Have questions about admissions, academic programs or student life at UNM College of Nursing? We are here to support you. We collected our frequently asked questions and answers and posted them for you.
Kristopher Samora
Interim Admissions & Financial Aid Manager
Brandy Bennet
Admissions Associate
Alexis Tiefa
Student Recruitment Specialist
Jacob Philllips
Admissions Advisor
Grace Wiele
Student Recruitment Specialist
Visit the NursingCAS application website, and click “Create an Account.” We also encourage you to visit their Quick Start Guide and FAQs page.
Will my application be considered complete without my official transcripts?We require official transcripts from every university/institution you have attended, including UNM. Official Transcripts must be received by NursingCAS by the application deadline if not sooner.
Do I have to enter my entire academic history in addition to the prerequisites?Yes, all NursingCAS applications require Full Transcript Entry. You must enter all coursework from each official transcript to complete the application. This includes classes in which you received the following grades: “W”, “F”, “Credit/No Credit” “P”, etc.; and coursework that you repeated. There is no exception to this requirement.
If you need assistance with entering your coursework, please visit NursingCAS’s Transcript Entry Help Page.
I am having an issue with my NursingCAS application, who should I contact?NursingCAS has a dedicated customer service team available to applicants. Please contact customer service for any questions or concerns, including inquiries about application status, verification, receipt of supporting materials, how to complete the application, uploading documents or submitting reference requests.
Hours: Monday-Thursday, 9:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m. EST, and Fridays, 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. EST
I have a question about the material required for my application, who do I contact?Please contact our office with any questions regarding the program specific materials. You can reach our office by phone at 505-272-4721 or via email at HSC-CON-Admissions@salud.unm.edu
We encourage you to do your best when estimating your academic level when entering in your coursework. This does not need to be exact and will not impact your application if entered incorrectly.
Please review NursingCAS’s “Academic Status Definitions” for guidance
If your application requires letters of recommendation, they should come from professional/academic sources (supervisors, professors, leaders of organizations, etc.). The American College Testing (ACT) website has a great resource for helping you request a letter of recommendation.
Applicants should have no contact with their letters of recommendation and are not allowed to upload letters on their recommender's behalf.
What if my recommender is having issues with submitting my letter of recommendation in NursingCAS?Please have your recommender check their spam folder to ensure they received the recommendation request. If this does not resolve the issue, we urge you to reach out to NursingCAS as soon as possible to avoid any potential issue with the completion of your application.
You can contact NursingCAS at 617-612-2880.
How do I write a resume?We encourage all applicants to review The University of New Mexico Career Services website for great resources on how to build a professional resume.
How can I prepare my recommender to write a good letter of recommendation?First, ask your recommender in advance if they would be willing to write a recommendation for you and provide them with enough time to submit the letter prior to the application deadline.
Second, provide your recommender with a copy of your admissions essays, resume, or a brief description of your accomplishments, goals, and reasons for pursuing your nursing degree.
The five core values of the College of Nursing are academic integrity, diversity and inclusion, innovation, integrity and respect. Please ask your recommenders to discuss how you exemplify these values in the personal message/notes section of your request through NursingCAS.
Letters of recommendation should come from someone who has extensive knowledge of you and can speak to your academic or professional attitudes and behaviors.
All official transcripts must be sent to NursingCAS. Please review their help page for more assistance.
If I have already sent my official transcripts to UNM, do I still need to send them to NursingCAS?Yes, you will still need to send all official transcripts to NursingCAS for processing and verification. The UNM College of Nursing does not accept official transcripts directly, all official transcripts must be sent to NursingCAS.
Do I have to submit my high school transcript?Applicants to the Freshman Direct Entry Pre-Licensure BSN Program must upload an unofficial copy of their High School Transcripts as part of their application.
Applicants to any other College of Nursing program do not need to include high school transcripts on their NursingCAS application.
If you have completed any additional collegiate level coursework since you last applied to a program using NursingCAS you must submit an official transcript for each school that you completed new coursework.
Also, if it has been greater than two years since you last applied to a program using NursingCAS, you will be required to submit all official transcripts again.
What is the difference between an official and unofficial transcript?No, Professional Transcript Entry is a completely optional service. We encourage applicants to review NursingCAS’s PTE Information page to be fully informed of the requirements of using the Professional Transcript Entry service.
Will my application be eligible for admissions if my Professional Transcript Entry is not finished?No, Applications must have the full transcript entry portion completed prior to the deadline date of any application. It is an applicant’s responsibility to ensure this is completed.
