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Quality & Value
Over 130-year legacy of educating the exceptional nurses in the acclaimed Sentara Health.
In Demand
Nurses are in critically short supply across the country. According to the U.S. Labor Department, the demand for RNs will grow by more than 10% in the next decade. The median annual salary for nurses is almost 50% higher than the national average for all Americans.
NCLEX Pass Rate
Consistently high-percentage pass rates on the NCLEX licensure exam for first-time testers.
900 Hands-On Hours
Experience in skills labs, simulation, and clinicals at award-winning Sentara facilities, and working with renowned healthcare providers.
My experience so far has been wonderful, everyone I have been in contact with has wanted to see me succeed in the program and has really gone out of their way to help me with any questions or issues I have had.
Anna, Former Nursing Student
Virginia Wesleyan is Coastal Virginia's premier university of the liberal arts and sciences, situated on a 300-acre park-like campus in Virginia Beach. Students thrive in small classes—the average is 14 people—and through the University's experiential learning, high-impact leadership, and career-development programs.
Founded as the first nursing program in Norfolk, Sentara College of Health Sciences has grown and advanced over its 130-year history to bring students the best in healthcare education. The College’s connection to Sentara Health allows students to learn from expert clinicians in world-class healthcare centers.
The joint BSN degree involves coursework at Virginia Wesleyan University and Sentara College of Health Sciences. Formal acceptance into the Sentara program occurs at the end of first year. Ten qualified applicants are guaranteed admission, and additional students will be considered on a competitive basis.*
Virginia Wesleyan also offers several preparatory programs for the medical field, including pre-professional tracks in pre-nursing/allied health, medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, art therapy and counseling. VWU also has an articulation agreement with Sentara College of Health Sciences whereby students may be guaranteed admission to Sentara's Master’s Entry to Nursing Practice (MENP) program, and a Joint Program in Medicine and an Early Assurance Program with Eastern Virginia Medical School.
Academic Requirements Recommended Curriculum
*Program not available to international students. Incoming transfer students with more than 12 credits earned at another institution will require additional review.
Admission Requirements to be considered for admission to the Joint Bachelor of Science in Nursing program at Virginia Wesleyan University, students must:
- Have a minimum of a 3.0 high school GPA.
- Have earned an A or B in Algebra I.
- Have earned an A in Algebra II. Students who received a B in Algebra II will require additional review.
- If you earned a C or lower or did not take Algebra II, you may be required to complete additional math coursework. Please talk with your enrollment counselor about what coursework will be required and your options for completing it prior to your arrival.
- Please note that there are limited spots available for this program. Therefore if you are interested you need to enroll at VWU and indicate your interest by the end of June prior to the fall you wish to start (for example, for fall 2022 you need to enroll and indicate interest no later than June 30).
The joint BSN program is demanding, and involves accelerated content (e.g. sophomore level courses in the spring of year one, required summer coursework, and the minimum VWU GPA required to maintain eligibility to continue the program at Sentara is a 3.3).