FAQ

Founded in 1804, we are the 9th oldest public, not-for-profit university in the nation.

We are regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC)and nationally accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).

Yes, our program is 100% online. There is no travel to campus necessary, though you are welcome to visit our gorgeous campus and walk with your graduating class during spring or fall commencement ceremonies. Additionally, our capstone course, NRSE 4600, provides students the opportunity to complete their clinical practice project locally, rather than on campus in Ohio. For more information regarding NRSE 4600, please visit our Online RN to BSN NursingKnowledge Center.

To further serve our students, Public Health Nurse Certification coursework is available in our program to choose from. The additional course, NRSE 4541 is one credit hour and will be completed concurrently with NRSE 4540. In order for a student to apply for the PHN Certificate in California, there is a minimum of 90 public health clinical hours necessary to be completed locally. Clinical hours area mandated requirement of such certification by the California Board of Registered Nursing. Note, some counties may require more than 90 clinical hours to meet their requirements. Upon completing the minimum public health clinical hours and having our BSN degree conferred, a student would then be able to apply for their CA PHN Certificate through the Board’s website.

The flexibility of the program allows for eight start dates each year, three during the fall semester, three in spring semester and two during the summer semester. See Application and Transcript Procedures and Deadlines. 

The entire process takes an average of six to eight weeks from the time that your file is complete until you are ready to enroll in classes. You can expedite the process by ensuring that all previous institutions send transcripts and that you provide clear information about any prior names under which those transcripts might appear.

If you graduated from a Diploma program and the school has since closed, contact the hospital with which the school was associated to determine where the records are being stored. Other resources might include the Board of Nursing for that state. 

After your application is submitted, you will receive an application acknowledgement email from Ohio University. After we receive all required information, including your transcripts and RN license number, your file will be processed and reviewed. Following a full review of your application, you will receive an email from Ohio University to the address you provided on your application with information about your application status. You can track the status of your application online at http://my.ohio.edu. 

Congratulations! You will receive email communication from the Ohio University School of Nursing to your OHIO email address. These messages will include instructions on how to enroll, pay your tuition, and start classes.   

General course transfer credits will be accepted, with no age limitations, if they meet the University's criteria. Nursing course transfer credits will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis by an Ohio University transfer credit evaluator. For more information about the transferability of coursework and examination credit, visit the Undergraduate Admissions transfer credit page. 

If you decide to enroll for the first time in a term other than the one for which you applied, you must submit a new application for the term in which you would like to start. You may also contact Undergraduate Admissions at 1.888.502.8989 or rntobsn@ohio.edu. 

This is a decision made by your employer.

Each healthcare partner has an individual policy related to this. Please refer to the Coordinator at your employer for an answer. 

We believe that all students should have access to affordable education. We are proud of our cost per credit hour. 

Tuition costs for online students

We enable and encourage our students to take equivalent pre-approved General Education / Support Coursework concurrently at their local community college to further reduce tuition costs.

At OHIO, we believe in providing prospective students a clear understanding of what they will be paying to earn our BSN. Our application fee is $25. We have a “Student Information and network Fee” of $33. (This is assessed at $3 per credit hour for less than full-time enrollment.) We also have a $50 Graduation Application Fee. Two upper-division nursing courses, NRSE 4520 & NRSE 4560, each have online clinical materials fees of $99 per class.

For the 2021 academic year, if all textbooks are purchased new, a student can expect to pay a total of $935 for these books. OHIO has also partnered with Top Hat, an OER organization, to offer free or reduced-priced textbooks to our students. With our Top Hat partnership and students purchasing books used rather than new, the expected cost of textbooks could be greatly reduced.

• CHSP students have their own librarian assigned to them, Hanna Schmillen! Hanna is an amazing resource for our online students and maintains an online nursing program guide (https://libguides.library.ohio.edu/rn-bsn) that includes: FAQs on assignments, videos and tutorials, searching tips and tricks so that students can get tailored help, whenever there is a need. OHIO is also a member of OhioLink, an Ohio academic library consortium. Out of state students can request digital copies of articles or book chapters – sent to them free!

