BSN Programs in Tennessee
Austin Peay State University
601 College St Clarksville, TN 37044
The 4-year Bachelor of Science in nursing at APSU is fully accredited by the NLNAC to provide a curriculum that prepares students for the NCLEX-RN exam. The program starts with a 1.5 years pre-nursing phase where students take general education and receive pre-nursing advice. At least 30 credits must be completed before students gain eligibility to apply for the next 5 semesters of the professional nursing phase. The university selects a limited number of students twice annually for fall and spring semesters from the pool of applicants who have a minimum GPA of 3.0.
Applicants seeking the nursing major are expected to have taken the ATI placement exam and have current Basic Life Support certification. Students interested in becoming reserve Nurse Corps can also apply for the generous ROTC scholarship program.
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Baptist College of Health Sciences
1003 Monroe Ave, Memphis TN 38104
Baptist College offers an entry-level baccalaureate nursing degree within a small Christian setting. Even though the college accepts applications for the nursing program from both traditional and transfer students, admission preference is extended to the former. On the other hand, the college extends guaranteed admission placement to traditional students who complete their lower division courses with a GPA of 2.8 or higher. Other applicants are subject to competitive admission policies that take into account GPAs, ACT/SATS scores and space availability. Students are advantaged to have the Baptist Hospital System where they can take most of their practical courses. Upon admission to the nursing major, students who rank top in the top 35 percentile of their class and have a GPA of 3.0 or higher may be invited to join the Beta Theta Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau honor Society for Nursing. This honor society assists students to grow their academic integrity and scholarly ambitions.
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Belmont University
1900 Belmont Blvd, Nashville TN 37212
Belmont University offers an undergraduate nursing curriculum leading to a bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) designed for pre-licensure students. The CCNE accredited BSN is designed to take 4 years to complete and leads to students eligibility to apply and write the NLCEX-RN exam to become registered nurses. Courses are designed in such a way that general education courses are taken in the first year and continue as so in the sophomore level. Basic nursing courses are introduced in the first semester of 2nd years and the 1st clinical courses is taken in the 4th semester of the program. Junior and senior years are meant for immense nursing and clinical practice to prepare the students for the licensure exam. While in the nursing major, students can get involved in extra-curricular activities including study abroad trips, the Students Nurses Association and the Nursing Christian Fellowship. Academically endowed students can also apply for induction in Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society for Nursing.
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Bethel University
325 Cherry Ave, McKenzie TN 38201
Every fall semester, Bethel College admits a new class of students for the bachelor of nursing program. Applications for the nursing major are welcome from students who have completed at least 64 lower division credits and have taken the TEAX V test. The first step of applying to the nursing track is application and admission to the college on a general basis. The 2nd step; admission to the nursing track is very competitive and students are ranked for admission on the scholastic records of prior courses in addition to the TEAS V scores. Applicants must have a minimum GPA of 2.7 and a grade of “C” in all prior courses to be eligible to apply for the nursing major.
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Carson-Newman College
1646 Russell Ave, Jefferson City, TN 37760
The traditional bachelor of nursing program is one of the three undergraduate nursing degrees alongside the second degree and the accelerated tracks. The traditional BSN is an 8-semester 4-year designed for students seeking initial licensure as registered nurses. It is fully accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education to prepare students for the NCLEX-RN exam. While in the nursing program, exceptionally performing students can join the Rho Mu-at Large Chapter Sigma Theta Tau or the university Honors Program. The Army ROTC is also an excellent scholarship opportunity for students wishing to become nurse Corps.
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Cumberland University-Lebanon
500 Park Ave, Lebanon TN 37087
The Bachelor of Science in nursing at Cumberland University is on its way to gaining accreditation from the CCNE. The pre-licensure nursing track is part of other 3 programs leading to the Bachelor of Science degree under the school of nursing. Applicants for the nursing major at Lebanon campus may have completed all courses or have not more than 10 outstanding credits from the lower division curriculum. Applicants must also complete the Kaplan Entrance exam prior to applying for the nursing major. Students are able to complete the curriculum in 8 full time semesters and become academically eligible to take the NCLEX-RN exam to become registered nurses. The university takes new students for the nursing every fall, summer and spring semesters.
