Review the admissions requirements below and check to see if you reside within an NC-SARA member state.

Complete the admissions application.

You are required to have a bachelor’s degree with a minimum grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. If you are denied admission because of failure to meet the GPA requirements, you will be allowed to register for coursework. After completing 10 graduate credit hours, you may be admitted if you maintain a minimum of a 3.0 cumulative GPA.

Building upon the bachelor’s and master’s degree programs that are already part of the Nylen School of Nursing, Morningside’s first doctoral program will allow you to reach the pinnacle of your nursing education with two distinct tracks, including options for BSN to MSN to DNP or MSN to DNP. To apply, you must have:

• Bachelor’s degree with a major in nursing from an accredited institution with a 3.0 cumulative GPA on a 4.0 scale.  (If undergraduate cumulative GPA is below a 3.0 see below for other options).
• Master’s degree with a major in nursing from an accredited institution with a 3.0 cumulative GPA on a 4.0 scale.  (for post-master’s certificate or MSN-DNP track)
• Valid R.N. license in Iowa or state participating in the licensure compact. For applicants with non-compact R.N. license contact the Dean of Nursing for state approval status.  
• Valid APRN license and proof of certification for Direct Patient Care DNP Track.
• Completed application and application fee (non-refundable $65).
• Official academic transcripts from all prior undergraduate and graduate programs previously attended.
• Two professional and/or academic letters of recommendation.
• Professional Goal Essay that includes your area of interest and how graduate education will help you achieve your professional goals. Describe how your professional history such as your practice and leadership experience has prepared you for graduate studies (500 words or less typed).
• Résumé or Curriculum Vitae.
• All materials are sent through Morningside University Graduate Nursing Application or NursingCAS application website.
• BCLS certification.
• Meet the essential ability requirements

Direct Admissions

Morningside University Nursing alumni whom graduated in good academic standing are eligible for Direct Admission status into any Graduate Nursing Program track (MSN/DNP). Direct Admission is valid as long as the applicant applies to a track/program within three years from completing a prior degree/certificate. In the case of Direct Admissions, the applicant must submit the following. The application fee will be waived.

• Completed application from the Morningside University Graduate Nursing website using the Morningside University Graduate Nursing Application link option.
• Valid R.N. license in Iowa or state participating in the licensure compact. For applicants with non-compact R.N. license contact the Dean of Nursing for state approval status.  
• Valid APRN license and proof of certification for Direct Patient Care DNP Track.
• Résumé or Curriculum Vitae.
• Official academic transcripts from all graduate programs previously attended. If only attended Morningside University for BSN and/or MSN, the college has transcripts on file.

Iowa Administrative Code 655–2.10(152) details that students and prospective students may not take nursing courses with a clinical or practicum component by a person: 1) who has been denied licensure by the board; 2) whose license is currently suspended, surrendered, or revoked in any U.S. jurisdiction; or 3) whose license is currently suspended, surrendered, or revoked in another country due to disciplinary action. Individuals seeking enrollment or currently enrolled in nursing programs who are not eligible to take a courseot eligible to take a course with a clinical component because of disciplinary action in any state should contact the Iowa Board of Nursing Enforcement Unit at (515) 281-6472 as soon as possible. Individuals not eligible to take a clinical or practicum component will not be admitted to the nursing program or allowed to progress in the curriculum.

Admission Fees

• Graduate Nursing application fee $65.00
• Required background check $45.00
• Immunization tracking services $35

Course Fees

• NURS 524 class fee $175.00
• HIPAA training – annually $15.00
• OSHA training – annually $15.00
• MSN-NP students only – monthly fee for online documentation service while enrolled in practicum courses $7.00

Additional Fees

• Graduate Nursing Technology fee $225 per term (fall and spring)
• Nurse Practitioner Assessment fee $100 per term
• Any clinical site-specific requirements (e.g. drug testing) at the student’s expense
• Graduation fee $150.00
• Transcript fee $10.00 (Express mail $50.00)

Textbook and/or technology learning resource cost estimates are not listed. Many textbooks are used throughout the nursing curriculum. Nursing textbooks/technology learning resources usually average $600-800 per semester.

Students enrolled in at least 5 credit hours per term are eligible for the following resources. All students must meet satisfactory academic progress standards in order to maintain their aid.

• Federal low-interest subsidized and unsubsidized loans
• Federal Graduate/Professional PLUS Loans

Loan Forgiveness

Rural Iowa Primary Care Loan Repayment Program

Health Professional Recruitment Program

Health Care Loan Repayment Program

Nurse Corps Loan Repayment Program

Federal Student Loan Forgiveness, Cancellation, or Discharge