Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)

The Nursing Bachelor of Science (BSN) prelicensure program at SF State is a two-year program which prepares students for entry level positions in professional nursing practice in a variety of settings including hospitals, community clinics, long term care, home care, and community health agencies. Graduates work as staff nurses in the following areas: maternity, pediatrics, medical-surgical nursing, gerontology, psychiatric/mental health, and public/community health nursing.

The BSN program is open to California residents who are not registered nurses. Upon completion of the program, students are prepared and eligible to take the national licensing exam to become a registered nurse (NCLEX-RN). Graduates of the program are eligible for public health nursing certification in California upon licensure as a Registered Nurse. The program also provides the basis for leadership and graduate education in nursing.

The SF State nursing major has been impacted since fall 1992 (more qualified students apply than can be accommodated in the program).  Typically more than1000 applications are received for 60 spaces(20 in the fall, 40 in the spring) each academic year. This program is for first degree applicants only. If you have a BS/BA, please apply to BSN-A or ELM programs. 

Additional information about the program, including the curriculum plan and student learning outcomes, can be obtained in the nursing section of the SF State bulletin

Students in pediatric simulation

Freshman

Freshman cannot be admitted to San Francisco State University as a nursing major.  They instead can be admitted as Pre-Nursing students or to an alternate major. Please note:

  • The Pre-Nursing designation does not guarantee admission into the nursing major.
  • These students must work closely with counselors in the university Undergraduate Advising Center regarding schedule planning for prerequisite coursework. It is important for freshman to seek advisement beginning their first semester to remain on track for submitting an application to the nursing major, ideally, during the fall semester of sophomore year.

Current SFSU Students

SF State students who have earned 96 or more units may not apply to an impacted major.  The School of Nursing is complying with this policy. Please visit the university policy for details. We encourage students who are affected by the policy to graduate from the university under an alternate major and then apply to BSN-A or ELM programs.

Second Baccalaureate students

This program is for first degree applicants only. If you already have a bachelor's degree, please apply BSN-A program.

 

All prospective transfer students must be admissible to SF State in accordance with existing criteria as stated in the Undergraduate Admissions Requirements section of the University Bulletin.

Eligibility Requirements and Prerequisite Information

  1. Residency
    Must be a California resident or be eligible for in-state tuition.
  2. ATI TEAS Score 78 or higher within three attempts. 
  3. Prerequisites 
  • Must complete all prerequisite courses below from an accredited College or University by the time of NursingCAS application submission.
  • Prerequisites GPA must be 3.0 or higher. Prerequisite GPA will count four science courses along with statistics.
  • 4 science courses and statistics must be taken for a letter grade of C or better within the last seven years. We don't accept Pass/No pass grades. 
  • AP Statistics credit will be acceptable only​ an official transcript clearly indicate which course garnered academic credit due to Statistic AP. If the official transcript lists only AP academic credit or unit totals rather than a specific listing of courses for which academic credit has been granted, then a signed letter from Registrar will be required.
  • Due to COVID-19 pandemic, online courses, including lab, taken during shelter-in-place are acceptable. 
  • Repeating a prerequisite course is acceptable and applicants can choose the course with the higher grade to fulfill the prerequisite on NursingCAS application.

4. Personal Statement 

Will be available on NursingCAS when application cycle opens. 

Prerequisite Coursework
Course Title Description SF State Course Number
Human Anatomy with Lab  Human Anatomy w/Lab; or Part 1 of a combined Anatomy & Physiology series.  BIOL 220 (4 semester units)
Human Physiology with Lab  Human Physiology w/Lab; or Part 2 of a combined Anatomy & Physiology course series.  BIOL 212/ 213 (4 semester units) 
Survey of Chemistry with Lab  General, inorganic, organic, or integrated (any combination of general, organic, or biochemistry) chemistry courses are acceptable  CHEM 101102 (4 semester units) 
General Microbiology with Lab  A Microbiology and corresponding laboratory course  BIOL 210211 (4 semester units) 
Written  Communication
*
Freshman or Sophomore Composition course; Area A2 at CA community colleges. (Please refer to SF State Bulletin)
Oral  Communication
*
A course in public speaking, interpersonal communication. Includes skill development in listening, speech preparation, and oral presentation; Area A1 at CA community colleges. (Please refer to SF State Bulletin)
Critical Thinking * A course in logic, argumentation, or debate. This includes Advanced Composition courses which include writing reasoned discourse and providing evaluation of arguments. Area A3 at CA community colleges; ENG 3, Writing II, WR3RC or equivalent at many UCs. (Please refer to SF State Bulletin)
Statistics  Statistics. AP Stats, Business Stats, Psych Stats are acceptable. SFSU Metro students can use AU 116/117 to satisfy the statistic prerequisite Math 124 (3 semester units)

*These three courses are also university transfer requirements. Transfer students should contact SF State Student Outreach Services office to confirm these courses meet the university transfer requirements. If they meet the requirement, they do not need to be included on NursingCAS application. Prerequisite GPA will not count these courses but they are still required for admission.

Please consult Assist to determine comparable or articulated coursework taken at California community colleges or CSUs. If the course in question was taken at institutions other than California community colleges, please visit Articulation page.

 

Application Deadlines

Cal State Apply Application Deadline

  • We strongly recommend that prospective transfer students complete the Cal State Apply application as early as possible during the application period to allow time for an SFSU ID number to be issued and all required university documentation, including a set of official transcripts, residency status information, etc., to be submitted, received and processed.
  • Pls contact University Admissions Office for more info about Cal State Apply deadline and requirements.
  • SFSU continuing students don't need to submit Cal State Apply application.

Spring admission:

August 1 - August 31 

Fall admission:

October 1 - November 30

NursingCas Application Deadline

Spring admission:

August 1 - September 1, 8:59 p.m. Pacific Time

Fall admission:

December 15 - January 16, 8:59 p.m. Pacific Time

Step One: Submit a Cal State Apply application

Transfer Applicants

Submit an application for admission to undergraduate admissions office through Cal State ApplyDetails concerning this portion of the process are available on the Future Students section of the SF State website. The program of interest of interest/major selection must be "Nursing BS."

Current SF State Students 

A Cal State Apply application is not needed for current SF State students. However, students who have not enrolled in SF State classes for two or more full semesters must re-apply admission to the university via Cal State Apply

Step Two: Submit a NursingCAS application

 

  1. Request ATI Testing to send TEAS score directly to "San Francisco State University"
  2. Login to NursingCAS to submit a supplemental application and supporting documents: 
    1. Official transcripts from each college or community college attended
    2. The following documents are optional. Please note that volunteer experience will get points only if it's more than 50 hours. Verification letters need to be on letterhead from the organization:

For NursingCAS supplemental application guidance and instructions, please visit NursingCAS Applicant Help Center.

For frequently asked questions about application cycle, including the Re-applicant feature, please visit NursingCAS Application FAQs page.