How to Apply to the Nursing (BSN) Undergraduate Program at Villanova University: Four-Year Direct Admission to the M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing, Apply to Nursing From the Start, No Transfer Applications Into Nursing, and Admission and Prerequisites for U.S., International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Applicants

Villanova University is in Pennsylvania, and its undergraduate nursing program is in the M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing. The admissions FAQ says nursing is a four-year, direct-admit program; the transfer page says the College of Nursing does not consider transfer applications. This guide covers only nursing; the broader life-science options are in a separate article. It uses the university’s web pages, 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 and routes: the undergraduate nursing page lists the traditional four-year BSN and a Second Degree Accelerated BSN for people who already hold a bachelor’s degree (the bursar page describes a 14-month Express Track or a 23-month Flex Track at $55,620 in program tuition; not covered further here). An RN-to-BSN route is not described on the pages we read.
• How you are admitted: you choose the college or major when you apply. The FAQ calls nursing a four-year, direct-admit program. The pages we read do not describe pre-nursing followed by a separate application to the professional level.
• How the curriculum runs: the curriculum page says the first two years combine basic nursing theory and clinical skills with liberal arts and science courses, and from the second semester of sophomore year through junior and senior year you take nursing theory and clinical courses. The clinical page says students enroll in a nursing practicum from the second year. The wording differs slightly; the sample plan shows NUR 2205 Practicum in Health Assessment in the fall of year two and NUR 2208 Practicum in Essential Nursing Practices in the spring.
• Other features: the pages mention the Simulation and Learning Resource Center, LEAD (a professional development program for nursing students), a Global Health Minor and a Nutrition Minor open to all undergraduates, and honors-level versions of starred courses. All first-year applicants are considered for the Honors Program, with selected students told by the end of March (dates page). Nursing-specific research programs are not described on the pages we read.
• STEM designation: not stated on the pages we read.
• Pre-health advising: no nursing-specific pre-health advising is described on the pages we read; ask the college.

2. How you get in and the conditions

• Places and conditions: the number of nursing places and any nursing-specific GPA expectation are not published. The first-year page says review is holistic, considering academic performance and rigor, activities, recommendations, writing supplements, life experiences and, if reported, test scores.
• Not mentioned: TEAS or HESI entrance tests, nursing-specific clinical or volunteer experience, a background check, physical exams and immunizations, and insurance are not mentioned on the pages we read. Villanova does not conduct admission interviews or consider demonstrated interest. The bursar page lists a “Nursing Pre-Licensure Exam Fee” with the amount “TBD”.
• Technical standards: the College of Nursing publishes technical standards for admission and progression. Students must be able, with or without reasonable accommodations, to observe and sense, communicate (including reading, writing, speaking and understanding English at the level needed for safe care), perform motor and physical tasks such as emergency procedures like CPR, think critically and show professional and behavioral readiness. Students needing accommodations contact Access and Disability Services or Learning Support Services.
• Progression: a GPA threshold, minimum course grades, and whether a place in clinical courses is assured are not stated on the nursing pages we read; ask the college.
• Internal transfer into nursing: not described on the pages we read.

3. Prerequisites and curriculum

• High school: the first-year page and FAQ say applicants to the College of Nursing are required to have successfully completed at least one year (one unit) of biology and chemistry, and that advanced levels of both are strongly encouraged. Math and physics expectations for nursing are not stated.
• Year one (sample curriculum): fall NUR 1102 Intro to Professional Nursing, ACS 1000, BIO 1205 Human Anatomy and Physiology (4 credits), PSY 1000 General Psychology, CHM 1135 General, Organic and BioChem with CHM 1105 lab; spring NUR 1104, ACS 1001, BIO 1206 Anatomy and Physiology II, NUR 1105 Social Justice and Health Equity, ENG 1975 and THL 1000.
• Year two: NUR 2204 and 2205 Health Assessment with practicum, BIO 1185 Human Genetics/Microbiology, PSY 3200 Human Development, SOC 1000, NTR 2120 Principles of Nutrition; spring NUR 2206, NUR 2208, NUR 2108 Human Pathophysiology, PHI 1000, STAT 1250 Statistics in Health Care Research and a social studies elective.
• Years three and four: nursing of adults and older adults (NUR 3104, 3106), psychiatric and mental health, pharmacology, women and families, research and scholarship, global and public health, children and adults, complex health problems, leadership and health policy, and in the final spring NUR 4120 Community and Population Health (7 credits) and NUR 4122 Transition to Professional Nursing Practice. Sample semesters run from 15 to 18 credits.
• AP/IB credit: the College of Nursing has its own chart (effective February 2026) and it does not list AP Biology. For AP scores of 4 or above: Chemistry earns CHM 1135 (4 credits) and CHM 1105 (1 credit), Psychology earns PSY 1000, Statistics earns STAT 1250 and English Language or Literature earns ENG 1020; Micro and Macro Economics need a 5. IB credit is given only for Higher Level exams: Chemistry 6 or 7 earns CHM 1135 and CHM 1105; Psychology 6 or 7 earns PSY 1000. These are course codes that appear in the sample plan; the chart does not say course by course how credit is applied, so confirm with the college.
• Clinicals: the clinical page says the college is affiliated with over 70 hospitals, health care systems and community-based agencies, with access to metropolitan Philadelphia’s clinical resources and international practicum options; practicum courses start in the second year; students are responsible for their own transportation to facilities, and community-based practice will most likely require individual means of transportation. Total clinical hours and a named hospital list are not published on the pages we read.
• NCLEX-RN: no pass rate on the pages we read; ask the college for a figure with its year and basis.

