www.calstatela.edu/page/accelerated-bachelor-science-nursing

Patricia A. Chin School of Nursing

Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing - ABSN Program

(formerly known as Entry Level Master's in Nursing - ELMN)

Summer 2024 Application Procedure

The ABSN program is for non-RN students who have a bachelor’s degree in a field

other than nursing (this degree must have been obtained by the end of fall 2023 or

earlier, in order to apply). Students admitted to the ABSN summer 2024 program will

begin classes on Monday, June 3rd, 2024. A BSN degree will be awarded upon

successful completion of this 15-month program.

ABSN students who are interested in our MSN program must have successfully

completed the ABSN program prior to the start of this graduate program, and have

successfully passed the NCLEX-RN exam before the start of their second semester of

the MSN program. MSN applicants will be considered for this graduate program if an

application to Cal State Apply is submitted during the required time period, and they

have participated in the MSN program interview process. MSN faculty option

coordinators will make the final decisions for admittance into this graduate nursing

program.

For the 2024 cycle we are transitioning to a digital application process utilizing

the nursing CAS website for documentation submission.

DO NOT BRING YOUR ABSN APPLICATION MATERIALS IN PERSON.

The application procedure for the ABSN program is a four-step process:

Our application cycle will open on Wednesdays, November 1, 2023 and will close

on Tuesday, January 09, 2024.

• Step One: Submission of the following ABSN application materials (electronic)

to NURSING CAS: Two letters of recommendation, personal essay, a resume

outlining health care experience both paid and volunteer and ONE official/sealed

transcripts from each college attended, even if our ABSN program does not

require the coursework. One set of these official transcripts must show proof of

an awarded baccalaureate degree in a field other than nursing. If you are taking

any college courses during fall 2023, include one unofficial transcript from the fall

semester.

Please note that the earliest date that you can order official transcripts is June 1,

2023.

www.calstatela.edu/page/accelerated-bachelor-science-nursing

o Regardless of U.S. residency, if your undergraduate (or advanced)

degree was not awarded by an institution where English is the principal

language of instruction, you must submit your qualifying English

Language Proficiency Exam scores by January 09, 2024 to Nursing CAS.

Results must be from exams taken within two years of the program’s start

date. For more information about this requirement and minimum qualifying

scores, visit www.calstatela.edu/admissions/english-language-

proficiency.

o If you attended a non-U.S./foreign college/university that does not issue

official transcripts in English, please plan to also submit a certified English

mirror/direct word-for-word translation (not interpretation) with the official

transcript. To find a certified translator, visit https://www.atanet.org/ and

access the ATA search directory. A letter grade for all classes and a

cumulative grade point average (GPA) using a 4.0 scale is needed.

• Step Two: Applicants for the ABSN program at Cal State LA submit their

university application at a different time than other prospective students. The

ABSN program at Cal State LA is one of several programs offered through the

College of Professional and Global Education (PaGE). Only those students who

have met the ABSN program’s academic eligibility requirements will be contacted

and instructed by PaGE representatives on how and when to apply to the

University using Cal State Apply: https://www2.calstate.edu/apply. This Cal

State Apply application process will take place during February 2024 not in

november. Applications to the University that are submitted outside of the

designated timeframe will be considered invalid, and the Cal State Apply

application fee will not be refunded. Please do not apply through Cal State

Apply unless you are directed to do so.

• Step Three: If you are interested in requesting financial aid, applicants must

complete an application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the applicable

academic year at https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa. The application

process for FAFSA is best done between October 2023 and the beginning of

March 2024 for priority processing. All applicants are strongly urged to complete

the FAFSA form as scholarships are also tied to this application.

• Step Four: The ATI Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS) must be taken

from June 1, 2023 through January 09, 2024, and may only be taken once during

this timeframe. Applicants are responsible for Submitting their ATI TEAS test

results to the Nursing CAS website. The score report that we require is titled,

“individual performance profile, and contains a bar graph with your national and

program rank percentile scores”. Do not rely on ATI to send your test results to

our school of nursing. You may download your results and include it in your

ABSN application on Nursing CAS. The ABSN Program Coordinator must

receive your test results by the deadline date of Tuesday, January 09, 2024.

www.calstatela.edu/page/accelerated-bachelor-science-nursing

Test results received after January 09 will be considered invalid and the applicant

will not be considered for our ABSN 2024 program.

