Frequently Asked Questions

KSN accepts a maximum of 90 BSN students at the Oklahoma City campus every fall and spring semester. Two deadlines are actively enforced: an acceptance deadline and a final transcript deadline. The cap of 90 students each semester helps to ensure the average class size doesn't exceed 45 students.

Acceptance deadline

If the cohort fills before the upcoming semester's deadline, students accepted between then and the deadline will be placed on a waiting list. Should vacancies occur during that time, students will be contacted to fill those places in order of their acceptance. No new acceptances for the upcoming semester will be made after the deadline. Any application remaining incomplete at the acceptance deadline will be automatically deferred to the next available cohort.

KSN accepts a maximum of 90 BSN students at the Oklahoma City campus every fall and spring semester. The cap of 90 students each semester helps to ensure the average class size doesn't exceed 45 students.

Acceptance deadline

If the cohort fills before the upcoming semester's deadline, students accepted between then and the deadline will be placed on a waiting list. Should vacancies occur during that time, students will be contacted to fill those places in order of their acceptance. No new acceptances for the upcoming semester will be made after the deadline. Any application remaining incomplete at the acceptance deadline will be automatically deferred to the next available cohort.

Final transcript deadline

For those students admitted to the upcoming cohort, final transcripts must be received by the transcript deadline. Those who fail to submit final transcripts before that deadline will automatically have their admission deferred to the next available cohort.

Fall 2020 Deadlines

Note: *The HESI and TEAS entrance exam requirement will be waived for Fall, 2020 entry term.*

August 3 – NursingCAS and OCU Supplemental Application must be submitted. This includes official transcripts from student’s last completed semester in school.

August 3 – Date for last HESI A2 exam proctored at OCU Kramer School of Nursing and for Fall 2020.

August 7 – First date for a distance (non-OCU proctored) HESI/TEAS exam to be received.

August 7 – All unofficial grades to Debbie Taber and Shannon Rowland. Student’s HESI 2 score, including the Elsevier form reflecting number of times exam is taken and breakdown of each category, or TEAS score needs to be received by Debbie Taber. All immunization records uploaded to site.

September 28 – Final transcripts. If not on file in BDM, student and admissions office will receive an email from Shannon Rowland stating that progression in the program, including enrollment in subsequent semesters, will not occur until resolved.

Duncan Fall 2020 Deadlines

Same as OKC.

Comanche Fall 2020 Deadlines

Same as OKC.

Students must complete the NursingCAS application and the OCU Nursing Supplemental Application. You are automatically a nursing student as soon as you are accepted to the university. You are assigned a nursing professor as your academic advisor, are welcome to participate in all KSN activities, and are welcome to attend Student Nurses Association meetings. You proceed directly into nursing courses at the 3000-level with no additional application as long as you have a 3.0 or higher GPA, a science GPA of 2.5, achieved a minimum score of 75 on the HESI or 78 on the TEAS exams in no more than two attempts, English proficiency has been approved, and have taken the prerequisite courses.

Elsevier offers this brief overview of the exam. More resources can be found by searching online.

Maintain contact with the Nursing Advisor at least twice a semester to give an update on your progress regarding completed courses, current enrollment, and future courses. Provide proof of enrollment to your advisor for all classes in which you are currently enrolled. As soon as you have completed each course during the semester prior to the one in which you plan to begin nursing courses, give the Nursing Advisor a letter from the professor stating your final grade because official transcripts may not be available as quickly as desired. Request an official transcript be sent to OCU as soon as the grades have been posted. OCU accepts official e-transcripts.

No. All initial transcripts must be sent directly to NursingCAS. If additional transcripts are required after NursingCAS application is submitted, to be considered official, the transcript must be mailed or sent electronically directly from the other institution to OCU. We can begin processing your application with unofficial transcripts, but to be admitted, we must receive official transcripts from all institutions you have attended. Have them sent directly to the Transcript Coordinator, Office of Admissions, Oklahoma City University, 2501 N. Blackwelder, Oklahoma City, OK 73106.

Students must complete all nursing prerequisites and all but 6 credit hours of general education courses prior to entering the 3000-level of the nursing program. All required course work must be satisfactorily completed for graduation eligibility.

