track at Bemidji is designed to prepare first time college students to take the NLCEX-RN exam for initial licensure as registered nurses.  The program gives focus on rural, cultural awareness, family and palliative health so as to mould nurses to become competent on those areas. Admission to the nursing major is a separate process from admittance to the university and requires a separate application.

The university admits new students once annually for classes starting fall semester. Admission is very competitive and requires students who have already complete at least 30 credits in prerequisites courses. 

Though admittance is open for both transfer and Bemidji freshmen, the latter that meet admission requirement are given priority. Applicants to the nursing major require an average prerequisite GPA of 2.5 though this is not a guarantee for admission. Applicants must note that they must be current Certified Nurse Assistants or currently undertaking a course on the same at the time of applying. Other factors besides the GPA used in the overall ranking for admission include a TEAS Entrance exam, a personal interview, references letters and personal essays.

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Bethel University

3900 Bethel Dr, St. Paul MN 55112

As Christian and Liberal Arts University, Bethel integrates the Christian faith into its bachelor of science in nursing program to bring-out nurses with Christ-like care. The CCNE accredited program is open for both freshmen starting at Bethel and transfer students with more than 30 transferable credits. In both cases, admission to the nursing department is separate from admission to the university. Freshman students must have a high school diploma with a GPA of 3.2 or better coupled with minimum ACT or SAT scores of 21 and 920 respectively. Freshman students apply for the major towards the end of 1st year and get admitted in the beginning of sophomore year.  Transfer students on the other hand must first seek admission to Bethel and have a GPA of 2.5 or better to be eligible to apply to the major.  During the final semester of senior year, students get nurses training at an international setting usually in Uganda. Besides classroom work, students can engage in various organizations including the Christian Nurses Fellowship, Students Nurses Association and a chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International.

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College of Saint Benedict/Saint John’s University

37 S. College Ave, St Joseph MN 56374/

2850 Abbey Plaza, Collegeville MN 56321

There is no unique way than getting an education from two partnering universities bringing you a taste of two different colleges in one stance. CSBSJU bachelor of nursing program is designed for four types of applicants: Regular CSBSJU students, CSBSJU Early admission students, Army ROTC and transfer students. Regular CSBSJU students are admitted to take the first 2 semesters of college work and meet prerequisites coursework requirements. Early admission is offered to high school graduates with an ACT of 27 or better. Each year in the fall semester, about 45-54 students are admitted to take the professional courses in nursing. All students except require a minimum GPA of 2.75 to be eligible to apply to the major. The program also provides a great opportunity for all students to take a short study abroad experience in Ecuador, S. Africa and Belize. Other opportunities within the nursing department include nurse-specific scholarships, participation in the Nursing Club for charity activities, Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society and spiritual growth.

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The College of St. Scholastica

1200 Kenwood Ave, Duluth MN 55811

The traditional baccalaureate nursing program is 1 of the 3 leading to the Bachelor of Science in nursing (BSN) degree at St. Scholastica. The college has two entry options to the program: regular admission and a guaranteed admission option also known as ENTER program. Both categories of students must apply to the college and register for freshman prerequisites courses in addition to completing a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) program. The difference in admission is after the freshman year whereby, students interested in the ENTER program must apply again. Such students must complete 48 credit hours by the end of sophomore year with an average GPA of 3.4 to be granted outright entry in the nursing major. On the other hand, regular students do not have to make an extra application after freshman year. Instead, their applications are received at the end of sophomore year after completion of same number of credits for consideration to the major. Regular students will require a GPA of 3.0 to be considered for the competitive selection process. All students have the opportunity to participate in a global practicum period in Belize before the end of the program.

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Concordia College

901 8th Street, Moorhead MN 56562

Concordia College offers a 4-year nursing program leading to the Bachelor of Arts in nursing degree and eligibility to take the NCLEX-RN exam to become a registered nurse. Students must first apply to the college on a general basis and complete college prerequisites courses in the freshman year. After the freshman year and having completed the required set of pre-nursing courses, students can apply to the nursing major which starts annually in May. At the time of application, students must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 although other factors including an impromptu essay, an interview are also considered during selection of major students.  Besides the nursing curriculum, students can take part on the Language Villages immersion program during summer sessions, global education programs in China, England, Brazil and Guadeloupe. Academically motivated students may also be nominated for induction in the Sigma Theta Tau chapter at Concordia and others nursing associations in the college.

