Nursing Program for Transfer Students
Looking for information about our adult student nursing programs, including the Accelerated BSN? Review our Adult BSN page instead.
Thank you for your interest in transferring into the nursing program at Simmons. Transfer students wishing to pursue a BSN at Simmons are considered only on a space-available basis. Our nursing programs are fall-start only, but we accept students in the spring and summer to complete their prerequisites at Simmons.
We are currently accepting applications for the fall 2024 cohort, but there may a waitlist. Interested students should apply for our December 15 priority deadline to have the best chance of admission.
Our fall 2025 cohort has limited seats available exclusively for students taking prerequisites at Simmons. If you have not taken all of your prerequisites, or have fewer than 53 transfer credits, you can apply to finish remaining prerequisites and/or credits. If admitted, your seat will be held in our fall 2025 cohort pending successful completion of these courses at Simmons.
You can only apply as a transfer student if you have earned more than 17 college credits after high school graduation, do not have a prior Bachelor's degree in another field, and will be under the age of 24 when you start at Simmons. If you will have 17 or fewer college credits by the time you start at Simmons, you must apply as a first-year student. If you are over the age of 24 or looking to pursue a second Bachelor's degree, you must apply as a Dorothea Lynde Dix Scholar.
Don't hesitate to reach out to your admission counselor if you have any questions about your nursing options.
Nursing Program Overview
- Our nursing program is a daytime program. A small number of classes and clinicals are sometimes offered on evenings and weekends, but students must be available to take most of their coursework on weekdays.
- Students can apply with none, all or a few of their prerequisites completed. We strongly recommend that students apply with the intention of completing their prerequisites at Simmons. Admitted students cannot proceed into their nursing sequence unless each of the prerequisites has been satisfied with a C+ or higher.
- Simmons nursing students' pass rate on the (NCLEX) Registered Nurse exam is consistently above 90%. The national average for RN candidates is in the low 80% range.
- Our ratio of clinical students to instructors is 6:1.
- Simmons nursing faculty are all practicing nurses, thus assuring that students learn the most up-to-date science and techniques in patient care.
Admission Criteria
We are looking for students who can succeed within our nursing program and contribute to the Simmons community. The committee reviews applications holistically, meaning that in addition to your academics, we consider other factors such as your personal statement, recommendations, experiences outside of the classroom, and interview.
Typically, admitted students have a college GPA and a science GPA exceeding 3.0, with a pre-requisite GPA exceeding 3.3. Students must earn at least a C+ on prerequisites.
Simmons University is now test optional. This means you do not need to submit your test scores to be considered for admission, to be considered for scholarship, or to be considered for any special programs. If you took the ACT or SAT in high school, or the TEAS, we recommend you only submit scores if you meet one of the following:
- SAT: Successful applicants typically have at least 1200 or higher on the Critical Reading and Math sections of the SAT.
- ACT: Successful applicants typically have at least a 24 or higher for their composite score and a 24 or higher on the math section.
- TEAS: Successful applicants typically have scores of at least 80% on each section.
Admission Requirements
The admission committee will review your application to learn not only what you have accomplished, but also who you are. To apply as a transfer student, you need to submit the following information in addition to the application:
- Official Transcripts - Simmons requires official transcripts from all previously attended colleges and universities, as well as the final high school transcript or GED/HiSET. Official transcripts should be sent directly to the Office of Undergraduate Admission by the institution.
- Recommendations - One College Recommendation (Adviser or Faculty preferred)
- Simmons University is now test optional. This means you do not need to submit your test scores to be considered for admission, to be considered for scholarship, or to be considered for any special programs.
- Essay
Admission Nursing Deadlines
Nursing Start Term | Priority Deadline | Final Deadline | 2-Year Current Status |
---|---|---|---|
Fall 2023, all prereqs & general education completed outside of Simmons | December 15, 2022 | July 1, 2023 | Waitlisting |
Fall 2024, conditional admission to finish prereqs & general education at Simmons starting in Fall 2023 | July 1, 2023 | July 1, 2023 | Space available |
Fall 2024, conditional admission to finish prereqs & general education at Simmons starting in Spring 2024 | November 1, 2023 | December 1, 2023 | Application will be published in August 2023; seats likely will be available |
Fall 2024, conditional admission to finish prereqs & general education at Simmons starting in Summer 2024 | December 15, 2023 | April 1, 2024 | Application will be published in August 2023; may have few or no seats available |
Fall 2024, all prereqs & general education completed outside of Simmons | December 15, 2023 | July 1, 2024 | Application will be published in August 2023; may have few or no seats available |
- Students have the option to enroll at Simmons (part-time or full-time) in order to take all or some of their prerequisites in the semester(s) prior to the nursing sequence to which they have been admitted. Students interested in taking prerequisite courses at Simmons are strongly encouraged to complete their application as soon as possible as applications will be reviewed for admission to nursing on an individual, rolling, and space-available basis.
- The priority deadline for students who will not be taking prerequisites at Simmons is December 15. Students taking prerequisites elsewhere are strongly encouraged to complete their application, which includes submitting all required credentials, no later than December 15 in order to be included in the priority nursing admission committee review.
- If you are placed on the waitlist, should space become available we will re-review all students on our waitlist to be offered a spot in the class. We encourage all students on the waitlist to continue working towards completing their prerequisites, so they will be prepared if they are offered admission. We will notify all waitlisted students of their final decision by mid-August.
- If you were denied acceptance and still wish to pursue a Simmons nursing degree, contact your admission counselor to develop an application strategy.