A pilot program that accepts high school graduates directly into Southern Connecticut State University’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing program has been so successful that the school is expanding it and making it permanent.
Students seeking a bachelor’s in nursing have traditionally been required to first gain admission to SCSU, take prerequisites and then apply for admission during their sophomore years, the university said.
In 2016, the school undertook an experiment, accepting 14 highly qualified high school students directly into the program. It did the same thing with 16 more high school students last fall, the university said.
The pilot has been such a success that the school decided to set aside about half the program’s spaces for students straight from high school, said Lisa Rebeschi, chairwoman of the SCSU Nursing Department.
The program will now take 40 to 45 students directly from high school, Rebeschi said. The remaining 35 to 40 spaces will be for students who follow the traditional track of taking prerequisites and then applying for admission as sophomores, she said.
“It’s important to maintain that traditional pathway for students who might not have the qualifications in high school, but who emerge as excellent students while in college,” Rebeschi said.
To qualify, high school students must have a GPA of at least 3.2 and score more than 1070 on the SAT or 21 on the ACT. SCSU students need a GPA of at least 3.0 and to have completed at least seven of 11 prerequisites to apply.
Students coming directly from high school must meet the same academic criteria as those seeking admission later. Unlike students who apply later, however, students admitted from high school are guaranteed acceptance into the program as long as they meet the academic criteria.
High school students wishing to apply should do so in November, the university said.
Christopher Hoffman can be reached at news@newhavenbiz.com
