Apply to WCC

How to enter

Whatcom's nursing program accepts 20 students each spring and fall for entry into the six-quarter, full-time program.

Fall 2024 nursing program - The application window for the fall 2024 nursing program is now closed.

Spring 2025 nursing program - Applications will be accepted beginning Dec. 2, 2024 and are due by Jan. 31, 2025 for best consideration.

Fall 2025 nursing program - Applications will be accepted beginning March 3, 2025 and are due by May 15, 2025 for best consideration.

Students planning to apply to the nursing program should start the hepatitis B immunization series and obtain an American Heart Association (AHA) Basic Life Support for Healthcare Providers certificate.

Contact Advising (advising@whatcom.edu) for any advising needs or Shannon Dunn (sdunn@whatcom.edu) for questions about the application process.

Admission to the program (student selection)

Admission to the program is through a competitive application process. The nursing program selection committee will accept students based on the number of available seats. The selection committee consists of the nursing program director and program faculty. Applicants can earn a maximum of 94 points. Points are awarded as follows:

1. Grade point average (GPA) from seven of the prerequisite classes (ENGL& 101 English Composition I, MATH& 146 Introduction to Statistics, CHEM& 121 Introduction to Chemistry, BIOL& 260 Microbiology, BIOL& 241 Human Anatomy and Physiology 1, BIOL& 242 Human Anatomy and Physiology 2, PSYC& 200 Lifespan Psychology). To remove the influence of courses taken at semester, trimester, or quarter programs, the credit value of the course will not be included in the calculation. Course grades reported as letters will be changed to the equivalent score on the 4.0 scale (A = 4.0, A- = 3.7, B+ = 3.3, B = 3.0). The seven course grade scores are added together and then divided by 7 to determine the GPA. The GPA is multiplied by 70 (maximum points available) and divided by 4 (maximum course grade is 4.0) to award point value for the individual student. A mock scoring grid can be viewed here. 70 points maximum
2. Current, unencumbered healthcare licensure/certificate in Washington. 10 points
3. Documented work experience for healthcare licensure/certification within 5 years of the date of application. 0 points for less than 500 hours or 2 points for 500-999 hours or 4 points for 1000 hours or greater (points cannot be combined)
4. Honorably discharged veteran. 5 points
5. Previous degree. 5 points

Applicants with a degree from outside the US may also be awarded points. Applicants must submit documentation - official or unofficial copies - from an international transcript evaluation such as AACRAO confirming the degree is equivalent to a degree from a regionally accredited institution in the US.

Applicants will be notified of their status (accepted, alternate, or not accepted) six to eight weeks after the application deadline via their WCC email. The personal statement, scored by the committee, is used to break any ranking ties.

Admission to the college does not guarantee admission to a selective entry program. Applicants who were previously accepted into the nursing program and declined acceptance or withdrew after the program started need to reapply and are not guaranteed priority consideration.

Questions?

You can also contact Shannon Dunn by email at sdunn@whatcom.edu or leave a message at 360.383.3211 with any questions or concerns about your application to Whatcom’s nursing program.

**Please note that communication regarding your application will be emailed to your WCC email account.

Application steps

You must complete the following steps by the nursing program application deadline to be considered for program acceptance.