Nursing Program FAQ
Admission
For the inaugural Fall 2025 cohort we received 594 applications for the 4-year pathway and 70 applications for the 2-year transfer pathway. For the 4-year pathway, 181 students were admitted. For the 2-year transfer pathway, 16 students were admitted.
The admission committee looks closely at an applicant's academic record, GPA, standardized test scores (if submitted), background of service and leadership, and character as exhibited in references and short answer/personal statements.
Please see below for the admit averages for the inaugural Fall 2025 cohort.
4-Year Pathway Averages
3.54 average high school GPA
1,211 average SAT Superscore
26 Average ACT Superscore
2-Year Pathway Averages
2.99 average high school GPA
1,290 average SAT Superscore
16 average ACT Superscore
First-year nursing applicants apply through the Common Application, while transfer applicants apply directly through the Pepperdine Transfer Application.
For Fall 2026, January 15, 2026 is the only application deadline.
There are no required courses. We will be reviewing your science and math courses and would encourage you to take math and science courses all four years of high school.
64 units must be completed the list of prerequisites.
If any portion of the high school course work was completed at a traditional high school, an official transcript of that work must be submitted.
If a transcript for work completed as a home-schooled applicant is not available, official GED or CHSPE documentation indicating a passing score must be submitted. Additionally, official documentation should be submitted indicating the curriculum followed and grades obtained.
Please note: Due to the non-traditional nature of this type of schooling, applicants are expected to demonstrate academic proficiency through strong SAT I or ACT scores.
No, our program is test free. You do not need to submit your scores.
Admission Two-Year Pathway
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.
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.
| Core Curriculum Classes | |
|---|---|
| English Composition (ENG 101) | 3 credit hours |
| Speech and Rhetoric (COM 180) | 4 credit hours |
| Elementary Spanish II (SPAN 152)* | 4 credit hours |
| Global Perspectives Requirement | 4 credit hours |
| Creative Arts or Interpretation Requirement | 3-4 credit hours |
| Historical Thinking or US Experience Requirement | 4 credit hours |
| Life Skills Requirement | 1 credit hour |
*Spanish 2 requirement can be fulfilled after admission with a placement exam.
| Core Science and Statistics Classes | |
|---|---|
| Human Anatomy with laboratory (BIOL 230) | 4 credit hours |
| Microbiology for the Healthcare Professions with laboratory (BIOL 280) | 4 credit hours |
| Human Physiology with laboratory (BIOL 270) | 4 credit hours |
| Chemistry for the Healthcare Professions with laboratory (CHEM 220) | 4 credit hours |
| Introduction to Psychology (PSYC 200) | 3 credit hours |
| Introduction to Sociology (SOC 200) | 3 credit hours |
| Introductory Statistics for the Healthcare Professions (STAT 250) | 3 credit hours |
Depending on course offerings at each student’s current college or university, the following classes may be completed after enrollment in a summer term.
|
Core Religion and Language Classes |
|
|---|---|
| The Way of Jesus (REL 100) | 3 credit hours |
| The Story of Christian Scripture (REL 200) | 3 credit hours |
| Christianity and Culture (REL 300) | 3 credit hours |
| Medical Spanish for the Healthcare Professions (LANG 241) | 4 credit hours |
Once enrolled, two-year transfer students will complete all nursing (NURS) classes in the BSN curriculum.
The registrar and nursing faculty will evaluate the transcripts to make sure they are in line with curriculum courses. We are in the process of updating our current articulation agreements to include nursing. Applicants may submit their unofficial transcripts for review from the Office of Advising using this request form.
Military connected students can not use benefits for the program until Fall 2026 on approval is received from the state approving agency. Visit the Veterans webpage for more information.
Financial Aid
There are both merit scholarships and institutional need-based grants available to eligible students. Students should fill out a FAFSA in order to be considered for need-based grants. There is automatic consideration for institutional merit scholarships
Housing
No, there will not be a residency requirement for two-year pathway students. Four-year pathway students have a two-year residency requirement like Seaver students.