BACHELOR of SCIENCE in NURSING
Admission REQUIREMENTS
Admission requirements include the high school subjects or post-secondary equivalents you need to complete and the minimum grades you need to achieve to be considered for admission into this program.
Along with academic criteria, you will need to ensure additional admission criteria are met.
2025/26
You must meet the following requirements to apply for Fall 2025 or Winter 2026 intake. If you are applying to start your studies in Winter 2025, you must meet requirements outlined in the 2024/25 Academic Calendar.
To be eligible for admission into a competitive program, you need to have a higher minimum overall average than that listed in the Categories of Admission below.
The competitive criteria indicates the grade range/average we will consider for admission. This competitive average may change as applications are received. The average you need depends on the grades achieved by your peers who are applying to start in the same term.
Competitive criteria
| 2024/25 AVERAGE | 2025/26 AVERAGE | |
|---|---|---|
| Regular/mature admission |
high 80s to mid 90s |
high 80s to mid 90s |
| Previous post-secondary admission |
3.4 to 3.8 |
3.4 to 3.8 |
Courses used in the calculation of your admission average or admission grade point average (AGPA) must be completed by the course completion deadline for competitive programs.
Categories of admission
Applicants may be admitted to one of the following:
To be evaluated through the Office of the University Registrar
Applicants must have a minimum overall average of 65 percent, with no course grade lower than 50 percent, in the following high school courses:
- ELA 30-1
- Biology 30
- Chemistry 30 or Science 30
- Mathematics 30-1, Mathematics 30-2 or Mathematics 31
- One Group A, B, C or D course
Learn more about Group A, B, C or D courses
Note:
- A maximum of one Group D subject may be presented. Group D subjects used for admission must be 5-credit or any credit combination of at least 5 credits (e.g., two 3-credit subjects).
Applicants with nine to 23 university-level credits must also present a minimum admission grade point average (AGPA) of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale. Applicants with 24 or more university-level credits will be considered under Previous Post-Secondary Work.
To be evaluated through the Office of the University Registrar
Applicants must be 20 years of age or older and have been out of full-time high school at least one year by the beginning of the intake term. Applicants must have a minimum overall average of 65 percent, with no course grade lower than 50 percent, in the following high school courses:
- ELA 30-1
- Biology 30
- Chemistry 30 or Science 30
- Mathematics 30-1, Mathematics 30-2 or Mathematics 31
Learn more about Group A, B, C or D courses
Note:
- For Mature Admission only, another Group C course grade could be used to replace the Mathematics 30-1, Mathematics 30-2 or Mathematics 31 grade in the calculation of the competitive average.
Applicants with nine to 23 university-level credits must also present a minimum admission grade point average (AGPA) of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale. Applicants with 24 or more university-level credits will be considered under Previous Post-Secondary Work.
To be evaluated through the Office of the University Registrar | Admission in this category does not imply or guarantee the transfer of any coursework and/or credential unless a block transfer agreement (internal or external) is in effect and published in the calendar by the Office of the University Registrar. In addition, transfer of coursework does not imply or guarantee that an applicant will be admitted. Course currency requirements specific to the program of study must be met.
Applicants must have successfully completed the following from a recognized institution:
- A minimum of 24 university-level credits with a minimum admission grade point average (AGPA) of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale and must have completed the required core courses listed under the regular or mature admission category.
Additional admission criteria
All applicants must meet the following:
To be evaluated through the Office of the University Registrar | Applicable to all admission categories
All applicants must meet an acceptable level of English language proficiency. We will require official documents such as high school or post-secondary transcripts or proof of successful completion of standardized language evaluation. Full details are available in MacEwan University’s academic calendar or online at MacEwan.ca/ELP.
To be evaluated through the Office of the University Registrar | Applicable to all admission categories
Applicants who speak English as a second language—regardless of citizenship—are required to submit official documents such as high school, post-secondary transcripts or proof of successful completion of standardized language evaluation. Full details are available in MacEwan University’s academic calendar or online at MacEwan.ca/ELP.
