How to Apply

1. Community Living Agreement
Point Loma Nazarene University's Community Living Agreement is designed to create a community in which the university provides an atmosphere of academic excellence and spiritual growth while students commit themselves to a certain lifestyle. In 150 to 250 words, please reflect on the values and challenges of entering into this agreement as a college student. Please click here to read the agreement carefully before you answer.

2. Admissions Essay
Discuss an accomplishment or event, formal or informal, that marked your transition from childhood to adulthood within your culture, community or family.

3. Nursing applicants have a third essay question to respond to which changes from year to year. It’s not a question about the actual nursing profession. Instead, it’s a question designed to shed light on your character and thought processes. This essay is reviewed by admissions and the School of Nursing.

We want to ensure that applicant transcripts are evaluated on a level playing field. PLNU uses a cumulative, weighted GPA for admissions and for awarding merit scholarships. By "cumulative", we mean all courses (academic and non-academic), throughout all eight semesters of high school are included. By "weighted", we mean that courses listed on transcripts as Honors, AP, or IB HL courses are calculated on a 5.0 scale, rather than the unweighted 4.0 scale.

Interviews are not required, but are strongly recommended. Call (619) 849-2273 or refer to our Visit page to schedule an interview.

Yes, our transfer credit information page includes an AP guide, which outlines what scores are accepted from incoming students. Also listed on this site are our transfer agreements with local community colleges and our General Education Transfer Guide — these can help you determine which community college classes will transfer to PLNU.

College credits earned while in high school can transfer to PLNU. If you are admitted to PLNU and choose to attend, you need to send your official college or university transcripts before July 1 of the year you're planning to attend. From there, your courses will be evaluated so PLNU credit can be assigned. Almost any introductory or General Education (GE) class can be applied for credit at PLNU.

PLNU serves as a cross-town affiliate for ROTC programs with the Navy, Marines, Army, and Air Force. If you are planning on doing ROTC and are currently a high school senior, the process for applying to PLNU is exactly the same as for non-ROTC students. Simply follow the application instructions above to apply to PLNU. To learn more about applying to a ROTC program, see the listings below:

Navy/Marines
Consortium with local San Diego universities
Official Website
Local Website

Army
Cross-town affiliate with San Diego State University
Official Website
Local Website

Air Force
Cross-town affiliate with San Diego State University
Official Website
Local Website

For more information, call (619) 849-2273.

PLNU does not require an SAT or ACT score for admission. Some merit aid at PLNU does still require a test score to be awarded.  Please visit pointloma.edu/scholarships for more info!

What are the prerequisite courses needed to apply as a transfer to PLNU’s School of Nursing?

• Inorganic and organic biological chemistry -or- organic chemistry (4 or 5 semester units – with labs)
• Human anatomy and physiology (8 semester units – with labs)
• General psychology or personal identity (3 or 4 semester units)
• College-level algebra (determined by PLNU math placement test)
• Microbiology (4 semester units with lab)

*Due to clinical space, please contact your admissions counselor to see if PLNU is currently accepting transfer nursing students. 

I don’t see Nursing as a major option on the application...what does that mean?

From time to time, PLNU’s Nursing program completely fills up with continuing PLNU students. Rather than collect application fees from hopeful transfers who have no shot at getting into the program, we remove “Nursing” as an option on our application entirely, to prevent any students from wasting their time and money.

I’d like to apply to PLNU as a non-Nursing major and then change into Nursing once admitted. Is that ok?

Unfortunately no. In order to be in the Nursing program at PLNU, transfer students have to apply as Nursing majors, and be admitted as Nursing majors. There is no option for a student to apply to PLNU as any non–Nursing major and ever join the Nursing program. 

I’d like to enroll at PLNU as a non-Nursing major and then change into Nursing once I’m there. Is that ok?

No PLNU student in any non-Nursing major is ever able to change into the Nursing program, no matter the circumstance. Nursing is a locked major–students must be admitted as a Nursing major to ever be a part of the program.

I’ve taken some of the Nursing prerequisite courses, but want to finish the rest at PLNU – can I do that?

No. To be considered a viable PLNU transfer Nursing candidate, you must have completed all prerequisites before applying to the School of Nursing. This also means you can’t be in the semester-of-completion of any prerequisite course when applying to PLNU. Each course has to be completed.  

I have taken college classes after graduating high school, but I haven’t taken any Nursing prerequisites. Can I apply as a transfer into the Pre-Nursing program to complete prerequisites at PLNU?

Unfortunately no. If you’ve taken ANY college units after graduating from high school, you’re considered a transfer applicant to PLNU. All transfer applicants must have completed all Nursing prerequisite courses before applying to PLNU.

I applied to PLNU as a transfer Nursing major – now what?

