How to Apply to Georgetown University’s Nursing (BSN) Degree: Four-Year Direct Entry at the Berkley School of Nursing, You Choose Nursing on the Application, SAT or ACT Required, Four Years of High School Math and Three or More of Science, and the Path for Domestic, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Applicants

Georgetown University is in Washington, DC. The bachelor’s in nursing (BSN) is offered by the Berkley School of Nursing. The website calls it a traditional four-year direct entry program: you apply directly to one of the six undergraduate schools, nursing among them, and nursing coursework begins in the first year; there is no pre-nursing step followed by an application to a professional level. The bulletin also says admission to the school does not guarantee progression, and finishing the program does not guarantee licensure as a registered nurse. This guide summarises Georgetown’s published information for fall 2027 entry for U.S. applicants, international applicants, applicants from China and transfer students. The Accelerated BSN and the Entry to Nursing master’s are separate programs for people who already hold a bachelor’s degree, with separate applications; they are outside this guide. RN-to-BSN did not appear on the pages we read.

1. Degree and program

• Degree: Bachelor of Science in Nursing; 120 credits, including the Georgetown Core, the nursing school core and the major, with a final cumulative GPA of at least 2.00.
• Accreditation: the bulletin says the program is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) and approved by the District of Columbia Board of Nursing.
• Clinical practice: the pages cite 800+ clinical, lab, simulation and experiential hours; health care and lab experience in the first year; a precepted senior practicum; clinical sites across DC, Maryland and Virginia (students arrange their own transport); the O’Neill Family Foundation Clinical Simulation Center on campus, and learning in the Verstandig Pavilion at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital. There is also a MedStar Nursing Mentor Academy.
• Honors: a three-semester competitive BSN Honors Program. Eligibility: cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher, applying in the fall of junior year (the page says a November deadline will be posted); a personal statement outlining the proposed research topic, two recommendation letters and a transcript; eligible candidates are interviewed by nursing faculty. Students carry out an IRB-approved study and take the Honors Seminars (NURS 340, 341, 342, six credits), graduating with the notation “Bachelor of Science in Nursing (Honors).” All BSN students complete a senior scholarly project.
• STEM designation: not stated on the pages we read.
• Licensure and pass rates: the bulletin says graduates are eligible for the NCLEX-RN. The program page says first-time pass rates are typically 96–100%, without a year or basis; confirm with the school.
• Pre-health advising is outside this guide; Georgetown has its own pre-health office, which we did not read.

2. How you get into nursing, and the bar

• Direct entry: you apply to the Berkley School of Nursing and choose nursing; the first nursing course (Introduction to Professional Nursing) is in the fall of the first year. This is not a pre-nursing track.
• Seats, GPA and prerequisite grade lines for admission: the pages we read give no first-year seat count and no GPA bar for entry.
• Progression: the bulletin says BSN students must earn a C in each required science, health studies and nursing course to move to the next level, with a C in both the clinical and the didactic parts of nursing courses. A course below C must be repeated (clinical included), which in most cases delays graduation by up to a year; a student who falls below C in two different clinical nursing or science courses, or twice in the same one, may be dismissed from the school.
• TEAS/HESI: not on the pages we read.
• Interview: Georgetown aims to make an alumni interview available to every applicant, and you are expected to complete it if assigned; some internationally based students may not be assigned one, with no negative effect. A nursing-specific interview is not described on the pages we read.
• Clinical or volunteer experience, background checks, health screening and vaccines, insurance: the bulletin says nursing students must meet and maintain health requirements listed in the direct entry program handbook, and failing to do so can jeopardize attending clinical courses. We did not read the handbook; check the nursing school’s website.
• Transfer into nursing: the bulletin says transfer to the nursing major is selective and varies from year to year based on availability (it does not distinguish internal from external transfer).

3. Prerequisites, curriculum and credit

• High school: the “Preparing for Georgetown” page says applicants to Nursing or Health must take four years of mathematics and at least three years of science; all applicants are expected to have four years of English and at least two years each of social studies, language and mathematics, and one year of natural science.
• Nursing curriculum (bulletin): Human Biology I and II, Biochemistry and Human Functioning, Human Growth and Development, Nutrition and Disease Prevention, Pathophysiology, Microbiology, Pharmacology, Health Assessment, Statistics for Evidence-Based Practice, Fundamental Nursing Interventions, adult acute care, behavioral health, children’s, women’s and public health nursing, General Psychology and an anthropology or sociology introduction. The major requirements total 100 credits; the core adds Introduction to Philosophy and Healthcare Ethics (6 credits), with free electives to reach 120.
• AP/IB (bulletin): for nursing students, AP Biology credit cannot replace the required HSCI 1030 and 1040 (Human Biology I and II); AP Chemistry credit counts as a free elective; an AP Statistics score of 5 earns four credits for MATH 1040 (Probability and Statistics), which also meets the major’s one-semester statistics requirement; IB credit is only for Higher Level exams, and IB Biology HL 6 or 7 earns four credits that likewise cannot replace Human Biology.
• Clinical hours: 800+, see section 1.

