Earn your BSN
The Prelicensure Program is ideal for students from a variety of educational backgrounds.
The Nursing Undergraduate Prelicensure Program designed for those with a:
- High school diploma
- Associate's degree
- Bachelor's degrees in fields other than nursing
- Service members
- Civilians who are making career changes.
During the challenging five semester academic program in the major, students participate in classes, laboratory experiences and clinical experiences under the guidance of highly competent qualified faculty.
Students must apply for the highly-competitive program separately from acceptance to ODU, and admission to the program is not guaranteed for ODU students. For advising information, please contact the Ellmer College of Health Sciences Advising Department.
Program Outcomes
| Rate | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NCLEX Pass Rate* | 95.4% | 87 % | 89.4 % | 88.23 % | 92.15 % | 88.23 % |
| Retention Rate | 87.5 % | 91 % | 95 % | 91 % | 92.2 % | 90.74 % |
| 1 Year Employment Rate | TBD | >95% | <95% | >95% | >90% | >90% |
* NCLEX-RN pass rates reflect results of all graduates in a calendar year, some of who may have tested in another state outside of Virginia.
Contact
College of Health Sciences Advising
2112 Health Sciences Bldg
4608 Hampton Blvd
Norfolk, VA 23529
(757) 683-5137 (office)
hsadvising@odu.edu
Prelicensure Admission Overview
Both nationally and state accredited, the BSN program consists of 120 - 126 semester credits:
- 66 credits in the nursing major
- 54-60 credits in liberal arts and sciences.
Minimum GPA for admission to prelicensure program is 3.00. Admission is currently based upon GPA using the highest grades earned in the required prerequisites courses. Please note that for the past several years, students admitted to the program have had at least a 3.6 GPA.
The curriculum admits a cohort of students each fall semester under one schedule, incorporates current recommendations for undergraduate nursing education, and is designed to get graduates into the workforce and enrolled in graduate nursing programs more quickly. Each student will perform 66 credit hours for the major, and are required to obtain 120 hours graduate with a BSN.
Students admitted will be:
-
Required to have all non-nursing education courses fully completed before admission to the nursing major; there are no exceptions to this requirement.
-
Completing all courses in the nursing major in five (5) consecutive semesters
Once admitted, students must continue in the assigned plan of study. If students do not complete requirements as scheduled, students will be permitted to continue in the program and assigned to a new schedule only as space is available.
Please contact Health Sciences Advising at hsadvising@odu.edu to determine if you have completed all courses and program requirements.
State Licensure
Plan to work outside Virginia? See if ODU's Bachelor of Science in Nursing meets eligibility requirements for licensure in the state or territory where you want to work.
Undergraduate Nursing Contacts
Suzanne Van Orden, Chief Academic Advisor
svanorde@odu.edu
757-683-5245
Jade Hicks, Undergraduate Program Coordinator
jcopher@odu.edu
757-683-4899
Accredited by CCNE
The baccalaureate degree program in nursing, master's degree program in nursing, and Doctor of Nursing Practice program at Old Dominion University is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (http://www.ccneaccreditation.org).
Undergraduate FAQs
Have questions about the process?