How to Apply to the Nursing (BSN) Undergraduate Program at Case Western Reserve University: Direct Admission to the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing With No Pre-Nursing Stage, Nursing Courses and Clinicals From the First Semester, and Admission and Prerequisites for U.S., International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Applicants

Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) is in Cleveland, Ohio. The undergraduate nursing degree, the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), is in the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing. The Bulletin describes it as a four-year baccalaureate program for high school graduates, and graduates are eligible to sit for the NCLEX for licensure as a registered nurse (RN). This guide covers only nursing; the broader life-science options are in a separate article. It uses the school’s web pages and the 2026-27 Bulletin, is aimed at fall 2027 entry, and is split into U.S. applicants, international applicants, applicants from China and transfer students.

1. Degree and program

• Degree: BSN, with at least 120 credit hours (at least 50 of them at the 300 and 400 level) and a GPA of 2.000; both sample plans in the Bulletin total 121 credits.
• How you are admitted: the School of Nursing says students interested in nursing apply through the Office of Undergraduate Admission and are accepted to the university; its highlights list direct admission, no second application and no pre-nursing requirements. The pages we read do not describe any step of completing pre-nursing and then applying to a professional level.
• Other programs: the school also has master’s, doctoral and certificate programs; routes for registered nurses or people with an earlier degree are not covered here. The school mentions research opportunities and the Bulletin says students can take part in faculty research; a named nursing honors program is not described on the pages we read.
• STEM designation: not stated on the pages we read.
• Advising: the Bulletin says every new nursing student is assigned a first-year nursing advisor, and academic advisors help with registration and progression after that. Pre-health advising specific to nursing is not described on the pages we read.

2. How you get in and the conditions

• Places and conditions: the pages we read do not give the number of first-year nursing places. The first-year page says there is no minimum GPA or test score and that review is holistic, looking at how you have challenged yourself and prepared. A nursing-specific cut-off is not published; ask the School of Nursing admissions office at admissionsfpb@case.edu.
• Not mentioned: TEAS or HESI entrance tests, interviews, clinical or volunteer experience, a pre-entry background check, physical exams and immunizations, and insurance are not mentioned on the nursing or admission pages we read; confirm with the school.
• Progression after you enter: the degree-requirements page and the Bulletin say you must reach a GPA of 2.000 or above by the end of the junior year and earn a C or higher in the required nursing (and core or science) courses. Two unsatisfactory grades (D or F) in nursing or natural and behavioral science courses can lead to separation from the school: the Bulletin says “may be subject to separation” while the school’s page says “will be subject to separation”, so plan on the stricter reading. A grade below C in a required course means repeating it before moving to the next nursing course. Admission does not by itself guarantee graduation.
• Internal transfer into nursing: not described on the pages we read; ask the school.

