How to Apply to Rutgers’ Nursing (BSN) Degree in New Brunswick or Newark: Choose the School of Nursing When You Apply, Clinicals Start in Junior Year, Early Action November 1 and Regular Decision December 1, for U.S., International (Including China) and Transfer Applicants

2026-10-25 · Application guides

Rutgers School of Nursing’s traditional four-year BSN can be taken in Newark or New Brunswick; you choose the School of Nursing on the undergraduate application (first-year applicants, including F-1 applicants, can apply for fall 2027). Early Action is due November 1, 2026 and Regular Decision December 1. High school needs 16 academic courses including biology and chemistry. Clinicals begin in junior year. Outside transfer students cannot go straight into the traditional program; internal transfer needs 24 Rutgers credits and a 3.30 GPA.

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is in New Jersey. The bachelor’s in nursing (BSN) is offered by the Rutgers School of Nursing; the traditional four-year program can be taken in Newark or New Brunswick, with the same curriculum. The school says the traditional BS in Nursing is for students who begin nursing right after high school, is full-time, and prepares you to take the RN licensure exam. Below we organize the fall 2027 details for U.S. applicants, international applicants, applicants from China and transfer students. The school also has a 14-month Second-Degree BS (Newark) for people who already hold a bachelor’s degree, an RN to BS, and a 2+2 at Blackwood with Camden County College; these get a line each here.

1. Degree and program

Traditional four-year BS in Nursing: full-time, starts in the fall, in Newark or New Brunswick. The curriculum page says you must complete a total of 126 credits, while the plans of study on the same page say “TOTAL CREDITS = 122” (the New Brunswick plan from fall 2026 and the Newark plan from fall 2027). The school’s two numbers differ; confirm with admissions.
School and how you are admitted: you choose the School of Nursing (New Brunswick or Newark) on the undergraduate application; the undergraduate admissions availability chart shows both nursing schools open to fall 2027 first-year applicants. The curriculum page also says students “enter as freshmen or transfers into the nursing program in the summer before their sophomore year” without explaining whether that step involves any extra screening. The grade bar for moving into the junior (clinical) year is not on the pages we read.
Clinicals: the overview page says clinical and simulated experiences begin junior year, across four semesters, in hospital and community settings throughout New Jersey, covering adult and older adult health, obstetrics, pediatrics and psychiatric mental health; it cites more than 200 affiliated sites across New Jersey and a simulation center. Total clinical hours are not on the pages we read.
NCLEX-RN pass rate: the school says Newark and New Brunswick nursing students who took the NCLEX for the first time in 2024 had a 96% pass rate (the overview page words it as first-time test takers who graduated from the School of Nursing in 2024).
Honors and research: an honors program begins sophomore year for high-achieving students, with faculty mentors and scholarly research; the Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF) is for eligible New Jersey residents; for Rutgers–Newark arts and sciences students there is also a pre-nursing “Pathways” program (one line). STEM status is not published.
Pre-health advising: not on the nursing pages we read.

2. How you get into nursing, and the bar

Minimum academic requirements (nursing admissions page): 16 academic courses in high school — English 4 years; mathematics 3 years including Algebra I, Geometry and Algebra II; science 2 years including Biology and Chemistry; and 7 additional academic courses (foreign language not required). These are the minimums for your application to be reviewed.
What is reviewed: transcript, coursework, SAT scores (if submitted), activities and a personal statement. AP, honors and college prep courses are considered; college courses are not a significant factor. No single score is the target.
GPA cutoff, TEAS/HESI, interview, volunteer or clinical experience, letters: the school does not use letters of recommendation; the rest is not on the pages we read.
Background checks: the school says most states require a criminal history background check for RN licensure; all nursing students in clinical courses must complete one, and depending on the program clinical sites may require drug testing and fingerprinting. The specific physical, vaccine and insurance list is on a “Clinical Clearance Requirements” page, and there is also a Technical Standards policy; we did not read either.
No guarantee stated: the pages do not promise that admitted students will reach the clinical year, and do not state the screening conditions; ask admissions.