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Cumberland University-Mt Juliet
1 Cumberland Drive 103, Lebanon TN 37087
Mt-Juliet, the newest satellite of Cumberland University is home to most of the university online learning programs in addition to 3 “on-site” programs including the nursing baccalaureate program. The undergraduate program is designed for students who have completed all required lower division pre-nursing courses as it does not offer prerequisites courses. Admission to the Mt-Juliet nursing program has the same requirements similar to those of the Lebanon main campus. Applicants must have gained at a minimum lower division GPA of 3.0 prior to applying to the nursing upper division. With three admission cycles in fall, spring and summer, more students can access the pre-licensure track in readiness for the NCLEX-RN exam.
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East Tennessee State University
807 University Pkwy, Johnson City TN 37604
The first step in applying for the nursing baccalaureate at ETSU is to apply as a general student and declare a Pre-BSN status. The university offers a lower division curriculum in preparation for the second application step for the nursing major. Students must have completed or be in the process of completing the pre-BSN curriculum with a minimum GPA of 2.6. Applicants must also take and pass the TEAS V pre-admission exam prior to applying to the major. Upon starting on the major, student nurses have the unique advantage to practice in the numerous Nurse-Managed health centers under the university’s affiliation. Besides the regular nursing curriculum, students may join the Honors –in-Discipline (HID) program that offer academically-enhanced courses, nursing seminars, scholarship and research opportunities in nursing. Additionally the university has active chapters of the National Students Nurses Association and the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society for Nurses. Admission occur twice annually for fall and spring semester start dates.
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Fisk University
1000 17th Ave, N Nashville TN 37208
Fisk University in Cooperation with Vanderbilt University offers a Bachelor of Science in nursing (BSN) degree program. This cooperative program is offered in part whereby students are first admitted at Fisk to complete 5 semesters of 84 credits in the general and liberal arts as part of the core curriculum. Upon completion of this phase at Fisk, students can apply to take the 3 semesters consisting of 47 credits of the nursing major at Vanderbilt University in preparation to take the NLCEX-RN exam. Students must meet admission and screening policies of the VU School of Nursing including a minimum GPA of 3.0 prior to applying.
In another option, students taking the BSN may apply to VU master of nursing program through a bridge program. This option works in such a way that the 1st 3 years are taken at Fisk and the senior year is taken in absentia in at VUSN as a bridging path to the master degree. Upon completion of the first 2 in absentia semesters at VUSN, Fisk awards the BSN and the student continues with another 4 semesters to earn a Master of Science degree from Vanderbilt.
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King University
1350 King College Rd, Bristol TN 37620
Within a Judeo-Christian Foundation, King University offers a bachelors nursing degree strongly built upon a faith and liberal arts base. The curriculum and training takes a holistic approach to nursing in preparing students for initial licensure are registered nurses by gaining eligibility for the NLCEX-RN exam. Students are officially admitted in the nursing major at the junior level after completing the required prerequisite and liberal arts courses. Come the senior year, students take a management and leadership capstone project in a number of health care facilities. Besides the regular curriculum, students can apply to take mission trips in Italy, Honduras, Brazil, and India. The King University nursing program is fully accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.
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Lincoln Memorial University
6965 Cumberland Gap Pkwy, Harrogate TN 37752
LMU offers the Bachelor of Science in nursing-BSN degree in two locations; the main campus in Harrogate and the Cedar Bluff Campus which also serves as the pioneer BSN location. Both programs are accredited by NLNAC and are designed for pre-licensure students seeking to take their first NLCEX-RN. New students are admitted to the nursing major once annually for classes starting fall semester but applications from qualified students are accepted on a rolling basis. The program accepts applications only from students whom have completed the required 68 credit hours of the lower division curriculum. Such must carry a minimum GPA of 2.75 to enable students become eligible to apply. If accepted into the major, students take the 60 credit hours of the nursing major in an accelerated manner enabling them to graduate faster than usual.