NOTE: The ABSN program is administered on a self-support basis by the College of

Professional and Global Education (PaGE). ABSN Summer 2024 course fees will be

$595.00 per semester unit (53 units for the program). The total tuition cost of the ABSN

portion will be approximately $32,000.00. If students are admitted into the MSN

program, the tuition for that program will be at the University's traditional full-time

graduate student rate.

Students who qualify for the Cal-Vet Fee Waiver should note that it only waives

statewide mandated fees. Self-support (extension) fees are not waived. Therefore, the

Cal-Vet Fee Waiver cannot be used for any program or courses offered by the College

of Professional and Global Education. This includes the ABSN program and Open

University. Contact the Cal State LA Veterans Resource Office at (323) 343-5080 to

inquire about educational programs that qualify under the Cal-Vet fee waiver program at

Cal State LA.

All ABSN applicants must have completed the following prerequisites (or their

equivalents as determined by the ABSN program coordinator) with at least a “C” grade

or higher, with the exception of the four science with lab courses which must be

completed with at least a “B” grade or higher, in order to be considered as an

eligible ABSN applicant:

• Human Anatomy with lab and Physiology with lab I & II (BIOL 2010, 4

semester units & BIOL 2020, 4 semester units, Cal State LA or Equivalent)

• Microbiology with lab (MICRO 2010, 3 semester units & 2020, 1 semester

unit, Cal State LA or Equivalent)

• Chemistry with lab (CHEM 1010, 4 semester units, Cal State LA or

Equivalent)

• Inferential Statistics (MATH 2740, 3 semester units, Cal State LA or

Equivalent)

• Critical Thinking (COMM 1200, ENGL 1050, 3 semester units Cal State LA

or Equivalent)

• Each prerequisite course may only be repeated once, and the course grades

from both attempts will be averaged. All four sciences with lab prerequisite

courses must be completed by the end of the fall 2023 quarter/semester in

order to apply for the ABSN summer 2024 program.

www.calstatela.edu/page/accelerated-bachelor-science-nursing

• Prerequisite equivalency will be evaluated based on two factors: 1) the number of

units, each course must meet the minimum units as it’s CSULA equivalent 4

semester units or six quarter units. 2) The course description and syllabus must

fulfill similar course learning objectives ie. Biology will not meet the Microbiology

requirement.

• Any other prerequisites aside from the sciences that have not been

completed by the end of fall 2023 must be discussed with the ABSN

program coordinator. If an approval to apply is granted by the ABSN program

coordinator, proof of concurrent enrollment of the remaining pre-requisite(s) will

be required. Successful completion of the remaining pre-requisite(s) must be

before May 1, 2024. Two expedited official transcript copies must be requested

and sent to the ABSN program coordinator. Priority for admission may be

granted to those who have already completed all of their required courses and

have submitted all of their official transcripts.

• *** The following three courses are required for Graduation. It is highly

recommended that they be completed prior to the start of the program as they

are not part of the ABSN course work and the student will have to take them in

addition to Current ABSN course work.

o Human Growth and Development (PSY 1600 - 3 semester units, Cal

State LA - Lifespan psychology course covering birth to later life or

Equivalent)

o Intro to Sociology or Cultural Anthropology (SOC 2010 - 3 semester

units or ANTH 1500 - 3 semester units, Cal State LA, or Equivalent)

o Human Nutrition (NTRS 2500 or NTRS 3170 - 3 semester units, Cal

State LA or Equivalent)

• All applicants are required to be computer literate, and must be able to use word

processing (Word, PPT), email, and data search programs.

• The main vehicle of communication will be via email. Applicants will receive

verification that their application materials have been received by the school of

nursing - ABSN program via the email address listed on his or her ABSN school

of nursing summer 2024 application form.

• We expect to admit up to 30 students once each year, who begin their program

at the start of summer. A mandatory orientation day for those admitted to the

ABSN summer 2024 program will take place on either Saturday, April 20 2024.

