Overview
Career outlook
Employers hire BSN-prepared registered nurses for direct patient care as well as roles requiring expanded leadership, research, and community-health competencies across nearly every healthcare setting.
Getting in
What University of Iowa asks for, taken from its own admissions page.
What you'll need
- Essay
- Interview
- Transcripts
Direct admission (high school seniors): minimum 3.8 cumulative GPA, ACT 24 (Iowa resident) or 26 (nonresident) or SAT 1160/1230, UI application by November 2 and College of Nursing supplemental application by December 7, essays (1,500 characters each) and a required interview. Standard admission for current UI students: minimum 3.0 GPA, application opens December 1 and closes February 26, spring start, being phased out after February 2028.
Checked Oct 2026 on the school's site. Requirements change each cycle, so confirm before you apply.
Paths
Routes into BSN. The first step is where you enroll today.
CNA to BSN
Bridge from frontline care to a four-year nursing degree, with your patient-care hours working for you.
Georgia CNA to RN Pathway
Start as a Certified Nursing Assistant in Georgia and earn your Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Georgia State. Begin patient-care work in weeks, then ladder into a four-year BSN that prepares you to sit for the NCLEX-RN.
People
Acceptees whose paths lead to this program, and how they got in.
Anna
BSN grad from University of Iowa · class of 2025
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syd
BSN student at University of Iowa · Minnesota to Iowa
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Rayna
New grad nurse · UIowa alum · class of 2026
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Avery Galles
BSN grad from University of Iowa · new RN in Iowa
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user1016110805
BSN bound at University of Iowa · future RN
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Elizabeth Allore
BSN student · University of Iowa · Class of 2027
View pageFind your next step.
Getting in starts with a path. Pick one, then follow the people who already did it.