How to Apply to TCU’s Nursing (BSN) Degree: Choose Nursing and Submit the Nursing Supplement When You Apply to TCU, Meet the Prerequisite Criteria for the Traditional BSN, Plus the TEAS and C or Higher in Prerequisites, and the Path for Domestic, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Applicants

Texas Christian University (TCU) is a private university in Fort Worth, Texas. The bachelor’s in nursing (BSN) is offered by the Harris College of Nursing & Health Sciences. Unlike schools where you study pre-nursing first and then apply separately, TCU’s website says: you apply to TCU with nursing as your major and complete the nursing supplement; if you are admitted and enter TCU as a declared nursing major, you are automatically placed in the traditional nursing program, provided you meet all prerequisite criteria. The same page also gives a NursingCAS timeline for “direct applicants to the nursing program” without saying who it applies to (see section 4), so confirm with the college. This guide summarises TCU’s published information for fall 2027 entry for U.S. applicants, international applicants, applicants from China and transfer students. An accelerated option is mentioned only in a footnote about prerequisite timing (no details seen) and graduate nursing programs are outside this guide.

1. Degree and program

• Degree and college: Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) in the Harris College of Nursing & Health Sciences; the undergraduate page describes the Traditional Track as “a traditional college experience with our 29-month nursing program”. The BSN needs 120 credit hours: 63 nursing and 57 non-nursing.
• Suggested plan of study (PDF, revised August 2022): year one: Anatomy & Physiology I and II (4 credits each, counting toward the Core natural science requirement), General Psychology, composition, oral communication, fine arts, Nutrition, Introduction to Sociology, Historical Traditions, a humanities elective; year two: Microbiology (4 credits), Elementary Statistics, Human Development, composition, religion/humanities, and the nursing courses Member of Profession, Pathophysiology, Health Assessment and its lab; year three: Foundations of Nursing Care (concepts, clinical, lab), Pharmacotherapeutics, Care of Adults with Health Alterations I, Behavioral Health Nursing, Clinical Reasoning & Simulation I, Member of Research & Evidence-Based Practice; year four: Care of Adults with Health Alterations II, Maternal, Child & Family Nursing, Public Health Nursing, Leadership in Nursing Practice, Transition into Practice (clinical), Clinical Reasoning & Simulation II and III, plus an NCLEX Review course (NURS 40001, 1 credit), which the plan marks as highly encouraged because it prepares students for the national licensure exam taken after graduation.
• Total clinical hours and partner hospitals: the pages we read describe the Health Professions Learning Center with simulation staff and technology; total clinical hours and a partner list are not stated, so ask the college (nursing@tcu.edu, 817-257-7650).
• NCLEX-RN pass rate: not stated on the nursing pages we read. The undergraduate page carries a licensure disclosure stating, state by state, whether the TCU BSN curriculum meets educational requirements for licensure (determined as of 1 July 2023, reviewed each May); check it for the state where you want to practice.
• Honors or research; STEM designation: the nursing pages mention the John V. Roach Honors College, open to undergraduates of every major; a nursing-specific research program is not described on the pages we read, and a STEM designation is not stated.
• Pre-health advising: TCU has separate pre-health resources, outside this guide.

2. How you get into nursing, and the bar

• Admission route (the website’s “process”): step one, apply to TCU as a nursing major; step two, complete the nursing supplement. The page says: “If admitted and entering TCU as a declared nursing major, you are automatically placed in the traditional nursing program, provided you meet all prerequisite criteria.” The number of first-year nursing places is not stated.
• To stay in the program: all nursing majors must keep a TCU cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher.
• Prerequisites: Anatomy and Physiology 1, Anatomy and Physiology 2, Microbiology, Statistics, Nutrition, Human Development, Intro to Psychology, Intro to Sociology. They must be complete before the program starts, in June for accelerated applicants and August for traditional applicants; science courses must be at least 4 credit hours, include an in-person lab and be completed within 5 years of the program start; a grade of C or higher is needed in every prerequisite; and two of the three science courses (A&P 1 and 2, Microbiology) must be taken after high school.
• TEAS: the page says the TEAS, a four-hour computer-administered exam, is required for application to TCU Nursing; direct-admit students must take it before beginning nursing coursework and transfer students before admission. TCU recommends an Academic Preparedness Level of Proficient, Advanced or Exemplary; testing is only available remotely through ATI Remote Online Proctoring, selecting Texas Christian University as the institution. A minimum score is not stated.
• Nursing supplement: two questions of about 250 words each, on the moment nursing became your calling and on your academic and experiential preparation, submitted through an online form in the MyTCU portal: Early Action and Early Decision I by 15 November; Regular Decision and Early Decision II by 15 February.
• Interview, volunteer or clinical experience, background check, health records, insurance: the admission page says that, while not a TCU or TCU Nursing requirement, some clinical placements may require nursing students to be fully vaccinated before clinical starts. The transfer applicant page says the Texas Board of Nursing (BON) requires all nursing students to complete a DPS/FBI criminal background check before beginning any nursing program: TCU sends your name to the BON, you receive a service code, then book a fingerprint appointment (fees for fingerprinting and the check are extra); it can take 30–120 days, and proof of eligibility (the BON’s blue postcard, a declaratory order outcome letter or an eligibility order) is due by the first day of class. An interview, volunteer experience and insurance are not mentioned on the pages we read. A technical standards PDF for nursing students (students must show they can meet the standards with or without reasonable accommodations) is linked; we did not read it.
• Internal and external transfer: whether a current TCU student can move into nursing later is not stated on the pages we read; outside students are covered in section 7. The admission page also says a nursing major who leaves TCU and wants to return after a full semester must apply for reenrollment, meet the entry requirements in force at the time and may need to pass comprehensive mastery exams.

