Are you ready to apply?
Sentara College of Health Sciences is a great place to obtain your Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) Degree. And if you’re a high school senior, we have great news. Sentara College is the only institution in the region that offers an early admission option for you. If you meet all of the requirements here, you may qualify for conditional acceptance in our highly selective Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program.
Step 1: Do you qualify?
- You must currently be a high school senior
- You must have a high school GPA of 3.5 at the time of your application. The GPA requirement must be maintained through graduation and your final official high school transcript must be submitted to the College
- You must have a minimum of 27 in reading on your SAT and a minimum of a 26.5 in math OR an ACT score of 21. If you do not meet these criteria, don’t worry! You can still be considered for the Traditional BSN Program here.
Step 2: Here's how to apply
If you meet the requirements above, then you’re ready to take the next step. Simply click here or anywhere you see Apply Now.
As part of your application process, you’ll need to submit your transcripts and your SAT or ACT scores, as well.
Note: Applications for early admission are accepted from January 1 to June 1 of your senior year.
Step 3: Then what?
After you submit your application, high school transcripts, and test scores, you will be conditionally accepted into Sentara College’s BSN Program!
Our admissions advisor will contact you to talk about your application and a few next steps.
One quick note: You’ll need to acquire your general education prerequisite classes at an accredited institution of your choice. Sentara College focuses on nursing classes and does not teach general education courses. Don’t worry, your admissions advisor will help.
While you’re taking your general education classes, you’ll need to maintain certain academic standards. If you do, you will be guaranteed a seat in our BSN Program.
Please look here for information about local college general education equivalents.
And if you have any questions at all, please contact recruitment@sentara.edu or call us at the number at the bottom of this page.
General Requirements
- A high school diploma or equivalent is required and you must be 18 years of age by the first day of class
- Applicants should possess basic computer skills
- You must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident of the USA
If English is your second language, see important information here.
Prospective applicants and students must demonstrate appropriate, responsible, respectful, and professional behavior/conduct throughout the entire admission process and in all interactions and communications with the College. The College reserves the right to deny admission or rescind acceptance to anyone who does not conduct themselves in this manner
Admissions Note
Sentara College of Health Sciences seeks to admit qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, or disability, provided the applicant is qualified to perform the tasks necessary to meet the requirements of the Program/Course with or without reasonable accommodation.
Additional Information & Requirements for High School Students
General education courses should be started on a full-time basis no later than the Fall semester immediately after graduation from high school in order to stay on track with Early Admission requirements.
All general education coursework must be completed with a “C-” or higher.
You must also maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.3 on a 4.0 scale, or a GPA of 3.3 on the list of required general education courses. General education courses are not offered at Sentara College.
General Education Course Equivalents at Select Colleges
Here you can find out which courses at local and online colleges will satisfy Sentara College’s general education prerequisites. These lists are intended as helpful quick reference guides only. Sentara College has no control over the curriculums of other schools, so the information may change. Your review of this information does not take the place of a transcript review from Sentara College. Other courses at these colleges may satisfy our general education course requirements. We will assist you with approval of general education courses that do not appear on the lists here.
All coursework must be completed with a “C-” or higher.
Select your college to see which courses satisfy our general education prerequisites:
- American Public University System (APU-AMU)
- Blue Ridge Community College (BRCC)
- Christopher Newport University (CNU)
- CLEP, IB, AP, and DANTES/DSST Tests
- College of the Albemarle (COA)
- ECPI University (ECPI)
- Geneva College-Portage (GP)
- George Mason University (GMU)
- James Madison University (JMU)
- Norfolk State University (NSU)
- Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA)
- Old Dominion University (ODU)
- Radford University (RU)
- Southside Virginia Community College (SVCC)
- Tidewater Community College (TCC)
- University of Virginia (UV)
- Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU)
- Virginia Peninsula Community College (VPCC)
- Virginia Tech (VT)
- Virginia Wesleyan University (VWU)
Please contact our Admissions Advisor at 757-388-3654 or by email at admissions@sentara.edu if your course, college, or university is not listed and you need assistance checking the transferability of a course.
Important Information About Nursing Prerequisites
If you’d like to apply to the Nursing Program, learn more about the requirements and prerequisites here to find out if you are eligible.
1) General education courses are not taught at Sentara College and must be taken at an institution accredited by an accrediting agency that is recognized by the Secretary of Education of the U.S. Department of Education.
2) General education/prerequisite courses will be evaluated and will be accepted only on evidence that the course content and instruction meets the requirements for the Sentara College program of interest.
3) Course descriptions, and/or syllabi may be requested by the College to evaluate general education/prerequisite course requirements.
4) You do not have to submit an application to have your transcripts reviewed. There is no obligation or charge for this service. Send transcripts to recruitment@sentara.edu.
5) Before registering for general education courses, consult with an admissions representative at Sentara College to ensure you are registering for the appropriate general education courses.
6) There is no expiration on general education/prerequisite courses.
7) Dual enrollment courses taken in high school are acceptable. Official college transcripts of these courses must be produced for review and acceptance.
8) Human Anatomy & Physiology I & II: Thomas Nelson Community College’s BIO145, 5 credit course, is not acceptable for Sentara College’s A&P I & II with lab requirement for Traditional BSN applicants.
9) Each science general education course must reflect a minimum of 4 credits. Nursing admissions will review the course if it does not reflect the credit minimum.
10) Courses are considered on a course-by-course basis instead of an hour-by-hour basis with regard to the content of the course. For courses taken in quarter hours, the credits will be converted to semester hours with one quarter hour being equal to two-thirds of one semester hour.
11) Applicants requesting approval for general education or prerequisite credits from institutions outside of the United States must obtain a foreign transcript evaluation by an approved NACES agency and submit the NACES review to the College along with the foreign transcript.
General Education AP, CLEP, and DANTES Equivalents
Some general education courses may also be taken through Advanced Placement (AP), CLEP, and DANTES exams.
- AP courses with a score of 3 or better will be accepted.
- Find out the transferability of CLEP, AP, DANTES, and IB tests here.
- Our code for CLEP scores is 5504
