International Nursing Applicant Requirements

International students should review the following admissions requirements for Nursing undergraduate and graduate degree programs:

ASSOCIATE IN NURSING DEGREE PROGRAMS

Excelsior University does not admit international students to the associate-level nursing programs.

BACHELOR’S AND MASTER’S IN NURSING DEGREE PROGRAMS

International students considering our nursing bachelor’s and master’s programs are welcome to apply.

Here’s what you need to know:

  • You’ll need an equivalent U.S. Registered Nurse (RN) license.
  • You must be a graduate from an approved school of nursing in your home country of education, and hold an active and unencumbered nursing license.
  • If you’re licensed in multiple jurisdictions and/or countries, all your licenses must be active and unencumbered.
  • All your nursing school transcripts and licenses will be verified by contact with the primary source of the information. You’ll also need to apply to:
    • The Commission on Graduate of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS)
    • New York Credential Verification Service (NYCVS)
    • The New York State Education Department (NYSED). The NYSED only issues an official eligibility document to applicants directly, and will not send the document to Excelsior University. You must forward the unopened official eligibility document to Excelsior University by taking the official NYSED document in its sealed envelope, and inserting the unopened envelope into an outer envelope and forward it to Excelsior University. You should also write your full name, permanent address, and date of birth on the outer envelope.All official documents must be in sealed envelopes from the original source. In the event that Excelsior receives an opened document, it will be considered unofficial and will not be considered for eligibility or evaluation, and the opened document will be returned to you. In this case, it becomes your responsibility to contact NYSED or ICD and request another unopened official copy to supplied to Excelsior.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY REQUIREMENT

An international must submit one of the following to show proof of English Proficiency:

Admission:

  • TOEFL score of 79 and greater with a minimum of 15 on each section
  • IELTS score of 6.5 and greater with a minimum of 5.5 on each section
  • PTE score of 58 or greater
  • Duolingo score of 105 or higher

Test scores are to be sent directly to Excelsior University, Office of the Registrar. Students must provide Excelsior University’s name and full address at the time of taking the test.

Scores submitted to Excelsior have a validity period of two years. Scores that are older than two years at the time of application will not be accepted.

Exceptions

The following exemptions exist for students that can provide one of the following for the English language proficiency requirement:

  • Proof of US citizenship as demonstrated by an approved government-issued document.
  • Submission of an official transcript providing proof of a full academic year of high school in the US with passing grade in one year of standard English submitted to application@excelsior.edu (not including ESL or developmental coursework)
  • Submission of an official transcript providing proof of a full year of postsecondary education in the US with a minimum of 24 transferrable semester hours or equivalent taught in English submitted to The Office of the Registrar (not including ESL or developmental coursework)
  • Applicants may be considered for an English proficiency test waiver on a case-by-case basis at the discretion of the provost.

READY TO APPLY?

Begin the Admissions Process