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

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

• Early Action (non-binding): 1 November; decision by 20 January; deposit by 1 May.
• Early Decision I (binding): 1 November; decision by 1 December; deposit within two weeks of admission.
• Early Decision II (binding): 15 January; decision by 15 February; deposit within two weeks of admission.
• Regular Decision (non-binding): 15 January; decision by 1 April; deposit by 1 May.
• Platform and materials: the Common Application or the Coalition Application (either), with an essay and the Villanova writing supplements; an official transcript from ninth grade onward and the Secondary School Report; one teacher recommendation (a counselor recommendation is optional and additional letters are not considered); senior-year grades for Early Decision II, Regular Decision and deferred applicants. The application fee is $80 (waivers available). Separate nursing materials or NursingCAS are not mentioned on the pages we read.
• Testing: the site says Villanova remains test-optional through the 2026-27 admission campaign (Class of 2031). If you send scores, the codes are SAT 2959 and ACT 3744; scores reported by 10 November (Early Action and ED I) or 31 January (ED II and RD) are considered, and the window to change your choice is the same. Applicants homeschooled for more than a full academic year must submit SAT or ACT scores.
• Aid forms: the FAFSA and CSS Profile (code 2959). Admission is need-blind for U.S. citizens and permanent residents.

5. Who is applying

U.S. applicants

• Villanova is private, and its tuition page lists one rate with no in-state tuition. 2026-27 traditional undergraduate: tuition $72,990 ($36,495 per semester; $4,055 per credit), student services fee $1,024, plus a $300 orientation fee for new first-year students. The cost-of-attendance estimate for on- or off-campus students: housing about $10,314, meals about $9,040, books $600, supplies $560, personal $1,450, transportation $850 and loan fees $58, for a total of $96,886; the commuter estimate is $80,652. The tuition deposit is $700.
• In-state preference and scholarships for U.S. students are not described on the pages we read; see the Office of Financial Assistance pages.

International applicants

• Admission and funds: international applicants (non-U.S. citizens and non-permanent residents) go through the same holistic review, but admission is need-aware: a family’s ability to pay is considered at the end of review. All international applicants must submit the Certification of Finances Form and a bank statement or letter from within the last three months through the Applicant Status Page. Enrolling students receive the Form I-20 in the spring before fall enrollment.
• English: official results from Cambridge English, Duolingo, IELTS, Pearson PTE or TOEFL iBT are accepted; minimum scores are not printed on the pages we read. The requirement may be waived if English is a native language spoken at home, or if you have more than three consecutive years of secondary school with English as the primary language of instruction. The pages do not say whether nursing requires more. The nursing technical standards expect English reading, writing, speaking and understanding at the level needed for safe patient care.
• Records: documents must be official and submitted by the school in the original language, with an official translation if not in English; applicants from countries with a national secondary-school leaving examination must provide official results or predicted marks if the exams have not yet been taken.
• Scholarships: international students may apply for limited need-based assistance and be nominated for the Presidential Scholarship; funding is limited. Aid applicants file the CSS Profile with employer income letters, bank statements and related documents (international financial aid page).
• 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 College of Nursing and the relevant state board.

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 or the gaokao. Contact the Office of Undergraduate Admission (the pages give gotovu@villanova.edu).
• What the pages do confirm are the general rules: official originals and official translations for non-English documents, and English proficiency as above.

6. Costs and scholarships specific to nursing

• The cost-of-attendance page says additional fees may apply depending on your program; the only nursing item on the bursar page is the Nursing Pre-Licensure Exam Fee, amount “TBD”. Clinical transportation is the student’s own cost.
• Costs of physicals, immunizations or background checks are not described on the pages we read. Student health insurance, for students who need it, is about $3,165 a year (cost-of-attendance page).

7. Transfer students

• The College of Nursing does not accept transfer applicants: the transfer page’s college-specific details say “The Fitzpatrick College of Nursing does not consider transfer applications.” The first-year page says anyone attending a college or university applies as a transfer student, and the pages we read do not say whether someone with earlier college credit can apply to nursing as a first-year applicant; ask the Office of Undergraduate Admission.
• For reference, the general transfer rules for other colleges: fall opens 15 December and closes 15 March; spring closes 15 October with extremely limited space; a cumulative GPA of 3.00 is strongly recommended; typically at most 60 transfer credits are accepted, with a C or better needed. The page also says transfer students cannot request an internal transfer to another college or major once enrolled, and that Villanova offers no merit or need-based aid to international transfer students.

8. What to confirm with the school

• Not published on the pages we read: nursing places and any separate GPA standard, background-check and immunization rules, total clinical hours, NCLEX pass rates, international-student clinical and licensure limits, and China-specific guidance.
• One slight inconsistency in the wording: whether clinical work starts in the “second year” or the “second semester of sophomore year” (see section 1).

Checklist

U.S. applicants:

• Choose the College of Nursing on the application; at least one year of high school biology and chemistry; Early Action and ED I 1 November, ED II and RD 15 January (confirm for fall 2027); $80 fee, testing optional
• One teacher recommendation; FAFSA plus CSS Profile (code 2959)

International applicants (including China):

• Submit English proof (confirm minimum scores with admissions), the Certification of Finances Form and a recent bank statement; understand that admission is need-aware; official originals with official translations
• Ask the college about international clinical access and licensure; ask admissions how gaokao records are used

Transfer students:

• The College of Nursing does not accept transfer applications; if you already have college credit and want nursing, ask the Office of Undergraduate Admission what route exists

Sources: Villanova University, Nursing: undergraduate program; Traditional 4-year BSN; BSN curriculum; Clinical experiences; Technical standards for admission and progression; Nursing AP/IB credit (PDF); First-year applicants; Dates and deadlines; FAQs; Transfer applicants; International students; International financial assistance; Cost of attendance; Tuition and fees. Deadlines, costs and prerequisites change every year; check the official pages for the current cycle.