This is the first version of the 2026–27 General Catalog. Please check back regularly for changes. The final edition and the historical PDF will be published during the fall semester.
The College of Nursing offers two paths to the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN): a prelicensure program for students who do not hold a nursing license (see the Bachelor of Science in Nursing in this section of the catalog) and a program for registered nurses (see Nursing–RN in this section of the catalog).
The BSN programs prepare students for careers caring for patients in hospitals and in community agencies such as public health services, schools, homes, and industries. They also provide a base for graduate study in nursing.
In addition to combining general education with specialized career preparation, the University of Iowa programs in nursing offer the advantage of full participation in the social, cultural, and recreational activities of a highly diverse campus community. A university education enables students to prepare for a career as well as a life of thought and action informed by knowledge, introspection, and contemplation.
The BSN programs provide a basis for nurses' roles in wellness and health promotion, in acute care, and in long-term care for chronic illness. The professional nurse may provide care to individuals, families, groups, and communities along a continuum of health, illness, and disability in any sector of the health care system.
In addition to providing care, the nurse serves as a coordinator of health care by organizing and facilitating the delivery of comprehensive, efficient, and appropriate service to individuals, families, groups, and communities. The nurse demonstrates the ability to conceptualize the total continuing health needs of the patient, including legal and ethical aspects of care. The University of Iowa programs' goal is to produce graduates who are competent, committed, creative, and compassionate.
Programs designed to lead to professional licensure are subject to federal regulations regarding informational disclosures. Please see Professional Licensure Disclosures by Program for further information.
Learning Outcomes
Graduates of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) will be able to:
deliver evidence-based, safe nursing care to individuals, families, and communities in a variety of settings across diverse populations;
integrate effective use of informatics and health care technologies in accordance with ethical, legal, professional, and regulatory standards to improve health outcomes;
apply health promotion and disease prevention strategies to diverse communities and populations across the lifespan to promote quality health outcomes;
develop a professional identity in nursing through knowledge, values and ethics, nurse as leader, and professional behaviors;
demonstrate how policy, regulation, resources allocation and stewardship impact professional nursing practice and population health outcomes;
use interprofessional communication and collaboration with patients, families, communities, and healthcare professionals to promote patient safety and improve health outcomes;
advocate as leaders for patients, the nursing profession, and evidence-based care across the health care continuum; and
apply knowledge from the natural, social sciences, and liberal arts to deliver safe, equitable care to improve health outcomes.
Expenses and Insurance
Students pay University of Iowa student fees throughout the BSN program. They must purchase uniforms, shoes, a stethoscope, and a watch with a full-sweep second hand, and they must pay the cost of computer testing, supplies, and materials for required nursing courses. All nursing students arrange and pay for their own health screening requirements, health insurance, and transportation once they are enrolled in clinical nursing courses. They also pay fees that cover the cost of criminal background checks, laboratory equipment, professional liability insurance, and simulation.
Mandatory Health Insurance
Upon admission to the College of Nursing and each August after, BSN prelicensure students must provide verification that they have obtained and currently hold health insurance that satisfies the following minimal standards of coverage (or an equivalent alternative health care plan):
$250,000 lifetime benefit;
coverage for hospitalization, including coverage for room and board, physician visits, surgeon services, X-ray, and lab services;
inpatient deductible under an individual policy not exceeding $500 per admission and a 20% copayment/coinsurance requirement; and
coverage for medically necessary care, including physician services, X-ray, and lab services for the treatment of emergencies, illness, accident, and injury.
Professional Liability Insurance
All students in the College of Nursing are required to carry professional liability insurance throughout the duration of their program. Agencies that provide clinical practicums for College of Nursing programs require that students have insurance coverage. BSN prelicensure students and nursing–RN students are covered by a group policy supported by student fees.
The Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) prelicensure program of study requires a minimum of 123 s.h., including 63 s.h. in the nursing major and 60 s.h. in supporting coursework that is a prerequisite to the nursing major. The degree program is intended for students pursuing a career in nursing. All students must maintain a cumulative grade-point average (GPA) of at least 2.50 to earn the nursing degree.
BSN students may complete their entire program at Iowa, enrolling in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences to complete courses that are prerequisites to the nursing major, or they may transfer from an institution that offers comparable prerequisite courses that are approved by the University of Iowa and the College of Nursing. University of Iowa students who have declared an interest in the prelicensure nursing program are advised at the university's Academic Advising Center until they are admitted to the College of Nursing. They must earn standard admission to the College of Nursing once they have completed the prerequisite coursework, which they have five semesters to complete. They begin work for the nursing major in the spring of their third year and complete the major in four semesters, earning the BSN degree.
