The University of Utah College of Nursing changed its requirements for admission to its program shortly before the Fall 2026 semester began, informing pre-nursing students via email with no prior notice, according to students. The program length, required prerequisites, Grade Point Average requirement, updates on repeated prerequisites and admissions were the changes made.
According to the email sent to students, provided to the Daily Utah Chronicle by affected students, the program length has been extended to six semesters instead of four. The eligibility to get into the nursing program has now been modified from nine prerequisites to three. Additionally, there is now a 3.75 cumulative GPA requirement.
For fall 2027 admissions, students may be admitted only by invitation. The College of Nursing will not admit a summer 2027 cohort. A separate Direct Entry for students graduating from high school has been created for 2027 applicants, in which students must meet and maintain GPA requirements while completing general education and three prerequisites.
This has left students like Addison Schalliol, a pre-nursing University of Utah student, reconsidering her options. “I’m not very opposed to switching my major,” she said. “It’s frustrating that I kind of almost have to, but worst comes to worst, I can always go to any of the community colleges around the Salt Lake area that offer a nursing program.”
The Changes
The College currently requires Spring 2027 applicants to complete nine prerequisites, including anatomy and physiology, with minimum prerequisite and cumulative GPA requirements. These classes, taken by many pre-nursing students, have been integrated into the new program structure.
The U isn’t the only one making these changes. During an informational session provided over Zoom, Sonja Jensen, the Director of Academic Operations, explained that across Utah, the legislature and the Utah System of Higher Education (USHE) have established new expectations for public universities. According to Jensen, the nursing career is in high demand across Utah and because of this, nursing programs have received significant attention as the state is looking to address workforce shortages.
For cohorts beginning after Spring 2027, the College of Nursing lists general biology, elementary chemistry and statistics as prerequisites and requires a minimum 3.75 cumulative GPA for those classes. Applicants for the Spring 2027 cohort may retake up to two prerequisite courses, while applicants under the post-2027 requirements may retake only one beginning Fall 2026, according to the post 2027 cohort College of Nursing’s eligibility requirements.
Transparency
The new Direct Entry pathway is designed for graduating high school students and is intended to give successful applicants a route into upper-division nursing coursework. Despite creating a new pathway for incoming students, current pre-nursing students view the requirements as unfair and unpredictable, according to Schalliol.
“We have to apply with the whole other class, which obviously makes it a lot harder because it’s already very competitive to get in,” Schalliol said during an interview with The Daily Utah Chronicle. “And adding all these other people, it’s just going to make it a lot harder.”
According to Jensen, their published minimum for a GPA requirement didn’t meet the reality of their admissions process since over the past several years, admitted cohorts have generally entered the program with GPAs between 3.6 and 3.8. Jensen said the previous GPA requirement wasn’t representative of how competitive the program actually was.
Jensen also said this is a move towards becoming more “transparent” with students “I would say we haven’t been transparent,” she said during the meeting, “and we’re making the change to try and be more transparent.”
According to their website, the program is updating its learning experience to keep up with healthcare’s constant evolution, basing its curriculum redesign on competency-based education and national standards released by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) in 2021.
Addison Schalliol, from Nursing to Pre-Medical
During the Summer of 2026, Schalliol stayed in Utah to obtain her residency. Her frustration comes from not receiving prior notice, limiting her options to transfer to another school or to stay home for the summer. “And I just am really upset that it all came in some random email, just out of nowhere. No word, no call, no nothing. Just an email with some information, but not very descriptive,” Schalliol said.
Current pre-nursing University of Utah students who were in the most recent pathway had to complete their eligibility requirements, which consisted of a minimum 2.7 GPA on prerequisite courses and completion of all general education requirements. Anatomy and physiology were part of this curriculum and according to Schalliol, she had already registered for these classes. “But obviously that would make it a lot harder to keep a 3.75 with anatomy and physiology since they’re very difficult classes,” Schalliol said. “It’s frustrating because I’m now solidified with those classes in my schedule and taking on the costs. Now, I can’t change it — it’s too late.”
Schalliol believes she won’t be able to graduate within the timeline she had planned out; she said prior notice would’ve helped her stay on track or eliminate unnecessary classes and costs.
Schalliol is thinking of switching her major to biology or chemistry, following the pre-medical track to attend physician assistant school. “I’ve done so much to get up to this point in school and given so much energy and done extracurriculars, all these things. And paying thousands of dollars to go here just to be screwed over by an email that was sent after I already picked classes for the next semester. I love this school. I didn’t want to go anywhere else.”
Delilah Feuling, onto a new path
Delilah Feuling, a University of Utah pre-nursing student, expressed her deep concerns and feelings of unfairness during an interview with the Daily Utah Chronicle. Feuling’s main concerns are beyond academic. She’s built a social and personal life at the U and wasn’t prepared for the abrupt changes.
In her social media posts, Feuling has said she is considering transferring to a different school as she is facing these academic changes. Feuling had picked the University of Utah nursing program because she felt it aligned with her academic and social goals for her college years and had rejected other offers for schools in California. “They had a really good nursing program, which was why I chose the school, literally for the nursing program,” Feuling said during her interview.
She said she feels “stuck” by how rapid the changes have been implemented. “I’m just stuck in this really weird feeling of uncertainty. I don’t know when I’m going back to Utah at all.”
With her options limited, Feuling feels her main option is to transfer to a different school as well. Feuling said she loves the U and described it as an incredible school. However, she feels disappointed in the nursing program. According to Feuling, she had planned for Utah financially and exploring other options has been difficult.
Since the school will be offering a Direct Entry pathway, Feuling believes it comes at her “expense” and many of her peers’. “I understand that the school is trying to do the best it can,” she said. “It’s just unfortunate that it’s at the expense of many pre-nursing students like myself.”
