BSN Application Procedure for Undergraduate Students
- Schedule a Visit to Otterbein to meet with a faculty member and your admission counselor.
- Apply to Otterbein University as a Pre-Nursing major (see admission requirements below).
- Pre-Nursing students are reviewed for admission into the nursing program during the spring of their freshman year. Pre-nursing students must submit the Nursing Application Form through the department of Nursing by the last Friday of January, during the freshman year, to be eligible for consideration.
BSN Application Procedure for Adult and Transfer Students
Adult and Transfer BSN Applicants must complete the Otterbein University Undergraduate Application. Submit separate official transcripts from all previous college work to the Office of Adult and Transfer Student Services.
Students transferring to Otterbein into the nursing major must submit a Nursing Application Form through the Office of Admission, to the Nursing Department after obtaining admission to the University. For consideration, applications must be received by the last Friday of January. Notification of admission status will be mailed by end of March.
Are you interested in an exciting dynamic academic experience that will prepare you for a fast growing, challenging health care profession with numerous career development opportunities?
A career as a bachelors’ prepared professional registered nurse may be for you.
Why Nursing?
- Nursing is a fast growing field (faster than average for all occupations) and is expected to see a 15 percent growth in jobs from 2016-2026 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).
- Growth will occur due to an increased emphasis on preventative care, growing rates of chronic conditions, and demand for health care services from the baby-boom population.
Why Study Nursing at Otterbein?
- We are proud of our reputation for producing quality nurses who are caring, confident and committed to their patients and their profession.
- You will learn from faculty who are not only nationally certified experts in their fields, but also committed to providing you with the personalized attention and supportive environment you need to be successful.
- Use of evidence-based teaching and active learning throughout the curriculum.
- State of the art skills laboratories include patient simulators and mobile simulation equipment that provide realism in learning to promote critical thinking and clinical skill development.
- Your clinical placements will begin with your first nursing course and continue throughout your nursing education at a variety of healthcare systems in the Columbus area including Ohio Health and Mount Carmel including a critical care clinical and pediatric clinical at Nationwide Children’s Hospital.
- Senior year immersion course where students spend their final semester 1:1 with a nurse preceptor which provides on the job training and connection to future employers.
- You will receive excellent preparation for taking the NCLEX licensure exam; currently 100% of our graduates pass on the first attempt.
- The program includes a nursing elective option to allow you to study an area of nursing interest in more depth for example-perioperative experience, end-of –life care, complementary and alternative therapies.
- There are options for participation in the honors program and National Nursing Honor Society –the Kappa Lambda Chapter is our local chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International.
- Opportunities for service learning and volunteering at the local level and beyond including study abroad options.
What can you do with a nursing degree from Otterbein?
Nursing is a career which has countless opportunities to explore and grow.
- 100% job placement rate of graduates after passing the licensure exam.
Career advancement opportunities include specialty certification, or continued advancement as a nurse practitioner, nurse mid-wife, nursing educator or nurse anesthetist.
Date Posted: July 30, 2025
An accreditation review of the Otterbein Nursing Program is scheduled by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) for October 27-29, 2025. Written third-party comments will be received by CCNE until 21 days before the scheduled evaluation. All third-party comments submitted to CCNE must be written in English and must be received by CCNE by October 6, 2025. All comments are to be directed to thirdpartycomments@ccneaccreditation.org and should indicate that you are sending comments about the Otterbein Nursing Program. Comments will be read by the review team but will not be shared with anyone associated with the program.
Pre Admission Requirements
To be admitted to the BSN program, you must first be admitted to Otterbein University.
Completion of the following courses at a “C” level or above by the end of spring semester, the year you plan to enter nursing (for traditional students, this is the end of their freshman year):
- Chemistry 1100 and 1110 General Chemistry & Lab
- Chemistry 1200 Survey of Bio-Organic Chemistry
- Integrative Studies 1500 Freshman English
- Psychology 1000 General Psychology
- Psychology 2000 Developmental Psychology
- BIOL 1810 Anatomy & Physiology I
- BIOL 1820 Anatomy & Physiology II
Minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
Prerequisite courses with a grade less than a C must be repeated. Earning less than a C on the initial attempt at math, science, or nursing courses may negatively influence your admission status.
Guaranteed Admission Requirements
Each academic year, select high school senior applicants to the Otterbein nursing program will be given guaranteed admission into the nursing major. These select candidates must have either (a) a minimum high school GPA of 3.5 (ACT optional) or (b) a minimum high school GPA of 3.2 and an ACT Composite Score of 22 or higher. The guarantee is only applied to your first academic year. Guaranteed admission students must still meet the prerequisites required for all pre-nursing first-year students to progress from pre-nursing into the BSN program their sophomore year.
Accreditation
“The baccalaureate degree program in nursing, master’s degree program in nursing, Doctor of Nursing Practice program, and post-graduate APRN certificate program at Otterbein University are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (http://www.ccneaccreditation.org).”
Department of Nursing Mission Statement
The Department of Nursing is committed to quality nursing education that uses a holistic caring framework to promote quality and safe healthcare. Our mission encourages personal and professional development of faculty, staff and students. An appreciation for diverse perspectives and humane values is central to the mission. Building on a liberal arts education and a strong science foundation, the goal of the Department of Nursing is to prepare lifelong learners who are committed to the profession, the community, and to meeting changing health care needs of society.
| Student Learning Outcomes | University Learning Goals (KMERI*) |
| 1. Synthesize knowledge and values from the arts and sciences of a liberal education to provide competent nursing care for diverse patient populations. | Knowledgeable |
| 2. Apply innovative quality and safety processes within clinical Microsystems, using leadership skills of ethical and critical decision-making, inter-professional collaboration and conflict resolution. | Engaged |
| 3. Apply the principles of research and evidence-based practice to improve patient care outcomes. | Responsible |
| 4. Discover, retrieve, and utilize technology and other sources of information to enhance nursing practice. | Multi-literate |
| 5. Apply human, fiscal and material resources to achieve quality health care outcomes, considering organizational and environmental forces. | Inquisitive |
| 6. Demonstrate inter- and intra-professional communication and collaboration skills to deliver evidence-based, patient-centered care to diverse patient populations. | Inquisitive |
| 7. Implement evidenced-based, culturally competent, holistic nursing care that respects patient and family preferences across the health illness continuum and in all health care settings. | Responsible |
| 8. Integrate professionalism by applying the principles of commitment, competence, compassion, confidence, conscience and conduct in order to achieve optimal health outcomes for diverse patient populations. | Responsible |
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