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Lipscomb University
1 University Park Dr, Nashville, TN 37204
Lipscomb University is accredited by the NCLAC to offer the baccalaureate nursing degree. Within a Christian heritage, the university offers the 4-year full time track that prepares students for initial licensure as registered nurses. Before admission to the nursing baccalaureate students need to be first admitted as Lipscomb students after which a second nursing application can be completed. Admission to the major is conditional upon meeting all admission requirements including a minimum GPA of 2.8 on all 67 credits of lower division pre-nursing courses. Applications are received from both traditional and transfer students in the spring semester of the sophomore year for admission in fall of junior level. All applicants must have an admission interview as part of the admission review process. While in the major, students may join the Students Nurses Association to receive career insights on the nursing profession.
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Martin Methodist College
433 West Madison St Pulaski TN 8478
The basic pre-licensure bachelor of nursing at Martin Methodist offers students three entry options to the degree program. The first option is designed for direct high school graduates who have attained a minimum High school GPA of 3.0. Admissions to this option occur in fall only and completion is within 3 years. Students have to take 2 summer semesters to complete general education courses in the 3 years. The second option is for traditional and transfer students who have already completed at least 1 year of general prerequisites courses. Such applicants must have a minimum GPA of 2.75 on all college courses taken. This option takes students twice annually in fall and spring semesters. The last route is designed for high school seniors seeking dual enrollment at Martin Methodist College. This option has only spring admission date and applicants must have maintained a GPA of 2.75 in at least 30-lower division semester hours. This option enables students to graduate in 2.5 to 3 years after high school graduation. MMU is fully accredited by CCNE and students become eligible to take the NCLEX-RN exam upon completion.
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Middle Tennessee State University
1301 East Main St Murfreesboro TN 37130
MTSU School of nursing offers a 4-year full time curriculum leading to the award of a bachelor of science in nursing. The program is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education and is designed to prepare students for initial licensure as registered nurses. Students are first enrolled in the program as pre-nursing majors to complete 3 initial semesters of prerequisites courses. A second application for the next 5 semester of nursing courses can be done. However, due to space limitations, only students with good GPA’s are admitted to the major, rendering the program a competitive one. Upon declaration as nursing majors, students must maintain a GPA of 2.8 or higher to be eligible for graduation and applying for the NCLEX-RN exam.
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Milligan College
TN 3782
Within a Christian environment, Milligan College offers a traditional Bachelor of Science in nursing program that is based on a strong liberal arts foundation. The 4-year track is fully accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. Students follow a 3 tier process in earning the nursing degree. First, students are admitted as pre-nursing to fulfill a number of freshman and sophomore level courses. If this is completed successfully, students may take the 2nd step which is progression to the junior level of the nursing major. Completion of the 1st step however does not guarantee progression into the nursing major owing to the competitive nature of the program. If students make it past the 2nd step, they must maintain an overall GPA of 2.5 at junior and senior level to ensure Retention in the program until graduation.
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South College
3904 Lonas Dr, Knoxville TN 37909
The first step in completing the undergraduate nursing degree at South College is general admission to the university to complete general education and foundation courses. However, successful completion of these courses does not guarantee progression to the nursing major for the professional courses. Admission is dependent on average GPA from the courses taken during the first 2 years of the pre-nursing program in addition to class size and an interview score. The minimum GPA required to be eligible to apply for progression to the major is 2.5 and an interview score of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale. Upon admission to the major, six quarters are required to complete the nursing courses towards eligibility of applying for the NLCEX-RN licensure exam.