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Crown College

8700 College View Dr, St. Bonifacius MN 55375

The BSN pre-licensure program is a biblical-based education that follows the Christian and Missionary Alliance of the college. The program runs over four years divided into preparatory coursework in the first two years and nursing courses in the last 4 semesters.  Initially, students are admitted at Crown and take the first two year courses prior to becoming eligible for the next step of applying to the major. By the spring of sophomore year, students are required to apply to the department of nursing for consideration in the major. Applicants are also required to have completed more than half of the Christian Service nursing department requirements prior to applying. Applicant must have an overall GPA of 2.5 to be eligible to apply but this does not mean there is guaranteed admission. Admission is competitive. Crown College also has an Honors Program open to all students that trains students in Advanced Christian Leadership and critical thinking.  This program allows students to graduate with honors upon completion of the BSN program.

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Globe University/ Minnesota School of Business

1401 W. 76th St, Richfield MN 55423

Globe’s nursing program is going through the accreditation process by the commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). The 36-month BSN is offered at the university’s affiliate college Minnesota School of Business at Richfield campus. The program allows students to complete the pre-licensure program including prerequisite courses in a record 3 years as compared to the common 4 years. Freshman students complete general education college-level courses required for nursing that must carry a minimum GPA of 2.75 or better. In addition, applicants must have completed a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) course and show proof of entry in the states CNA registry. By the end of the 36 months, students become eligible to take the NLCEX-RN exam to become registered nurses. Please note that any program length mentioned here pertains to graduating in normal time for Minnesota School of Business.

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Gustavus Aldophus College

800 W. College Ave, St Peter MN 56082

As part of Minnesota Intercollegiate Nursing Consortium, GA College offers the undergraduate nursing program in cooperation with St. Olaf College. This unique program is fully accredited by CNNE and enables students to be taught by faculty from both colleges and take courses offered by the two colleges.  The 4-year track is divided into two portions whereby in the first two years, students take general education courses while in the junior and senior years, students take nursing courses and remaining liberal arts courses from St Olaf and Gustavus. Application to take the junior and senior courses is done at the spring of the sophomore year and applicants must have a minimum m GPA of 2.85, an interview, and submit a personal essay.  Admission occurs once annually in the fall semester and unsuccessful students who meet admission requirements may be placed in a waiting list for chances of openings that may occur.

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Minnesota State University-Mankato

228 Wiecking CTR, Mankato MN 56001

Admission to MSU-Mankato basic nursing program is based on a number of factors including the GPA of pre-nursing courses, composite scores of Evolve Reach Admission exam and interviews if necessary.  Students are ranked and those with the highest GPA are admitted in the program. This CCNE accredited program is designed only for pre-licensure students seeking initial licensure as registered nurses. The program has a curriculum of general education and nursing courses that run over 4 years and leads to the Bachelor of Science in nursing degree.  The school of nursing has a number of nursing-designated awards and scholarships for students at different levels. There is also a scholarship program for male student nurses in the college. The university also runs an active Mu Lambda Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau for academically endowed students.

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National American University-Bloomington

7801 Metro Pkwy, Bloomington MN 55425

In Minnesota, National American University offers the Generic BS in nursing Program at the Bloomington campus. This location offers students proximity to the urban feeling of social amenities like shopping and entertainment in the Twin Cities area. Admission to the BSN program is a two-step process which starts with admission to the university to take the foundational nursing courses.  If such courses are completed with a GPA of 2.8 or better, students become eligible to apply to the next step of the program.  Students applying to the professional program must have either a Certified Nurse or a Licensed Practical nurse certification to be eligible to apply. Selection and overall ranking for admission is based on TEAS V scores and GPA Scores. Even though transfer students are welcome to apply, students who took prerequisites courses at NAU are given preference over transfer cases.  However, students must note that meeting admission requirement does not guarantee admission to the nursing track.

