Nursing — Traditional Program

Nursing — Traditional Program

  • Bachelor of Science (BS)
  • Undergraduate Major

Modes of study:

  • Blended
  • ·
  • In person
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University of Southern Maine (USM) nursing grads have the skills and confidence to take on demanding roles in America’s #1 most trusted profession. Our School of Nursing RNs are highly trained technicians, public health advocates, and community champions.

Established excellence in care

USM prepares more RNs than any other nursing school in Maine

Modern labs & equipment

Develop skills in our Simulation Center, Physical Assessment Lab, and Fundamentals of Nursing Lab

92% pass rate

USM grads routinely have a high pass rate on their first NCLEX-RN® exam

Academic catalog

Our engaging curriculum offers an integrative and rigorous liberal education.

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Program duration

Typical completion time: 4 years. Flexible options may save time.

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School

School of Nursing

Admissions

SAT & ACT scores optional. Apply by February 1 for fall term only.

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Nursing students look at a chart a faculty member is holding, standing next to a hospital bed a simulation lab.

Innovative learning spaces

In our labs and simulation center, we use “real-world” scenarios and equipment. You get the best hands-on opportunities while working in a controlled and safe learning environment. Opened in 2023, the Boyne Family Advanced Simulation and Interprofessional Education Center features a high-fidelity nursing simulation lab that replicates both hospital rooms and home settings, mobile health monitoring, and virtual reality trainers.

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Seamless transition into professional practice

During your first two years of study, you practice applying your classroom knowledge to real-life scenarios in the lab and simulation center. Clinical training begins during the third year, where you work in a small group supervised by a clinical faculty member. Your final semester is an intensive practicum working alongside a preceptor in a direct-care setting.

A nursing student puts on a medical smock and gloves over their scrubs.
A nursing student practices taking a person blood pressure.

Community-based clinicals

The clinical nursing experience at USM goes beyond the traditional practice. Through community partnerships, our students provide primary care, public health, and mental health services for underserved populations. Together, we collaborate closely with local leaders to identify community strengths, resources, and needs.

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Where can you go with a bachelor’s degree in nursing?

A nurse in blue scrubs adjusts an IV bag.

A lifetime of opportunities

USM grads work as registered nurses in inpatient, outpatient, and community-based healthcare. Many earn additional certifications in specialty areas, and some go on to complete advanced degrees.

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Combining knowledge and skills with compassion

Learn and practice in class and our modern simulation labs, then gain real-world experience through clinicals.

Students sit at a table with laptops in a simulation lab.
Your studies begin with foundational knowledge in the classroom.
Two nursing students receive instruction from a faculty member while practicing using medical equipment.
Our faculty provide close attention as you develop new skills.
Three nursing students work around a hospital bed in a simulation lab.
Modern simulation labs provide an environment to practice your skills as well as teamwork.
A student practices medical techniques with a simulation mannequin.
In our labs and simulation center, we use “real-world” scenarios and equipment.
Two nursing students receive instruction from a faculty member while practicing testing a patient's reflexes.
Our Fundamentals of Nursing Lab provides an environment to practice nursing techniques.
Two nursing students receive instruction from a faculty member while practicing using a stethoscope.
You practice techniques for using medical equipment used in practice settings, under the close supervision of our faculty.
A nursing students practices a technique alongside a faculty member in a simulation lab.
Labs are facilitated by clinically experienced instructors.
Two nursing students stand in a simulation lab, and one is holding a simulation mannequin baby.
Our labs provide an environment for you to develop clinical judgment and reasoning while focusing on best practices.
A nursing student practices uses a stethoscope on a simulation mannequin baby.
You get the best hands-on opportunities while working in a controlled and safe learning environment.
A nursing students practices using a thermometer with a simulation mannequin.
This is where our students get to put classroom theory and scientific principles into action.
A nursing student prepares a needle at an off-campus community clinical.
After exploring concepts and theories in the classroom and honing skills in simulation labs, our students are prepared to provide direct, supervised care to patients.
A nursing student takes a patient's blood pressure.
Undergraduate students spend their final four semesters engaging in clinicals.

What to expect when you join the traditional nursing program at USM

  • Highly selective admissions: Enrollment is limited to allow for closely supervised clinical experiences. You can apply to the traditional nursing program as an incoming student, a current USM student, or a transfer student.
  • Peer support network: The group of classmates you start with follows a similar course sequence, so you’ll learn and graduate together. Alumni say their cohorts become lifelong friends and colleagues.
  • Ready for NCLEX: When you graduate, you’re eligible to sit for the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN®). Our most recent graduates had a 95% pass rate as first-time test takers.
A nursing professor supervises while nursing students practice techniques.

Accomplished faculty

Our faculty are active in research and policy issues at the state and national levels, are board members of state and national nursing associations, and frequently publish in leading nursing journals.

Meet your professors

Logo with the reads "CCNE Accredited."

Nationally accredited & state approved

Study in a program that is approved by the Maine State Board of Nursing and accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.

Read about approval & accreditation

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Transfer students are welcome!

We welcome students who are transferring from another four-year university or community college. Our knowledgeable admissions counselors will help you to navigate the admissions and credit-transfer process.