3. Prerequisites, curriculum and credit

• High school math, biology, chemistry: nursing-specific high school course requirements are not stated on the pages we read.
• AP/IB/CLEP: TCU publishes credit tables for AP, IB and CLEP and says exam credit can be awarded only in the first 66 semester hours and cannot duplicate classwork. Whether specific exams satisfy the nursing prerequisites (such as anatomy and physiology or microbiology) is not stated; given the science rules above (4 credits with in-person lab, two of three after high school), confirm with the college.
• NCLEX pass rate: see section 1.

4. Rounds and deadlines (fall 2027 entry)

• TCU first-year application (no year printed; check it applies to fall 2027): Early Action 1 November (non-binding, decision by 1 January, reply by 1 May); Early Decision I 1 November (binding, decision by 1 January, commit by 15 January); Regular Decision 1 February (decision by 1 April); Early Decision II 1 February (binding, decision by 1 March, commit by 15 March); national candidate reply date 1 May. You can use the TCU App, Common App, Coalition App or ApplyTexas, which TCU says are read equally.
• Fee and materials: $50 application fee (non-refundable); an essay of 250–650 words; an official high school transcript from your school; counselor and teacher recommendations submitted by the school; plus the nursing supplement above.
• Testing: test-optional (SAT/ACT not required), with a “Do No Harm” policy: a submitted score will not penalise you. TCU says scores are not required for students graduating high school through 2028; the middle 50% of students entering in fall 2026 scored 1310–1460 on the SAT and 29–33 on the ACT. Self-reported scores can be uploaded to MyTCU.
• Nursing-specific deadline and platform: the nursing page’s “Dates and Deadlines” says first-year applicants should check with Undergraduate Admissions for TCU deadlines, and then lists, “for direct applicants to the nursing program: NursingCAS application opens 1 September; submitted and verified 1 February; decisions communicated by 1 April.” The same page’s “process” mentions only the TCU application and the supplement and not NursingCAS, so who this NursingCAS timeline covers is not explained (the transfer page uses NursingCAS only for “nursing clinical” transfer applicants, deadline 1 February); confirm with the college.

5. The three kinds of applicants

U.S. applicants

• TCU is private; the cost page shows one tuition figure, with no in-state/out-of-state difference and no in-state preference mentioned.
• Costs (cost estimate page, fall 2026–spring 2027, 12–18 hours): tuition $66,520, Student Government Association fee $90, on-campus housing and food $18,780 (typical first-year housing $12,080, basic meal plan $6,700), books and supplies $700, for estimated direct costs of $86,090. The page lists no separate nursing surcharge or clinical fee.
• Scholarships: the nursing page lists the W. W. Ward Endowment Fund (full-time nursing students recommended by the dean; deadlines 15 November for spring and 15 June for fall) and Air Force and Army ROTC nursing scholarships. Applicants are automatically considered for academic scholarships, and can file the FAFSA and CSS Profile for need-based aid.

International applicants

• English: the first-year page says English proficiency is required for international applicants but lists no scores on the page we read. The Chinese-language application guide lists TOEFL 80 or higher, IELTS 6.5 or higher, Duolingo 110 or higher, or at least three years at an English-medium high school; that page has some dated data, so check the latest. The pages do not say whether nursing needs a higher score.
• Funds and admission: the international aid page says applicants who need a visa must submit a TCU Financial Statement (with the sponsor’s bank and employer letters) and a non-refundable enrollment fee before an I-20 is issued. The cost page says TCU is need-aware for international applicants and that those who can contribute at least $40,000 per year are the most competitive; applicants seeking need-based aid must also submit the CSS Profile for International Students and will not receive an admission decision until the aid application is in. The international aid page (whose cost figures are from 2020-2021) instead says students with less than $21,000 per year in personal resources will not be admitted, need-based aid ranges from $2,000 to $41,570, and the average aid package is about $25,000 with no full-funding awards. The figures conflict; check with admissions.
• Work: up to 20 hours a week on campus during the school year (most students 10–15 hours); off-campus work is not permitted on F-1 or J-1 visas.
• Clinical courses, licensure exam, Social Security number: whether international students can take nursing clinicals, sit the NCLEX or need a Social Security number is not stated on the pages we read; ask the college and admissions.

