The University of Arkansas at Monticello Homepage

All programs offered in the School of Nursing are approved by the Arkansas State Board of Nursing. Upon graduation, the student is qualified to take the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) to become a registered nurse.

Disclaimer

Care has been taken to ensure the information within the website of the School of Nursing at the University of Arkansas is accurate and complete. However, due to constraining events and/or circumstances which may necessitate change, the School of Nursing (SON) faculty reserve the right to amend information contained with this SON website when necessary.

Organizational Chart
BSN Mission, Philosophy, and Organizing Framework
LPN - RN Mission, Philosophy, and Organizing Framework
AASN Organizing Framework
BSN Organizing Framework

School of Nursing Application

All undergraduate programs (AASN and BSN) start in May.  The deadline to apply is March 1. To apply for the undergraduate nursing programs, call the nursing department for an appointment at 870-460-1069.  During that appointment, the application process is explained to ensure applications are submitted correctly.  This application appointment is for the AASN and BSN programs only.  Applicants to the Graduation Program (MSN) should click on the "Graduate Degree Information" tab. 

Admission Requirements

Prior to applying to the AASN or BSN program, applicants must take the National League for Nursing (NLN) Pre-Admission Examination (PAX) with a score at 119 or above the national reported mean.  Applicants should follow the instructions to purchase and take the PAX exam by clicking here: NLN Testing Services.

Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) Degree [pre-licensure]
A student must successfully complete all general education and nursing supportive requirements before entering the nursing sequence. All applicants are required to:
1. Meet all University admission requirements;
2. Have a UAM cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher;
3. Submit a letter of good standing from the dean/director from all Registered Nursing programs that the student has ever attended;
4. ACT total composite score of 16 or higher;
5. Completion of the National League for Nursing (NLN) Pre-admission test (PAX) with a score at or above the national reported mean and;
6. Complete all general education and nursing supportive requirements with at least a “C” or better grade AND maintain a GPA of 2.0 or better in both sets of requirements.

RN-BSN Advanced Placement Program
RNs with an Associate Degree or nursing diploma from an accredited nursing school may apply for the RN to BSN Advanced Placement Program. RNs complete the same general education and supportive courses as students enrolled in the pre-licensure BSN program but have a specified program for completing theory and clinical nursing course requirements. The RN will receive credit for 33 semester hours to be held in escrow until successful completion of the program. All clinical experiences are preceptored at approved facilities. RNs may progress through the program using a 12-month accelerated option or a 24-month extended option. RN applicants may be required to provide demonstration of nursing skills competency through written and/or performance-based testing as defined by the Arkansas Nursing Education Progression Model. All applicants are required to:
1. Meet all University admission requirements;
2. Have a UAM cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher;
3. Complete all general education and supportive requirements with a grade of “C” or better AND maintain a GPA of 2.0 or better in both sets of requirements;
4. Submit a letter of recommendation from a current or most recent RN supervisor;
5. Have and maintain current unencumbered Arkansas RN license (or compact multi-state tag); and
6. Submit a letter of good standing from the dean/director from all Registered Nursing BSN programs ever attended.

NOTE: Applicants seeking admission to the nursing program through advanced placement should meet with the School of Nursing dean. Candidates for this degree must complete 30 hours of coursework at the University of Arkansas at Monticello.

LPN to BSN Advanced Placement Program
Applicants admitted to the nursing sequence who graduated 24 months or less from a practical nursing program must complete a validation examination with a score of greater than or equal to 75% to receive advanced placement credit for NURS 311V. The validation examination may only be taken once. Applicants admitted who graduated 25 months or more from a practical nursing program must take course NURS 311V, and thereby do not qualify for advanced placement. All applicants are required to:
1. Meet all University admission requirements;
2. Have a UAM cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher;
3. Complete all general education and supportive requirements with a grade of “C” or better AND maintain a GPA of 2.0 or better in both categories of requirements;
4. Submit a letter of recommendation from a current or most recent RN supervisor;
5. Have and maintain a current unencumbered Arkansas LPN license (or compact multi-state tag); and
6. Submit a letter of good standing from the dean/director from all Registered Nursing programs that the student has ever attended.

7. ACT toal composite score of 16 or higher.

LPN-RN Associate of Applied Science in Nursing (AASN) Degree
A student must be a licensed LPN to be eligible for the AASN program. The student must successfully complete all general education and nursing supportive requirements before entering the nursing sequence. All applicants are required to:
1. Meet all University admission requirements;
2. Have a UAM cumulative GPA of 2.00 or higher;
3. Complete all general education and supportive requirements with a grade of “C” or better AND maintain a GPA of 2.0 or better in each category of requirements;
4. Submit a letter of recommendation from the student’s current or most recent RN supervisor;
5. Have a current unencumbered Arkansas LPN license (or compact multi-state tag);
6. Submit a letter of good standing from the dean/director from all Registered Nursing programs that the student has ever attended;
7. ACT total composite score of 16 or higher OR 5,500 LPN practice hours in the past three years of application.  Proof of LPN practice hours must come in the form of a letter from the applicant’s employer Human Resource department. The letter must be on employer letterhead with a contact name and phone number listed for verification.
8. Completion of the National League for Nursing (NLN) Pre-admission test (PAX) with a score at or above the national reported mean.

 

Accelerate pre-licensure BSN track
The accelerated track allows incoming freshmen who earned 18 college credit hours of BSN degree general/supportive courses to accelerate their degree and finish in six semesters with two summer terms verses eight semesters with one summer term. Students eligible for the accelerated track must have an ACT composite score of 22, and completed (with a grade of C or better) or received Advanced Placement credit for Composition 1 and Composition 2. Students eligible for this track must enroll in Anatomy and Physiology I and II with the respected labs during the initial summer terms after high school graduation.

Ranking of Students for Admission
Students are ranked based on ACT scores, NLN PAX test scores, and GPAs. The PAX test scores must be at the national average during the testing time frame. Applicant GPAs are calculated using only the general education and nursing supportive requirements completed at the time of application. Students must complete all outstanding coursework with a grade of “C” or better by the end of the Spring semester to be considered for admission. RN-BSN applicants are allowed nine credit hours of outstanding coursework, however, completion of all coursework prior to starting the nursing sequence is highly suggested.