3. Prerequisites, course plan, credit

New Brunswick plan (fall 2026 onward), non-nursing prerequisites, C or higher: Anatomy and Physiology I and II (4 credits each); Microbiology for Health Sciences (3) with lab (1); Chemistry of Life (3, 160:128); Statistics or an equivalent descriptive and inferential statistics course (3; the pre-calculus prerequisite can be waived for School of Nursing students); General Psychology; College Writing (355:101/104) and a research-in-the-disciplines course. Nursing prerequisites, C+ or higher: Nutrition; Life Span (developmental psychology); Health Assessment Across the Life Span (second-year spring only). General education: anthropology/cultural studies, humanities, literature, history/political science/economics, general electives (9 credits), plus Academic and Professional Development (705:101, 2 credits, first semester for direct-entry students).
Newark plan (fall 2027 onward): first year includes Anatomy & Physiology I and II (120:141, 120:142), English Composition I and II and Principles of Psychology II; second year includes Life Span, Nutrition, Statistics (640:211), Organic BioChemistry (160:108), Microbiology (120:235, 4 credits) and Health Assessment. The school says the New Brunswick and Newark curricula are identical, though course names and numbers may differ slightly.
Junior and senior nursing courses: junior year includes Professional Nursing I and II, Nursing Care of Healthy Populations, Adults and Older Adults, Childbearing Families, and Pathophysiology & Pharmacotherapeutics; senior year includes Infants, Children & Adolescents, Adults with Complex Health Conditions, Mental Health, Population Health, Transition to Professional Practice (5 credits) and a nursing elective.
Credit: the school says credit may be granted for equivalent general education and science courses taken at an accredited institution with grades of C or better. AP/IB score cutoffs are not on the pages we read.
High school science: see the previous section (2 years of science, including biology and chemistry).

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

Deadlines (New Brunswick page, Fall/September 2027): first-year Early Action (non-binding) November 1, 2026, with online decisions no later than January 31, 2027; first-year Regular Decision December 1, decisions by February 28; candidate’s reply date May 1, 2027. You must apply by December 1 to be considered for honors and merit-based scholarships. After the dates you may still apply on a rolling, space-available basis; the nursing admissions page also gives November 1 and December 1 as the recommended deadlines and says the application must be completed during your senior year of high school.
Platform and fee: the Rutgers Application or the Common App (submit only one); the fee amount is not on the pages we read (waivers exist, for example for the National School Lunch Program, military service and dependents, and official College Board, NACAC, ACT or EOF waivers).
Essay: a short original essay (3,800 characters on the Rutgers Application; 250–650 words on the Common App); no Common App supplemental essays; a short statement if you want to be considered for honors. Letters of recommendation are not used.
Transcript: current seniors submit a STARS Record (all courses and final grades for grades 9–11 plus grade 12 courses in progress); discrepancies with the official transcript can lead to admission being rescinded.
Testing policy (the pages differ): the nursing admissions page says a test-flexible policy runs “through 2026”; the undergraduate admissions page says test-optional and test-blind policies run through 2027 and distinguishes campuses: New Brunswick is test optional (you may submit), Newark is test blind (not required for most applicants). SAT code 2765, ACT code 2592; New Brunswick superscores the SAT and ACT. An SAT EBRW of 650 or higher or an ACT reading score of 28 or higher exempts you from the English placement exam.
Supplementary materials, nursing-specific platform (such as NursingCAS): not on the pages we read; the traditional BSN is applied for through the Rutgers undergraduate application.

5. The three kinds of applicants

U.S. applicants

In-state and out-of-state costs (undergraduate admissions page’s academic-year table): New Jersey residents tuition $15,381, non-New Jersey residents $36,831; fees from $3,275 (Newark) and $4,008 (New Brunswick); food and housing $6,060 for commuters, from about $21,943 on campus. The page notes the Newark numbers are based on School of Arts and Sciences–Newark rates and vary by school; the New Brunswick table does not list School of Nursing rates either. The School of Nursing’s own rates are listed on the university finance site that the nursing school’s Tuition & Fees page points to, which we did not access; check there. Whether there is a nursing surcharge or clinical-related fees is not on the pages we read.
In-state preference: not described for nursing on the pages we read; EOF is for eligible New Jersey residents.

