Admission Requirements, Fees & Deadlines
The School of Nursing and Health Sciences(SNHS) attracts men and women who believe that access to health care is a basic human right and that delivering effective health care services requires an understanding of the whole person — and whole communities. Many of our students already work as health care professionals. Approximately half are career changers looking for more meaning in life. Their knowledge and interdisciplinary expertise adds depth to our programs.
NOTE: Information on this and other pages of the SNHS web site and in SNHS print publications are subject to change without notice. Be certain to re-visit this section often or call the Office of Admission of SNHS at 617-521-2605(EST) before you apply to determine if any changes have occurred since your last viewing.
APPLICATION PROCESS
Application Requirements and Deadlines
Applicants for admission to all School of Nursing and Health Sciences(SNHS) programs are urged to file their applications and supporting documents well in advance of the term for which they are applying, in order to ensure proper consideration of their credentials. All materials should be received by the stated deadline;the post marked date does not meet the deadline.U.S. students may begin in the fall, spring, or summer depending on the program.
All applicants will learn of their admission status as a group after the application deadline; we do not use rolling notification.
Prerequisites,application forms,requirements and deadline dates are different for each SNHS program.Carefully review each program section of this web site for specific information about the program you are interested in.
International students requiring a student visa(F-1) to study in the U.S. cannot enroll in non-degree courses nor can be admitted provisionally pending completion of admission prerequisites or enroll in the summer science cluster for the Direct Entry(DE) nursing programs due to immigration regulations. International students may apply only for September entry,except for the Direct Entry(DE) or D.P.T.(Doctorate in Physical Therapy) programs which begin in late June each year.
Refer to SNHS Degrees at a Glance to learn about specific deadline dates.
Prerequisites
Admission options and prerequisites vary for each program within SNHS. With the exception of the R.N.-M.S. option, all programs require a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited post-secondary institution in the U.S. or an institution abroad recognized by the country's Ministry of Education.
All prerequisites must have been completed within ten years prior to the application deadline for all programs except the D.N.P., D.P.T. Bridge and R.N.-M.S. programs, which require completion of admission prerequisites within five years prior to the application deadline. All prerequisites courses must have grades; pass/fail or audit courses, AP(Advanced Placement),IB or CLEP scores do not fulfill prerequisites.
Application Fees
Application fees are non-refundable. See the section of this web site for Application Fee Waiver information.
All application fees or appropriate fee waiver forms must accompany the application at the time of submission.
No application can be processed without an application fee or fee waiver. All checks should be made to "Simmons College." All application fees should be sent to the Office of Admission of SNHS. Be certain to include SNHS in the mailing address as there are six admission offices at Simmons. Application fees for the DPT program(not DPT Bridge) must be sent to PTCAS.
Application Fee Waivers
Several opportunities to obtain an application fee waiver can be found on page 1 of each application. One way is to obtain a written referral from a graduate of the School of Nursing & Health Sciences or from a preceptor at your clinical site. To download that referral form,see below:
Alumni/Preceptor Fee Waiver Form
Academic Records
All official academic transcripts in signed/sealed envelopes are required from all undergraduate and graduate institutions attended whether or not a degree was earned and regardless of when courses were taken or if they do not relate to the specific program to which you are applying. This also includes courses/transcripts for transfer credit. Additionally, if you studied abroad and the program was not part of your home institution or the grades do not appear on your home institution transcript, you must provide an official transcript from the overseas institution or sponsoring U.S. agency or institution.
Allow for sufficient time for this information to be received. If you receive signed envelopes which probably contain transcripts from institutions,do not open them as they will be come "unofficial." You may wish to request an unofficial set for your reference. Photocopies of transcripts or copies stamped "Issued to Student: are not acceptable.
Applicants who have studied abroad must submit academic documents in the native language as well as an official English translation by someone other than the applicant or a family member. Interpretations of foreign credentials by an evaluation service do not replace official academic records. These evaluations are assessments of the curriculum and are not accepted in lieu of official academic documents. All submitted documents become the property of Simmons College and cannot be returned.
The exception to the above would be for D.P.T. applicants who must send official transcripts and test scores to PTCAS. However, if a student is admitted to our D.P.T. program,deposits and enrolls,we must receive a separate set of all official transcripts to assure enrollment as PTCAS does not send transcripts to schools . However, although PTCAs can accept electronic test scores, SNHS is unable at this time and thus official paper score reports must be sent to SNHS.
Standardized Test Scores
The only SNHS program which requires the GRE is the D.P.T. program(not D.P.T. Bridge). PTCAS can accept electronic scores of the GRE but SNHS is unable to do so at this time. Thus, you should submit scores to PTCAS and request that the Educational Testing Service(ETS) also send paper copies of score reports to SNHS. It takes 4-6 weeks for us to receive official scores.
