Could one be accepted into an RN program with a 2.5 GPA?

Question

If the GPA is not above 3.0, does that mean it is a waste of time to continue taking prereqs in hopes of gaining acceptance? Might as well change majors or career choice? Is there any hope at all?

Answer 1

What were your grades in your science classes, Georgette?  If you got As and Bs in your science prereqs but got Bs and Cs in your liberal arts classes, you may still get in.  The nursing programs are very competitive in their admissions, but high science grades may help tip the scales in your favor after all the straight-A applicants have been admitted.

However, if your anatomy and physiology and microbiology classes are the ones that your getting the lower grades in, you might want to think about retaking them.  I know it costs money.   But if you don't know these subjects, if you haven't mastered the material, how do you think you'll pass your nursing classes?   If you don't remember enough physiology to understand why it's bad for my diabetic and normally hypertensive husband to have prolonged periods of low and low-normal blood pressure, believe me, you won't be coming back into his room.

Nurses have one of the hardest jobs there is.  There aren't enough nurses.  If this is the profession that you've wanted since you were little, keep working for it and don't lose hope.  But at the same time, if you need to repeat a class to make certain you master the material as well as to get a better grade for your GPA calculation, then by all means take the class again.  Changing majors would probably cost you more in terms of time and money than repeating a science class or two.

Answer 2

I won't say it is impossible to get admitted with that GPA, but it is highly unlikely.  Every nursing program is highly competitive, and they only take so many new students / year, they also have their own requirements of what you must have as a GPA to even apply - many are 3.0, but I've seen some say a 2.75 (but that doesn't mean you are going to get into the program with GPAs that low as it depends on all the other people that are applying).

Out of the students a college takes for it's nursing program, they may have 5-6X as many applications coming in for those spots (or more). This very well could mean they get 500-600 applications coming in for only 100 spots in their program - you can see their dilemma.  So, they start with the highest GPAs first - the 4.0s, 3.9s and go down the line with those that have finished all the pre-reqs.  Usually by the time they get to the 3.7 or 3.6 GPAs all the spots are taken. (of course, that might not be the case with all colleges - they may still have spots for lower GPAs).  There is a reason for the high GPA - that being that they want their students to be successful and finish the nursing program. Those with the highest GPAs have the most possibility of finishing.  If your GPA is low, then you might greatly struggle in the program and eventually drop out.

You may want to talk to an adviser at your college and also think about switching to another major.  It isn't just nursing that does this - my youngest daughter had difficulty getting into the program of study she desired in college (non-nursing prgram) due to her GPA, she had to switch with one that more suited her. You really have to find the right fit for yourself.

Answer 3

Admission is very competitive, so your chances wouldn't be very good.  Talk to the admissions people at the school you are interested and ask them, though.

Answer 4

It entirely depends on the school you're trying to get into. Some ADN programs accept a minimum of a 2.5 GPA. But everybody wants to get into those schools. There are other factors than GPA which determine admission however. Some look at science grades. Some look at how many of the general education courses required for your degree you have completed before starting the nursing program (the more the better), some have a points ranking system which incorporates all of these factors including GPA.

So yes, there is hope that you could get in somewhere, however a lower GPA does make it more difficult. You can easily raise your GPA by taking those gen. ed. courses which are easily transferable to other schools (like Freshman level English Comp, Sociology, Pyschology, etc.), You can take as many "fluff" courses as you want to raise your GPA. Or you can retake those science courses for a better grade, which would be even better.

Good luck to you.

Answer 5

This depends on the admission requirements at the school you are choosing.  From what I know, most schools are requiring a 3.0 (mine did as well as the community colleges in my area).