Application Eligibility Requirements

Admission to the Missoula College Registered Nursing Program is competitive. Meeting the eligibility requirements listed below does not guarantee admission.  Applicants who do not meet the application requirements will be notified as soon as possible.

• Diploma: must have a high school diploma or equivalency
• Prerequisite Courses: must be completed or be in-progress when submitting RN program application.
• GPA Requirements - two different GPAs are considered:
  • GPA for Eligibility to Apply: In order for an application to be considered, the applicant must have a minimum GPA of 2.75 in their most recent 60 college credits. Applicants with less than 60 college credits must have a minimum GPA of 2.75 in their total college credits. Coursework from every college/university attended is included if applicable to the most recent 60 credits.
  • GPA of Prerequisite Courses: The prerequisite GPA is comprised of the GPA of the 6 prerequisite courses. The average prerequisite GPA of admitted applicants varies from semester-to-semester. For past admission cycles, the overall average has been approximately 3.70.
• Minimum Grades: 
  • BIOH Prerequisites:  A minimum grade of B- is required for both Human Anatomy and Physiology I and II lecture/lab (BIOH 201/202 and BIOH 211/212). The courses must be taken within 5 years of program application to be eligible to apply. A maximum of 2 attempts within a 5-year period is allowed.  
  • Other Prerequisites:  A minimum grade of C is required for all other prerequisite courses (CHMY 121 and 122; Math; and WRIT); however, higher grades are strongly recommended in order to have a competitive application.
  • Corequisites: A minimum grade of C is required for all 4 corequisite courses (BIOM 250 and 251; PSYX 100S; and SOCI 101S).
• Course Age: adhere to the nursing program's course age acceptability policies as follows:
  • 5-year Policy: required Human Anatomy & Physiology, Chemistry, and Microbiology courses must be completed within 5 years of program application
  • 10-year Policy: all other nursing program prerequisite and corequisite courses must be completed within 10 years of program application
    • Assessment of writing and math for course placement follows University of Montana guidelines and is done during orientations and at various times in the semester
    • Placement Tests: applicants with a writing and/or math pre-nursing course older than 10 years are required to take the respective placement test 
• Repeated Courses:
  • Prerequisite and co-requisite courses may be attempted only twice during the stated timeframes (5 years for science courses, 10 years for all other courses).
  • Courses with grades of CR (Credit), NCR (No Credit), WP (withdrawal pass), and WF (withdrawal fail) all count as attempts.
  • The grade from the most recent course attempt is the grade used.  
• Kaplan Test Score:  Exam scores lower than 70% will receive 0 (zero) points on the Kaplan portion of the total application score. Points, in increasing value, are awarded based on these increments: 70-79%, 80-89%, and 90-100%.
• Advanced Placement (AP) Exams: Pass credit only is awarded for AP Exams versus a traditional letter grade. Since our prerequisite courses require a traditional letter grade for an applicant's "Prerequisite GPA" calculation, AP exams with passing scores are attributed a grade of “C” only.
• CLEP Exams: College Level Examination Program or CLEP exams that have been taken in lieu of any of our prerequisite or co-requisite courses, if passed, are attributed a grade of “C” only.
• LPN Applicants:  Any applicant who is a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) with a current license should meet with the Nursing Program Director for advising about potential prerequisite courses and where the student would enter into the four-semester RN core curriculum if admitted. 

Application Process & Link

APPLYING TO THE NURSING PROGRAM

Application to the Registered Nursing Program is a two-step process:  (1) submission of the nursing program application, then if admitted to the program, (2) application to Missoula College (if not already a current student of Missoula College, UM Bitterroot, or University of Montana-Missoula).

• Registered Nursing Program Application & Instructions:  
  Admission is twice per year with the application period open for approximately 6 weeks. For Fall Semester admission, the application opens mid-Februrary and closes in early April .  For Spring Semester admission, the application opens mid-September and closes early November.  
• Eighteen students each semester are admitted to the RN program.
• Missoula College Admission, Application & Information:  
  • If not already admitted to Missoula College, UM Bitterroot, or University of Montana-Missoula, you can wait to submit your Missoula College application until you learn if you have been accepted by the nursing program.
  • If you have University of Montana-Missoula (4-year) campus status, once accepted by the nursing program, you must arrange for your academic file to be transferred to Missoula College; details are provided in the application.
  • The link to Missoula College admission above will take you to a link to the actual application as well as to information about transferring, financial aid, residency, housing, orientation, student services, and much more that will help prospective students learn about Missoula College.

WHEN TO APPLY

• An applicant can be in the process of completing the prerequisite courses when submitting their application.  We begin processing applications as received but wait until the semester’s grades are posted before calculating the GPA of prerequisite courses, which counts for approximately 40% of the application score.
  • Fall Semester Admission: application posted by mid-February for a usual submission deadline in early April.
  • Spring Semester Admission: application posted by mid-September for a usual submission deadline in early November.   

