2020-2021 Catalog

Admission Policy

Admission into BCC’s Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) Program is competitive and restricted to applicants who meet the requirements and space availability in the program. Students applying to this program must complete and submit the same college application form as other students applying to the college plus an ADN matriculation form.

Applications and matriculation forms must be received by the BCC Admissions Office by June 1 of the year to be considered for entry in the fall semester and September 15th of the year to be considered for entry into the spring semester.  This program has a selective admission process. Only students who have met all ADN admission requirements by the above deadlines will be considered for admission. Admission decisions are made in mid-June for the fall semester of the same year and late September for the following spring semester. Admission decisions are mailed to students by mid-June for the fall semester and mid-October for the spring semester.  Applicants must ensure that their contact information is accurate and up-to-date at all times. Students will have up to three business days to respond to BCC.

Accepted students may defer one time for a one-year period if submitted in writing to admissions by August 1st for the Fall semester and December 1st for the Spring semester. Students offered readmission to the ADN program are not eligible to defer.

Students with two nursing program failures within the past 10 years (taken at another institution, at BCC, or in combination) will not be admitted or readmitted to the program. Students readmitted with two nursing program failures after 10 years will only be considered for admission one time regardless of reason for not completing the program.

Students will not be admitted concurrently into any two of the following degree or certificate programs: Physical Therapist Assistant, Respiratory Care, Practical Nursing and Associate Degree in Nursing.

Admissions Requirements:

The student’s overall GPA, success in science courses, the number of additional required courses completed, and the completion of additional college degrees are considered and do influence the admission decision.  Admission specific criteria are as follows:

 

Submit official transcript(s) from high school or high school equivalency, or its equivalent for candidates with evidence of college graduation, and official transcripts of previous colleges or post-secondary schools attended.  College transcripts indicating a completed degree are satisfactory evidence of secondary school graduation.

  • International transcripts will only be accepted for consideration if they have been translated and evaluated by a foreign credential evaluation service provider. BCC recommends World Education Services - www.wes.org.
  • Math: ACCUPLACER Next Generation QAS score of 262 or greater OR successful completion of MAT-029, MAT-029C, or MAT-136 or higher (with a minimum grade of C). (MAT-123 Statistics recommended for transfer)
  • English: Readiness to take ENG-101 as demonstrated through the Accuplacer or completion of a college-level composition course (ENG-101) with a grade of C (73) or better;

     

  • Support Courses: Completing a minimum of 10 credits of college-level ADN support courses with a grade of C (73) or better;
  • Students who have not completed BIO-201, BIO-202 and BIO-207 prior to January 1, 2018, will be required to earn a grade of C+ (77) or better in these courses to be eligible for admission to the ADN program. Courses taken prior to January 1, 2018 require a C (73 or better). These four science courses, (BIO-201, BIO-202 and BIO-207), must be completed within seven years of entry into the program. Any waivers to this provision require direct approval from the Dean of Nursing (contact Admissions Office to begin waiver process).
  • Attend a Mandatory Nursing Information Session. Register online at www.berkshirecc.edu/nursinginfo.

Determining Acceptance to the ADN Program

A minimum of 56 students are conditionally admitted to the program for the fall and spring semesters.  A Selective Admission Rubric is used, following non-discriminatory practice, for admission into the ADN program. The rubric does not contain any identifying student characteristics besides the student BCC ID number. Applicants with the highest scores are accepted in rank order.

The following components are the basis of ranking:

Program GPA – Students are awarded points for GPA to the hundredth decimal point (e.g., GPA of 3.14 = 3.14 points, GPA of 3.27 = 3.27 points). The GPA is calculated only on courses required for the program.

  1. Science courses and general education course according to the Selective Admissions Rubric.
  2.  Completion of a minimum of 10 credits of college-level ADN support courses (science and general education courses) prior to submitting the ADN matriculation form. Science (A&P I and II and Microbiology) must be completed within seven years of admittance to the program.
  3. Number of required program courses are reflected in the overall score relative to the number of courses.
  4. Other degrees:  A student who possesses a(n) Associate Degree, Bachelor Degree, Master’s Degree, and/or Doctorate will be awarded a maximum of one point, regardless of the number of degrees held.
  5. Students will be awarded 2 points for classes that are successfully passed through AP exams or CLEP.

Space Available List

 If a top-ranked student, admitted into the program, decides to defer or decline admission, an alternate list (Space Available List), of the second tier of qualified students, is developed.  This list will only be used until the day of nursing orientation in August or December in order to allow time for CORI/SORI, immunization completion and other requirements for nursing students. Individuals on the Space Available List will be identified only by their BCC ID. To remain eligible, individuals on the Space Available List must continue to meet all eligibility requirements up until the month before the start of the semester, at which time individuals on the space available list may be notified of their admission to the program. If not admitted, those students on the Space Available List must reapply to the program each year. Individuals on the list must ensure that their contact information is accurate and up-to-date at all times. Individuals, from the Space Available List, admitted, will have up to three business days to respond to the offer.

Revised: ADN Faculty Committee, 12/18/18, 2/14/2020, 5/28/2020; revised 7/20/2020, revised 11/04/2020, 12/18/2020