DNP Information Series
Prerequisites
In order to qualify for admission to the DNP-PM track, applicants must meet the following prerequisites. Please note: GRE is NOT required for the DNP program.
- A MS degree in nursing from an accredited college or university
- A cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher
- An active, unrestricted RN license for practice in the state where your DNP practicum occurs
- One year of full-time US-based employment (or a minimum of 1800 hours) as a registered nurse by the start of the program
- An undergraduate or graduate statistics course that will cover or did cover descriptive and inferential statistics.
- This statistics course must have been completed within 5 years of starting the program with a grade of B or higher. Courses must be taken for a letter grade – credit/no credit and pass/not pass courses will not be considered.
- If it has been longer than 5 years, this course can be taken online or in-person at a community college, a university/college, or university extension.
- If you are on the cusp of the 5 year deadline, we strongly encourage you to retake statistics during the summer before starting the program.
- Applicants are required to upload a signed copy of the DNP Statistics Acknowledgement form in the UC Irvine Graduate Application.
- Please note: You can apply prior to completing the Statistics course requirement. Your application is still eligible for review but your ability to start the program is contingent upon completion of a recent Statistics course. If you have questions regarding this requirement, you can reach out to us at: gnsao@uci.edu for more information.
Application Process
Students applying to both our DNP program tracks need to submit their application through the Online Application for UCI Graduate Admissions, available after October 1, 2024. A complete application includes and adheres to the components below. We recommend having all of these materials prepared in advance when submitting your application. You can also review our 2024-25 DNP Guide to Applying (PDF) to better understand the application process and required components.
Please Note – UC Irvine Graduate Application contains sample prompt language for the Statement of Purpose essay, but when applying to the DNP programs at UCI School of Nursing, applicants should only use the guidelines and prompt below.
In the UCI Graduate Application “Statement of Purpose” section, please address the following prompt in 1200 words or less:
Why have you chosen the DNP as a terminal degree? Describe/discuss your nursing background and career goals that align with the DNP.
When answering this prompt, make sure to address the following:
- Specify outcomes you wish to gain from a DNP education.
- How will the DNP program at UCI help you reach your goals?
- How will these goals contribute to advancements in healthcare?
Please Note – UC Irvine Graduate Application contains sample prompt language for the Personal History essay, but when applying to the DNP programs at UCI School of Nursing, applicants should only use the guidelines and prompt below.
In the UCI Graduate Application “Personal History” section, please respond to the following prompt in 1200 words or less:
Reflect on your personal and professional journey in nursing. How have your experiences shaped your identity and values as a nurse? Discuss any significant obstacles or achievements that have influenced your career path.
Applicants must include one letter of recommendation in their application. Any additional letters received will not be reviewed or considered in your application.
Your letter of recommendation must be received by the application deadline. We are unable to accept incomplete applications with any late letters of recommendation. We strongly recommend that applicants contact their recommender as soon as possible and plan to submit their letter as early as possible to avoid any late submissions.
The letter of recommendation is intended to help application reviewers better understand your professional and academic readiness for the DNP program. The letter must be from a professional or academic recommender that can speak to your professionalism, leadership, and scholarly activities. The reviewer can be from your current workplace or prior academic institution.
Requirements for your letter of recommendation:
- You must have 1 letter of recommendation from a doctorally prepared professor or healthcare professional (DNP, MD, DO, PhD) who can speak to your readiness for doctoral studies.
- Recommendations should be current (written within 3 years of application)
- Family members or friends are not eligible to write letters of recommendation
Letters of Recommendation are collected through the Online Application. Applicants will provide email contact information for their recommenders in the application. For more information about the Letter of Recommendation process in the Online Application, please refer here: https://grad.uci.edu/admissions/applying-to-uci/letters-of-recommendation.php
If students have any questions about letters of recommendation in their application, they should contact the Graduate Admission team at gradapplicant@uci.edu. The School of Nursing Student Affairs Office cannot assist with technical issues related to the letter of recommendation system in the Online Application.
