How to Apply to Howard University’s Nursing (BSN) Degree: Two Years of Lower-Division Coursework, Then a Separate Upper-Division Application Open Only in Spring, With 3.0 Cumulative and Science GPAs Plus the TEAS, and the Path for Domestic, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Applicants

Howard University is a private university in Washington, D.C. The bachelor’s in nursing (BSN) is offered by the Division of Nursing in the College of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences (CNAHS), which the website says was founded in 1969. Admission to the university does not by itself put you into the nursing courses: the website says the Basic track is split into a Lower Division (first two years) and an Upper Division (last two years, concentrated nursing courses), and students apply separately to the Upper Division. The page lists conditions but does not give seat numbers or acceptance rates. This guide summarises Howard’s published information for fall 2027 entry for U.S. applicants, international applicants, applicants from China and transfer students. The LPN-to-BSN and RN-to-BSN (online) tracks also exist and are mentioned only briefly.

1. Degree and program

• Degree and school: Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BS-NURS / BSN) in CNAHS; the program page says full-time and in person. The department page lists three undergraduate tracks: Basic, LPN to BSN and RN to BSN. The Basic track is for high school graduates and transfer students; college graduates with a non-nursing degree and transfer students who have finished the prerequisites can enter the Upper Division of the Basic track. LPN to BSN needs a valid U.S. LPN license; RN to BSN is online, needs a valid U.S. RN license and takes about one academic year including a summer.
• Accreditation: the department page says its baccalaureate, master’s and doctoral nursing programs are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE); the program page adds that the District of Columbia Board of Nursing continued full approval of the BSN effective November 2020.
• Structure: the lower-division plan of study totals 60 credits and the upper-division curriculum also totals 60 credits, with four semesters of nursing courses and clinical work. The site says the division emphasises homelessness and care of the elderly and partners with clinics and institutions in Haiti, South Africa and Cuba.
• Total clinical hours and the list of partner hospitals: the pages and the student handbook only say clinical experience takes place in health centers, hospitals and community health agencies (the handbook mentions uniform rules for some sites such as Washington Hospital Center and INOVA); total hours and a full list are not published on what we read, so ask the Division of Nursing.
• NCLEX-RN pass rate: not stated on the pages we read.
• Honors or research program; STEM designation: not stated on the nursing pages we read.
• Pre-health advising for nursing: the program list also shows “Pre-Dental / Pre-Medicine” under CNAHS; it is outside this guide, so ask the college.

2. How you get into nursing, and the bar

• Step one: be admitted to Howard and choose nursing: the programs page says undergraduates are generally admitted into their first or second choice major as indicated on the Common App. The nursing page says all applicants must first be accepted by Howard University. The pages do not say how many first-year places are for nursing.
• Lower Division (first two years): general education, mathematics and science foundations. The nursing page says Lower Division applications are accepted for fall and spring, while the first-year admission page says first-time-in-college applicants have no spring entry; the two statements differ, so confirm with admissions. Current Howard students who want to change to nursing complete the Division’s Nursing Major Change Inquiry form; the handbook adds that Intra-University Transfer needs a 3.00 cumulative GPA and that being accepted into the Division does not necessarily mean eligibility to enroll in NURS courses.
• Step two: apply to the Upper Division: the nursing page says applications are accepted only for the spring semester and are exclusively available to current Howard students majoring in nursing (transfer students use the email process below). The deadline printed is “February 28, 2025, 11:59 PM”; check which date applies to fall 2027 entry. Conditions: all prerequisite courses completed; official transcripts; a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 (4.0 scale); a science GPA of at least 3.0 (College Algebra, General Chemistry, Biology, Microbiology, Anatomy & Physiology I and II); an admissions exam, the TEAS (the page says the current TEAS-VI); a personal statement essay; and the Casper assessment.
• The student handbook (2024-2025 edition) differs in places: it gives the upper-division deadline as 15 March for continuing students and 25 March for transfer applicants; it gives the TEAS as “TEAS VII” at 70% overall and in all four categories, with two attempts; it adds an interview with the Undergraduate Nursing Program Admissions Committee by invitation only; and it says prerequisites must be finished by the end of spring semester, non-nursing courses need C or better, and the science cumulative average must be 3.00. Both versions are given here; follow the latest website and the Division’s reply.
• Entry to the Upper Division is not guaranteed: the pages list conditions but no seat numbers, acceptance rate or waitlist. The handbook says each science course (College Algebra or higher, Biology, Anatomy and Physiology, General Chemistry with lab, Microbiology) may be repeated only once, and a D or F twice in the same science course, or in two different science courses, means dismissal from the nursing program. Once in the Upper Division, the handbook says students must keep a cumulative GPA of at least 2.5.
• Clinical requirements (handbook, for junior and senior nursing students): before clinical work, a physical exam, blood titers for MMR, hepatitis B and varicella, annual tuberculosis screening, tetanus screening, drug screening and an annual flu vaccination; American Heart Association Basic Life Support (BLS) CPR training; and a criminal background check through Viewpoint Screening at the student’s expense. A student with a positive result must contact the state board of nursing about licensure. Health insurance and volunteer experience are not listed as admission conditions on the nursing pages or the handbook we read.

