Family Nurse Practitioner (DNP) Admission Guidelines

The College of Nursing participates in Nursing’s Centralized Application Service (NursingCAS). Find out how to apply.

We evaluate all applicants on the following:

• A minimum of a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from an accredited institution.
• GPAs of 3.0 or higher (on a 4.0 scale) - Rush will receive GPA calculations from NursingCAS only after they have received all of your official transcripts.
  • Cumulative GPA - all college level coursework
  • Prelicensure Nursing GPA - only nursing courses before licensure
• Substantive answers to personal essay questions (included in Program Materials section of NursingCAS).
• Three professional letters of recommendation.
  • One letter must come from current supervisor/manager (the person who is responsible for your performance evaluation).
  • Two letters should come from individuals in leadership positions who can speak to your clinical abilities (i.e. an APRN, CNS, nurse educator, medical director).
    • One academic faculty member may be used if the coursework has been completed within the past two years.
    • It is important that you choose recommenders who know you well and can evaluate your current or prospective clinical and leadership abilities, critical thinking, and potential for successfully completing graduate school. Recommendations from friends, relatives, or co-workers will not be accepted and will cause your application to be delayed or denied. 
• Resume or CV that includes the following information:
  • Community service.
  • Educational, leadership and professional organization activities.
  • Scholarly activities, including publications, presentations, research, honors and awards.
  • Work experience.
• Registered nurse (RN) licensure in the United States.*
  *Recent graduates from a BSN or MSN program must submit a US RN license upon matriculation
• GRE scores, are not required.
• TOEFL scores, if required.
• Personal interview(s) with faculty.

• Preference is given to applicants with RN experience in either an inpatient or outpatient setting. There is not a requirement for a specific length of experience, yet it will be considered in the holistic admission.

If you fail to submit accurate or all required information, we will remove your application from consideration for admission.

Common Applicant Questions for all Nursing Programs