Online MSN Admissions Requirements

REQUEST INFORMATION
Ready to learn more about our program?

Getting Started

Each Purdue University Northwest degree program has specific requirements that you must meet in order to enroll. Please read the admissions guidelines below for the MSN program. For specific questions or more details, view our admissions FAQs or access the MSN Student Handbook.

PNW Online MSN Admissions Requirements

Admissions Requirements

Only applicants from Indiana, Illinois or Wisconsin, or Purdue Northwest alumni are authorized to enroll in the online MSN program.

Applicants must have:

  • Bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution
  • Minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0 from an accredited baccalaureate program in nursing (conditional admittance may be available under 3.0 GPA but higher than a 2.5 GPA with holistic review)
  • Current unencumbered U.S. registered nurse (RN) licensure
  • Applicants whose native language is not English must submit TOEFL, International English Language Testing System (IELTS), or Pearson Test of English (PTE) scores

Review our guides for nursing in Indiana, Illinois or Wisconsin.

Admissions Documents

  • Application for admission
  • Application fee
  • Official transcripts from all colleges attended
  • Letters of recommendation: three professional/academic recommendations using the University's online recommendation system
  • Statement of purpose: 300–500 words describing the purpose of graduate study, professional plans and career goals related to concentration
  • Copy of current U.S. RN license
  • Resume with RN license information included (state and license number)

Other Requirements

The following are not conditions for acceptance:

  • Introductory statistics course is a prerequisite for Research course
  • Background check: this is a progression requirement that should be completed no more than 4 months before the practicum

Transfer Credit and Transcripts

Transfer Credit

A maximum of 9 semester hours may be used as transfer credit from another university. Courses must fulfill curriculum requirements; must have been taken at a university with a national nursing accreditation; and must have a grade of the equivalent of 3.0 (on a 4-point scale) or higher. All specialty and advanced core courses, including NUR 51000 - Research and Evidence-Based Nursing, must be taken at PNW. A request for an exception to this policy will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Other core courses will be evaluated for equivalency and transferability. You must submit the syllabi for all courses you wish to have considered for transfer credit by the application deadline date.

Transfer credits are dependent upon program approval.

Transcripts

To enroll as well as to apply for transfer credit, you will need to request your official transcripts be sent to PNW. We accept electronic transcripts so long as they are sent to us directly by your respective college and/or university.

Send electronic transcripts to:

The Graduate Studies Office at grad@pnw.edu

Send hard copies of transcripts to:

Purdue University Northwest
Graduate Studies Office
C.H. Lawshe Hall, Room 242
2200 169th Street
Hammond, IN 46323-2094

Upcoming Start Dates

Calendar and Enrollment Deadlines

April 29, 2024
Start Date

Application Deadline: 4/8/2024

Documents Deadline: 4/12/2024

Registration Deadline: 4/22/2024

Tuition Deadline: 4/26/2024,
1:00pm CST

August 19, 2024
Start Date

Application Deadline: 7/29/2024

Documents Deadline: 8/2/2024

Registration Deadline: 8/12/2024

Tuition Deadline: 8/16/2024,
1:00pm CST

MSN Admissions FAQs

  • How many start dates are there each year?

    The program has 3 starts per year.

  • How many courses can I transfer from another university?

    A maximum of 9 semester hours or equivalent of graduate credit may be used as transfer credit from another university. To be accepted, courses must fulfill curriculum requirements and must have been taken at a university that has national nursing accreditation. Additionally, a grade equivalent to 3.0 (on a 4-point scale) or higher must be present for any transfer course.

    All specialty and advanced core courses, including NUR 51000: Research and Evidence-Based Nursing, must be taken at PNW. A request for an exception to this policy will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Other core courses will be evaluated for equivalency and transferability. You will need to submit the syllabi for all courses you wish to have considered for transfer credit by the application deadline date.

    If you have questions about transfer credits or outstanding program requirements that you will need to fulfill, please direct those questions to your assigned PNW academic advisor.

  • When would PNW’s College of Nursing need to review my transfer request?

    This review happens during the admissions process. For requests outside the admissions period, you should work directly with an advisor.

  • What core classes would be considered for transfer?

    In addition to the Introductory Statistics course, the core class that could be considered is Healthcare Organization, Policy, and Economics. With regards to seeking transfers for core courses, if you took a theory course or ethics course elsewhere, you would still need to take the PNW theory/ethics course because your course would not have the same ethics component. If you took both the theory and ethics classes separately, PNW would consider that for transferability.

    Nurse Executive courses that can be considered include: Human Resource Management and Healthcare Financial Management.

    Nurse Educator courses that can be considered include: Pathophysiologic Concepts and Pharmacologic Interventions for Nurse Educators or separate graduate-level pathophysiology and pharmacology classes, and Advanced Health Assessment for Nurse Educators.

  • What if I want to change concentrations?

    If you wish to transfer from one online concentration (e.g., Nurse Executive) to another online concentration (e.g., Nurse Educator) or vice versa, the process consists of submitting a written request to the graduate program advisor. The advisor will work with the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies to determine whether the request will be granted. The only eligibility requirement is that you be in good academic standing.