To complete a self-evaluation of your previous coursework, please click here for a two-page worksheet. To see if a course you have taken elsewhere will transfer to Oklahoma City University, click here. If you don’t see a course listed on the equivalency matrix, you may submit course information to our online transfer evaluation site. Be sure to specify the Oklahoma City University course or requirement the transfer course might meet. Typically, these evaluations can take two weeks, and perhaps longer during summer months. If you have difficulty with the transfer course equivalency matrix, call the Registrar’s Office at (405) 208-5298. The Nursing Advisor can also help you with this process.

The Nursing Advisor can tell you if the course you are considering taking will meet the requirement. Please ask if you are in doubt before taking a course, as some may be lacking a critical component.

The Nursing Advisor can evaluate transcripts following a verified application in NursingCAS. All documents, including application and transcripts, should be submitted to NursingCAS.

Evaluations generally take one to four weeks depending on the time of year and number of students applying.

Take the HESI or TEAS exam. A total of two attempts may be made to achieve the required minimum score. Maintain contact with the Admissions office or the Nursing Advisor at least every other week throughout the application process, to assure that official transcripts have arrived and all requirements are in place. You can be told by phone if you have been admitted, but you will also receive a letter in the mail. Depending on how quickly your transcripts and other requirements arrive, the admission process can take just a few days to several weeks.

*Note: the HESI and TEAS entrance exam requirement will be waived for Fall, 2020 entry term.*

Completion of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree typically takes four years attending full-time with summers off; three years taking classes part-time, once you start the 3000-level nursing courses; or 16 months by pursing the accelerated option.

KSN tuition for the BSN courses is the same as the university’s. Out-of-state students pay the same rate as in-state students. For current tuition rates, click here for the Office of Financial Aid. Students taking nursing courses will have a few other expenses, including clinical fees, scrubs, background checks, and so forth. The Clinical Specialist can give you a current list, as well as information about immunizations you will need. A laptop computer is required, but the university provides free systems software and upgrades to meet our requirements. The cost of the high-quality education provided by Kramer School of Nursing need not stop a student from choosing Oklahoma City University. Almost every student receives financial aid. For more information, click here.

Please note that students pursuing a second Bachelor's degree should be aware of Financial Aid restrictions for courses taken in summer semesters. Students pursuing a second Bachelor's degree may also have less funding available based on prior use of financial resources. Please contact the Office of Financial Aid for questions and detailed information.

Students may begin nursing classes in the fall or spring semester, but only if program prerequisites are completed.

Students complete clinicals in many different locations around the Oklahoma City area. Agencies can include large and rural hospitals, long-term care, acute care, specialty hospitals, community clinics, hospice, public schools, volunteer clinics, city shelters, and more, depending on the course and where the relevant patient care experiences can be found.

Clinicals are usually one or two 9-hour days per week on Thursdays and Fridays, typically during day hours, depending on the course. In the final semester of the degree, the student works the same shift as the preceptor, including a few night shifts or weekend hours, as arranged with the preceptor.

Classes usually meet on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday, with clinical experiences on Thursday and/or Friday.

While all nursing courses have online resources for each class, no undergraduate course is exclusively online. All courses meet for the full schedule of regular in-person classes.

Yes. You may choose to attend full-time or part-time, and can adjust those schedules according to your needs and availability of classes.

It depends upon the pace of your coursework. Those attending on a part-time or a traditional full-time basis may successfully balance work along with their studies. However, those engaged in mostly accelerated coursework will likely find working more than approximately 10 hours per week extremely challenging.

The NCLEX-RN is the nationally standardized examination taken to obtain a Registered Nurse license. While graduates can take the examination as many times as needed, pass rates are calculated only on the first attempt. The Oklahoma Board of Nursing publishes pass rates for all schools in state, listed alphabetically. Those rates are available here.

In addition to textbooks, you will need a laptop computer, uniforms comprised of one or two sets of scrubs and non-porous shoes, a basic model stethoscope, and a watch that shows seconds. Lab coats are optional. Some students choose to wear white T-shirts under scrubs. You will need the laptop computer before starting 3000-level nursing courses, but the other items can wait until you receive information about them early in the relevant course.

Please contact Debbie Taber, Nursing Advisor, via email at djtaber@okcu.edu or by phone at (405) 208-5924.

Contact the Melissa Jennings, Duncan and Comanche Program Advisor, via email at mmjennings@okcu.edu or by phone at (405) 208-5968.