How to Apply to Emory University’s Nursing (BSN) Degree: Enter Emory College or Oxford College First, Then Apply to the School of Nursing Around the Fall of Sophomore Year, Guaranteed Admission With C or Higher in Prerequisites and a 3.0 GPA, and the Path for Domestic, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Applicants

Emory University is in Atlanta, Georgia. The bachelor’s in nursing (BSN) is offered by the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, but the traditional BSN is not a first-year direct-entry program: the nursing school says it requires admission to Emory College or Oxford College first, and students apply to the School of Nursing after completing the prerequisites. The nursing pages also say admission depends on competitiveness and available seats, and applicants may be waitlisted. This guide summarises Emory’s published information for fall 2027 entry for U.S. applicants, international applicants, applicants from China and transfer students. Master’s-level programs for second-degree students (the Master of Nursing) are outside this guide, and RN-to-BSN did not appear on the pages we read.

1. Degree and program

• Traditional BSN (Freshman Option): for Emory College and Oxford College students who want the BSN as their first bachelor’s degree; full-time and on campus; eight semesters, four prerequisite semesters and four nursing semesters. The first two years of general education prerequisites are taken at Emory College or Oxford College; the remaining two years are in the School of Nursing.
• BSN Transfer Option: for students from other institutions with 60 semester hours of graded credit who want to become registered nurses; see section 6.
• Clinical practice: graduates have more than 600 hours of directly supervised clinical practice, per the page. Partners include public health departments, hospitals, community-based health centers, Veterans Administration services and private practices; simulation takes place at the Emory Nursing Learning Center.
• Licensure: the page says BSN graduates are eligible to take the NCLEX examination to become a registered nurse in any U.S. state. NCLEX pass rates were not on the pages we read; contact the school.
• Honors or research programs and STEM designation: not on the nursing pages we read; ask the admissions team (nursingquestions@emory.edu).
• Pre-health advising is outside this guide; Emory has its own pre-health resources, which we did not read.

2. How you get into nursing, and the bar (traditional BSN)

• Admission to Emory College or Oxford College first: the prerequisite for the traditional BSN. Emory’s “Plans and Deadlines” page says you can apply to Emory College, Oxford College, or both. The pages we read do not show an option to choose nursing on the first-year application; confirm with the nursing school.
• When to apply: Emory and Oxford students are told to plan to apply during the third semester (typically the fall of sophomore year). You may apply while prerequisites are in progress, but all required courses must be finished before the fall BSN start.
• Guaranteed admission: prerequisites completed with C or higher and a cumulative GPA of 3.0. A GPA below 3.0 is not guaranteed and goes to the waitlist for further review by the Admission Committee, which may ask for updated transcripts and recommendation letters. The page also says Emory undergraduates who meet the requirements are automatically admitted to the School of Nursing, and that decisions depend on competitiveness and availability.
• Application items: the application; an Emory transcript (unofficial is fine); official transcripts from institutions other than Emory; a resume; a personal statement is optional. For Emory students the $50 fee, high school transcript and test scores are waived by the admission team.
• Prerequisites (Emory College students): 60 semester hours (or 90 quarter hours) of graded college credit, including Chemistry I with lab (CHEM 150/150L, 5 credits), Human Anatomy and Physiology I and II with lab (NRSG 201 and 202, 4 credits each), Microbiology with lab (NRSG 205, 4), Clinical Nutrition (NRSG 207, 3), Intro to Stat Inference (DATASCI 100, 3) and Human Growth and Development (NRSG 200, 3). The page notes the NRSG courses are only open to nursing or pre-nursing students.
• Prerequisites (Oxford College students): Chemistry with lab (CHEM_OX 150/150L, 5 credits), Anatomy and Physiology I and II with lab (NRSG_OX 201, 202), Microbiology with lab (NRSG_OX 205), Clinical Nutrition (NRSG_OX 207), Intro to Stat Inference (DASCI_OX 100) and Child Development (PSYCH_OX 205, 3 credits); plus the full Oxford General Education Program.
• TEAS/HESI, interviews, clinical or volunteer experience, background checks, health screening and vaccines, insurance: not on the traditional BSN page; ask the admissions team.
• Internal and external entry: internal entry is the path above; students from other schools use the BSN Transfer Option (section 6).

