Eligibility 

Graduate Entry Prespecialty in Nursing (GEPN)

To be eligible to apply to the Graduate Entry Prespecialty in Nursing (GEPN) program, applicants must have a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university. No specific major is required. If an applicant did not complete their undergraduate studies at an institution in the U.S. or Canada, they must submit a credential evaluation issued by World Education Services (WES) or another international credential evaluation service approved by the Office of Admissions. Applicants must have earned a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or have scored in at least the fiftieth percentile of each section of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). 

GEPN PREREQUISITES 

All successful GEPN applicants are required to show evidence of successful completion of four prerequisite courses before beginning the program. These courses must be completed before June 15 in the year the student matriculates into the program. It is not required that prerequisite courses be completed or in progress at the time of application. In order for prerequisites to count toward the requirement, they must have been completed within the eight years prior to the application submission date and a grade of B- (80) or better must have been earned. Prerequisites must be taken at an accredited college or university and can be taken either in person or online. AP or IB credits are not acceptable to fulfill the prerequisite requirement.  

In cases where applicants have earned grades lower than B- in any of the prerequisite courses, coursework may be retaken prior to matriculation to meet the application requirements. For the purpose of evaluating whether the prerequisite requirements have been met, in cases where courses have been taken multiple times the admissions office will note the highest grade achieved. All coursework, including retaken courses, must be completed with B- or higher grades by June 15. 

The Office of Admissions, in conjunction with the YSN Admissions Committee, reserves the right to make determinations about whether any individual course(s) successfully meet the prerequisite requirement.

The four required prerequisite courses are:

Applicants must either be licensed to practice nursing in at least one U.S. state or completing a program after which they can obtain a license to practice nursing in at least one U.S. state before course registration for their first term begins. If the applicant is completing a nursing program at the time of application, admission into the M.S.N. program is conditional on obtaining a license to practice nursing in at least one U.S. state before course registration for the fall term begins. For fall entrants into on-campus M.S.N. programs, all applicants must have a Connecticut R.N. license on or before November 1 of the first term of study. For additional information on admission standards, see Technical Standards for Admission and Progression in the chapter YSN Student Policies and Guidelines.

Application Procedures and Requirements

The following application materials are required in order to complete an application for admission to the M.S.N.:

1. Submission of NursingCAS application form, including nonrefundable application fee payable to NursingCAS
2. Résumé/curriculum vitae 
3. Personal statement/essay(s)
4. One official transcript from each college or university attended, regardless of whether or not a degree was sought or earned. If admitted, applicants will be required to submit final, official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended indicating degree conferral where applicable. Applicants who have undertaken coursework at institutions outside of the U.S. or Canada must submit a course-by-course evaluation conducted by a international credentialing agency such as World Education Services https://wes.org or a similar agency approved by the Office of Admissions. In addition, if a transcript is issued in a language other than English, it must be accompanied by an English translation.
5. Three letters of recommendation (academic and professional); see application for additional information.
6. GRE required of those with a cumulative GPA below 3.0; see below for additional information.
7. TOEFL or IELTS scores for applicants whose native language is not English and who have not completed the equivalent of a U.S. bachelor’s degree at an institution where English is the primary language of instruction; see below for additional information.

Applications will be reviewed only if all application materials are received by the applicable application deadline. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that all materials are received by the Office of Admissions in a timely manner. Incomplete applications or applications submitted after the published deadline will not be forwarded to the Admissions Committee for consideration.   

In some cases, applicants may be asked to participate in a virtual interview with a faculty member. Admission review is holistic, and decisions are based upon a range of factors, including evidence of motivation, academic ability, personal understanding of and propensity for advanced practice nursing, letters of recommendation, and potential for continued constructive use of the professional education. For clinical placement purposes, all accepted applicants will be required to undergo a background check before enrolling in the fall.

Program information, links to the online application, deadlines and complete application instructions can be obtained by visiting https://nursing.yale.edu/admissions or by contacting the Office of Admissions at ysn.admissions@yale.edu.

Graduate Record Examination and Minimum GPA

Scores from the General Test of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) are not required for those with a minimum cumulative conferred bachelor’s degree GPA of 3.0. Applicants who do not meet the cumulative GPA criterion are required to take the GRE and score at or above the fiftieth percentile in the verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, and analytical writing sections to be eligible for admission. Applicants who do not have a GPA listed on their final transcript may be required to take the GRE or provide alternative evidence of sufficient performance in their undergraduate degree, as requested by the Office of Admissions.

Test scores, when applicable, must be submitted electronically by the Educational Testing Service. Scores that are more than five years old are not acceptable. 

M.S.N. applicants required to take the GRE should plan to take it sufficiently early to allow the test results to be included in their application prior to the applicable deadline. In most cases, computer-based testing has replaced the paper format and can be scheduled year-round in the United States. International students must plan carefully, as the GRE may only be offered once a year in a specific country. It takes approximately seven to ten business days from the date of a computerized administration for the official transcript of GRE scores to be transmitted. Paper-based GRE results may take two months or longer. Prompt arrangements for taking this examination should be made in order to meet applicable application deadlines for receipt of scores.

Examinations are scheduled at specific times in centers located throughout the United States and many other countries. Information about the examination may be obtained by visiting www.ets.org/gre; by contacting Graduate Record Examinations, Educational Testing Service, PO Box 6000, Princeton NJ 08541-6000; or by calling 609.771.7670.

English as a Foreign Language

All applicants whose native language is not English and who did not earn a bachelor’s degree at an institution where English is the primary language of instruction must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the academic version of the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). In cases where an applicant is required to submit English proficiency exam results, the following scores are required for admission to any programs at Yale School of Nursing:

Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) minimum score: 100/120 total, with minimum section scores of reading, 25/30; listening, 25/30; writing, 25/30; and speaking, 25/30.

International English Language Testing System (IELTS) minimum score: band 7.0/9.0 total, with no section score below band 6.5/9.0.

Arrangements to take the TOEFL must be made online at www.ets.org/toefl. Arrangements to take the academic IELTS must be made online at www.ielts.org.

It typically takes a month from the date of administration for the official transcript of scores to be transmitted Prompt arrangements for taking an English examination should be made in order to meet the appropriate application deadline for receipt of scores.  

Reapplication Policy

Unless explicitly authorized by the Office of Admissions and/or YSN leadership, applicants to the Yale School of Nursing who have applied three times to the same program without receiving an offer of admission will not be allowed to apply to that program again. For the purposes of this policy, GEPN and M.S.N. are considered the same program.

Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) Examination

Prior to enrolling at YSN, graduates of foreign schools of nursing must pass the CGFNS Qualifying Exam as well as the NCLEX-RN examination in order to become a registered nurse (R.N.) in the United States. Several states, however, do not require successful completion of the CGFNS Qualifying Exam in order to take the NCLEX-RN. Information on the CGFNS Qualifying Exam can be obtained from the United States Embassy, the nurses’ association in the foreign country of residence, or www.cgfns.org. Information on the NCLEX-RN examination is available online at www.ncsbn.org/nclex.