If PLNU is accepting Nursing transfers, once you’ve completed your PLNU Admissions application, you also need to apply to the School of Nursing. The School of Nursing application process is different than the admissions process, and has different deadlines. Please visit their site for additional information. 

1. Community Living Agreement
Point Loma Nazarene University's Community Living Agreement is designed to create a community in which the university provides an atmosphere of academic excellence and spiritual growth while students commit themselves to a certain lifestyle. In 150 to 250 words, please reflect on the values and challenges of entering into this agreement as a college student. Please click here to read the agreement carefully before you answer.

2. Admissions Essay
Discuss an accomplishment or event, formal or informal, that marked your transition from childhood to adulthood within your culture, community or family.

See our transfer agreements for a list of colleges and universities with which we have direct agreements. Click on the college for a list of general education (GE) classes that will transfer to PLNU. These do not have to be completed before transferring to PLNU.

If your school is not listed, please refer to our General Education Transfer Guide to help you select courses that are most likely to transfer to PLNU.

These two sources, as well as information about AP credit, can be found at our Transferring Credit page.

PLNU offers official transcript evaluations to students who have started an application. If you've already started your application, contact your admissions counselor to request an evaluation.

If you’re a veteran or still serving in the military, our admissions counselors will help you with everything from submitting transcripts and academic planning to VA benefits and other financial aid. We’ll even have your transcripts evaluated before you apply for admission to see which of your military credits can be transferred.

All undergraduate programs can be completed in 36 months or less to accommodate terms of eligibility for your military benefits. Because our undergraduate degrees will not require you to use your maximum benefits, you can use any remaining eligibility toward one of our graduate degree programs.

If you are a recipient of VA educational benefits, such as the Post 9/11 GI Bill® or the Yellow Ribbon Program, we’ll help make sure all assistance is applied accurately and efficiently. Learn more about VA educational benefits.

GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government website.

Many California community colleges participate in the ADT program (Associates Degree for Transfer) that guarantees students who graduate with their ADT a space at some four year institutions. PLNU participates in the ADT program in these specific majors: Art History, Child and Adolescent Development, Literature, Criminal Justice, History, Journalism, Mathematics, Music, Philosophy, Physics, Political Science, Social Work, Sociology. If you're applying as a transfer to PLNU in one of these majors, you'll be asked to submit a copy of your completed ADT at the time of application.    

PLNU does not require an SAT or ACT score for admission. Some merit aid at PLNU does still require a test score to be awarded. Please visit www.pointloma.edu/scholarships for more info!

For transcript evaluation, PLNU recommends using one of the following:

• Spantran: 
  • First-time freshman applicants: request a COURSE ANALYSIS (Course-by-Course). Spantran has offered a discount when using the above link to make an evaluation request for PLNU.
  • Transfer applicants: request a Divisional Course Analysis
• Academic Credentials Evaluation Institute (ACEI) - Discounted Rates for PLNU applicants.
  • First-time freshman applicants: request Comprehensive High School Report
  • Transfer applicants: request Comprehensive Course-by-Course Report Post-Secondary education (this includes course match to PLNU courses)
• Any member of National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) or Association of International Credential Evaluators (AICE) offering a course-by-course evaluation with a numeric GPA. Please note: For first-time freshmen applicants, you need to request a course-by-course evaluation with a GPA. Transfer applicants looking to receive credit from a foreign college need to request a course-by-course evaluation with the course description and GPA.

If you have any questions regarding what evaluation type you should choose, please contact the international admissions counselor. PLNU is not responsible for translating or evaluating foreign transcripts or coursework.

Yes! International students are eligible for an International Merit Scholarship based on their GPA and TOEFL/IELTS scores. Students should contact their international admissions counselor to check if they qualify.

International students are also eligible for merit-based scholarships, involvement scholarships, outside scholarships (dependent upon scholarship qualifications), and endowed scholarships. For more information, see cost and financial aid.

Currently, PLNU is not accepting transfer nursing applications. If we do in the future, here’s information that may be helpful.

What are the prerequisite courses needed to apply as a transfer to PLNU’s School of Nursing?

• Inorganic and organic biological chemistry -or- organic chemistry (4 or 5 semester units – with labs)
• Human anatomy and physiology (8 semester units – with labs)
• General psychology or personal identity (3 or 4 semester units)
• College-level algebra (determined by PLNU math placement test)
• Microbiology (4 semester units with lab)

*Due to clinical space, please contact your admissions counselor to see if PLNU is currently accepting transfer nursing students. 

I don’t see nursing as a major option on the application. What does that mean?

From time to time, PLNU’s nursing program completely fills up with continuing PLNU students. Rather than collect application fees from hopeful transfers who have no shot at getting into the program, we remove “nursing” as an option on our application entirely to prevent any students from wasting their time and money.

