Contact

Shannon Kiser Headshots

Shannon Kiser

Pre-Nursing Advisor
Nursing Building
P843-863-7029
Eskiser@csuniv.edu

Admissions Office

Hunter Center
9200 University Blvd., Charleston SC 29406
P843-863-7050
Eenroll@csuniv.edu

Traditional Bachelor of Science in Nursing

The traditional Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree at Charleston Southern University is a four-year program. The first year focuses primarily on general education and the sciences, while the following three years dive deep into nursing and clinical experiences. Students receive experiential learning from the start, with human patient simulators in CSU labs, as well as real-life clinical experience in various hospital and community agencies in the Lowcountry.

Students may enter the program as freshmen, transfers, or with a change of major by the sophomore year. This is a highly competitive program, and the Charleston Southern BSN program graduates successfully pass the NCLEX-RN at a rate of 97% or greater.

A nursing student inserting an air tube into a mannequin patient

Admissions Requirements

Step 1: Apply and be accepted to CSU!

After acceptance at CSU and during registration, your pre-nursing advisor will begin enrolling you in pre-requisite nursing courses. Meet with your nursing academic advisor at least once each semester to review academic progress and plans.

Students previously enrolled in a nursing program may be eligible for admission into the Charleston Southern University Nursing Program. To be eligible, the student must submit a signed letter of reference from either the Dean or Director of the previous program stating their ability to return.

Step 2: Submit application to the nursing program

Required Pre-Nursing Prerequisite Courses (Suggested Sequence)

  • ENGL 111 English Composition I 3 Credits
  • MATH 105   Intro to Math Structures * 3 Credits
  • CHEM 110 Concepts of Chemistry w/Lab 4 Credits
  • BIOL 226 Anatomy & Physiology I w/Lab 4 Credits
  • ENGL 112 English Composition II  3 Credits
  • PSYC 110 General Psychology 3 Credits
  • BIOL 220 Microbiology w/Lab 4 Credits
  • BIOL 227 Anatomy & Physiology II w/Lab 4 Credits
  • NURS 104 Basic Pathophysiology (or approved Pathophysiology course) 3 Credits 

Total Prerequisite Credit Hours: 31

*Statistics does not satisfy math prerequisite for the BSN program.

To be eligible for admission into the Charleston Southern University Nursing Program, students are only allowed one retake in two of their prerequisite courses. For example, a student may retake Microbiology once and Anatomy and Physiology II once. This does not include the required retake of courses that fall outside the timeframe of eligible acceptance. Please refer to table below.

Course TakenEligibility Timeframe
PathophysiologyTaken within 3 years of program acceptance
Math
Math 105 (or equivalent)
Taken within 5 years of program acceptance
Science 
Anatomy & Physiology I
Anatomy & Physiology I Lab
Anatomy & Physiology II
Anatomy & Physiology II Lab
Microbiology
Taken within 5 years of program acceptance

For transfer credit consideration, please refer to the Office of the Registrar website. All transfer credits must have been awarded a grade of C or higher for College of Nursing credit.

Students applying for fall admission may be accepted with the contingency of completing one prerequisite course during the summer. All prerequisite courses must be completed by the beginning of the fall semester.

Step 3: Prepare and Submit application to the nursing program

At this point, prepare your application for admission into CSU’s nursing program and submit by fall or spring application deadlines. The BSN program at CSU is a competitive-entry program and admission to the university does not guarantee admission to the nursing program.

Requirements for consideration for admission:

  • Minimum GPA of 2.90 in prerequisite courses or a minimum Kaplan Entrance Exam score in each of the following categories: 
    • Math – 90
    • Science – 70
    • Reading – 88
    • Writing – 75
    • Critical Thinking – 75
  • At least a grade of “C” in all prerequisite courses.

Other considerations by Admissions Committee may include but are not limited to:

  • Number of hours completed at CSU
  • Grade earned in approved Pathophysiology course
  • Score from Kaplan Nursing Admission Exam 
  • Interview with Admissions Committee 

Admitted students will be enrolled in first semester 200 level nursing courses. 

Upon admission into the Nursing Program at Charleston Southern University, the student will receive (via email) a compliance checklist. All components of the checklist must be completed and uploaded into CastleBranch by the date indicated in the email. Failure to fully complete and upload this checklist by the due date will result in the student being unenrolled from their nursing courses.  An alternate applicant will be notified and enrolled.

Official transcripts may be submitted for review through April 1.


Early Acceptance Eligibility

Either test (SAT or the ACT) can be used to qualify a student for early acceptance, but all three requirements must be met to be qualify.