Highly qualified applicants may be admitted to the College of Nursing directly under the BSN direct admission program; see Admission in this section of the catalog. Students who are part of the BSN direct admission program spend their first four semesters (two years) on prerequisite coursework and complete the requirements for the nursing major during the next four semesters (their third and fourth years), earning the BSN in a total of four academic years.
Nursing courses are based on concepts of health, deviations from health, and nursing intervention. Coursework progresses in complexity across the curriculum. The curriculum reflects the current trend in health care delivery toward an emphasis on nursing as a service provided both inside and outside hospitals. Students have access to clinical experiences selected from a multitude of agencies in Iowa and around the country. After admission to the College of Nursing, each student is assigned a professional advisor in the college's Felton Student Success Center.
The following coursework is required for BSN students.
Requirements Summary
Requirements
Hours
General Education Prerequisites
13
Natural Science Prerequisites
20
Social Science Prerequisites
9-10
Other Prerequisites
18
Courses Required for the Major
63
The BSN prelicensure program requires the following coursework. Students must complete the prerequisite coursework before beginning the work required for the major in nursing.
Prerequisite Courses
All of the following prerequisites must be completed prior to enrolling in the nursing major courses. Any high school deficiencies must also be completed or satisfied with collegiate coursework. Students work with their academic advisor to ensure these requirements are complete.
See BSN–Plans of Study and Prerequisite Information on the College of Nursing website for semester-by-semester study plans for direct and standard admission students. Sample plans represent one way to complete a program of study. Actual course selection will vary and should be discussed with an academic advisor.
Honors in Nursing
The College of Nursing Honors Program provides seminars and independent study experience for qualified students in nursing major courses. In order to pursue honors studies in nursing, students must maintain a University of Iowa GPA and a nursing major GPA of at least 3.50.
The honors program in nursing enables students to explore subject matter based on individual interests, needs, and goals. It provides opportunities for self-initiative, research experience, scholarly writing, and intellectual and personal development, and it challenges students to grow and excel. Students who fulfill the requirements of the program graduate with honors in nursing.
In addition to honors in their majors, prelicensure BSN students have a variety of opportunities for honors study and activities through membership in the University of Iowa Honors Program; visit Honors at Iowa to learn about the university's honors program.
The nursing–RN program of study requires 123 s.h., including 32 s.h. of credit in the major. The remaining hours are acquired through prerequisites, articulated transfer work, and electives; see the section titled "Nursing–RN/3+1 Agreements" that follows. Students must hold a valid nursing license (RN) and an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) or Diploma in Nursing. All students must maintain a cumulative grade-point average (GPA) of at least 2.50 to earn the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN).
The program is designed to offer registered nurses the opportunity to build on their nursing knowledge and experience by earning a BSN. Students take courses that focus on professionalism and patient safety, research, informatics and healthcare technologies, improvement of health systems, leadership, professional engagement, and community and public health.
Students may transfer coursework completed at other colleges and universities to satisfy the prerequisites, general education requirements, and electives for admission to the College of Nursing (see "Admission to the Nursing–RN Program" under Admission in this section of the catalog). Once a student is admitted to the program, the student has the option of completing the required 32 s.h. in three, four, or five semesters.
The program is delivered online, with limited face-to-face meetings for the community health and quality improvement practicum experiences. Students may be required to drive up to 100 miles to a regional practicum setting. Students may apply to complete a practicum experience or an immersion experience in Eswatini, Africa or Amsterdam, Netherlands.
The College of Nursing participates as a receiving institution in the Iowa Statewide Articulation Plan for Nursing Education: RN to Baccalaureate.
The nursing–RN program requires the following coursework.
Prerequisite Courses
In addition to holding an Associate Degree in Nursing or Diploma in Nursing and an active registered nursing license (RN), students must complete articulation equivalent courses of composition I and II, anatomy, physiology, microbiology, nutrition, psychology, sociology, human development, speech/public speaking, and statistics prior to enrollment. See RN to BSN 3+1 on the College of Nursing website for specific guidance based on transfer institution.
In addition to these courses and the general education prerequisites that follow, students complete 6 s.h. in general electives.
General Education Courses
Students complete 12 s.h. in required general education areas. Students who have not completed the second level of a world language must select the fourth general education course from the Values and Society or Understanding Cultural Perspectives area.
