Admission Requirements

Applicants are required to meet the following criteria in order to be considered for admission:

Academic Requirements:

Submission of transcript for a completed master’s degree in nursing from a college or university accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by both the U.S. Department of Education (ED) and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) and national nursing programmatic accreditation (CCNE, ACEN, CNEA).
Earned graduate GPA of 3.25 based on a 4.0 scale or the equivalent.
GPA for conditional admission:
- Applicants who do not meet the GPA listed in the criteria for regular admission and have at least a 3.0 undergraduate GPA if applying to the bachelor to DNP or graduate GPA if applying to the DNP may be conditionally admitted and allowed to take 9- credit hours of doctoral nursing courses to establish a graduate GPA.
- Students who have earned a 3.0 GPA by the completion of 9-credit hours in doctoral nursing courses, will meet the criteria for regular admission.
- An unsatisfactory grade (B- or lower in any DNP course) while conditionally admitted will result in administrative withdrawal from the program and denial of regular admission.
- Students who do not earn a 3.0 GPA by the completion of 9-credit hours in doctoral nursing courses will be denied regular admission.

Application:

Submit the Indiana Wesleyan University (IWU) Doctoral Nursing application for the DNP program.
$100 application fee. (Applicants will not be charged the application fee if they have previously paid the fee for enrollment at IWU.)
A criminal history background check (at the student's expense) must be completed upon admission to any track of the Doctoral Nursing program. A criminal background check must be completed within six weeks following the start of the program. Upon request, documentation of background checks, required health information, immunization information, drug screening results, and other required information may be provided to healthcare facilities where the student will be completing clinical/practicum requirements as part of their required course of study. Progression in the program is dependent on the results of the reports.
International/Non-English Speaking Students - Students who do not speak English as their first and primary language must submit satisfactory scores from one of the following prior to admission to the university:
- Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). For graduate students, a score of at least 600 (paper-based), 250 (computer-based), or 100 (Internet-based) is required for regular academic admission.
- International English Language Testing System (IELTS). For graduate students a score of at least 6.5 is required for regular academic admission.

Professional Requirements:

Submit proof of a current unencumbered RN license.
Submit proof of a current unencumbered APRN license (if applicable).
Submit resume/curriculum vitae.
Submit a 2-3 page narrative describing practice experience and professional goals.
Submit a 1-2 page summary of a practice related issue that will serve as the focus of the DNP Scholarly Project; include the significance and impact of the project to nursing and health care.

General Information Regarding Admission:

The Doctoral Nursing department may request letters of recommendation and an interview with an applicant once all the admission criteria listed above have been met.
The number of applicants admitted to the DNP program will be limited. Meeting the minimum admission criteria does not ensure that an applicant will be admitted to the program.
Computer literacy is imperative and proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel and Power Point is expected.
International travel is required.
Once an application for the DNP program has been submitted, it will remain valid for 12 months.