MNSc Admission Requirements

College of Nursing completed application form with all required official transcripts and other documentation must be received by the College of Nursing Office of Admissions by April 1 for applicants seeking admission for full-time or part-time study in the following fall semester, and September 1 for admission the following spring semester.

Applicants for graduate study in the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences--College of Nursing must meet the following requirements:

• Baccalaureate degree in nursing from a NLN or CCNE accredited program; or portfolio for verification for a licensed nurse with a baccalaureate degree in another field. (Guidelines for portfolio  development may be obtained at http://nursing.uams.edu/Registrar/Applications/portfolio_inf.pdf.)

• Unencumbered Current Arkansas R.N. license.

• Official transcript with a course in basic statistics having a grade of "C" or better.

• Evidence of an academic or continuing education health  assessment course.

• A cumulative grade point average of 2.85 or above (on a 4.0 scale) for regular admission. Students with less than a 2.85 cumulative grade point average may be considered for conditional admission. (If listed on the application, course repeats will be calculated into GPA deleting original courses.

• Students with a cumulative GPA below 2.5 will not be considered for admission.

• A minimum score of 400 on the Miller Analogies Test (MAT) or a total of at least 1000 on the verbal and quantitative portions of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). On the GRE the verbal must be at least 400 and quantitative must be at least 350 within the total score of at least 1000. Students with lesser scores may be considered for conditional admission if the GPA is 2.85 or above.  Students holding a BSN from outside the U.S. must take the GRE.

• Proof of current TB test and completed Hepatitis B immunization series.

• If English is not the applicant’s first language, a TOEFL score of at least 550 on the paper-based or at least 213 on computer-based exam is required. As of 2006, a minimum score of 20 in each section of the iBT is required. The exam must have been taken within the last two (2) calendar years of admission.

• Provide names of three (3) persons who may be contacted for academic and professional references; at least two (2) of whom must be nurses in teaching, administrative, or practice positions.

• Obtain approval of the faculty of the College of Nursing.

In addition, please note the following:

• A graduate student must show proof of 2000 hours of work experience as an RN before registering for advanced health assessment, all clinical specialty, or nursing administration practicum courses.

• Students will be charged a fee for liability insurance before entering advanced health assessment, all clinical or nursing administration practicum courses.

• A student must show proof of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) certificate when registering.

Students in need of financial assistance are urged to write to
the following address to request application forms:
Director, Financial Aid, Slot 601
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
4301 West Markham Street
Little Rock, AR 72205

Several scholarships and other sources of financial aid are also available through the College of Nursing.