Course List
Course #
Title
Hours
All of these:
International and Global Issues course
3
Literary, Visual, and Performing Arts course
3
Values and Society or Understanding Cultural Perspectives course
3
A fourth course in any of the three general education areas above
See RN–BSN Plans of Study on the College of Nursing website for semester-by-semester views of required coursework for full-time (three semesters) and part-time (four or five semesters) study for fall and spring entry. Sample plans represent one way to complete a program of study. Actual course selection will vary and should be discussed with an academic advisor.
Honors in Nursing
The College of Nursing Honors Program provides seminars and independent study experience for qualified students in nursing major courses. In order to pursue honors studies in nursing, students must maintain a University of Iowa GPA and a nursing major GPA of at least 3.50.
The honors program in nursing enables students to explore subject matter based on individual interests, needs, and goals. It provides opportunities for self-initiative, research experience, scholarly writing, intellectual and personal development, and it challenges students to grow and excel. Students who fulfill the requirements of the program graduate with honors in nursing.
Nursing–RN/3+1 Agreements with Iowa Community Colleges
The nursing–RN program at the College of Nursing has RN to BSN 3+1 agreements with area community colleges in Iowa for qualifying nursing graduates to seamlessly transfer to the UI College of Nursing to finish their Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree in a minimum of three semesters. Under the 3+1 structure, nursing students complete the Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) program at a community college and then complete the BSN.
The nursing–RN program at the College of Nursing provides access to baccalaureate education for nurses throughout the state. The 3+1 partnership provides enhanced opportunities for unparalleled leadership experience while allowing students to continue working in their communities as they complete their degree.
See RN to BSN 3+1 on the College of Nursing website for the agreements with multiple higher education institutions around the state of Iowa.
Combined Programs
Nursing–RN/DNP
Undergraduate-to-graduate (U2G) programs are available for BSN students with the nursing–RN subprogram who are interested in earning the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) provided they meet program-specific admission requirements. For information about the DNP, see the Doctor of Nursing Practice, DNP in the catalog.
Students entering the university who are not registered nurses (RN) apply to the BSN prelicensure program. Registered nurses apply to the nursing–RN (RN–BSN) program.
International students seeking admission into the College of Nursing as a first-year or transfer student, who are citizens of a country in which English is not the official language, must score at least 100 (internet-based) on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).
University of Iowa students who have not earned admission to the College of Nursing must present a minimum iBT of 80 with no subscore lower than 17, and complete the English Proficiency Evaluation (unless they have a TOEFL score of 100 or higher on the iBT). Students may be required to complete English as a Second Language course work if specified as a result of the English Proficiency Evaluation. If such course work is required, it must be completed prior to the start of the nursing major.
Due to the level of web-based coursework required, international students in the RN–BSN program are not eligible for F-1 or J-1 student immigration status. Questions regarding visas and immigration documentation should be directed to International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS).
Registered nurses educated outside the United States are required to present verification of having passed the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) examination and specified Excelsior baccalaureate nursing examinations.
Applicants admitted to the College of Nursing are expected to be able to meet the curriculum's performance standards; see the section titled "Technical Standards."
A criminal background check is conducted for all prelicensure and undergraduate students before they begin the nursing major. Matriculation and progression in nursing programs may be contingent upon maintaining a clear criminal background and abuse registry.
Admission to the BSN Prelicensure Program
All applicants to the BSN prelicensure program (direct and standard admission applicants) whose first degree-seeking session is fall 2026 or later must have satisfied the following minimum high school course requirements. Students pursuing standard admission who do not meet the high school requirements should refer to the section titled "High School Deficiencies" that follows.
English: four years.
Mathematics: three years, including algebra I, algebra II, and geometry.
Science: one full year of biology, chemistry, and physics in each subject.
Social science: three years.
World languages: four years (fourth-level proficiency) of the same world language or two years (second-level proficiency) in two different world languages.
BSN Direct Admission
A select group of highly qualified students is admitted to the College of Nursing directly from high school through the BSN Direct Admission Program. To be considered for direct admission, students must meet the following requirements:
high school grade-point average (GPA) of at least 3.80, and
completion of all the minimum high school course requirements listed under "Admission to the BSN Prelicensure Program."
High school requirements must be satisfied prior to enrollment at the University of Iowa.
Students admitted through the Direct Admission Program must maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.00 and remain in good standing during their first four semesters at the University of Iowa. Students who fail to meet these requirements may be subject to probation or dismissal from the College of Nursing.