3. Prerequisites and curriculum

• High school: the first-year page recommends 4 years of English, 3 of mathematics, 2 of social science, 2 of science with lab and 2 of foreign language, and says it stresses a well-rounded curriculum rather than the specific years. Nursing-specific high school math, biology or chemistry requirements are not stated on the pages we read.
• Lower-division plan (PDF, updated 17 November 2024): year one fall: Freshman Seminar, Biology with Lab (BIOL 101, 4 credits), English, College Algebra I (MATH 006), Introduction to Sociology; spring: English, African-American Studies, General Chemistry (CHEM 003, 4 credits), Literature. Year two fall: Microbiology with Lab (MDMI 103), Human Anatomy & Physiology I (NAHS 171), Principles of Speech, The Family (NAHS 180), Fine Arts; spring: Human Growth & Development (NAHS 140), Human Anatomy & Physiology II (NAHS 172), Nutrition for Health Science (NUTR 161), Elementary Statistics (SOCI 110). The total is 60 credits, and the plan notes that 5 credit hours of chemistry are to be taken at Howard.
• Upper-division curriculum (PDF): junior year: Pathophysiology, Health Assessment, Fundamentals of Nursing Practice, Introduction to Professional Nursing, Ethics for Health Professionals, Introduction to Pharmacology, Nursing of the Childbearing Family, Adult Health Nursing; senior year: Nursing Research, Nursing of Infants and Children, Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing, Health Policy and Economics, Community Health Nursing, Nursing Leadership and Management, Senior Practicum, Nursing Synthesis. The total is 60 credits.
• AP/IB credit: not stated on the nursing or admission pages we read; the handbook says no credit is accepted through CLEP or other commercial examinations for students enrolled in the Basic Track.

4. Rounds and deadlines (fall 2027 entry, first-year)

• Rounds: the first-year page says fall 2027 applications are open. Early Action and binding Early Decision: application and documents 1 November, decisions in late December, deposit 1 May. Regular Decision: application and documents 1 February, decisions in early April. EA/ED files incomplete after 1 November move to the regular pool.
• Application and fee: apply through the Common App; the fee is $45 and non-refundable. The page says the Office of Admission does not issue fee waivers, yet it accepts the Common App fee waiver. Admitted students pay a $300 enrollment fee, which the policy page says is non-refundable.
• Essays and recommendations: the main Common App essay; one optional Howard essay (BS/MD and BS/DDS applicants have an additional required essay, not relevant to nursing); two recommendation letters, one from a counselor and one from a teacher; an official high school transcript submitted by the school.
• Testing: the first-year page says SAT/ACT scores are not required to complete an application for the 2026-27 cycle; the admission policy page says the same for 2027-28. If you submit, only official scores count (SAT code 5297, ACT code 0674), with no ACT superscore; October is the last test date for EA/ED and December for RD.
• Nursing-specific materials and platform: the nursing page does not describe a separate nursing supplement for first-year applicants; the Upper Division uses its own application link from the Division, and transfer students email materials to nursingud-app@howard.edu. NursingCAS or similar nursing application services are not mentioned on the Howard pages we read.

5. The three kinds of applicants

U.S. applicants

• Howard is private; the cost page shows a single tuition figure with no in-state/out-of-state difference and no in-state preference is mentioned.
• U.S. citizens and eligible noncitizens submit the FAFSA for institutional scholarships and federal aid, with priority at the same dates as the application deadlines.