3. High school and course requirements, credit

• High school math, biology and chemistry: not stated on the nursing or admission pages we read. Emory’s first-year page only gives general guidance: grades and course rigor, two core-subject teacher evaluations, the Common App essay and two Emory short answers.
• AP/IB: the page says first-year students may receive up to 18 credit hours combined, of which AP and IB can be at most 12; AP scores of 4 or 5 typically earn three semester hours; AP/IB can only be used for general credit, prerequisites for more advanced courses, the first-year communication requirement, one intercultural course and the major or minor (subject to department rules), not for other general education requirements; credit is reviewed after you deposit. Whether AP/IB can satisfy the nursing prerequisites above (NRSG courses, chemistry) is not stated; the nursing page says course planning depends on your AP/IB credits, points students to the “what if” feature in Degree Tracker, and gives nrsgpermissioninquiries@emory.edu for questions.
• Testing: Emory is test optional for first-year students starting in fall 2027.

4. Rounds, deadlines and costs (fall 2027 entry)

• Applying to Emory (Common App): ED I 1 November (decision by 15 December), ED II and Regular Decision 1 January (decisions by 15 February and 1 April); Emory University Scholar Programs 15 November. The “Plans and Deadlines” page prints no year, so confirm these are for fall 2027 entry. The fee is $75, with waivers for eligible applicants. Required: the Common App essay, two Emory short answers, two core-subject teacher evaluations and school report and transcript; testing is optional.
• Rounds on the nursing school’s application page: for “Fall 2027” BSN, Master of Nursing and similar programs: Round 1 1 August 2026 (decisions 15 October 2026), Round 2 1 October 2026 (15 December), Round 3 1 December 2026 (25 January 2027). Traditional BSN students are told to apply in their third semester; the page does not print the dates that will apply to students entering Emory in fall 2027, so confirm with the nursing school.
• Nursing school cost page (BSN, 2026-27): tuition $70,300 a year ($35,150 a semester, flat at 12 or more credit hours), fees $2,248 (athletic, health and wellness, technology and more), housing $13,222, food $9,184, estimated total cost of attendance $100,762. The page does not say which figures apply while you are still in Emory College or Oxford College; ask the Office of Financial Aid for those.

5. The three kinds of applicants

U.S. applicants

• Emory is private; the pages we read give no in-state versus out-of-state difference and no in-state preference.
• Funding: the nursing school says every student is evaluated for merit scholarships and aid; undergraduate aid materials for the 2027-2028 BSN are due 31 December 2026, with packages starting January 2027. Nursing-specific awards include the full-tuition Robert W. Woodruff Scholars and the Veterans Affairs Nursing Academic Partnership (VANAP) scholarships for BSN students interested in veteran-centered care, with clinical rotations at the Atlanta VA.

International applicants

• Can you apply to the BSN: the nursing school says students requiring F-1 visas can apply to the BSN or Master of Nursing programs.
• Application: international students meet the same first-year requirements, plus proof of English and financial certification.
• English: if English is not your primary language, you can show it with an SAT Evidence-based Reading and Writing score of 700+, an ACT English score of 30+, or four years at a school where English is the language of instruction; otherwise submit TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo. The pages list expected scores (not strict cutoffs): TOEFL iBT 100 on the old scale and 5.5 or higher on the new scale (from 21 January 2026), IELTS 7.5, and Duolingo, where the most competitive applicants typically score above 130. Whether nursing sets a higher bar is not stated.
• Funding: you must certify funds (a Documentation of Finances or a bank statement). Emory offers need-based aid to a select group of international students; to be considered you must apply for aid during the admission process, apply Regular Decision, submit the CSS Profile before 5 February and tax documents through IDOC; only students who receive aid in their first year are eligible later. Merit scholarships go through the Scholar programs and are limited. The nursing school also encourages seeking funding from your own government or international agencies.
• After admission: the I-20 is issued after the deposit and the financial certification and visa forms; medical insurance is mandatory.
• Clinical courses, licensure exam, Social Security number: the pages we read do not say whether international students can take clinical courses or the licensure exam, or need a Social Security number; ask the nursing school.