3. Prerequisites and curriculum

• High school: the admission page lists the university-wide minimum: English 4 years, math 3, science 3 (2 of them laboratory science), social studies 3 and foreign language 2; it suggests an extra year of math and laboratory science for engineering and sciences. Nursing-specific biology or chemistry requirements are not stated on the pages we read.
• No pre-nursing course gate: because admission is direct, nothing has to be finished at college before entering. The first-year sample plan runs NURS 115 Foundations of Nursing Practice I, NURS 112 Discovering Wellness, BIOL 114 Principles of Biology and BIOL 116 Human Anatomy and Physiology I in the fall; spring brings NURS 122, NURS 201 Applied Nutrition, NURS 160 Health Care in the Community, BIOL 117 Anatomy and Physiology II and CHEM 119 Concepts for a Molecular View of Biology I.
• Other science and social science courses: CHEM 121, NURS 342 Medical Microbiology, Immunity and Infectious Disease, SOCI 203 Human Development: Medical and Social, and STAT 201 Basic Statistics. BLS and First Aid (NURS 277) is marked “recommended but not required”.
• Nursing sequence: adult nursing I to III, pharmacology I and II, psychiatric-mental health, parents and neonates, child health, population health with a practicum, leadership and management, and NURS 380 Transition to Practice (8 credits) in senior year. The Bulletin gives two sample plans; students choose with their advisor.
• AP/IB credit (2026-27 Bulletin; credit only for exams taken before matriculation): AP Biology 4 earns BIOL 114 (3 hours); a 5 earns BIOL 214, and the Bulletin says this credit satisfies the BIOL 114 requirement for the nursing major. AP Chemistry 4 or 5 earns CHEM 111 (4 hours), described as meeting a requirement of CHEM 105 or CHEM 111; whether it stands in for the CHEM 119 and 121 in the nursing plan is not stated. AP Statistics 5 earns STAT 201. IB Biology HL 5, 6 or 7 earns BIOL 200-TR (3 hours); IB Chemistry HL 5, 6 or 7 earns CHEM 111. Retaking a course after matriculation forfeits the AP or IB credit for it.
• Clinicals: the school says clinical placements and patient contact begin in the first semester, students earn more than 1,000 clinical hours, and senior year includes a 280-hour clinical preceptorship. Clinical learning takes place in more than 200 Cleveland community agencies each semester, including University Hospitals, Cleveland Clinic, the VA Northeast Ohio Healthcare System and MetroHealth; students arrange their own transportation. The Bulletin gives a clinical-hour to credit-hour ratio of 4 to 1 (2 to 1 for laboratory).
• NCLEX-RN: the Bulletin says graduates are eligible to sit for the exam, that the school may restrict testing until a student shows readiness, and that licensure is in the single-state or multistate jurisdiction where the exam was taken. A pass rate is not given on the pages we read; ask the school for a figure with its year and basis.

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

The dates below come from the Deadlines and Requirements page, which prints no year; check that they apply to the cycle for fall 2027.

• Early Action: apply by 1 November, expected notification 19 December, enroll by 1 May.
• Early Decision I: 1 November, expected notification 5 December, enroll by 12 December; binding.
• Early Decision II: 15 January, expected notification 6 February, enroll within a week of admission; binding.
• Regular Decision: 15 January, expected notification 20 March, enroll by 1 May.
• Platform and materials: apply through the Common App or Coalition with Scoir. Required: official high school transcript, school report, a counselor recommendation, two teacher recommendations, the application essay and a $75 fee (waivers available). A separate nursing essay, supplement, deadline or NursingCAS is not mentioned on the pages we read; confirm with the school.
• Testing: test optional; the page says no testing is required for any of its 100+ undergraduate programs. If you send scores, the codes are SAT 1105 and ACT 3244.
• Aid forms: U.S. citizens and permanent residents file the FAFSA (code 003137) and CSS Profile (code 1105); non-U.S. residents seeking aid file the CSS Profile only.

5. Who is applying

U.S. applicants

• CWRU is private, and its cost page lists a single tuition with no in-state rate. 2026-27 for a residential student: tuition $71,410, housing $11,688, meal plan $8,600, fees $696, matriculation fee $760, books $1,200, personal expenses $1,350, total $95,704 (commuter total $80,364); transportation is variable, and the university adds a transportation allowance of up to $2,000 based on home state.
• The school says most students do not pay the full published cost. Undergraduates are automatically evaluated for several scholarships; the Cleveland Scholars Program covers the full cost of attendance, with a paid mentored research or internship experience, for eligible Cleveland-area graduates admitted as first-year students. In-state preference is not described on the pages we read.

