AAS Nursing Program Admissions

Application Period: March 15 - May 18, 2023

APPLY Early! It is critical that interested applicants apply as soon as the application period begins to be considered for admission to the AAS Nursing Program!

Application/Admissions Requirements

Applicants to the AAS Nursing Program must

• Earn a minimum cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.5

• Earn a minimum Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.9 in the Nursing pre-requisite courses below
  • ENG 111 Introduction to College Writing
  • PHL 130 Introduction to Ethics (preferred*) or SOC 100 People and Society
  • PSY 100 Introduction to Psychology
  • BIO 150 Human Anatomy and Physiology

*NOTE: If a student has earned grades for both courses, the PHL 130 grade will be calculated in the pre-requisite GPA.

• Have completed BIO 150 within five (5) years of application and have earned a minimum grade of C.

• Take the National League for Nursing (NLN/E-PAX-RN) exam and submit scores with the application.

  NLN benchmark scores vary each semester. Students are advised to review for the exam. All sub scores are used in the admissions decisions. Students must register for the E-PAX-RN exam (see guide below) and submit copies of their NLN exams by email to AASnursingadmission@csi.cuny.edu before they file their AAS Nursing Program Application.

  *NOTE: Your application cannot be processed until you have submitted your NLN scores.

  • NLN Guide and Instructions for Fall 2023
  • STUDENT GUIDE TO Taking NLN Exams with EXAMITY
  • NLN Testing Dates for Fall 2023 Admissions

• Provide proof of U.S. Citizenship or Lawful Residency Status
  • Residency Information

• Create a CSI CastleBranch account by visiting portal.castlebranch.com/uz86 and order and complete a Urine Drug Screen (UDS) by selecting the code UZ86dt from the drop-down menu. All applicants are required to complete a CastleBranch negative UDS prior to the end of the application period. Students with a positive UDS may email AASnursingadmission@csi.cuny.edu for further instruction. 

Special Considerations

• Students may repeat one (1) pre-requisite course with a minimum grade of B once only. Pre-requisite courses include BIO 150, ENG 111, PHL 130/SOC 100  and PSY 100.
• If the BIO 150 course was completed more than 5 years from date of application, either in residence or at a previous institution, the course will need to be repeated in order to be considered for admission to the AAS Nursing Program.

CSI Freshman Forgiveness

CSI students who requested and received Freshman Forgiveness and do not meet the above admission criteria may appeal to the Admission Committee for consideration. A limited number of seats each semester will be assigned to students from Freshman Forgiveness on a competitive basis.
Students should apply and then email the Nursing Department at AASnursingadmission@csi.cuny.edu for assistance.

Transfer Students

In addition to the Admissions Requirements above, transfer students from other colleges must

• Be in good academic standing.

Students who are on academic probation, or who have been academically/administratively dismissed from a Nursing or health professional program at CSI or another institution are not eligible for admission to the AAS Nursing Program at the College of Staten Island.*

*Note: Nursing pre-requisite courses taken outside of CSI must have transfer equivalency at CSI. The letter grades earned in pre-requisite courses at other colleges are used in the calculation of the Nursing pre-requisite GPA for transfer students.

• Earn a minimum Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.9 in the Nursing pre-requisite courses below:
  • ENG 111 Introduction to College Writing
  • PHL 130 Introduction to Ethics, preferred* or SOC 100 Introduction to Sociology
  • PSY 100 Introduction to Psychology
  • BIO 150 Human Anatomy and Physiology
  • BIO 160 Human Anatomy and Physiology II (transfer students ONLY)

Pre-college Coursework

Students who have completed college coursework or college-level examination programs recognized by CUNY, as high school students, may repeat pre-requisite courses to be considered for AAS Nursing Program admission without prejudice (AICE, AP, CLEP, DLPT, DSST, UEXCEL, IB).

AAS Nursing Program Application

Application for Consideration for Fall 2023 Admission

Admissions Decision

Admission decisions are communicated to students using the Application Portal. The Nursing AAS Admission homepage will be updated to reflect when application status is available. Usually, admission decisions are made during the first two weeks in June for Fall admission.

Admitted students will be enrolled in a Blackboard (Bb) organization titled “2023 Fall Clinical Onboarding (CSI)”. This Bb organization provides detailed information on all clinical clearance requirements.