Applicants from China

• Gaokao: the pages we read do not explain how it is used; contact Emory’s undergraduate admission office. Emory also has an “approved curriculum by country” PDF on the international page, which we did not read.
• Interview: for applicants from Mainland China, Emory strongly recommends the InitialView interview and calls it the preferred option; it is not required and does not replace English testing.
• English tests: Emory also lists the TOEFL ITP Plus (Mainland China only), accepted at CEFR C1, typically 63–68 per section.
• Transcripts, Huikao materials and any China-specific notes for nursing: not on the pages we read; check the international applicants page and ask admissions.

6. Transfer: BSN Transfer Option

• Who: first-bachelor’s applicants with at least 60 semester hours (90 quarter hours) of graded credit who want to become registered nurses; also eight semesters (four prerequisite, four nursing); prerequisites can be taken at any accredited college.
• Prerequisites: C or higher, no pass/fail; General Chemistry I with lab (4 credits), Human Anatomy and Physiology I and II with lab (4 each, or separate Anatomy and Physiology with labs), Microbiology with lab (4), where the starred anatomy, physiology and microbiology must have been taken within seven years before the BSN starts; Nutrition (3), Introductory Statistics (3), Human Growth and Development or Life Span Development (3, covering conception through death); general electives to reach 60 hours. Nursing, pathophysiology, pharmacology, technical, learning-support and physical education courses do not count.
• Tests: applicants with a cumulative GPA below 3.5 must submit one of SAT, ACT, GRE or TEAS (encouraged range: 50th–99th percentile; TEAS adjusted total around 90%); scores older than five years, the school encourages taking the TEAS. Waived for Emory applicants, partner-school applicants and transfer applicants with a 3.5 cumulative GPA.
• Materials: the application, $50 fee, official transcripts from every school, a resume; international transcripts need a World Education Services (WES) evaluation; TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo if English is a second language. Partner programs: current Agnes Scott College and Spelman College students should ask admissions about partner criteria. Only coursework from regionally accredited institutions is accepted.
• International transfer applicants: students requiring F-1 visas can apply to the BSN; permanent residents educated abroad must show a green card and have non-nursing coursework evaluated by WES and nursing coursework by CGFNS.
• Deadlines: the “Apply Now” page lists three rounds for fall 2027 BSN: 1 August, 1 October and 1 December 2026; confirm they match your entry year.

Checklist

U.S. applicants:

• Apply to Emory College or Oxford College (1 January); testing is optional; apply to the School of Nursing around the third semester
• C or higher in prerequisites plus a 3.0 cumulative GPA is guaranteed admission; below 3.0 goes to the waitlist; in-progress prerequisites can be listed but must be finished before the start

International applicants (including China):

• The nursing school says F-1 students can apply to the BSN; show English with TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo, or the SAT/ACT English scores or four years of English-medium schooling
• Mainland China: InitialView is strongly recommended; how the Gaokao is used is not published, so ask admissions
• Need-based aid must be requested during admission, Regular Decision only, with limited places

Transfer students:

• 60 semester hours, prerequisites at C or higher; SAT/ACT/GRE/TEAS if the GPA is below 3.5; WES evaluation for international transcripts

Sources: Emory University, Nursing school: Traditional BSN; Nursing school: BSN Transfer Option; Nursing school: Apply Now and deadlines; Nursing school: Tuition and Funding; Nursing school: Financial Aid; Plans and Deadlines; Requirements; First-Year Applicants; Standardized Exam Policies; AP, IB and College Credit; International Applicants; Undergraduate aid for international students. Information is for fall 2027 entry (costs are 2026-27 figures); check Emory’s website for the latest.