International applicants

• Process: international applicants follow the same deadlines and process as domestic students; academic records and recommendations not in English need English translations.
• English: applicants whose first language is not English submit Duolingo 115, IELTS 7, PTE Academic 61, or TOEFL iBT 4.5 (for exams taken on or after 21 January 2026; for exams on or before 20 January 2026 the minimum is 90 internet-based or 577 paper-based). The requirement is waived automatically if you attended a school with English as the language of instruction for two years, score 630 or higher on SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing, or 26 or higher on ACT English. The pages do not say whether nursing has a higher English requirement. Separately, the School of Nursing’s how-to-apply page says its admissions office only accepts official IELTS scores sent by mail; that page lists both undergraduate and graduate programs, and whether the note applies to BSN applicants is not stated, so ask.
• Funds and scholarships: financial aid is available to international students (CSS Profile only). The international page says the university awarded $213 million in institutional aid last year, that scholarships are evaluated automatically, and that there are essay-based competitions including full-tuition awards. Proof-of-funds documents and visa paperwork are not described on the pages we read.
• Clinicals and licensure: the pages we read do not say whether international students can take clinical courses, sit for the NCLEX or need a Social Security number; ask the School of Nursing and the relevant state board of nursing. About 20% of undergraduates are citizens of other countries, from more than 100 countries, according to the international page.

Applicants from China

• Whether the gaokao is considered, what school-leaving or huikao records are needed, and any China-specific guidance: not published on the pages we read, which do not mention China. Ask the Office of Undergraduate Admission through the contact on the international applicants page.
• What the pages do say: non-English academic records and recommendations need English translations, and English proficiency follows the table above.

6. Costs and scholarships specific to nursing

• The cost page says students in a nursing program may also have an additional $1,450 in fees; what the amount covers is not explained.
• Clinical transportation is the student’s responsibility. Costs for pre-entry physicals, immunizations or background checks are not described on the pages we read.

7. Transfer students

• General rules: anyone who has graduated from high school and enrolled in college courses, with or without credit, is a transfer applicant. Fall has two plans: Early Plan (apply by 15 March) and Regular Plan (1 July); spring is 15 November (later applications on a space-available basis). Materials include transcripts from every college attended, a recommendation from a college instructor, a transfer college report showing good standing, the $75 fee and optional SAT or ACT scores. Credit is evaluated after admission; credit may be awarded for eligible courses with a C or better at an accredited institution.
• Transferring into nursing: whether nursing admits transfer students, and any prerequisites or GPA, is not stated on the pages we read; contact the School of Nursing admissions office (admissionsfpb@case.edu). The Bulletin says all undergraduate nursing students take the same required nursing courses and prerequisites.
• International transfer students: no separate rules on the transfer page; the international page says the same process applies by student type.

8. What to confirm with the school

• Places, any nursing-specific admission standard, health and background requirements, international-student clinical and licensure rules, and NCLEX pass rates are not published on the pages we read.
• One place where the official wording differs: the progression wording (see section 2). Follow the stricter reading and confirm with an advisor. The Bulletin also says AP/IB policies are reviewed annually and may change.

Checklist

U.S. applicants:

• Apply directly to nursing; Early Action or Early Decision I 1 November, Early Decision II or Regular Decision 15 January (confirm for fall 2027); $75 fee, testing optional
• Remember GPA 2.000 by the end of junior year and C or higher in required courses; ask about background check, physical and immunization requirements

International applicants (including China):

• Prepare Duolingo 115, IELTS 7, PTE 61 or TOEFL 4.5 (exams from 21 January 2026), or check the waiver conditions; translate non-English documents
• Ask the School of Nursing about international clinical access, licensure and the mailed-IELTS rule; aid requires the CSS Profile only

Transfer students:

• First confirm that nursing accepts transfers; materials include a college instructor recommendation and a college report; C or better courses may transfer

Sources: Case Western Reserve University, School of Nursing: BSN; BSN clinicals; BSN degree requirements; School of Nursing: how to apply; Bulletin: Nursing, BSN; Bulletin: AP/IB credit equivalencies; First-year applicants; Deadlines and requirements; Test policy; International applicants; Transfer applicants; Tuition and costs. Deadlines, costs and prerequisites change every year; check the official pages for the current cycle.