I’d like to apply to PLNU as a non-nursing major and then change into nursing once admitted. Is that ok?

Unfortunately, no. In order to be in the nursing program at PLNU, transfer students have to apply and be admitted as nursing majors. There is no option for a student to apply to PLNU as any non-nursing major and subsequently join the nursing program. 

I’d like to enroll at PLNU as a non-nursing major and then change into nursing once I’m there. Is that ok?

Unfortunately, due to space limitations within the nursing program, PLNU students in any non-nursing major are unable to change majors into the nursing program, no matter the circumstance. Nursing is a locked major; students must be admitted as a nursing major to ever be a part of the program.

I’ve taken some of the nursing prerequisite courses but want to finish the rest at PLNU. Can I do that?

No. To be considered a viable PLNU transfer nursing candidate, you must have completed all prerequisites before applying to the School of Nursing. This also means you can’t be in the semester-of-completion of any prerequisite course when applying to PLNU. Each course has to be completed.  

I’ve taken college classes after graduating high school but haven’t taken any nursing prerequisites. Can I apply as a transfer into the pre-nursing program to complete prerequisites at PLNU?

Unfortunately, no. If you’ve taken ANY college units after graduating from high school, you’re considered a transfer applicant to PLNU. All transfer applicants must have completed all nursing prerequisite courses before applying to PLNU.

I applied to PLNU as a transfer nursing major. Now what?

If PLNU is accepting nursing transfers, once you’ve completed your PLNU admissions application, you also need to apply to the School of Nursing. The School of Nursing application process is different than the admissions process and has different deadlines. Please visit the SON site for additional information.

Slightly. Nursing applicants are asked to complete a third essay as a part of their application. The essay is not about the actual nursing profession but is instead designed to shed light on your character and thought processes. This essay is reviewed by PLNU admissions and the School of Nursing. Additionally, nursing candidates’ high school math and science grades are examined more closely, as well as candidates’ involvements and leadership experience. Please note: admissions counselors are not looking for nursing-related involvements specifically but are looking for indicators of applicants’ commitment level.

Even before PLNU moved from a competitive nursing program to a Direct Entry program, our first-year nursing class reached capacity with our Early Action applicants almost every year. The nursing application review process is more in-depth than that of a non-nursing applicant, so in order to give our admissions counselors ample time to fully review applications, and to ensure students admitted to nursing have as much time as possible to make their decision, we do not guarantee that students who apply after Early Action will be considered for nursing. In the best case scenario for those applicants, their post-Early Action nursing application may be reviewed for a space on the nursing waitlist.

A deposit on or before April 10 is required to confirm your space as a PLNU nursing student. Deposits received after April 10 will be treated as a deposit to a different major, and students will receive an email asking to confirm their new major choice. Students who don’t reply with a new major choice will have their deposit refunded. There’s no option for admitted nursing students who do not deposit by April 10 to join the nursing waitlist.

This means, while we’re unable to consider you as a nursing student, we’d still love to see you here at PLNU! Each year, we have MANY more qualified nursing applicants than we have space to admit due to the program cap and PLNU’s capped enrollment. However, there are many students who we have no doubt will excel here and to whom we’d love to offer admission in a different major. If you received this letter, it means:

• We’re unable to admit you to PLNU nursing.
• You’re guaranteed admission in a different major, you just need to reach out to your admissions counselor to let them know which major you’ve chosen.

Please note: students who change their major and are subsequently admitted are no longer able to rejoin the nursing waitlist or change their major into nursing at any point thereafter.

We know a waitlist notification is never the news a candidate hopes for, but please know we select our nursing waitlist applicants very intentionally. Each student who receives a nursing waitlist letter is a student we’d love to admit and we believe would be an excellent PLNU nursing student. Students on the nursing waitlist have two options: they can remain on the waitlist for final notification after the April 10 nursing deposit deadline, or they can change their major and be re-evaluated for admission. Please note: students who change their major and are subsequently admitted are no longer able to rejoin the nursing waitlist or change their major into nursing at any point thereafter.

While your coursework or credit will likely transfer to PLNU, there’s no way to shorten your nursing program or waive your prerequisite courses here. The nursing program is a four-year program, and students are required to take prerequisite courses at PLNU. If you have transfer credit for a prerequisite course, it will likely transfer as elective credit (also required to graduate).

The nursing program at PLNU is a four-year program. Your first year is a combination of general education courses and nursing prerequisite courses, and your final three years are made up of nursing courses, general education courses and clinical rotations. Click here for a full list of required nursing courses.

As long as you stay on track academically, yes! As with any major, performing less than satisfactory in any course will likely set you behind on your graduation track, but rest assured that your nursing advisors and faculty members will be very involved in your academic progress. You’ll have many touch points along the way to ensure you know if you’re veering off track and have time to adjust accordingly.