Post-Baccalaureate Nursing Certificate Admissions

For Post-Baccalaureate Nursing Certificate applicants: Admission to the Post-Baccalaureate Nursing Certificate Programs is on a rolling basis.

Applicants must have earned a bachelor of science in nursing degree from an accredited college or university, and must be ready to participate in an online environment.

Admission is based on:

• An evaluation of the applicant’s educational work from an accredited college or university.

Applicants to all programs offered by the School of Nursing must:

• Applicants must have an active RN license from the United States.
  IMPORTANT: For your application to be processed, the University must be able to validate your RN license. If your state does not have an online RN license validation process, you must submit a notarized copy of current RN license valid in the U.S. to Office of Admissions, Thomas Edison State University, 111 W. State St., Trenton, NJ 08608.
• have proficiency in using a computer, browsing the Web and sending and receiving e-mail, including attachments.
• have minimum system requirements to access an online course: access to the Internet, an Internet browser. Additional requirements that may apply to nursing courses are specified in the University Catalog and School of Nursing Student Handbook. Some courses require access to PowerPoint and/or Excel software and a webcam.
• Apply online to submit a completed application, with nonrefundable fee.

View General Graduate Admission Requirements

Applicants for the Post-Baccalaureate Nursing Certificate program must have an bachelor of science in nursing degree from an accredited college or university. Applicants must submit an official transcript from the institution that awarded the bachelor of science in nursing degree as well as their current RN license. View transcript requirements. Transcripts should be sent through a secured electronic delivery system.

An evaluation of the applicant’s undergraduate educational work from accredited colleges and universities is part of the admissions committee review process.

Sending Transcripts and Other Documents:

Applicants must submit an official transcript from the institution which awarded their bachelor of science in nursing degree. Transcripts should be sent to:

Office of the Registrar
Thomas Edison State University
111 W. State St.
Trenton, NJ 08608

Regarding transcripts, please note:

• Transcripts should be sent directly to Thomas Edison State University from the institution(s) an applicant has attended.
• Transcripts sent to Thomas Edison State University that have been sent first to an applicant from the institution(s) they attended must arrive at Thomas Edison State University in the unopened, sealed envelope from the institution (or institutions) they attended. Applicants may not open their transcripts; Transcripts that arrive at Thomas Edison State University in opened envelopes are not valid and must be resubmitted.
• Applicants with graduate degrees from international, non-regionally accredited institutions must submit a course-by-course evaluation from an agency approved by Thomas Edison State University. TESU will not evaluate transcripts from other countries and there is no need to send them to us. The University will accept credit recommendations from a required course-by-course evaluation completed by any of the following agencies:
  • Academic Credentials Evaluation Institute, Inc. (ACEI)
  • Center for Applied Research, Evaluations & Education, Inc.
  • Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc. (ECE)
  • World Educational Services, Inc. (WES)
  • SDR Educational Consultants
  • SpanTran Evaluation Services
  • Transcript Research

All costs associated with the international credit evaluation are the responsibility of the student. The University reserves the right to make its own determination on the amount and type of credit to be awarded based on the evaluations provide by these agencies. An enrolled student may transfer a maximum of 90 credits from international institutions. Thomas Edison State University does not participate in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS). Therefore the University does not sponsor foreign national students for F-1 or J-1 visa status. Course-by-course credit recommendations will be reviewed by Thomas Edison State University based upon existing transfer and certificate policies in place at the time of application.

Please send official transcripts from the institution where your bachelor of science in nursing degree was awarded to:

Office of the Registrar
Thomas Edison State University
111 W. State St.
Trenton, NJ 08608

Applicants who do not have a graduate GPA of at least 3.0 are required to submit a statement of background and goals. The statement of background and goals is limited to a 500 word response that addresses:

• Your professional and personal goals
• Your reasons for selecting the program for graduate study
• How you expect the program will help you achieve your goals

This statement is an important part of your application. It allows the admissions committee to evaluate the clarity of your goals and the suitability of your choice of program to meet those goals. In this context, you may wish to briefly summarize any employment, community involvement or personal history and accomplishes that help shape your decision. Define as precisely as possible what you hope to do when you complete the certificate.

The statement of background and goals is also used as a writing sample to allow the admissions committee to evaluate your ability to write at the graduate level. Please proofread your essay for spelling, grammar, and clarity.

Type your statement of background and goals and submit it to the Office of Admissions by sending it to gradadmissions@tesu.edu.