SAT Requirements

  • Total score of 1270 or higher
  • 650 or higher on Reading & Writing
  • 620 or higher on Math portion

ACT Requirements

  • Composite score of 26 or higher
  • 21 or higher on English portion
  • 21 or higher on Math portion

Two of the following three criteria MUST be met:

  • GPA of 3.5 or higher
  • Current class rank – Top 20%
  • Evidence of AP or Dual Credit course enrollment

If you have Early Acceptance, you will have a spot reserved to begin the nursing program in your sophomore year. This allows you to bypass the competitive entry of the general admission pool that takes place in a student’s freshman year.

Early Acceptance is a provisional acceptance and is contingent upon the student meeting certain prerequisite requirements during his or her freshman year at CSU.

  • Must be a first-time freshman.
  • Complete the Pre-Nursing Prerequisite Courses earning a “C” or better for each semester.
  • Pass the Kaplan Test (determined by the ranking of current class).

Early Acceptance requires a separate application process from the general admission application to the university. Use the application here. Applications must be received by the end of Add/Drop period during the first semester of the student’s freshman year at Charleston Southern University.

You will receive confirmation of Early Acceptance within 1-2 weeks after receipt of your application.


Tuition Cost

View Tuition & Costs here.


Time

8 semesters. Fall and Spring admission offered.

Contact Information

Your enrollment counselor will be your reference for any questions regarding admissions, financial aid, housing and to submit any documents during the application process. Admissions coordinates with the College of Nursing during this process.

If you have admissions-related questions, please contact enroll@csuniv.edu.

Curriculum

  • COMM 110 – Public Speaking (3 hours)
  • BIOL 345 – Nutrition (3 hours)
  • NURS 203 – Health Assessment (4 hours)
  • NURS 215 – Fundamentals of Nursing (5 hours)
  • NURS 221 – Clinical Pharm Concepts I (2 hours)

17 credit hours

 

Nursing Content Concentration (3-12 hours)

Students must take NURS 260 at CSU which is required for graduation; the other courses are optional but will apply towards your degree requirements. NURS 260 Lifespan Development (3 ch), NURS 300 Informatics (3 ch), NURS 313 Alternative Therapies (3ch), NURS 314 Ethical Issues (3ch), NURS 315 Genetics (3ch), NURS 316 Forensics (3ch)

  • Foreign Language (3 hours)
  • Intro to Computer Systems (3 hours)
  • Art or Music Appreciation (3 hours)
  • Clinical Pharm Concepts II (3 hours)
  • Adult Health I (5 hours)

17 credit hours

 

Nursing Content Concentration (3-12 hours)

Students must take NURS 260 at CSU which is required for graduation; the other courses are optional but will apply towards your degree requirements. NURS 260 Lifespan Development (3 ch), NURS 300 Informatics (3 ch), NURS 313 Alternative Therapies (3ch), NURS 314 Ethical Issues (3ch), NURS 315 Genetics (3ch), NURS 316 Forensics (3ch)

  • World Civilization (3 hours)
  • CHST 112 – Survey of New Testament (3 hours)
  • NURS 260 – Lifespan Development (3 hours)
  • NURS 323 – Maternity Nursing (4 hours)
  • NURS 331 – Adult Health II (5 hours)

18 credit hours

 

Nursing Content Concentration (3-12 hours)

Students must take NURS 260 at CSU which is required for graduation; the other courses are optional but will apply towards your degree requirements. NURS 260 Lifespan Development (3 ch), NURS 300 Informatics (3 ch), NURS 313 Alternative Therapies (3ch), NURS 314 Ethical Issues (3ch), NURS 315 Genetics (3ch), NURS 316 Forensics (3ch)

  • PSYC 305 – Behavioral Stats for Health Prof. (3 hours)
  • 200 Level Survey of English/American Literature (3 hours)
  • NURS 322 – Psych/Mental Health Nursing (3 hours)
  • NURS 324 – Pediatric Nursing (4 hours)
  • NURS 325 – Gerontology (2 hours)

16 credit hours

 

Nursing Content Concentration (3-12 hours)

Students must take NURS 260 at CSU which is required for graduation; the other courses are optional but will apply towards your degree requirements. NURS 260 Lifespan Development (3 ch), NURS 300 Informatics (3 ch), NURS 313 Alternative Therapies (3ch), NURS 314 Ethical Issues (3ch), NURS 315 Genetics (3ch), NURS 316 Forensics (3ch)