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Admission information: BS in Nursing — Traditional Program

Because the baccalaureate nursing program includes supervised clinical experiences, the nursing faculty reserves the right to limit enrollment. Admission to the program is highly selective.

There are three different application processes for this program. Prospective students should select the appropriate application process for their current student type.

Application deadlines

CohortApplication deadlineDecision arrives
Spring* 2026September 1December 1
Fall 2026February 1May 1
You will be notified of application decisions by postal mail.
*Our spring cohort is only for transfer students and current USM students looking to change their major.

This application process is intended for students who have not attempted any college credits since graduating from high school or earning a GED/HiSET.

Applicant criteria

  • Applicants must meet the University’s general undergraduate admission requirements, which can be found in the Admissions section of the Undergraduate Catalog.
  • In addition to general requirements, applicants must meet the following criteria:
    • High school GPA of 3.25 or above
    • Completed high school biology and chemistry with labs, with grades of B or above in those courses.

Applicants who do not meet one of the above criteria will be reviewed by the Office of Admissions for possible nursing admission consideration.

Application process

This application process is intended for admitted USM students who can meet the Applicant Criteria before they have completed no more than 32 college credits. If you wish to pursue this option, schedule a meeting with your Professional Academic Advisor to discuss plans.

Apply for our BS in Nursing — Traditional program at the end of the semester in which you meet the Applicant Criteria, after final course grades are posted.

Applicant criteria

  • Complete at least one semester at the University of Southern Maine; and
  • Achieve a 3.0 or higher GPA at USM; and
  • Be eligible to take, or have completed MAT 120 or a direct equivalent statistics course; and.
  • Complete one of these sets of science courses with a grade of C or better: CHY 107 Chemistry for Health Sciences (CHY 113 also accepted) or BIO 111 and BIO 112 Human Anatomy and Physiology I with lab; and
  • Complete two of these social sciences with grades of C or better: PSY 100 Introduction to Psychology, SOC 100 Introduction to Sociology, or HRD 200 Multicultural Human Development; and
  • Complete College Writing with a grade of C or better.
  • If you do not meet the above criteria before completing more than 32 credits, you still can apply to the School of Nursing through Process 3 (details below).

Application process

Contact your Professional Academic Advisor to get started. They will assist you with planning courses to meet the criteria for a change of major to nursing. When you can satisfy the applicant criteria, your advisor will assist with the change of major process at the end of a semester, after all final grades are posted.

For more information about the change of major process and the nursing program application process, please contact your Professional Academic Advisor. Not sure who your Advisor is? Check your MaineStreet Student Center to find out.

This application process is intended for any external applicant or current USM student who has completed more than 32 credit hours and who does not meet the criteria for application Process 1 or Process 2. This includes students who have completed college credits at another institution of higher education or who are currently enrolled at another higher education institution.

Please verify that you meet the eligibility requirements listed below. Applicants who do not meet all of the criteria will not be considered for admission into our BS in Nursing — Traditional program.

Applicant criteria

  • Applicants must meet the University’s general undergraduate admission requirements, which can be found in the Admissions section of the Undergraduate Catalog.
  • In addition to general requirements, applicants must meet the following criteria:
    • Hold a minimum cumulative college GPA of 3.0 (note that the cumulative college GPA is calculated from the combination of all college courses you completed at all institutions that you have attended); and
    • Hold a minimum natural science GPA of 2.67 in natural science courses for nursing that have been completed at the time of application. These courses include direct equivalents of Anatomy and Physiology I with lab, Anatomy and Physiology II with lab, Microbiology with lab, Human Nutrition, an introductory Chemistry course (lab not required), and Pathophysiology.
    • Applicants who have retaken more than 3 natural science courses for nursing, or retaken the same science course more than twice in their college academic history, will not be considered for admission.

Application process:

Current USM students with more than 32 credit hours

  • Complete and submit the online Supplemental Form: Nursing — Traditional Program BS
    • If you have applied before, please complete this form again
    • Email the required essay to [email protected]
      • The essay prompt is described at the bottom of the Supplemental Form
    • To apply for the Spring 2026 cohort: Send us your Official College Transcripts from all other colleges or universities where you may have enrolled in courses since receiving your previous admission letter for USM
  • Notify your Professional Academic Advisor of your plans to apply to the nursing program.

Students currently enrolled at or with completed college credits from another higher education institution, and are not eligible for Application Process 1 or 2

  • Apply to the University of Southern Maine as a Transfer applicant
    • Select Nursing as your first-choice major
    • To apply for the Spring 2026 cohort:
      • Select Fall 2025 for the Term and Year fields
      • After you submit your application, send an email to Chris Fox at [email protected] to let us know you’re interested in the Spring 2026 nursing cohort
        • Include your full name and birthdate so we can connect you to your completed application and update the Term and Year fields to Spring 2026 for you
  • In addition to your USM admission application, complete and submit the online Supplemental Form: Nursing — Traditional Program BS
    • If you have applied before, please complete this form again
    • Email the required essay to [email protected]
      • The essay prompt is described at the bottom of the Supplemental Form

For questions about the application process, or to check the status of a completed application, please contact the Office of Admissions.

Next steps

Our undergraduate admissions counselors are here to answer your questions about the admissions process, our academic programs, and student support services.

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