International applicants

• Applying: through the Common App; the site advises starting at least one year ahead because tests, documents, evaluations and immigration steps take time.
• Academic records: transcripts for grades 9 to 12 (or 13). The international credentials PDF (file name carries 2023-12) lists systems that need no NACES evaluation, such as IB, UK GCSE/IGCSE/A-levels, Singapore, India, Australia, New Zealand, the Caribbean and several African national exams, and says that if you did not study in a listed curriculum a NACES evaluation is required (the page says the evaluation is required before admission can be granted and cannot be waived; it is received electronically from ECE, IEE, WES ICAP or SpanTran, not by email or fax). Records not in English need an official English translation.
• English: applicants whose native language is not English need a TOEFL iBT score of 90 or an IELTS overall 6.5 (only these two, official reports). The requirement is waived automatically for applicants from countries where English is an official language or who studied in the U.S. for at least four years, and may be waived for schools teaching in English with a letter from an administrator. The pages do not say whether nursing requires a higher score.
• Funding: international students submit the ISFAA. The site says they are not eligible for federal aid, but the ISFAA allows institutional aid, including Howard freshman scholarships; it asks for income and tax data (or proof of no filing) for the student and, for dependent students, parents, converted to U.S. dollars, submitted by the application deadline for priority consideration.
• Clinical courses, licensure exam, Social Security number: whether international students can take clinical courses, sit the NCLEX or need a Social Security number is not stated on the pages we read; ask the Division of Nursing.

Applicants from China

• Gaokao: not stated on the pages we read; contact admission@howard.edu.
• Transcripts and exam records: the international credentials list does not name a mainland China curriculum (IB is listed); under the PDF’s wording, curricula not listed need a NACES evaluation and an English translation. Confirm with admissions how this applies to your school.
• Special guidance for Chinese applicants: not stated on the pages we read.

6. Costs and scholarships

• 2026-27 estimate (undergraduate on campus): tuition $37,996, mandatory fees $1,040, housing $13,618, food $7,430, books and supplies $1,220, transportation $1,154, personal and miscellaneous $2,468, for an estimated cost of attendance of about $66,182 including federal loan fees. Less than full time is $1,583 per credit hour. The undergraduate cost page does not list a separate nursing surcharge or clinical fee; the handbook costs above (background check, health clearance, uniforms) have no published amounts on what we read.
• Scholarships: scholarships are announced with EA and ED decisions for those who qualify; the site says not submitting test scores is no disadvantage. Nursing-specific scholarships are not described on the pages we read; the department page only links external nursing scholarship resources.

7. Transfer students

• Transferring to Howard: at least 15 transferable credits from a regionally accredited institution, a 2.5 cumulative GPA, and C or better in a college English and a college math course; up to 60 transferable credits accepted; fall entry 1 April and spring entry 1 November (application and documents the same day); Common App, $45 fee, one recommendation from a professor or academic advisor; courses whose grades arrive after the deadline do not count. International transfer applicants have the same rules plus a NACES evaluation and TOEFL 90 or IELTS 6.5.
• Transferring into nursing: transfer students are admitted to the university first, then email for the upper-division application link (nursingud-app@howard.edu) and send official transcripts and TEAS results: prerequisites completed, 3.0 cumulative GPA, 3.0 science GPA, TEAS, essay and Casper. The handbook says transfer credit is considered only from recognized accredited institutions with C or better, science courses must be within five years (older ones are reviewed individually); it also says no courses are accepted for transfer for students already enrolled in the Basic Track, so ask the Division how these statements apply to you.

Checklist

U.S. applicants:

• Choose nursing as first or second major on the Common App; EA/ED 1 November, RD 1 February; testing optional
• Finish lower-division prerequisites with 3.0 cumulative and science GPAs, then apply to the spring-only Upper Division with the TEAS, essay and Casper; entry is not guaranteed

International applicants (including China):

• TOEFL 90 or IELTS 6.5 (waiver cases above); a NACES evaluation if your curriculum is not on the credentials list; submit the ISFAA
• Use of the gaokao, and limits on clinical courses or licensure for international students, are not published; ask admissions and the Division of Nursing

Transfer students:

• 15 transferable credits, 2.5 GPA, C in English and math; for nursing, prerequisites, 3.0 GPA, TEAS, Casper and an email for the upper-division link

Sources: Howard University, College of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences: Nursing program; Nursing department; Undergraduate Nursing (admission requirements); Nursing lower-division plan of study (PDF); Nursing upper-division curriculum (PDF); 2024-2025 Undergraduate Nursing Student Handbook (PDF); Undergraduate programs and major choice; First-year admission; International first-year admission; International first-year credentials (PDF); Admission policy; Transfer admission; International transfer admission; Financial support; 2026-2027 estimated cost of attendance. Information is for fall 2027 entry (costs are 2026-27 figures). The upper-division application page prints a 2025 deadline, the plan-of-study PDFs were updated in late 2024, the handbook is the 2024-2025 edition and the international credentials file name carries 2023-12, so check that they are current; check Howard’s website for the latest.