  • POLI 201 or History Elective (3 hours)
  • NURS 405 – Research in Healthcare (3 hours)
  • NURS 409 – Community Health Nursing (4 hours)
  • NURS 431 – Adult Health III (4 hours)

14 credit hours

 

Nursing Content Concentration (3-12 hours)

Students must take NURS 260 at CSU which is required for graduation; the other courses are optional but will apply towards your degree requirements. NURS 260 Lifespan Development (3 ch), NURS 300 Informatics (3 ch), NURS 313 Alternative Therapies (3ch), NURS 314 Ethical Issues (3ch), NURS 315 Genetics (3ch), NURS 316 Forensics (3ch)

  • NURS 404 – Leadership/Management (5 hours)
  • NURS 430 – Capstone: Prep/Prof Role (2 hours)
  • NURS 432 – Adult Health IV (5 hours)

12 credit hours

 

Nursing Content Concentration (3-12 hours)

Students must take NURS 260 at CSU which is required for graduation; the other courses are optional but will apply towards your degree requirements. NURS 260 Lifespan Development (3 ch), NURS 300 Informatics (3 ch), NURS 313 Alternative Therapies (3ch), NURS 314 Ethical Issues (3ch), NURS 315 Genetics (3ch), NURS 316 Forensics (3ch)

Non-Nursing Prerequisite, Core, and Supporting – 62
Pre-Nursing Professional Foundation – 3
Nursing Major – 61
Nursing Concentration – 3
Total credit hours required for graduation – 129

Program Outcomes

PROGRAM OUTCOMEEXPECTED LEVEL OF ACHIEVEMENTRESULTS
NCLEX-RN Pass Rate80% of students will pass the NCLEX-RN on the first or *repeat attempts1/1/2022 – 12/31/2022
First Time Pass Rate: 84.44%
Ultimate Pass Rate: 96.7%
 
 
1/1/2023 – 12/31/2023
First Time Pass Rate: 89.87%
Ultimate Pass Rate: 100%
 
 
1/1/2024 – 12/31/2024
First Time Pass Rate: 97.10 %
Ultimate Pass Rate: 100%
 
*Repeat attempts included in the ultimate pass rate.
Completion Rate: Traditional BSN70% of all students who begin in the Traditional BSN program will complete the program on-time, which is 6 academic semesters. 2022:
Traditional BSN admitted Fall 2019/Graduated Spring 2022 = 64.9%
Traditional BSN admitted Spring 2020/Graduated Fall 2022 = 40%
 
2023:
Traditional BSN admitted Fall 2020/Graduated Spring 2023 = 56.2%
Traditional BSN admitted Spring 2021/Graduated Fall 2023 = 43.5%
 
2024:
Traditional BSN admitted Fall 2021/Graduated Spring 2024 = 62.5%
Traditional BSN admitted Spring 2022/Graduated Fall 2024 = 51.3%
Completion Rate: Accelerated BSN, 4 semesters70% of all students who begin in the Accelerated BSN program will complete the program on-time, which is 4 academic semesters.2022:
Accelerated BSN admitted Fall 2021/Graduated Fall 2022= 60%
 
2023:
Accelerated BSN admitted Fall 2022/Graduated Fall 2023= 62.5%
Completion Rate: Accelerated BSN, 5 semesters70% of all students who begin in the Accelerated BSN program will complete the program on-time, which is 5 academic semesters. *Effective for December 2024 cohort, which began in Summer 2023.2024:
* Accelerated admitted Summer 2023/Graduated Fall 2024= 90%
 
Completion Rate: Aggregate DataAggregate Data:
2022 = 54.9% (Traditional BSN admitted Fall 2019/Graduated Spring 2022, Spring 2020/Graduated Fall 2022 and Accelerated BSN Fall 2021/Graduated Fall 2022)
 
2023 = 52.4% (Traditional Fall 2020/Graduated Spring 2023, Traditional BSN admitted Spring 2021/Graduated Fall 2023, Accelerated BSN Fall 2022/Graduated Fall 2023)
 
2024 = 61.1% (Traditional BSN admitted Fall 2021/Graduated Spring 2024, Traditional BSN admitted Spring 2022/Graduated Fall 2024 and Accelerated BSN admitted Summer 2023/Graduated Fall 2024)
Job Placement Rate80% of graduates will be employed as an RN within 12 months of graduation2022 – 86% *Based on December 2022 graduate data. May graduate data unavailable. 
2023 – 100% *Based on May and December 2023 graduate data. 
2024 – 100% *Based on May graduate data. December graduate data pending.

BSN Application