Applicants from China

• Gaokao: not stated on the pages we read; contact frogworld@tcu.edu.
• Transcripts and exam records: the Chinese-language guide says the official school transcript must come directly from the school, electronically or in a sealed, signed envelope; transcripts sent by the applicant are not accepted. It does not describe exam records separately.
• Special guidance for Chinese applicants: TCU has a Chinese-language application guide (contact frogworld@tcu.edu): essay of 300–500 words (the first-year page says 250–650 words; follow the application), SAT/ACT not required, $50 fee, recommendations submitted by the school. Some of its data is dated and it does not mention nursing.

6. Costs and scholarships

• See the U.S. applicants figures above, the international funding lines and the scholarships above. Nursing-related extra costs (fingerprinting and background check, vaccinations, uniforms) have no published amounts on the pages we read.

7. Transfer students

• Transferring to TCU (requirements page): at least 12 transferable credits from a regionally accredited college in a long (fall or spring) semester after high school, and a transfer GPA of 2.7 or higher (some majors require more). The review looks at credit hours, transfer GPA, curriculum, high school record, activities and essay. Apply with the TCU App or Common App; the fee is $50 (waived for veterans, Phi Theta Kappa members and first-generation students), with a 300–500 word essay; a transfer credit calculator is available.
• Transferring into nursing: the transfer page defines a “Nursing Clinical Applicant” as a transfer student who has completed all nursing prerequisites and the transferable core before enrollment. These applicants do not apply through TCU Admissions but through NursingCAS, with a 1 February deadline, and send documents and transcripts to NursingCAS. The transfer date table lists “Fall Traditional BSN Nursing: application and TEAS scores due 1 February; decisions mid-March; prerequisites must be complete before the program starts”. Waitlist assessment may begin as early as 1 June. The NursingCAS timeline on the nursing admission page says decisions by 1 April while the transfer page says mid-March; the two dates differ (and may cover different applicants), so check. Students who need to complete prerequisites at TCU should contact TCU Transfer Admissions. The TEAS must be taken before admission.
• International transfer applicants: those whose native language is not English need TOEFL 80 or IELTS 6.5 (may be waived with strong SAT/ACT scores or at least 24 hours of transferable U.S. college credit including English composition) and a TCU Financial Statement completed by the applicant and sponsor with bank and employer letters; the international transfer deadlines are 15 April for summer and fall and 1 October for spring. Whether international transfer students can apply as nursing clinical applicants is not stated.

Checklist

U.S. applicants:

• Apply to TCU as a nursing major and submit the nursing supplement (15 November / 15 February); testing optional; EA and ED I 1 November, RD and ED II 1 February
• Prerequisites (A&P 1 and 2, Microbiology, Statistics, Nutrition, Human Development, Psychology, Sociology) at C or higher with 4-credit in-person lab sciences; take the TEAS; keep a 2.5 TCU cumulative GPA

International applicants (including China):

• English proof (Chinese-language page: TOEFL 80 / IELTS 6.5 / Duolingo 110, or three years at an English-medium high school); financial statement; TCU is need-aware and two funding thresholds conflict, so confirm
• Use of the gaokao, and limits on clinicals or licensure for international students, are not published; ask admissions (frogworld@tcu.edu) and the college

Transfer students:

• 12 transferable credits and a 2.7 GPA; nursing clinical transfers finish the prerequisites first, apply through NursingCAS by 1 February and take the TEAS before admission

Sources: Texas Christian University, Nursing program page; Harris College: Undergraduate Nursing; Harris College: Undergraduate Admission; Suggested Plan of Study (PDF); Undergraduate nursing scholarships; Apply as a first-year student; Nursing supplement; Testing policy; Credit by exam (AP/IB/CLEP); Chinese-language application guide; International students; International scholarship and aid; Cost estimate; Apply as a transfer student; Transfer requirements; Nursing clinical applicants. Information is for fall 2027 entry (costs are 2026-27 figures). Cost figures on the international aid page are from 2020-2021 and some data on the Chinese-language page is dated; check that dates without a printed year apply to fall 2027, and check TCU’s website for the latest.