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St Catherine University

2004 Randolph Ave, St. Paul MN 55105

The Henrietta Schmoll School of health at St Kate offers a nursing Bachelors day program to women only. The entire program takes fours to complete but the professional phase of nursing takes five semesters. All students interested in the nursing major are admitted to start taking the pre-nursing courses of the BSN. The university then offers three entry pathways to the professional nursing phase. The first option is guaranteed admission for all St Kate’s freshman nursing students who earn a cumulative GPA of 3.0 on at least 16 freshman credits and meet other admission requirements. The second option of entry is for transfers students with a GPA of 3.0 who meet other admission requirements.  The last option is for freshmen and transfer students with a cumulative GPA of 2.75 to 2.99 but priority in a tie is given to those who took courses at St. Kate’s. Generally, the last two options are based on whether there are seats left out after the selection in option one. Besides the GPA, students must show proof of volunteer work in a health field and certification as Nurse Assistant to be eligible for upper division courses.

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St. Cloud State University

7204th South Ave, St. Cloud MN 56301

The traditional nursing program leading to the BSN degree has a 3 semester nursing prerequisites phase and a 5 semester nursing major phase. Students have to complete the first 3 semester of college time before being eligible to apply to the nursing major. To apply to the nursing program, students must have earned a cumulative prerequisite GPA of 2.75 or better in addition to taking the HESI Evolve Reach Admission exam and submit 2 reference letters.  Generally, the university receives 120-150 applications on each cycle but only 40 students are admitted every fall and spring cycles. Outside the curriculum all pre-nursing and major students can participate in the nursing club numerous activities including charity work, fundraising, nursing conferences among other activities.

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St. Olaf College

1520 St. Olaf Ave, Northfield MN 55057

Every fall semester, the nursing department at St Olaf College admits a new cohort to the nursing program. The program; a 4-year Bachelor of Arts in nursing is offered in cooperation with Gustavus Aldophus College within the Minnesota Intercollegiate Nursing Consortium. The program plan is that all admission affairs are handled by St Olaf including the freshman and supplemental application to the nursing major. Upon admission as freshman, students complete the 1st 3 semesters of pre-nursing coursework. If this is completed with an average GPA of 2.85, student may be appointed to apply to the upper division phase for which an essay and a personal interview are required. Upon admission to the major, nursing courses are taught by faculty from both colleges. At the end of the program, students are awarded a Bachelor of Arts in Nursing from St. Olaf and become eligible to take the NLCEX-RN exam.

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University of Minnesota

231 Pillsbury Dr, SE Minneapolis MN 55455

The generic BS in nursing at U of M is offered at 2 locations in the state; the main campus at Twin Cities and the Rochester campus. Out of the 400 applicants, the university only admits 128; 96 and 32 at Twin Cities and Rochester respectively. Prior to applying to the three-year upper division nursing phase, students must have applied to the university and completed at least one year of designated nursing prerequisites nursing courses. Even though a cumulative GPA of 2.8 is required to be eligible to apply to the major, the observed average GPA is 3.6 in prior admission occasions. Upon admission to take nursing courses, clinical classes are taken at the university’s highly rated U of M Medical Center among other health agencies across the state including Mayo Clinic. The Zeta chapter of Sigma Theta Tau is open to all academically talented student nurses with research, community service and scholastic ambitions.

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Winona State University

175 W. Mark St, Winona MN 55987

The generic BS in nursing program at Winona state university is offered at the main campus in Winona and the satellite campus in Rochester, Minnesota. The program offers two entry options for freshman students; a preferred admission contract and a general university admission policy. Students in both cases are admitted using the same criteria from their high school qualifications to take the 1st 3 semesters of suggested nursing coursework.  However, those who declare a nursing major in the first year and earn a GPA of 3.5 in the pre-nursing curriculum become eligible for the direct uncompetitive admission to the major. On the other hand, those with a GPA of 3.3 can only apply for the major through the general admission option which is competitive in nature. This option is open to transfer students, those changing a major at Winona and those undeclared major students. All applicants must have completed at least 45 credit hours in addition to taking a TEAS test prior to applying to the nursing program in the 5th semester. Outside the nursing curriculum, the university runs the active Kappa Mu chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International.