Application Evaluation & Admission Decisions

APPLICATION EVALUATION

Please know that all nursing programs are very competitive and the criteria used to evaluate applications to the Missoula College Registered Nursing Program are listed below. Application points are accrued for each of the five categories.

• GPA of Prerequisite Courses

  • Approximately 30% of the application points are awarded for the grades in the 6 prerequisite courses.  It is important to have high grades in these courses in order to present a competitive application. The overall average GPA for prerequisite courses for all prior admitted students is roughly 3.70.

• Kaplan Nursing School Entrance Exam Score
  

  • Approximately 32% of the application score is comprised of the "Kaplan Nursing School Entrance Exam" score.  There is no minimum score. Points are awarded in increasing value based on these increments: less than 65%; 65-69%; 70-74%; 75-79%, 80-84%; 85-89%, and 90-100%.
    • Description:  The Kaplan's Nursing School Entrance Exam is a proctored, comprehensive, computer-based test required of our RN program applicants.  The test is a pre-admission assessment that predicts a student’s ability to succeed in nursing school. It is nationally normed and measures performance as well as gaps in physiology, math, and reading. It is designed for students with a high-school education (or equivalent), and does not require any previous nursing education. However, the more anatomy and physiology courses taken, the better.
    • Cost:  No fee if taken at Missoula College. Other locations may be possible by arrangement with the RN Program Assistant.
    • Preparation:  See application as well as search online for Kaplan nursing entrance exam, which will yield information about the test and preparation materials. Studying for the exam is absolutely needed to do well.
    • Attempts:  Only 1 attempt is allowed per application period.  A previous score no older than 12 months is eligible; however, only the most recent test score will be used for the application.
    • Test Age:  A Kaplan exam result no older than 12 months is acceptable.  
    • Signing Up / Registering for Kaplan Entrance Exam:   The procedure for registering for and taking the exam, as well as exam preparation are detailed in the program application, which posts to the Health Professions Department application webpage (https://mc.umt.edu/health/applications).

• Interview

  • Approximately 32% of the application score is comprised of points earned during the interview.  NOTE:  Critical to being invited for an interview are: high grades in the prerequisite courses; doing well on the Kaplan exam; and any additional points accrued for hands-on healthcare experience and corequisite course completion.
  • For Fall Admission: Interviews are generally scheduled in early June.
  • For Spring Admission: Interviews are generally scheduled in early January.
  • Applicants are notified whether or not they will be invited to be interviewed. 

• Healthcare Experience

  • Up to 4% is added to the total application score for approved documented "hands-on" healthcare experience. CNA and LPN experience is preferred, but others are considered on a case-by-case basis.
  • Experience must be within the past 5 years of application submission.
  • Application points are awarded, starting at a minimum of 200 hours of paid experience; points increase according to the number of hours accrued; and the maximum number of points awarded is for 1000 or more hours.

• Corequisite Course Completion

  • Applicants can accrue up to an additional 2% in application points for completion of the 4 corequisite courses by the end of the term in which the application is submitted.

ADMISSION DECISIONS

• Admission decisions are finalized once the current semester's final grades are officially posted.  
• All applicants will be notified of the admission decision made about their application.
• Applicants often have to apply more than once to be admitted to our program because only 18 spots are available each semester due to the required faculty/nursing student ratio and due to the number of clinical experiences available. All nursing programs are competitive.  

Prerequisite Courses

• Transfer Credits and grades are accepted only from courses that are transferable from regionally-accredited colleges and universities.
• General Education Courses: * below indicates courses that meet Missoula College and UM general education requirements.

It is STRONGLY RECOMMENDED that students take the corequisites listed below (required to graduate) prior to entering the program because there may be schedule conflicts with nursing clinical due to access to hospital availability AND it will set you up for SUCCESS in the nursing program!!!  

Corequisite Courses

• Transfer Credits and grades are accepted only from courses that are transferable from regionally-accredited colleges and universities.
• General Education Courses: * below indicates courses that meet Missoula College and UM general education requirements.
• Minimum Grade Requirements: a minimum grade of C is required for all corequisite courses.
• Corequisite courses can be taken along with nursing core courses.

Nursing Core Courses

• Transfer Credits and grades are accepted only from courses that are transferable from regionally-accredited colleges and universities.
• General Education Courses: * below indicates courses that meet Missoula College and UM general education requirements.
• Minimum Grade Requirements:
  • For all NRSG subject courses, a minimum grade of B is required in order for a student to progress in the nursing program. Students receiving less than a B in any NRSG course will receive a program withdrawal and can reapply to the program at a later time.
  • For corequisite courses, a minimum grade of C is required.

Contact Us

For more information, please contact Linda Barnes, Nursing Program Director, at (406) 243-7875 or via email at linda.barnes@umontana.edu.

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