Transfer Students (Two-Year Pathway)

Transfer applicants must apply through the NursingCAS application, which asks questions about the applicant's background, education history, and transfer goals. Both the NursingCAS application and the Pepperdine $75 application fee must be successfully submitted by the deadline. 

Important: Please note that the Common Application is only available to first-year applicants, and transfer applicants must use the NursingCAS Application.

• Include your full name and birthday on all documents you submit. This will assist in the accurate and timely processing of your application file.
• All additional materials must be submitted electronically through NursingCAS or through Parchment.

Monitor your application status via the NursingCAS portal to verify that items have been received by NursingCAS.

Transfer applicants must apply through the NursingCAS application, which asks questions about the applicant's background, education history, and transfer goals. Both the NursingCAS application and the Pepperdine $75 application fee must be successfully submitted by the deadline.

During the application, applicants are required to submit written responses to the following essay questions:

• Please provide a statement (approximately 250–650 words) discussing your educational path. How does continuing your education at a new institution help you achieve your future goals?
• Pepperdine is a Christian university where all are welcome and encouraged to challenge each other in the pursuit of truth. Students, faculty, and staff members from all backgrounds participate in conversations of faith inside and outside of the classroom. Considering that Pepperdine is a Christian university, why are you interested in attending and how would you contribute to conversations of faith on campus? (300–500 words)
• How have your personal experiences, values, or beliefs shaped your view of nursing as a calling? (200 word max)
• What does it mean to you to lead with compassion in today’s healthcare environment? (200 word max)

• Official high school transcripts are required of all prospective transfer students. Please include your full name and birthday on all documents you submit. This will assist in the accurate and timely processing of your application file.
• If you have attended more than one high school, you must submit an official transcript from each school if the grades from the earlier school(s) do not appear on your last high school transcript.
• If you have attended high school(s) outside of the United States, you must submit official copies of each international transcript and any certified external exam results, regardless of whether the grades appear on your final high school transcript. Visit the international admission website for instructions.
• The official, cumulative high school transcript submitted must indicate the date of high school graduation.
• In addition to the official high school transcript indicating any completed course work, applicants who did not graduate from high school must also submit official GED (General Educational Development) or CHSPE (California High School Proficiency Examination) documentation indicating a passing score.

Submit Electronically

Please upload your high school transcripts to your NursingCAS application under the "Documents" section in Program Materials.

Transcripts can be submitted from the school through Parchment. Please request that your transcripts be sent to the Pepperdine University - College of Health Science.

Transfer applicants must submit an Academic Letter of Recommendation. The recommendation must come from a college professor or advisor. 

Your recommendation letter should be requested through NursingCAS. On the References page, you will be able to enter the contact information for your recommender(s), and the application will email them a link to complete the recommendation for you. We highly recommend completing this step early, as the request can be sent before your application is ready to be submitted.

Although only one academic recommendation is required, the Admission Committee guarantees to read up to two letters, so you may request an optional academic or personal recommendation as well.

Please Note: It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure that all required materials for the admission application file are received by the Office of Admission by the applicable deadline in order to be considered by the Admission Committee.

Pepperdine is test optional, and you can indicate on your application whether you would like SAT,  ACT, or CLT scores to be considered with your application. Applicants will receive the same consideration for admission and scholarships regardless of whether they submit test scores. If you would like to submit test scores, you can either send an official score report from the testing agency or enter scores on your application. If you self-report scores, you will be required to submit an official score report after enrolling.

If you choose to submit test scores, transfer applicants must take the SAT I, ACT, or CLT by September in order to meet the October 1 spring application deadline or by January in order to meet the January 15 fall application deadline. 

Transfer students are required to complete an application and required to complete 60 (up to 64) credit hours of coursework. Including the following courses, with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0. The minimum grade in all prerequisite courses is a “C.” Equivalent Pepperdine courses are shown in parentheses, where applicable. All classes with a laboratory must be completed in person.  All classes with laboratory components must be completed in person.

Please see the College of Health Science academic catalog for detailed course descriptions. 

These classes must be completed before students enroll in the BSN program. To help you determine what previously completed courses may count toward our BSN prerequisites, you can use the tool assist.org to explore course equivalencies.

*Spanish 2 requirement can be fulfilled after admission with a placement exam.

Depending on course offerings at each student’s current college or university, the following classes may be completed after enrollment in a summer term.

Once enrolled, two-year transfer students will complete all nursing (NURS) classes in the BSN curriculum.