- Completion, prior to the application deadline, of introductory or higher-level courses in statistics and psychology, see "Prerequisite Coursework" section below.
- Completion, prior to the application deadline, of introductory or higher-level courses in microbiology and nutrition, see "Prerequisite Coursework" section below.
- Completion, prior to the application deadline, of college-level courses in human anatomy and human physiology, totaling six (or more) quarter units -- or four or more semester units. See "Prerequisite Coursework" section below.
- Completion of a baccalaureate degree (bachelor's degree) in a general discipline other than nursing with a minimum 3.0 grade point average (GPA), as verified by official transcripts received at UCSF. Transcripts must also verify the baccalaureate degree was conferred NO LATER THAN the (Sept. 1st) application deadline.
- Caution: certain highly-specialized bachelor's degrees may not meet UCSF requirements, see Specialized Bachelors Degrees for details.
- Completion of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test, within five years of the application deadline, see below for GRE details.
- A minimum of four Recommendations/Reference Letters are required; a maximum of five recommendations will be accepted. See below for details on our recommendation collection process.
- Official Transcripts are required from all post-secondary (after high school) educational institutions. See below for transcript submission procedures.
- Evidence of personal qualification and capacity for graduate study, as reflected in the application, references, GRE, and baccalaureate GPA. Past academic performance and professional activity are evaluated, e.g., community, organizational, and volunteer service, and creative professional accomplishments.
- Congruence of the applicant's goal with the goals and resources of the School and the University. A written goal statement is required, which is to be PDF-formatted and submitted on-line via the UCSF web application system.
Caution: MEPN is not optimal for international applicants, because of the intensity and inflexibility of the first year of study, the need for language and culture familiarity, and the need for familiarity with the U.S. health care system.
Prerequisite Coursework
- Completion, prior to the application deadline, of introductory or higher-level courses in statistics and psychology.
- Completion, prior to the application deadline, of introductory or higher-level courses in microbiology (including a lab) and nutrition.
- Completion, prior to the application deadline, of college-level courses in human anatomy and human physiology (including lab sections for each), totaling six (or more) quarter units -- or four or more semester units.
Note: transcripts must verify the required courses (psychology, statistics, anatomy, and physiology, and nutrition and microbiology) courses were successfully completed NO LATER THAN the (September 1st) application deadline.
Incoming MEPNS are strongly encouraged to review prerequisite courses (Anatomy and Physiology, Microbiology, Nutrition, Statistics) prior to beginning the program, especially if courses were taken more than two years previously. There are multiple free course reviews online; however, UCSF does not endorse any particular resource. Questions regarding the suitability of prerequisite coursework can be addressed to steven.johnson@nursing.ucsf.edu (email).
The California Board of Registered Nursing (BRN, web site: http://www.rn.ca.gov) licensure application requires that a student must have completed 24.0 quarter units of natural, behavioral, and social science coursework, including a course in psychology, and 6.0 quarter units of communications, part of which must deal with basic English writing skills.
More Information
How Do I Apply to UCSF School of Nursing?
What are the Application Deadlines and Screening Schedule for MEPN?
Examinations (GRE)
The MEPN application process requires Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores which are no more than five years old at the time of application. Scores are transmitted directly to UCSF by the Educational Testing Service (ETS), and should be requested and received from ETS no later than the September 1st deadline. See the GRE/ETS web site at http://www.gre.org for detailed information on how to register for the exam or to request score reporting. Be sure to list the UCSF institutional code number, R·4840, Department #0610, on your request for score reporting. If you can provide your registration number, your test scores will be more rapidly and accurately matched to the rest of your application materials.
Submission of Recommendations (Reference Letters)
As part of completing the on-line (web) application, the names, affiliations, and emails of each of the four recommenders are provided by the applicant.
All recommendations should be from individuals--not relatives--who are acquainted with the applicant's work or community experience.
Recommendations should address the following areas: [a] relationships with work (paid or voluntary) associates, [b] work competence, [c] communication and interpersonal skills with persons of diverse backgrounds, [d] leadership skills or potential, and [e] values, ethical standards, responsibility, and initiative.
Recommenders are also asked for an overall rating (from zero to six) of the applicant.
Each identified recommender receives at least one email (repeated if necessary) asking for their written recommendation. This email specifies a private web site for that recommender, to be used to submit/upload their letter/recommendation in PDF format.
With this system, applicants can verify when each of their specified recommenders has actually responded and which recommenders may still require a follow-up email request.
This email/web oriented system has simplified and speeded the process of collecting references/recommendations and allows for applicants and recommenders to avoid the delays and uncertainties of the previous postal-based process.
Transcripts
Two official original transcripts must be sent directly to Nursing Student Affairs (see address below) from each college, university, and nursing school attended. Be sure to fully identify in your application each post-secondary (after high school) institution which you have attended.
Transcripts must be endorsed by the proper authority ("certified") and final college transcripts should include a statement of good standing or honorable dismissal from the last college attended. A preliminary transcript should show coursework in progress. If necessary and/or appropriate, a transcript may be individually downloaded as a PDF from a password-protected web site, should this be the policy of your institution.
In lieu of official transcripts, unofficial transcript copies may be submitted directly by the applicant solely for the purpose of screening convenience. These unofficial copies MUST be in transcript format and layout. Those who elect to submit unofficial transcript copies should be prepared to quickly follow-up with official transcripts as our screening process continues.
Caution: Submission of official transcripts is mandatory for all admitted students. There are no exceptions to this policy. Any tentative admission decision based on unofficial transcripts must be fully VERIFIED by exact matching to official transcripts. If discrepancies are found, that admission decision will be voided/cancelled.
Non-English transcripts must be translated into English by a certified translator. Non-US transcripts must be submitted for evaluation, as follows.
Non-US Transcript Evaluation
The School of Nursing requires all applicants who have completed degrees and/or coursework outside of the United States to submit their transcripts for validation and evaluation before they may be considered for admission.
Applicants may send their transcripts and credentials to any evaluation agency which requires submission of original transcripts and/or certificates directly from the education institution to the evaluation agency. The purpose of the evaluation is to verify that your degree/coursework is the equivalent to that of a U.S. Bachelor or Master's degree.
Evaluation agencies provide a variety of services. Be sure to request an evaluation that provides the following:
- Lists all subjects/courses completed at the post-secondary level
- Provides a U.S. semester credit and grade equivalent for each course
- Provides a U.S. grade point average (GPA) on a 4.0 scale, and
- Designates the level (upper or lower) of each undergraduate course
In our experience, World Education Services (http://www.wes.org; 415-677-9378; 212-966-6311; info@wes.org) provides the information we need in a format that is useful for the admissions decision.
However, applicants may choose to use any agency which meets the criteria above and can perform an evaluation meeting the four points mentioned above.
Non-Discrimination Policy Statement
Please see http://registrar.ucsf.edu/student-records/nondisc (website).
Contact Information
- Postal/Mailing Address:
- Nursing Student Affairs
UCSF Box 0602
2 Koret Way, #N-319X
San Francisco, CA 94143-0602 - Email: info@nursing.ucsf.edu
- Telephone: (415) 476-1435 Fax: (415) 476-9707
On-Line Application System
The MEPN application system is open/available each year during
the months of July and August.
Once you are ready to begin your on-line application process,
please visit the following web site: https://gdapply.ucsf.edu
Return to the Master's Entry Program (MEPN) Overview page:
/programs/masters-entry-program-nursing-mepn