Bachelor of Science in Nursing Science

Application Information

Freshman applicants to the BS in Nursing Science program will apply by completing the online UC Application by November 30th.
Please note:  The Nursing Supplemental Application is no longer needed.

Admission Requirements and Enrollment Prerequisites

• A cumulative high school GPA of 3.0 or higher 
• Completion of two years of high school laboratory science (biology & chemistry).
  – A minimum of a C grade is required for each laboratory course.

Admission

Admission into the UC Irvine School of Nursing is competitive and highly selective. The number of students in the major is small due to the limited availability of clinical placements. Each year, the number of admitted students varies based on admission patterns from previous years. Due to the increasing number of applicants and the selective nature of the program, it is strongly recommended that you research other nursing programs as well.

Please note that the School of Nursing Student Affairs Office does not manage the Undergraduate Admissions process (including application review, admission decisions, and/or appeals to admissions decisions). Our office is not a part of the selection process, nor do we have any influence on decision making.  The Undergraduate Admissions process is handled centrally within UC Irvine’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions.

Application Information

Transfer applicants to the BS in Nursing Science program will apply by completing the online UC Application by November 30th.
Please note:  The Nursing Supplemental Application is no longer needed.

The UC Irvine Office of Undergraduate Admissions manages the transfer review and admission process for the Nursing Science major.  Any questions about acceptable prerequisites and admissions for transfer applications should be directed to their office.

Please note, the School of Nursing Student Affairs Office does not review course equivalencies until a student has matriculated to UC Irvine.

NOTE: Although some institutions are allowing Pass/Not Pass grading for certain courses in the Winter/Spring/Summer/Fall 2020 term, we are still requiring letter grades as a feature of our admissions requirements. If your institution required Pass/Not Pass grades only for this time period, be sure to communicate this within the additional comments section of the UC application.

General Transfer Admission Requirements and Enrollment Prerequisites

Students interested in applying to the Nursing Science major via the UC Transfer Application should review the information on the UCI Office of Undergraduate Admissions website.  Please refer to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions Transfer Requirements by School page and review the information under “Sue and Bill Gross School of Nursing” to learn about the requirements and specific prerequisite courses needed to apply.

Still have questions about applying to the Nursing Science major as a transfer applicant? Contact UC Irvine’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions for clarification.

Application Information

UCI undergraduate students wishing to change their major and apply to the BS in Nursing Science program must complete the Sue & Bill Gross School of Nursing Change of Major Application.

Note that incoming first-year/freshman students are not eligible to change their major to Nursing Science before starting coursework at UC Irvine. Students admitted as Transfers to UC Irvine in a non-nursing major are not eligible to apply to change their major to Nursing Science.

Summer 2025 Application

The Summer 2025 Nursing Change of Major application will be available in June. Please refer back to this website for more information.

Note: If you are a newly admitted first-year student at UCI and were admitted to a non-nursing major, you’re not eligible to apply to change your major to nursing (yet!). Please review the information below to learn more about how to apply after you start coursework at UCI.

Application Deadlines and Requirements

The Nursing Change of Major Application (for continuing UCI students) opens each year in June. Admitted students will be notified over the summer and have their major changed to Nursing Science before the start of Fall quarter.

Students interested in applying to change their major to Nursing Science should carefully review our guidelines about course planning, prerequisites, and requirements in our Change of Major planning guide here.

Change of Major Admission Requirements and Enrollment Prerequisites

• A cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher
• The completion of all prerequisite courses as described in our Change of Major planning guide (linked above) with:
  • A letter grade of C or higher in all prerequisite courses completed at UCI
  • A letter grade of B or higher in all prerequisite courses completed at a public California college or university

Applicants will be asked to upload transcripts from all institutions where they have taken college/university-level coursework. In addition, the Change of Major application will also ask students about the following:

• academic honors or recognition
• leadership, volunteer and work experiences
• program and organization involvement
• language abilities (e.g. fluency in a language other than English)
• short essay responses
  • Summer 2024 Cycle: The two essay prompts are available below (please note that these questions are subject to change each year):
    • ESSAY PROMPT 1 (max 250 words): Describe how your prior education and experience have contributed to your future nursing career goals.
    • ESSAY PROMPT 2 (max 250 words): Describe a challenging or difficult time in your life. What motivated you to persist through this challenge and how did you overcome it?

Human Physiology Lecture and Lab: Change of Major applicants can take Pharm Sci 120 and Pharm Sci 120L OR Bio Sci E109 and Bio Sci E112L to satisfy Nursing Science Major Requirements.

COVID NOTE: Although some institutions are allowing Pass/Not Pass grading for certain courses, we are still requiring letter grades as a feature of our admissions requirements. If your institution is mandating Pass/Not Pass for a term, or you have an extenuating circumstance, please make a note on your application and we may make an exception.

Students interested in changing their major to Nursing Science should also review our supplemental costs sheet to better understand and plan for unique financial requirements associated with being a Nursing student and applying for licensure after graduation.

Students who plan to take non-science prerequisites at California Community Colleges may refer to the ASSIST system for approved and articulated courses