The RN to BSN wants a regionally accredited ADN, an active unencumbered US RN license, a 2.50 transfer GPA, and a C or higher in ENG 101, ENG 102, and an approved math course. The MS in Nursing wants a BSN, a 3.00 GPA across the last sixty hours, and the RN license in hand or obtainable in the first semester, with the Nursing Education track bridging RN-to-MS entrants through NUR 552 and NUR 553. Below the bar, ASU's Earned Admission pathway lets you prove in: a 2.75 in designated online coursework converts to full admission. Entry points ride the session calendar across fall, spring, and summer, so the next door is a matter of weeks, and the concurrent-enrollment RN to BSN even lets ADN students co-enroll before the associate degree finishes.
The gates, program by program
| Program | The gate | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| RN to BSN | ADN + RN license + 2.50 transfer GPA + C in ENG 101/102 and math | The ADN carries the lower division; the composition-and-math check is the one that surprises people |
| MS Nursing | BSN + 3.00 in the last 60 hours + license | License obtainable in semester one keeps new grads eligible |
| MS Nursing Education | Same, with the RN-to-MS bridge via NUR 552/553 | The bridge folds into the session map like any other pair of classes |
| DNP tracks | Program-specific, seven concentrations | Clinical rotation logistics belong to you and the program; ask the advisor early |
Earned Admission, used honestly
ASU's Earned Admission pathway is the network's most genuinely generous second door: complete designated online coursework at a 2.75 and the bar opens. Two honest notes ride with it. Those qualifying courses are real graded courses, run them supported if the margin that kept you out is still in play. And the pathway's whole value is the transcript it builds, which makes it exactly the wrong place for survival-grade work, the ledger applies from day one.
Starting strong on the session clock
- Send every transcript before choosing courses; the ADN's standing does the RN to BSN's heavy lifting
- Map your first 7.5-week session in its first sitting, per the session manual
- Nursing's C floor applies from the first course; the ladder manual is a week-one read
- Concurrent-enrollment students: two institutions, one calendar, map both before either bills
A session door opens within weeks
Send your program and transcript situation. The gate read and first-session map come back free.
Sources and verification
Facts on this page come from official and independent sources, and anything that matters is worth checking against the originals:
- nursingandhealth.asu.edu: Edson College's official site, primary source for admission gates
- asuonline.asu.edu: ASU Online's official hub, where Earned Admission and session calendars live
- catalog.asu.edu: the official ASU catalog
- www.ccneaccreditation.org: Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, the nursing accreditor
- apastyle.apa.org: APA Style, the official style authority