Student Admission Information

Admission Process

1. All applicants to the Nursing program must first be accepted into Hope College.
2. A secondary admission to the Nursing major is required. All applicants must be in good standing with a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA. Preference is given to students who have completed 12 credits at Hope College.
3. The Nursing program does not accept transfer students directly into the Nursing major. Please see the section at the bottom of the page entitled Student transfers for detailed information.
4. Print or type all information on the Student Admission Application Form (PDF). A form that can be submitted online is also available.
5. Write a Goal Statement Essay stating your potential as a nursing student and your long-term professional goals as a nurse. It is essential that you give examples of the following factors: critical thinking, caring, communication, and personal characteristics. The essay must be formatted in Times New Roman, 12 point font, double-spaced, and no more than 400 words.
6. Submit the Application Form and Essay to the address in #9 below.
7. If college classes have been taken at a college other than Hope:
   • Arrange to have official transcripts of all college credits sent directly to the Hope College Nursing Office.
   • Submit a description of the course to the address in #9 below.
   • Additionally, obtain a written statement from a faculty person within the appropriate department at Hope College who has reviewed the course you have taken and approves its equivalency to the required course at Hope College. Submit to the address in #9 below.
8. Request two references from two professional people (non-family) who know you well. One should be a college professor. Ask that they return the Student Reference Form Reference Form (Adobe Acrobat PDF format) in a sealed envelope directly to the address in #7 below.
9. Hope College Nursing Department
   Attention: Nursing Department Chairperson
   35 E 12th Street
   Holland, MI 49423-3698
10. Items described in 4 and 5 can be submitted at anytime to the Nursing Department. To be considered for admission for a subsequent semester it is required to submit your application by February 1st for a fall semester admission and by October 1st for a spring semester admission. Students will receive a response prior to registration.

Guidelines for Selection

1. The following guidelines must be met for consideration into the nursing program:
   • Cumulative minimum grade point average of 3.0
   • Minimum grade point of 2.0 or C in each required pre-nursing course.
   • It is strongly recommended that the following courses, if completed, be within 10 years of application to the program: BIOL 103, BIOL 221, BIOL 222, BIOL 231, CHEM 103, KIN 307, MATH 210, PSY 100, PSY 230, and SOC 101. Variations from this recommendation will be reviewed on an individual basis.
   • One required prerequisite science course (such as Bio 103) must be completed with a grade of 2.0 or C or better.
2. Consideration is given to the following factors identified in the Goal Statement Essay and Reference Forms:
• Critical thinking: goal directed, creative, utilize a problem solving process
• Caring: compassionate
• Communication: demonstrates leadership effective speaking, writing, & listening skills
• Personal Characteristics: demonstrates leadership, dedicated, honest, demonstrates integrity, organized, respectful, value based, accountable, emotionally mature
3. The number of admissions to the nursing program per year is limited. Student applications will be rank-ordered based on cumulative grade point average, grade point average in the pre-requisite courses, essay score, ACT or SAT scores, and letters of reference. Applicants who submit applications after the due date will be placed last on the rank-order list.

Student transfers

Transfer students must complete 12 credits at Hope College before applying to the Nursing Program. One of the Hope courses must be Bio 103, Bio 221, Bio 222, Bio 231, or Chem 103. If all of these courses were completed by transfer credit, then NURS 260 or NURS 320 must be completed prior to being considered for admission into the nursing major.

The number of transfer students will be limited to 10% per semester but not to exceed 10% of total admissions per year. The number of transfer students admitted each semester/year may be less than 10% based on the admission process and the discretion of the Faculty Admissions Committee.

The Department reserves the right to determine Hope pre-requisite and nursing courses which may be substituted by transfer courses and to designate additional courses which are needed for completion of the nursing major. In addition to steps 1-4, the following should be done:

• Arrange to have official transcripts of all college credits sent directly to the Hope College Registrar's Office.
• Submit a detailed course description and outline for each baccalaureate nursing course completed to the address listed in #7.
• Request two references from nursing faculty in the prior baccalaureate program. The Reference Form should be returned in a sealed envelope to the address listed in #7.
• Meet with the Hope Nursing Department Chairperson