Admitted Student Resources

Each student admitted to the School of Nursing will attend a mandatory, program-specific orientation. During orientation, faculty and staff will share important information about academic program requirements and support services for students.

For new BSN Entry to DNP pathway students: 

• We are delighted to share this welcome message from Carol Dawson-Rose, dean of the School of Nursing.
• The Office of Student Affairs is excited to invite you to our virtual onboarding session on April 30, from 1-4 p.m. Please register here. This onboarding session is mandatory for accepted students. If you are unable to attend, please contact us at [email protected].
• We also look forward to seeing you at Prelude, our three-day, 2-unit course. Prelude will take place June 16-18 on the UCSF campus and is mandatory. Registration information will be available soon.

Please check back on this webpage about orientation dates for the following programs: Post-Master's Entry to DNP pathway; PhD in Nursing program; PhD in Sociology program; and MS Healthcare Administration and Interprofessional Leadership (MS-HAIL) program.

Applicants are required to upload a transcript — unofficial or official transcript — to the application portal for review purposes no later than June 1, 2025. If you are offered admission to a program in the School of Nursing, you will be required to submit an official transcript via electronic transmission from the institution to the School of Nursing at [email protected] or mailed directly from the institution to the School of Nursing in a sealed envelope to:

UCSF Valley Tower
School of Nursing Dean's Office, Box 0604
490 Illinois St., Floor 9
San Francisco, CA 94143

Transcripts from all post-secondary institutions, including any programs in which you are currently enrolled, are required. Failure to disclose all institutions attended, including any concurrent enrollments, may result in retraction of admission and/or dismissal from the program. The Office of Student Affairs will contact you if further documentation is needed.

What is an official transcript?

To complete the admission process, newly matriculated students are required to provide proof of a qualifying academic credential. This is done by supplying the School of Nursing with an official transcript from the institution of higher learning that conferred the qualifying degree (typically a BA, BS, or MS, depending on the program). Note that the qualifying degree must reflect a conferral date that is prior to the student's admission date to UCSF.

Official transcripts are issued by a college or university's Office of the Registrar. They are normally received directly from that office without passing through the student's hands. Transcripts received directly from students can be accepted, provided they are in a sealed envelope with the institution’s seal and any other security features intact. Electronic transcripts are considered official when received from a secure site formally linked to the sending institution or a vendor that has contracted with the institution. Major vendors include Parchment, Credential Solutions and the National Student Clearinghouse.

Records received in any other condition, such as transcripts that arrive in an unsealed envelope, copies printed from a university portal, or documents that are emailed or uploaded by the student, are not considered official transcripts. Non-official transcripts are accepted as part of the application process, but an official transcript, as described above, must be obtained by the university before the end of the first quarter after matriculation.

Non-English transcripts: All non-English transcripts must be translated by a certified translator for evaluation. Non-U.S. transcripts must be submitted for evaluation.

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.

Be sure to request an evaluation that provides the following:

• Lists all subjects/courses completed at the post-secondary level
• Provides a U.S. term 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

Matriculants from most foreign institutions must also provide a credential evaluation. The service provider that has been approved by the Graduate Division is World Education Services ((415) 677-9378; (212) 966-6311; https://www.wes.org/).

Prerequisite courses: For prerequisite courses that are in progress at the time of application submission, unofficial transcripts may be uploaded to your application. However, if you are offered admission to the School of Nursing, an official transcript is required. For students beginning the BSN Entry to DNP pathway in summer 2025, completion of the prerequisite course must occur no later than June 15, 2025. 

Applications will not be considered complete until all educational institutions listed have corresponding transcripts uploaded or mailed.

• Incoming students will be directly notified of the details for student orientation.
• Access School of Nursing New Student Orientation through the Collaborative Learning Environment (CLE). (available only after students receive their UCSF ID)
• School of Nursing Graduate Student Handbook
• Clinical Requirements Handbook
• Primary Care Core Courses 
• 2024-25 PhD Foundation Course Schedule

Graduate education is a financial investment. The following offices are here to support you as you navigate scholarships and financial aid: 

• The School of Nursing's Student Funding Office provides a variety of services specially tailored to nursing students. 
• UCSF Student Financial Services is here to provide you with step-by-step guidance through the financial aid process. 

Please review the UCSF Health Employee Dress Standards (Policy 4.03.04) and the accompanying FAQs document for important details about the established standards of dress and personal appearance for employees, volunteers and others who represent UCSF Medical Center and UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital, and to provide guidelines for specific departmental dress and personal appearance standards. All personnel, including faculty, staff and trainees, must maintain an overall appearance that will demonstrate respect for others and maintain professional dignity and standards in the eyes of patients, physicians, co-workers and visitors.