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Southern Adventist
5010 University Drive, Collegedale, TN 37315
The school of nursing at SAU provides a Christian Learning environment in nurse training. The university nursing program is an opt-out program that enables students to complete the NCLEX-RN exam prior to continuing to complete the curriculum for the baccalaureate track. The program is divided into two whereby the first two years enable students to become eligible for the registered nurses licensure exam. Even with this arrangement, students who proceed to take the upper division nursing in consecutive manner complete the program in 4 years. Major students who rank in the top 35 percentile of their class with a GPA of 3.0 or higher may apply for induction in the Rho Iota chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International. The school of nursing also runs an active Nursing club.
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Tennessee State University
3500 John A Merritt Blvd, Nashville TN 37209
Tennessee State University has a NLNAC accredited generic nursing degree designed for students with no prior nursing experience. Admission in the nursing major is contingent with completion of 61 credits of lower division foundational nursing support courses. These courses must carry a minimum GPA of 2.8 and students must also apply for the Bachelor of Science in Nursing BSN Admission Assessment Exam and score a minimum of 75 in all categories. The university admits new students once annually for classes starting fall semester. Upon entry in the major, students must complete the upper division curriculum of 59 credits to complete the required 120 credits for eligibility to apply for the NLCEX-RN exam.
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Tennessee Tech University
1 William L Jones Drive, Cookeville TN 38505
At TTU, students are welcome to apply for a nursing curriculum that leads to the Bachelor of Science in nursing degree. This program starts with a lower division phase of general education courses designed for the first two years of college life. Students have the option of taking this phase of the BSN in either Full time or part time plans. 9 months prior to starting the full time professional program, students having completed the first phase may apply to nursing major. Applicants; both traditional TTU and transfer students are ranked based on the GPA of the pre-nursing courses. During the last year of the program, students take a capstone project of Community Health and Leadership & Management. This semester also involves intensive review and assessment in preparation for the NCLEX-RN exam. Besides the nursing curriculum, students can get involved in the Students Nurses Association or the Iota Beta Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International.
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Tennessee Wesleyan College
9845 Cogdill Dr, Knoxville TN 37932
TWC Ford Sanders department of nursing offers a 4-year pre-licensure nursing program that builds upon general education and liberal arts within a strong Christian environment. The program is designed in such a way that freshman and sophomore years are completed at the Athens campus. During these initial years, students take general education and liberal arts courses. Towards the end of the spring semester of the sophomore year, students can apply for the upper division nursing courses. The fall admission is based on many factors including academic ability, personal interviews, references, high school and college grades. If selected students begin their junior level at Knoxville campus and take most of their clinical nursing courses at Covenant Health among other health facilities. Upon completion of the curriculum, students become eligible to apply and write the NLCEX-RN exam to become registered nurses.
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The University of Tennessee- Chattanooga
15 McCallie Ave, Chattanooga TN 37403
Chattanooga campus of the University of Tennessee System offers a Bachelor of Science in Nursing designed for students seeking entry level positions registered nurses. The program is open for both transfer and freshman students and selects a cohort of 40 students from each category. The freshman students must have a high school GPA of 3.5, an ACT score of 23 to apply to take the 1st 1.5 years of prerequisite courses. Upon successful completion, students can then proceed take the nursing major courses which start in the spring semester of sophomore level. On the other hand, transfer students are admitted in the nursing major every fall semester of the junior year. Applicants for this option must have a minimum college average GPA of 2.75 and a minimum Science GPA of 2.50. UTC offers an opportunity to one student for the Army ROTC nursing scholarship. The Chattanooga program is fully accredited by CCNE and students become eligible to apply and write the NCLEX-RN exam upon graduation.
