Application and Admission
Students admitted to the Ridgewater College nursing program are dually admitted to a collaborating university to earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN).
Nursing information sessions
Interested must attend an information session before they can apply to the nursing program. All nursing information sessions will be from 10 am – 11 am via Zoom.
- Tuesday, October 5
- Tuesday, November 2
- Tuesday, December 7
- Tuesday, January 4
- Tuesday, February 1
NOW VIRTUAL via Zoom – RSVP here to get the Zoom link
- Nursing options available at Ridgewater – Practical Nursing and MANE
- Overview of Practical Nursing (PN)
- Overview of MANE
- Admissions criteria and application process for PN and MANE
Application deadlines
Students interested in Nursing begin with the pre-requisite general education courses before they can apply to the nursing program.
Fall semester start
- December 1 through February 1 – applications are accepted
- March 15 – applicant notification of acceptance, waitlist or deny status
- April 1 – notification deadline of the applicant to accept admission to the program
Spring semester start
- April 1 through June 1 – applications are accepted
- July 15 – applicant notification of acceptance, waitlist or deny status
- August 1 – notification deadline of the applicant to accept admission to the program
Students who are not accepted to the nursing program may choose to reapply in the next admission cycle. The student must complete a new application form and update any materials needed for admission requirements.
Holistic Admission
MANE utilizes a Holistic Admission Process to determine applicant eligibility. Holistic Admissions is based the applicant’s Experiences, Attributes, along with Metrics consisting of GPA and TEAS score.
MANE Holistic Admissions Criteria [PDF]
You are required to do the following to apply to an our Associate Degree and Bachelor of Science Nursing degree at a collaborating college or university.
- General admission and acceptance to Ridgewater College.
- Submit official transcripts from all institutions you have attended.
- You must earn a Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.75 or better based on the first semester of the nursing curriculum plan.
- Official transcripts will be used to calculate GPA.
- The most recent course grade will be used for the GPA calculation, whether it is higher or lower than previous grades.
- You must have earned a C or better in all of the nursing curriculum plan courses.
- Identification of previous enrollment in a nursing program.
- Complete the most current standardized Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS) prior to application deadlines (no max number of attempts).
- Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN) must maintain unencumbered licensure from any state in the United States.
- Complete a Holistic Admissions Application.
Additional Requirements after Acceptance
You must submit proof of the below qualifications to begin the nursing program, and must be kept current through the program:
- Current American Heart Association Healthcare Provider CPR
- Completion of current Minnesota Human Services background check.
- If an applicant has been arrested, charged or convicted of any criminal offense, he or she should investigate the impact that the charge or conviction may have on his or her chances of employment or licensure as a registered nurse and the student’s chances to obtain federal, state and other higher education financial aid (by Minnesota Statute 135A. 157).
- If the applicant refuses or is disqualified as a result of the background study, the applicant will be unable to successfully complete the requirements for the Associate Degree and Bachelor of Science Nursing program.
- Complete a health and immunization record, including proof of current immunizations and tuberculosis testing, and/or other requirements as defined by the clinical agency.