GRE scores must have been taken within five years prior to the application deadline. Student score reports are not considered official and cannot be accepted.
TOEFL(Test of English as a Foreign Language) is required of all applicants to all SNHS programs whose first language is not English: this requirement is based upon native language not citizenship. TOEFL does not replace GRE for the D.P.T. program: both exams are required. No other English proficiency exam is accepted and student score reports are not acceptable. TOEFL is not required if a student has earned either a bachelor's or master's degree from a regionally accredited U.S. post-secondary institution or at a post-secondary institution recognized by the Ministry of Education in English-speaking countries only. SNHS is unable at this time to accept electronic scores. Allow 4-6 weeks for us to receive official scores.
Articulation Agreements
SNHS maintains articulation agreements with various regionally accredited U.S. undergraduate colleges and universities to facilitate the admission and acceleration of qualified students at specific institutions to certain SNHS graduate programs.
Download list of Articulation Agreements (PDF)
Admission DecisionsAll admission decisions are rendered and mailed after the established application deadline date. Mailings of decision letters are different for each program but are not done on a rolling notification basis, rather as a group on a specific date. No admission decisions are emailed,faxed or provided via telephone.
Enrollment Deposits
The enrollment deposits must be received in the Office of Admission at the School of Nursing and Health Sciences by the date designated in the letter of admission. Since there are six admission offices at Simmons College, be certain to address all materials to the School of Nursing and Health Sciences, not just"Admission Office," as we may not receive your information.This date is not the postmark date. No extensions to the enrollment deposit date can be granted. Official transcripts verifying proof of completion of all prerequisites and receipt of a bachelor's or master's degree will be required before enrollment in any program.
Deferred Entrance
Accepted students may obtain a deferral of enrollment,if accepted. Deferrals can be granted up to a maximum of one year(two academic seamsters). If you know at the time of application that you will defer to a year beyond the application year,do not apply,rather apply to the year that you wish to start the program. Applications and requirements can change each year.If you were offered a scholarship and you defer your enrollment to a future term, the scholarship does not automatically carry forward. You will be re-considered with the new applicant pool. Such awards are competitive and limited.
Accepted students wishing to defer must write a letter to the Assistant Dean/Director of Admission requesting such an extension and indicate what semester they wish to begin their program and what they will be doing in the interim. The non-refundable enrollment deposit is required by the deadline indicated in the original acceptance letter to hold a place for the year of intended enrollment. Deferrals will not be considered after the original deposit due date nor after a semester has begun. International student deferrals are considered on an individual basis,due to immigration policies.
If a student has been accepted to a program,deposits and enrolls in a class(or classes) and wishes to leave the College and return at a later date, a student must request/obtain a Leave of Absence(LOA) from the appropriate chair and Dean of SNHS.
Reapplication Procedure
If a student has applied to a SNHS program and either did not complete the application,withdrew an application or was denied admission, he/she must re-apply.A current application form,processing fee(application fee waivers are only valid for one application),any outstanding transcripts for courses completed since the original application,a letter stating what you have been doing in the interim and why you are interested in re-applying must be submitted. Newly dated recommendations must also be submitted. Depending upon how long ago an application was first submitted, official transcripts may still be needed as we may no longer have these on file.Students interested in re-applying to the D.P.T. program must re-apply directly to PTCAS.
How to Apply
Application requirements vary by program. Keep copies of all materials you submit for your records.Please select the program to which you'd like to apply:
ADMISSION EVALUATION PROCESS
Faculty admission committees carefully review and evaluate all SNHS applications. The minimum academic requirement: 3.0 prerequisite G.P.A. and 3.0 accumulative G.P.A. in undergraduate or graduate study. Repeated courses(even those with different titles but same course content) are included in the G.P.A.calculations. IMPORTANT: D.P.T. applicants are ineligible to apply if they have taken two prerequisite courses two or more times. For Direct Entry (D.E.) nursing,only one prerequisite course can be repeated once for eligibility to apply.
In addition to academic factors, other aspects are important in the review process: paid or volunteer experience in the healthcare setting,outside interests,writing ability,potential for leadership and academic and employment recommendations. Remember that you are applying to a professional school ,therefore, carefully follow directions and chose your references wisely.
Download SNHS Degrees at a Glance, a convenient comparison chart of all the Simmons SNHS programs, including application deadlines and requirements.
Is Simmons Right for You?
- SNHS Programs at a Glance
- We encourage you to attend an admission event or schedule a visit.
- See our tuition and financial aid information.
Questions?
If you have questions, e-mail the SNHS Office of Admission at snhs@simmons.edu or call 617-521-2605.
We look forward to getting to know you!