The University of Iowa College of Nursing is consistently ranked as one of the best nursing programs in the nation. Our graduates are sought after as highly skilled professionals who have received a rigorous education of the highest quality. Established in 1898, the UI College of Nursing has a rich history of preparing nurses to achieve excellence in clinical practice, research, and leading systems of health care. 

Direct Admission Program

Direct Admission to the College of Nursing is designed for high-achieving high school students. There are two direct admission options: early action or regular decision. Each cohort is comprised of 84 first-year students. You must meet the criteria below to be considered for either option.

Eligibility Requirements

  • Meet the high school course requirements:
    • 4 years of High School English
    • 1 year of High School Biology
    • 1 year of High School Chemistry
    • 1 year of High School Physics
    • 1 year of each: Algebra I, Algebra II, and Geometry
    • 3 years of High School Social Studies
    • Minimum 2nd-level proficiency in one world language
  • Present a cumulative high school GPA of 3.80 or higher (can be weighted or unweighted).

Standardized test scores will not be used as a part of the review process for Nursing; students will be required to meet all other direct admission requirements.

Qualified applicants may submit a supplemental application for Direct Admission. Those who meet all eligibility criteria will have their applications reviewed. The written portion of the Direct Admission application has a deadline of Dec. 16, 2024. The interview portion of the application will be conducted in January 2025, with admission decisions in February 2025.

Students not offered Direct Admission may be added to a waitlist. Students who aren’t directly admitted enroll in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, then apply for Standard Admission to the College of Nursing after (or while) completing prerequisites, typically in spring of their second year.

International Students: see the specific TOEFL requirements.

Application Process

The first step is to apply for admission to the University of Iowa via the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and indicate Nursing Interest as the major area of study.

First-Year Admission to Liberal Arts & Sciences

Qualified Iowa residents will see the link to the Supplemental Application on their Admission Profile in MyUI shortly after applying to the University of Iowa (can sometimes take several days to a week). Qualified nonresident students will begin seeing the supplemental application in October. Students will be notified via email when the supplemental app is available.

To be considered for Direct Admission, students must submit the Supplemental Application which includes essay questions, information regarding activities/experiences, and an official high school transcript. Without these components, an application is considered incomplete and will not be reviewed.

Please have official high school transcripts mailed to:

Enrollment Management
2900 University Capitol Centre
201 S. Clinton St.
Iowa City, IA 52242

Electronic transcripts can be sent to admissions@uiowa.edu; however, for transcripts to be considered official, they must be sent directly from the student’s school.

The written portion of the Direct Admission application has a deadline of Dec. 16, 2024.

Once the deadline for the written portion of the application has passed, all eligible applicants will be invited via email (in early January 2025) to schedule an interview with members of the College of Nursing Admissions Committee. These interviews will be conducted virtually during the month of January 2025. Applicants will be interviewed in small groups and asked to respond to open-ended questions from the committee members. Feedback from the applicants’ responses will be used, along with the feedback from the written application, to make decisions about admission to the College of Nursing. 

All complete Direct Admission applications will be reviewed by the faculty admission committee. Admission is competitive, thus, meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission. Admission decisions will be made in February 2025.

Components of the Supplemental Application

The Supplemental Application includes several essay questions and an opportunity to provide information about activities, experiences, and leadership (including work and/or volunteering).

The essay questions are a very important part of your application. We recommend you prepare responses in a separate document (using Microsoft Word or a similar program) and paste them into the text boxes in the supplemental application. Preparing your response in a separate document will allow you to check your spelling and save your responses should you want to refer to them at a later date. Each essay question has a 1,500-character limit.

Students also have the opportunity to submit an activities and work/volunteer experiences and can mention several activities they have been involved in within the past five years that they would like to share with the faculty. This information is an equally important part of the faculty review process.

Application deadline

Direct Admission: December 16, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. is the submission deadline for the Nursing Supplemental Application and official documents.

Applicants will receive an admission decision in February 2025.

Application Deadlines

Direct Admission

Dec. 16, 2024 at 11:59 p.m.