Applicants to the DNP Post-Master’s program must complete an undergraduate or graduate-level statistics course that covers descriptive and inferential statistics within 5 years of starting the program. Students must complete this course for a letter grade of “B” or better.
Applicants are required to complete the Statistics Admissions Requirement Acknowledgement Form and attach it to their UC Irvine Graduate Application. Please review the “DNP Guide to Applying” linked above for more detailed information.
Applicants must upload unofficial copies of transcripts from all college and universities attended in their application. Applicants do not need to submit official transcripts to UC Irvine when they submit their application. Admitted students who accept their offers of admission will be prompted to submit their official transcripts at a later date.
Please note: All graduate programs at the School of Nursing require international degrees and transcripts undergo professional transcript evaluations by an independent educational evaluating service from any member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services or the Association of International Credential Evaluators, Inc. Students should upload a copy of evaluations and translations in their application.
Applicants should note that foreign transcript evaluation services may take several weeks to process and should plan accordingly. The report uploaded to the application must include a degree-equivalent evaluation and course-by-course equivalent evaluation for any prerequisites.
The School of Nursing and the University of California do not endorse or have a formal partnership with any specific transcript evaluation agencies. However, some applicants have used the following services:
World Education Services, Inc.
P.O. Box 5087
Bowling Green Station
New York, NY 10274-5087
Phone: 212-966-6311
http://www.wes.org/
International Education Research Foundation
P.O. Box 3665
Culver City, CA 90231-3665
Phone: 310-258-9451
http://www.ierf.org/
International students applying to the DNP program should consult the UCI Graduate Admissions page on English Language proficiency requirements before applying to determine if a TOEFL or IELTS test score is required for admission: https://grad.uci.edu/admissions/applying-to-uci/
The School of Nursing does not waive TOEFL or IELTS English test scores for applicants.
Applicants must pay an application fee in order to successfully submit their application.
Please note that applicants planning to apply for an Application Fee Waiver must submit a fee waiver request to UC Irvine’s Graduate Division at least 5 days in advance of the application deadline. The School of Nursing does not manage the application fee nor does it manage the application fee waiver process. Please refer to the UC Irvine Graduate Division website for more information: https://grad.uci.edu/admissions/applying-to-uci/fee-waivers.php
All of the components listed above are required for admission to the DNP-PM program track. We are unable to accommodate exceptions to any of the deadlines listed above.
Important Application Notes:
- All components listed above must be submitted by the application deadline
- A virtual interview may be required for final selection of candidates
- Additional application information is available from UCI Graduate Division
We strongly encourage applicants to read through our annual DNP Guide to Applying and our FAQs page for answers to questions that we commonly receive. Due to the high volume of applications that our program receives, we are unable to make individual appointments with prospective applicants. If you have any additional questions after reading this guide, please register to attend one of our virtual information sessions or contact our School of Nursing Graduate Student Affairs Office via email at gnsao@uci.edu.
Admissions Decision
The School of Nursing will review applications twice: after the Priority Deadline of December 1, 2024 and after the Final Deadline of February 18, 2025. The application opens October 1, 2024 and we anticipate sending out decisions for early applicants as soon as late January/early February for priority deadline applicants and April for those who applied by the final deadline via email. Spots are not held for later applicants so we encourage applying as early as possible.
Applicants should monitor the email address that they provide on their Online Application carefully and check their UC Irvine Graduate Application portals for updates. If the Graduate Student Affairs Office needs additional clarification regarding your application, you will be contacted via email.
The Graduate Student Affairs Office cannot provide individual application updates to those waiting to receive their admissions decisions and does not provide a date at which all decisions will be released.
Program Cost & Financial Aid
Current program tuition and fees (PDF) for the DNP Program are on the UCI Registrar’s website under the Fees for Self-Supporting Graduate Degree Programs section.
UC Irvine’s Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships can help provide applicants with information about potential sources of funding. Applicants can find important information for entering students here.
UC Irvine’s Graduate Division also offers resources for graduate students to learn about funding opportunities.