To be evaluated through the Office of the University Registrar | Applicable to all admission categories
Applicants who have had one or more unsatisfactory academic records from any post-secondary program or institution must meet the admission requirements under the Previous Post-Secondary Work admission category.
Applicants who have two or more unsatisfactory academic records within the past 10 years from any post-secondary program or institution will not be considered for admission or re-admission to the program until a minimum five years from the date of assignment of the last unsatisfactory record. For the purpose of admission or re-admission, an unsatisfactory record is defined as a transcript with the notation ‘required to withdraw’ or equivalent.
To be evaluated through the program | Applicable to all admission categories
Applicants offered admission to the program are required to present a clear Police Information Check (or equivalent from another policing agency) that includes a Vulnerable Sector Search. The Police Information Check must be submitted by the published document deadline and have been issued within three months of the start of the program intake term.
Conditionally accepted applicants who have had a break in the continuity of their nursing program or who completed a portion of a nursing program through another institution may have to meet additional course requirements to establish course currency and/or course equivalence.
Equity Admission
The Faculty of Nursing at MacEwan University is committed to facilitating an equitable, diverse, and inclusive educational environment. The Faculty of Nursing recognizes there are underrepresented groups in nursing and nursing education, therefore reserves up to 10% of admission spaces for applicants to the Bachelor of Science in Nursing, who self- identify as Indigenous. MacEwan University defines Indigenous as First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples in Canada.
In order to be considered for admission under the Equity Admission criteria, candidates must still meet the minimum admission criteria for the program
Documentation confirming your Indigenous ancestry is required. You can upload your document easily through myStudentSystem by viewing the instructions in the Declare Indigenous Ancestry section of the Personal Information page.
We want your admission experience to be successful and straightforward. To help you along the way, we've prepared a step-by-step guide to the admission process.
Conditional admission
Once you have applied to the program you will need to monitor the status of your application. Use the step-by-step guide to the admission process to make sure you have met all the requirements of admission.
Contact the Office of the University Registrar with questions related to application procedures, admission criteria, admission decisions, financial aid and transfer credit.
Assessment
Assessment, re-assessment and admission decisions will occur at specified intervals until all available seats are filled. If you are not offered conditional acceptance at a given assessment point, you will see a note in myStudentSystem indicating that your application is still under review.
Your application will be reassessed at each assessment/decision interval and as new information becomes available.
Conditional Admission
Students who are conditionally accepted into the program will receive email notification and a registration package from the program before the program lifts the New Student Enrolment Hold.
All acceptances to this program are initially conditional. A conditional acceptance is an offer of acceptance that depends on completion of specified conditions (academic admission requirements and the non-academic admission requirements, e.g., security clearance and admission confirmation deposit).
Once the admission confirmation deposit is received and all of the academic and non-academic conditions for admission are cleared, the acceptance automatically converts to a clear and final acceptance without another letter being sent by the Office of the Registrar.
Once conditionally accepted, you must submit a current, clear security clearance for working with vulnerable populations – duplicate copies do not meet this requirement. A pardon in progress does not meet the admission requirement for a clear security clearance.
The security clearance report must be dated as issued no earlier than 90 days before program commencement and received in the program office by the academic document deadline. To ensure you meet the deadline, allow up to 4-6 weeks for processing of the security clearance report by the police.
Many settings for practice placements require evidence of a current, clear security clearance check as a prerequisite for clinical placements. You are responsible for obtaining current security clearance checks at intervals specified by practice settings, and for making these available, upon request, to placement agency representatives. You must satisfy agency requirements before beginning a practice placement.
You must satisfy agency immunization requirements before beginning all practice placements and must therefore maintain current immunization against specified communicable diseases for continued enrolment in the program. You will receive further information about immunization requirements and process when you start your program, so that you can complete these requirements in the first term of study.
It is important for applicants and program students to become familiar with the program requirements outlined in the Academic Calendar. The program regulations provide further clarity on security clearance, immunization status, basic life support certification, the N95 mask, professional code of conduct, regulations governing clinical courses and program standards.