BSN Standard Admission
In order to apply for standard admission to the College of Nursing, students must:
have a minimum college cumulative GPA of at least 3.00;
have a minimum of 48 s.h. of college credit at the end of application semester;
have completed the minimum high school course requirements listed under "Admission to the BSN Prelicensure Program," with any deficiencies satisfied through college coursework; and
have a grade of C or higher on all prerequisite coursework.
High School Deficiencies
Although it is not a required prerequisite, students may need to complete CHEM:1070 General Chemistry I.
Students who have not completed physics in high school should complete PHYS:1200 Physics of Everyday Experience or PHYS:1400 Basic Physics.
Students who have not completed fourth-level proficiency (four years) of the same world language or second-level proficiency (two years) in two different world languages must do so at the college level. Alternatively, they may complete two years of the same world language plus one 3 s.h. course from the following GE CLAS Core areas: International and Global Issues, Values and Society, Understanding Cultural Perspectives, or World Languages and Cultural Exploration.
Coursework Completed Prior to Application
Students must have completed the following coursework with a grade of C or higher. Comparable courses may also be accepted; refer to "Prerequisite Courses" under the Bachelor of Science in Nursing. All natural sciences coursework must have been completed within 10 years of enrollment in the nursing major.
If admitted to the College of Nursing, successful standard admission applicants must:
maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.00;
have a minimum of 60 s.h. of college credit; and
have completed, with a C or higher, all requirements listed under "Prerequisite Courses" on the Bachelor of Science in Nursing curriculum, and must have completed all degree requirements except nursing courses, prior to enrollment/matriculation in the nursing major courses.
Admission to the Nursing–RN Program
Applicants to the program must hold an RN license and an Associate Degree in Nursing or Diploma in Nursing. They must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.00. World language is not an admission requirement.
Admission is seamless for applicants participating in the RN to BSN 3+1 agreements with area community colleges in Iowa. If students have a 3.00 cumulative GPA and have met all prerequisite requirements, admission is granted into Iowa's RN-BSN program. If students have not met the minimum GPA requirement, they are still encouraged to apply but admission is not guaranteed.
Admission is more competitive for applicants that do not participate in the RN to BSN 3+1 agreements with area community colleges. An emphasis is placed on the natural sciences (anatomy, biology, microbiology, physiology), writing (composition I and II), and mathematics (statistics). Students who have met all prerequisites and have a cumulative GPA of 3.00 are still encouraged to apply, but admission is not guaranteed. If students have not met the minimum GPA requirement, they are also still encouraged to apply with admission not being guaranteed. Applications will be reviewed and admission decisions will be made on an individual basis.
Technical Standards
Applicants to the College of Nursing are expected to be capable of completing the entire nursing curriculum and earning a BSN degree. Nursing is a practice discipline with cognitive, sensory, affective, and psychomotor performance requirements. The college's technical standards provide an objective measure on which to base informed decisions about whether individual students will be able to participate in the nursing program. Technical standards also help students determine whether they will need accommodations or modifications in order to participate.
The technical standards are provided to all students before matriculation and are available online in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing Handbook; see Section VIII: Clinical Course and Health Science Student Requirements. Students with disabilities who believe that they may need assistance in meeting the core performance standards should contact Student Disability Services.
Selection
The college's admission committee recommends to the dean the applicants who appear to be best qualified. Fulfillment of minimum admission requirements does not guarantee admission to the College of Nursing. The committee may require personal interviews.
Specific health screening requirements must be on file at University of Iowa Student Health prior to beginning the nursing program. In addition, a physical examination screening report and other nursing clinical compliance requirements must be on file at the Felton Student Success Center, prior to beginning the nursing program. A listing of all clinical course and health science student requirements are provided to all students before matriculation and are available online in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing Handbook; see Section VIII: Clinical Course and Health Science Student Requirements.
In addition to general assistance available to university students, there are assistance programs specifically for nursing students. Information about financial aid is available from the university's Office of Student Financial Aid.
The University of Iowa’s BSN program provides broad preparation in clinical, scientific, community health, and patient education skills, and promises outstanding career options. With a BSN degree, students are eligible to work as a staff nurse; flight nurse; a nurse on medical, oncology, surgical, pediatric, emergency, or intensive care units; a nurse in outpatient or neighborhood clinics; or a home health care nurse.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that employment for registered nurses to be among the top occupations in terms of job growth through 2033.
Sample Plan of Study
Sample plans represent one way to complete a program of study. Actual course selection and sequence will vary and should be discussed with an academic advisor. For additional sample plans, see MyUI.
Nursing, BSN
This sample plan is currently being reviewed and will be added at a later date.
Nursing-RN
This sample plan is currently being reviewed and will be added at a later date.