International applicants

Can you apply: the nursing school’s international page welcomes international students to the traditional BS in Nursing (Newark and New Brunswick), the 2+2 in Blackwood and the Second-Degree BS. The availability chart shows both nursing schools open to F-1 first-year applicants for fall 2027. The page’s graduate section separately says its graduate programs do not qualify for F-1 or J-1 sponsorship.
English: required if your secondary schooling was outside the U.S. in a country where English is not the principal language, regardless of residency; scores must be under two years old and sent by the testing agency. New Brunswick minimums in the table: TOEFL iBT 79 (before January 21, 2026) or 4.5 (after); IELTS 6.5; Michigan English Test 56; SAT EBRW 550; ACT English 21; PTE 53; Duolingo 115; Cambridge B2. The School of Nursing and the pharmacy school require more: TOEFL iBT 100 for tests taken before January 21, 2026 and 5.5 for tests taken from January 22, 2026; Duolingo 130. The table does not list a higher IELTS score for nursing. A waiver is reviewed case by case for students from English-medium schools, and a B or better in a college English composition course at an accredited U.S. college also exempts you (not ESL, non-U.S., correspondence or online courses).
Transcript evaluation: the nursing page says the traditional BS in Nursing (Newark and New Brunswick) does not require an international transcript evaluation; the 2+2 and Second-Degree programs do (NACES-approved service such as WES). Documents not in English need a translation verified by a language professor or professional translator on the translator’s letterhead.
Funds and the I-20: after accepting, upload the International Student Financial Statement (ISFS) and a bank letter or statement (on bank letterhead, for at least the amount on the ISFS, signed and dated within six months of the I-20 application) on the Rutgers Global portal, showing support for the first year. F-1 and J-1 students pay the non-New Jersey resident tuition, plus a $500 SEVIS administration fee, annual medical insurance and health services fees and more. International scholarships for nursing are not on the pages we read.
Clinical courses, licensure exam, Social Security number for international students: not on the pages we read; ask nursing admissions.

Applicants from China

Whether the Gaokao is considered, Huikao materials: not published.
Transcripts: the admissions page says international students may use STARS; after enrolling, mail official academic records from an educational authority (the page’s examples are SSC, HSSC, WAEC, GCE and others, not China) together with other results and certificates. The traditional BS does not need an international transcript evaluation.
China-specific notes for nursing: none on the pages we read; the admissions page gives RUinternational@admissions.rutgers.edu for international questions.

6. Transfer students

Outside transfer into the traditional program is not available: the school-to-school page says non-Rutgers students cannot transfer directly into nursing; you must first join another Rutgers school and complete the credit requirements, then use the School-to-School route. The availability chart shows that for fall 2027, transfer applicants are open only to the RN-BSN at New Brunswick Nursing and the 2nd Degree BSN (summer start) at Newark Nursing.
School-to-school conditions: at least 24 degree credits completed at Rutgers; a Rutgers undergraduate GPA of 3.30 or higher (competitive, so the GPA needed for an offer may be higher); fall admission only; the application opens February 1 and closes June 1; no guarantee, limited space; you must stay in good standing and finish the spring semester. The school says the route suits current freshmen or sophomores (about three more years); juniors and seniors may do better finishing their degree and applying to the 14-month second-degree program.
2+2 at Blackwood (Camden County College): an Associate of Science degree or at least 60 transferable credits, recommended minimum GPA 3.30, and the prerequisites: Anatomy & Physiology I and II with lab, Microbiology with lab, Chemistry I and II, ethics or philosophy, English Composition I and II, psychology, a history/political science/economics elective, developmental psychology, nutrition (C+ or higher), statistics, free electives, plus anthropology and a literature elective; science courses must be within 10 years of application and science grades weigh heavily. Summer (late May) start; applications open August 1 and close February 1, with decisions beginning in November; 68 credits over about 5 semesters; estimated in-state tuition $1,181 per credit for 2026–27 (the page says it may change). International students are welcome, with a WES-type evaluation.
International transfer students: the school-to-school page does not say; the Blackwood 2+2 and the Second-Degree BS are on the international page’s list.

Checklist

U.S. applicants:

Choose the School of Nursing (Newark or New Brunswick) on the undergraduate application; Early Action November 1 or Regular Decision December 1
16 high school academic courses including biology and chemistry; one short essay; no recommendation letters; testing optional (New Brunswick) or test blind (Newark)
New Jersey residents can look at EOF; for nursing tuition use the finance site the nursing page points to

International applicants (including China):

F-1 first-year applicants can apply for fall 2027; English for nursing: TOEFL iBT 100 (before January 21, 2026) or 5.5 (from January 22, 2026), Duolingo 130; no transcript evaluation for the traditional BS
After admission: ISFS and bank statement, I-20, non-New Jersey resident tuition
How the Gaokao is used: not published; email the international admissions address

Transfer students:

No direct outside transfer; join another Rutgers school, complete 24 credits with a 3.30 GPA, apply February 1–June 1; or the Blackwood 2+2 (60 credits, 3.30 GPA, February 1 deadline)