4. Rounds and deadlines (fall 2027 entry)

• Rounds: Early Action (non-binding) 1 November, decisions by 15 December; Regular Decision 1 January, decisions by 1 April; reply date 1 May. The financial aid application is due 1 February. The pages print no year, so confirm these apply to fall 2027 entry.
• Platform: the Georgetown Application or the Common App; the writing supplement is due by your chosen deadline. Any nursing-specific supplement or separate platform is not described on the pages we read.
• Application fee: not stated on the pages we read; see the application portal.
• Essays: the writing supplement has two short essays (250 words), a personal or creative essay (650) and a school-specific essay (500). For the Berkley School of Nursing: “Describe the factors that have influenced your interest in studying Nursing at Georgetown University.”
• Recommendations: two: a counselor and a teacher; applicants to science, health or mathematics programs should have at least one from a science or math teacher. A midyear report is due 10 February.
• Testing: SAT or ACT is required (at least one full test, no superscores); only EBRW and Math are read from the SAT, the ACT writing section is not considered, and the ACT science section is highly recommended. AP scores are highly recommended.

5. The three kinds of applicants

U.S. applicants

• Georgetown is private; the pages we read give no in-state versus out-of-state difference and no in-state preference.
• 2026-27 first-year costs: tuition and fees $75,091 for nursing ($74,732 for other schools); estimated total $101,423 living on or off campus (average housing $13,944, food $8,236, books $1,000, transportation $780, personal $2,332, loan fees $40), or $88,299 living with parents. The pages we read list no nursing clinical surcharge.
• Aid: Georgetown offers only need-based aid and meets 100% of demonstrated need for U.S. citizens and permanent residents, using the FAFSA and CSS Profile. The nursing school’s Conway Scholarship helps eligible BSN students who would otherwise need a federally subsidized loan graduate with little or no student loan debt; awards average $3,000 to $5,000, with no application, and eligibility is determined by Student Financial Services.

International applicants

• Requirements: the same process as U.S. applicants; the page says citizenship has no impact on review. Submit credentials from the entire secondary school experience (for fall 2027 entry, starting from the 2023-2024 academic year), with English translations of non-English documents (your school may translate; send the originals too); students with A-Levels, IB or the French Baccalauréat submit projected and/or final results.
• Testing: SAT or ACT is required for all candidates, including those abroad; only in exceptional cases where a test center is physically inaccessible can an application be accepted without scores, with an explanation.
• English: for students from schools where English is not the language of instruction, an English proficiency test (Duolingo, IELTS or TOEFL PBT, iBT or ITP Plus) is recommended but not required. Whether nursing sets a higher bar is not stated.
• Aid: the pages call international aid “extremely limited”; you must indicate interest on the application and submit the CSS Profile; if you do not receive a scholarship in your first year you will not be offered one later, and awards must be re-applied for each year. Private education loans may need a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen co-signer. Georgetown offers only need-based aid, no merit scholarships.
• Visa: F-1 or J-1 students must indicate it on the confirmation of enrollment form and request the I-20 or DS-2019 from the Office of Global Services.
• Clinical courses, licensure exam, Social Security number for international students: not on the pages we read; ask bsnadmissions@georgetown.edu.

Applicants from China

• Gaokao: the pages we read do not explain how it is used; contact the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.
• Transcripts and Huikao materials: the general rule is full secondary credentials with English translations plus originals; Huikao materials are not mentioned on the pages we read.
• China-specific notes: none on the pages we read. The international requirements above, including SAT or ACT, are written for all international applicants without a country distinction.

6. Transfer

• Do they accept transfers: the admissions pages welcome transfer applicants from two-year, four-year and international institutions; for nursing, the bulletin says transfer into the major is selective and varies by year based on availability.
• Deadlines: fall 2027 entry 1 March 2027 (decisions by 1 June); spring 2027 entry 1 November 2026, generally for rising sophomores. Apply only through the Georgetown Application and choose a major.
• Eligibility and grades: a high school diploma or equivalent, at least one full-time semester (12 transferable credits) and no more than four; a cumulative B+ or higher is recommended. SAT or ACT is required if you graduated high school within five years.
• Prerequisite suggestions: for the Berkley School of Nursing, the “Preparing to transfer” page encourages Human Anatomy I and II, Chemistry, liberal arts coursework aligned with the Georgetown Core, and the 1000- and 2000-level courses in the BSN curriculum guide. No specific courses are required.
• Materials: the transfer application and supplement, a secondary school report (at minimum an official high school transcript), official transcripts from every college attended, a Dean’s Report, a Professor’s Report and test scores where applicable. International citizens applying as transfers are not eligible for need-based aid.
• Credit and residency: up to 60 credits transfer; the admissions page requires at least four full-time semesters at Georgetown, while the bulletin says transfers into the BSN typically enroll for six semesters; the two statements differ, so confirm with the nursing school. Credit is evaluated after admission by the school’s dean’s office.

Checklist

U.S. applicants:

• Apply to the Berkley School of Nursing; Early Action 1 November or Regular Decision 1 January; SAT or ACT is required
• Four years of math and at least three of science in high school; a C in every required science and nursing course to progress; need-based aid only

International applicants (including China):

• SAT or ACT is required for everyone; an English test is recommended but not required; full secondary credentials, with translations plus originals
• Aid is extremely limited and must be requested on the application; how the Gaokao is used is not published, so ask admissions

Transfer students:

• Deadline 1 March 2027; cumulative B+ or higher is recommended; Anatomy I and II and Chemistry encouraged; transfer into nursing is selective

Sources: Georgetown University, Bachelor of Science in Nursing; Nursing admissions; BSN Honors Program; Scholarships and grants; Bulletin: Berkley School of Nursing; Bulletin: Nursing BSN; Bulletin: Advanced credit; First-year applicants; Application requirements and forms; Preparing for Georgetown; International applicants; Transfer applicants; Transfer requirements; Preparing to transfer; Undergraduate cost and aid; International student aid. Information is for fall 2027 entry (costs are 2026-27 figures); check Georgetown’s website for the latest.