All students who are admitted to the AAS Nursing Program are required to have a dedicated laptop that is working and supports ExamSoft. Students are responsible to have their device available for all NRS course examinations (Chromebooks are not supported). All classes use a national leading software program called ExamSoft – sometimes called Examplify for exams.

Admitted students must meet ALL matriculation clinical clearance requirements.

Admitted students will be permitted to register provisionally, contingent upon completion of full matriculation clinical clearance requirements by July 13, 2023. Students who do not meet clinical clearance requirements will be deregistered from NRS 110 & NRS 115 and may defer enrollment to the following semester.

Matriculation Clinical Clearance Requirements

Matriculation in the AAS Nursing Program is defined as enrollment in NRS 110. Only students who are admitted to the AAS Nursing Program may enroll. Enrollment is predicated on clinical clearance requirements which are agency driven, and no exceptions can be made. Students are guests of the agencies and must comply with all agency requirements in real time. The requirements can change precipitously, and students must comply in order to participate in agency clinical experiences. 
NOTE:  Students may not contact the agencies directly at any time.

Clinical Clearance Requirements:

CastleBranch Background Check & Urine Drug Screen (UDS)

All admitted students must maintain the CSI CastleBranch account they created during the application process in good standing reflecting a clear criminal background check and negative Urine Drug Screen (UDS). The Program will require a negative UDS within 90 days of the start of each enrolled course. Students who test positive at any point cannot attend clinical and will not meet course objectives.

• 2023 Fall Background Check and UDS

Nursing Physical Examination (NPE) & Respiratory Protection Evaluation (RPE) Forms

The Nursing Physical Examination (NPE) & Respiratory Protection Evaluation (RPE) forms must be submitted to and approved by the CSI Health Center. A copy of the Castlebranch Urine Drug Screen (UDS) along with the completed NPE & RPE and all lab results must be submitted to the Health Center in 1C-Room 112 in person. DO NOT EMAIL your NPE/RPE and medical documents to the Health Center. Students may schedule appointments by calling 718-982-3045. Appointments are recommended. Students are responsible to follow up on their physical with the Health Center if they do not get an initial approval.

Additionally, CSI students may call at 718.982.3045 to request an appointment with the CSI Health Center Nurse Practitioner to complete the NPE & RPE. The number of appointments offered is limited. Act early to reserve a space!

NOTE: All students must submit proof of COVID-19 full vaccination including the booster.

• NPE Instructions (updated 3/13/23)
• NPE Form (updated 10/27/22)
• RPE Form (updated 11/21/22)

AHA Basic Life Support (BLS) Certificate

Students must provide current American Heart Association Health Care Professional: Basic Life Support (BLS) certification valid for the duration of the clinical rotation. Only BLS certificates with hands-on skills sessions from the American Heart Association (AHA) are accepted.

For more information and to enroll for the BLS, students can visit https://cpr.heart.org/en/cpr-courses-and-kits/healthcare-professional/basic-life-support-bls-training

Agency-Specific Clinical Requirements

(Must complete after enrollment)

In addition to the general matriculation clinical clearance requirements above, students may need to complete all agency-specific clinical requirements such as training and orientation, completing agency specific forms, etc. Enrolled students are required to monitor the Blackboard organization titled "2023 Fall Clinical Onboarding (CSI)" for more detailed instructions. Students who do not meet these agency-specific clinical requirements will be deregistered.

Enrollment in NRS 110

Enrollment in NRS 110 will be by permission only. Admitted students will be given specific dates to self-enroll in NRS 110 & NRS 115. More information regarding enrollment will be offered at a later date.

Registration for NRS clinical courses is predicated on clearances that are agency-specific and time sensitive. In the AAS Nursing Program, there is no guarantee of any specific clinical sites, days or times. All are subject to changes due to the evolving nature of the health care practice environment. "Schedule of Classes" designations for agencies and clinical days are always tentative and subject to precipitous change. Changes will be posted on CUNYfirst. Additionally, Navigate CSI is the official method of communication of the Department of Nursing and the College. Students who are unable to accommodate changes may defer enrollement until the subsequent semester without academic consequences. 

Nursing 110 Orientation

More information on the Orientation will be offered at a later time.