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The University of Tennessee-Knoxville
1200 Volunteer Blvd, Knoxville TN 37996
The baccalaureate nursing track at Knoxville campus of UT system is fully accredited by the Commission on Collegiate on Nursing Education. The campus admits freshman students directly into the nursing program once annually to embark on a 4-year journey and a limited number transfer and change of major students at junior level. Students admitted as freshman are guaranteed progression to the major if they maintain an average GPA of 3.20 from the lower division prerequisite courses. A limited number of transfers and change of major students meeting the GPA above are also welcome to apply to join the program at junior year but their selection is very competitive and depends on space availability. High achieving undergraduate nursing majors may join the Nursing Honors program to advance in intellectual adventure through seminars, courses and scholarly projects.
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The University of Tennessee- Martin
554 University St, Martin TN 38237
UT at Martin baccalaureate nursing program is accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission. The 4-year track is one of the three undergraduate nursing tracks at the campus alongside the RN to BSN and the Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN) to BSN. The program combines general education courses and nursing courses in preparing students for the NCLEX-RN. Clinical courses are designed to start in the spring semester of the sophomore year. UT-Martin offers the coveted Army ROTC scholarship opportunity to qualified students interested in military science. Outside the classroom, nursing major students can join the Nurses Christian Fellowship and the Students Nurses Association. Additionally, student with high academic ambitions may apply for induction in the Pi Tau Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society for nursing.
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Trevecca Nazarene University
333 Murfreesboro rd, Nashville TN
Every fall semester, Trevecca Nazarene University admits through a competitive process a cohort of 24 students to the Bachelor of Science in nursing degree program. The application is a 2 tier process whereby students must first get admitted to the university and complete at least 2 semesters of nursing prerequisites courses. Applications to the nursing major are done during the students 2nd semester of the freshman year. Students must have an ACT of 22 and a cumulative GPA of 2.75 by the end of the 2nd semester to be eligible to apply. A personal interview is also part of the selection of process. Upon admission to the major, students complete a curriculum that enables them become eligible for the NCLEX-RN licensure exam.
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Union University
1050 Union University Dr, Jackson TN 38305
The traditional BSN curriculum at Union University-Jackson Campus typically takes 8 semesters of 4-years to complete. The Christ-centered program is open to high school graduates with a high school GPA of 2.5 and a 22 ACT/ 1020 SAT who are admitted to complete a core curriculum of 65 semester hours in the first two years. Applicants seeking transfer admission must first be accepted to the university before applying for progression to the nursing major. Such applicants must have a college GPA of 2.3 and an ACT of 20. To progress to the major, both categories of students must have attained a cumulative and science GPA of 3.0 or higher and an ACT of 20.The major consists of 64 hours of nursing courses and can be completed in two years making students eligible to take the NCLEX-RN exam for initial licensure as registered nurses.
The university offers a unique opportunity to earn a dual degree through a consortia agreement with Blue Mountain College. Through this consortium, students can complete the core curriculum and 30+ hours from a second major in Biology, Natural Science, Psychology and Social Science in 3 years. These courses are transferable to Union and students will only take an extra 2 years to complete the upper division nursing curriculum at Union to earn two degrees. Outside the classroom, students can join several organizations including Sigma Theta Tau, the Students Nurses Association or the Baptist Student Nurse Fellowship.
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University of Memphis
100 Billy Mac Jones, Memphis TN 38 152
The U of M offers three undergraduate nursing tracks among them being the Basic Bachelor of science in nursing. The track is fully accredited by the commission on Collegiate Nursing Education and prepares students for initial licensure as registered nurses. The BSN is offered in two locations of the university: main campus and Lambuth Campus. To be admitted in the BSN, students must have first gained general admission and taken the TEAS Test. Fresh high school graduates seeking direct admission to the BSN can apply for freshmen admission in fall. Such applicants must have completed high school with a GPA of 3.0 and an ACT score of 21 or higher. Students in freshman are guaranteed progression to the major as long as they maintain good academic standing from the freshman year courses. Students that do not meet good standing lose their guaranteed progression opportunity but can still apply with other transfer students for the sophomore admission option.