My Professional Transcript Entry has been completed, what do I do now?You must review the coursework entered and approve the coursework entry. You must also match your coursework to any required prerequisite courses.
Professional Transcript Entry must be approved by you in order for their application to be considered complete. Your application must be complete by the deadline.
You must contact NursingCAS. Please reach out to our office if you need additional assistance.Yes. We have an alternate/wait list. Each year, a number of applicants may be placed on an alternate/wait list for admission to each program. Students on this list are notified by email and when seats become available in the entering cohort. For more information about the alternate/wait list, check out Admissions Policies.
Will my prerequisite coursework expire?Prerequisite coursework for any of The College of Nursing undergraduate programs does not currently expire.
Do I have to be a current UNM student to apply?No, you do not have to be a current UNM student to apply. If you are accepted into our program, then you would need to apply to UNM. All applicants should review our How to Apply webpage.
How will I be notified of my acceptance?The UNM College of Nursing will notify all applicants of their final admissions decision via the email address an applicant used to set up their NursingCAS account.
How do I apply for the RN to BSN program?Please visit our How to Apply webpage for instructions on how to apply to the RN-BSN Program.
Will The UNM College of Nursing accept online coursework/labs?The UNM College of Nursing can only make equivalency determinations for nursing coursework. It is up to the respective UNM Department/College to grant equivalency to your online coursework/lab.
I.e. The UNM Biology Department will evaluate your biology coursework for equivalency to our prerequisites.
How can I check to see if my transfer coursework is equivalent to the required prerequisites?You can use The UNM Transfer Equivalency System (TES) to manually check your transfer coursework to help you determine if any of your coursework is equivalent.
Coursework that does not appear in TES has not been evaluated by UNM Main Campus Admissions and you will need to apply to UNM Main Campus to receive an official determination of that coursework.
All our Post-Bachelor's DNP Programs require a minimum of 1 year of direct nursing or relevant medical experience. If you have fulfilled this requirement and will complete your BSN prior to the start of the Post-Bachelor's DNP Program, you are eligible to apply.
Can I apply to multiple Post-Bachelor's DNP concentrations?The graduate admissions committee would like to see that you have a clear understanding and commitment to the concentration to which you are applying. Please contact The Office of Admissions & Recruitment to help you plan to achieve your goals confidently.
Is there an entrance exam required for my application? The UNM College of Nursing does not require an entrance exam for our graduate programs.The UNM College of Nursing will only allow up to 9 credit hours of transfer coursework for applicants currently enrolled in a graduate nursing program. These courses will be reviewed as part of the application process, and it is not guaranteed that applicants will receive all 9 credits of transfer work.
I already have an MSN, to which program should I apply?The UNM College of Nursing offers several options for applicants with an MSN such as a Post-Master's DNP, post-graduate certificate options, and a PhD program. We encourage you to to book an appointment with a member of our Admissions & Recruitment team to discuss your academic goals.
What is a Gap Analysis?A Gap Analysis is a graduate coursework review completed by the program coordinator of your chosen concentration. This analysis compares your prior graduate coursework with our curriculum to determine your individual program of study and clinical hour requirements.
Can I have a Gap Analysis completed prior to applying?No, your Gap Analysis will be completed as part of the application process. If you have previous Master’s of Science in Nursing coursework, please include syllabi, course codes, and course descriptions in your NursingCAS application
When can I expect to hear if I have been selected for an interview?Applicants to any of The UNM College of Nursing Graduate programs can expect to receive a notice of interview selection within three to four weeks after the deadline date of the application.
How will my interview be conducted?All graduate program interviews will take place on a designated interview day in Mid-February to Early-March prior to the beginning of the program. Interviews will be conducted on campus, with a team of faculty members. Applicants who cannot attend in person must contact The College of Nursing Admissions & Recruitment Office to schedule their interview virtually. We encourage all applicants to interview in-person.
Are interviews mandatory?Interviews are a mandatory portion of the application. Applicants will not be considered for a graduate program unless they have completed an interview.
Why is there an interview?Interviews are an opportunity for applicants to meet the faculty members of the program for which they are applying. It also helps the faculty members understand an applicant from a holistic perspective.
How should I prepare for my interview?We encourage applicants who have been selected for interviews to review The University of New Mexico Career Services website for information on how to prepare for an interview as well as how to present yourself professionally.
Not finding your question? Email us. A member of our team will be in touch with you soon. You can also contact us directly at 505-272-4721 during business hours.