ABSN applicants should keep this date available.

www.calstatela.edu/page/accelerated-bachelor-science-nursing

• The ABSN summer 2024 program will begin Mondday, June 3. Prior to starting

the program, accepted students will be given instructions as to our required

background check process. Admitted individuals should be ready to provide an

American Heart Association BLS health care provider (CPR) certification card,

documentation of their immunization records, and proof of driver's license, car

insurance and health insurance.

• Students accepted into this program will be able to apply for an annual Federal

Direct Loan in the amount of $12,500 twice during the initial pre-licensure

(ABSN) portion of the program. Students who need to supplement these loan

amounts may want to consider obtaining a private loan.

• The ABSN program requires full-time study. For each regular school term and

the two summer sessions, there will typically be two or more lecture courses and

one or two laboratory courses. The program additionally has a required course

during the winter intersession. An overall GPA of 3.0 or higher must be

maintained while in the ABSN program to remain in good academic standing,

with no course grade lower than a "C".

• Successful completion of the ABSN program in good academic standing enables

the student to be considered for entry into the MSN program if they apply to Cal

State Apply during the required time period and participate in the MSN program

interview process. MSN option coordinators will make the final admittance

decisions for the graduate nursing program based upon the interviews and

student application materials. ABSN students who enter the MSN program must

pass the NCLEX-RN licensure exam in order to continue into the second

semester of the program. They will not be allowed to register for the spring

semester until they have done so.

Important ABSN Summer 2024 application requirements:

• An official transcript awarding a Bachelor’s degree in a field other than nursing

with a preferred GPA of 3.0 or higher. Transcripts must also show a strong

academic record with a minimum GPA of 3.0 in the last 90 quarter units or 60

semester units. In addition, a grade of “B” or higher is required in all four

sciences with lab pre-requisite courses.

• Completion of the specific standardized examination (ATI TEAS- Test of

Essential Academic Skills) is required (we do not accept the GRE). Information

about the exam itself can be found on the organization’s website

www.atitesting.com. Due to the current pandemic, we are allowing our

ABSN summer 2024 applicants to take the ATI TEAS on a remote basis. Cal

State LA serves as a test site but arrangements may be made to take the exam

at any authorized ATI testing location or at a PSI testing center. *It is the

www.calstatela.edu/page/accelerated-bachelor-science-nursing

applicant’s responsibility to download, print and mail the ATI TEAS results

directly to Cal State LA’s School of Nursing/ABSN Program Coordinator. Your

national percentile rank score must be 70% or higher in each of the four

categories, in order to be considered an eligible applicant. For the ABSN

summer 2023 program, the ATI TEAS exam may only be taken ONCE,

between June 1, 2023 and January 09, 2024. If the applicant has taken the ATI

TEAS prior to June 1, 2021, they must wait a minimum of six months (180 days)

before taking the ATI TEAS for Cal State LA's ABSN program. An ATI TEAS test

taken before June 1, 2023 will not count.

• A typed essay (NO more than two pages, double-spaced) highlighting

professional goals, including your reason for entering the nursing profession and

qualifications to do so.

• Two letters of recommendation written within the past year on official company

letterhead (there is no designated recommendation letterform for the ABSN

program). Recommendation letters should be work, academic, or healthcare

experience related (e.g. from an employer, supervisor, or college professor). The

writer should address your academic ability, and characteristics that qualify you

for this program and the nursing profession.

• Non-RN health care experience is strongly encouraged in order to be a

competitive applicant (e.g. CNA, MA or EMT certification/work experience,

hospital volunteer experience that includes direct patient care, paid researcher or

college research assistant, college teaching assistant in the sciences, medical

missions, and other community service/volunteer experience related to

healthcare).

• Based upon the quality of their application materials, the most competitive

applicants will be invited for an interview on zoom. ABSN program admission

decisions by the school of nursing will be communicated to all applicants via their

e-mail address on or before Friday, March 29, 2024. Admission to the school of

nursing/ABSN program is also dependent on acceptance to the university itself.

Final admission decisions will be made based upon this staged review process.