Undergraduate Admission Policies

All applicants must meet the following admission criteria:

1. Formal application to the LHSON is required by the posted deadline for the specific term and track.
2. Applicants must be admitted to Baylor University or be a Baylor University student in good standing with priority given to those with two full semesters in residence.
3. Required prerequisite courses must be completed during the full academic semester prior to admission (Ex: prerequisites for fall admission must be completed by the end of the preceding spring semester). Post-Baccalaureate and Transfer students are not required to complete Chapel or a New Student Experience course. Accelerated track applicants do not have to complete the Foreign Languages or Communication / Fine Arts prerequisites.
4. A minimum grade of “C” (not “C-”) is mandatory in each prerequisite course. Applicants must achieve a minimum prerequisite GPA of 3.0, a minimum science GPA of 2.75, and a minimum overall cumulative GPA of 2.75.
5. Applicants may not repeat a prerequisite course (including pre-matriculated college courses) with a “C” or higher unless the prior attempt occurred more than 5 years prior to the program start. If an applicant repeats a course within 5 years, the first passing grade will be used for GPA calculations.
6. Applicants may repeat a prerequisite course (including pre-matriculated college courses) with a “C-“ or lower grade only once to earn a higher grade and may repeat a maximum of two prerequisite courses. A course repeated more than five years prior to the program start will not count as a repeat.  Repeats are determined by the prerequisite course category and not the specific course number / institution.
7. Applicants are required to pass a HESI A2 test with a minimum score of 80 on the Math section and 80 on the English Composite. The HESI A2 exam may be taken a maximum of three times with a 60 day wait period between attempts. There is a fee associated with the HESI A2 test.
8. Applicants for whom English is their second language are required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). The minimum score for admission consideration is a 4.0 (prior test scores also accepted include 560 Paper, 220 Computer, and 83 Internet). The TOEFL will be waived if a student meets one of Baylor’s circumstances for TOEFL exception. 
9. Applicants transferring with nursing credits are required to provide a letter of good standing from their former nursing program unless the last nursing course was taken more than five years prior to program start. Applicants may not transfer nursing courses to LHSON and prior nursing courses will not count as repeats.
10. LHSON has adopted core performance standards for admission and progression within the major. The core performance standards identify behaviors which are essential to the responsibilities of a student nurse. These include, but are not limited to, psychomotor and sensory abilities, critical thinking, and communication skills. Applicants must sign the core performance document provided by the LHSON signifying that they are able to meet these standards and behaviors.
11. Applicants must complete the pre-admission criminal background check required by the Texas Board of Nursing prior to orientation and/or any participation in course activities at the LHSON. All students, prior to the beginning of their first clinical rotation, are required to complete an additional more in-depth background screen and to pass a drug screen as outlined in the Undergraduate Student Handbook.  A positive drug screen and/or failure to clear either of the criminal background checks will prohibit the applicant from attending LHSON.
12. Applicants may be provisionally registered for the first semester classes pending official transcripts of required prerequisite courses. Students will not be allowed to register for future semesters if all official transcripts of required prerequisite courses taken are not on file with Baylor.
13. Acceptance to the LHSON is term specific. Applicants are not granted automatic deferment of acceptance.  Due to the competitive nature of admission to the nursing program, future acceptance to the LHSON is not guaranteed.