Students in our program earn a Grade Point Average; we are not competency-based. In the continuing education field of healthcare, students in our program may earn up to a 4.0 GPA and position themselves to competitively meet admission requirements in MSN degree programs that are pursued in the future. We will prepare you to meet the challenges in today’s dynamic and ever-changing field of healthcare. Our online students are members of our campus community, with having access to course work 24/7, as well as university resources. All online courses are either 3-credit hours or 4-credit hours. We utilize Blackboard as our online learning management system. There are nine NRSE courses offered online in 5-week sessions that must be completed in our program. If needed to earn our degree, additional NRSE, General Education, and Support Courses are also offered online in 5-week to 15-week sessions.

120 credit hours; however, only 30 credit hours must be completed from Ohio University in order to confer (award) our degree. Because we have 31 credit hours of Upper-Level Division Nursing Courses (NRSE 4510 – NRSE 4600), by completing all nine required NRSE courses, students are already one credit hour over the minimum threshold to earn our BSN.

Unlimited general education courses, however, students may not transfer more than 50% of NRSE courses into the program. We will review all previously completed coursework for transfer equivalency into our program from Associate and Bachelor's degree programs. For transfer consideration into our program, all previously completed coursework must be earned with a minimum 2.0 GPA.

No. Previously earned credit hours do not expire. 

Completion is possible in 12 months. In California, the quickest an RN has earned their BSN to date has been eleven months. Nationwide, our graduation success rate is as follows: 50% of our students complete their BSN in two years, 70% within five years. Due to our program’s flexibility, the length of time for completion depends upon how quickly a student chooses to earn their degree, whether they take one, two, or three courses at a time, whether they step out for one or more start dates, and their educational history, i.e. how many courses we can transfer into Ohio University. With our program, you will not be penalized if you need to step away and take a break. We understand that life happens and we are here to support you, your individual needs, and educational goals.

We are an inclusive university and program. We expect a minimum 2.0 GPA for admission.

No. We admit students throughout the year and have eight start dates. We always offer three start dates in the fall, three in the spring, and two in the summer from which students may choose.

In order to review a student’s application for admission, along with a 2.0 GPA and a student’s degree conferred (official transcripts), we also need the NCLEX date/location entered into our online application. Upon admission, students may begin earning their BSN, including taking Upper-Level NRSE Courses, prior to sitting/passing their NCLEX. Note: An unencumbered license on file with the CA BRN will be needed to complete your degree.

Students may apply during their final semester of their ADN Program. A completed applicant file for review by an Undergraduate Admissions Advisor will include a student’s NCLEX date/location in the online application, a submitted $25 application fee, and official transcripts from all previously attended institutions, including the ADN College that states their degree has been “conferred” or “awarded.” If a student applies without filling in the NCLEX date/location into the online application, Undergraduate Admissions will follow up with a to-do list to complete in order for the student’s file to be reviewed.

To apply to Ohio University and our Online RN to BSN program, please visit our homepage https://www.ohio.edu/chsp/nursing/rn-bsn and choose the “Apply” button. Then, follow these steps to a successful application: Step 1 – complete the online application, Step 2 – Activate your OHIO ID, Step 3 – Request official transcripts, Step 4 – Track your application status online.

No. Students may begin our program even if they are not yet employed.

The maximum number of attempts allowed to pass a course successfully for all Ohio University courses (including NRSE courses) is three times.

Yes. Students are encouraged to visit our Financial Aid page for our RN to BSN program for more information: https://www.ohio.edu/chsp/nursing/rn-bsn/financial-aid. As a future eCampus student, you may also visit the following site for additional information on various types of Financial Aid available at Ohio University, including FAFSA, Federal Grants, Student Loans, and VA Benefits. https://www.ohio.edu/financial-aid.The eCampus FAFSA code for Ohio University is: 003100. Our financial aid office would best be able to answer your questions and can be reached atfinancial.aid.@ohio.edu or at 740-593-4141

Prospective and current students of our Online RN to BSN program have access to our School of Nursing Staff and Faculty via the following webpage:https://www.ohio.edu/chsp/nursing/faculty-and-staff. Our instructors are both full-time and part-time Ohio University employees. Faculty instructors are at minimum MSN prepared and many are Doctoral prepared. Our staff are always ready to assist you! You may reach your local Ohio University School of Nursing staff member Renee Dodd at 805-471-7622, doddr@ohio.edu. I am here to serve as your personal advocate, resource, and program liaison in California.