USC Lancaster BSN Collaborative Program with USC Columbia - USC Lancaster

College of Nursing Mission

The University of South Carolina College of Nursing prepares graduates who care, inspire and lead to advance science, practice, and policy to optimize health for all.

Through a partnership with the College of Nursing at the University of South Carolina’s main campus in Columbia, USC Lancaster, and area hospitals, students have the opportunity to complete all four years of the nursing program at USC Lancaster. Coursework is administered through a variety of live and distance learning modalities and supported with clinical practice. USCL students enjoy the advantages of a small class size and the ability to remain close to home.
The Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree is a four-year undergraduate program. The BSN program is approved by the South Carolina Board of Nursing and accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. Students admitted to USCL enter pre-nursing coursework and apply for admission into upper division. Upper division consists of 2 years of clinical practice supported by concurrent classroom study. Upon successful completion of the BSN program, graduates are eligible to take the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN).

Freshman applicants must have either a high school diploma or its equivalent (GED) prior to enrolling. Accepted applicants must have senior grades and a verification of graduation sent as soon as they are available. Applicants who did not graduate from high school must send transcripts of all available work and a copy of a GED certificate or satisfactory GED test scores.

Freshman applicants must submit:

Completed paper or online application
Specified non-refundable application fee
Official high school record complete up to the time of application
Official entrance examination scores (either SAT or ACT)
Prospective students must have adequate preparation for the curriculum
Acceptance into the BSN major does not guarantee progression into the upper division

Transfer Students

Transfer students must have a cumulative 3.0 GPA in all college work with at least 30 semester hours completed. Students’ performance on science and nursing courses taken at other schools must be reviewed upon admission by a nursing advisor.

Enrollment in upper division is competitive and limited. Progression is competitive, based on progression GPA and interview score. Progression to upper division is limited to a set number of qualified students based on available clinical faculty and clinical placement sites. Interested applicants must consistently retain competitive grades in progression courses to increase chances of admission into upper division.

Progression Courses

BIOL 243* & BIOL 243L*
BIOL 244* * BIOL 244L*
BIOL 250* & BIOL 250L*
CHEM 102*
NURS 112*
NURS 216*

Minimum Eligibility Requirements

Meeting the minimum admission criteria (Institutional GPA of 3.000) does not guarantee admission to upper division.

A complete application for upper division includes a completed interview and applicant form submitted by the published deadline.
Students accepted into the upper division will begin upper division courses in the fall following their second spring semester in pre-nursing.
Over the past three years, the program has accepted 24 students per admission cycle. This number may vary slightly each cycle based on clinical availability.
All accepted upper division applicants are notified no later than mid-January.

Upper Division Application

The upper division application includes the following:

Application form (not used as part of application scoring)
Progression GPA (PGPA)
One audio-visual interview
One written interview

Progression GPA (PGPA)

PGPA will account for 95% of the final admission score. PGPA is calculated based on the following:

Individual grade earned in each designated progression course will be used to calculate PGPA. Current students who want to view tutorials on calculating PGPA can watch tutorial videos available in the Blackboard Ultra BSN pre-nursing virtual community site.
If a student chooses to retake a progression course, any/all final, graded attempts will be calculated in the student's final PGPA. This includes lab-designated progression courses (i.e. BIOL 243L, etc.)
- Grades earned in any course within the USC system, regardless of attempts, including the original grade, will remain on the transcript and will be counted towards the institutional GPA. If grade forgiveness is applied, the grade will not be counted in the institutional GPA but will remain on the transcript.
- Grades earned in progression courses outside the USC system will be applied to the PGPA, but not the institutional GPA.
Students who earn grades of D+, D, F, FN, or WF in designated progression courses are eligible to apply for university grade forgiveness. Students must adhere to all University Registrar policies related to grade forgiveness.
- Grade forgiveness may only be applied to courses taken through USC-Columbia, Lancaster, Salkehatchie, Sumter or Union. If grade forgiveness is applied, the original failing grade will not be counted in the institutional GPA or the progression GPA, but will remain on the transcript.

Interviews

Interviews will account for a combined total 5% of the admission score. Students will complete interviews through a third-party vendor including completion of one audio-visual interview and one written interview. Rubrics for the audio-visual and written interviews will be published at least 2 weeks prior to the opening of the upper division application to aid student preparation.