Frequently Asked Questions

It takes four years (eight semesters) to complete the B.S.N. degree. In the first two years, classes are held on the Biddeford Campus. For the second two years, nursing students move to the Portland Campus as they begin their clinical education.

Yes, the B.S.N. program is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing and approved by the Maine State Board of Nursing.

The most up-to-date information about UNE graduates’ NCLEX-RN pass rates and employment can be found in the Annual Report for Communities of Interest (PDF). The report is also posted on the School of Nursing and Population Health website.

In addition to UNE general admission requirements, you must have taken high school chemistry and biology, two years of high school math, and have a high school GPA of at least 3.2, recalculated for science and math. As a Nursing applicant, you have the option to submit your ACT or SAT scores. Please see our undergraduate admission test policy for more information.

No, not at this time.

You can apply online using the Common Application or the UNE Application. Both are available on the UNE Admissions webpage. November 15 is the deadline for Early Action. February 15 is the application deadline. After that, applications are accepted on a space-available basis.

Yes. Once you are admitted as a nursing major, as long as you continue to meet progression requirements, you are guaranteed a clinical placement.

Clinical coursework starts in the first semester of the junior year and continues in each semester until graduation.

UNE’s clinical partners include local acute care hospitals, community hospitals, rehabilitation hospitals, and community-based clinics, such as those in schools, and others.

During the first two years, while you are living on the Biddeford Campus, you will not need a car. As part of UNE’s Green Initiative, you are encouraged to use campus bicycles, Zipcars, and shuttles. In your junior and senior years, nursing students are responsible for transportation to clinical sites. Carpooling is encouraged.

Nursing coursework will take a lot of your time, but the Athletics Department and the Department of Nursing work together to support student athletes who want to continue their sport for all four years. 

• Clinical Simulation Experiences, allowing students to safely practice patient care in state-of-the-art Simulation Labs.
• Interprofessional Education as value-added. Starting with your first class in the Westbrook College of Health Professions, you will learn and work with other members of the health care team, building skills you will use every day in your own practice. On the Portland Campus students have the opportunity for case-based learning with other health professions.
• Service Learning Programs. Work with other UNE students and faculty on community-based service teams in local shelters, county jail projects, immigrant community centers, rural Maine immersions and other locations.
• Study Abroad Opportunities. B.S.N. students can spend the fall of their sophomore year in Morocco or Spain without interrupting progress toward their degree. A cross-cultural immersion program in Ghana, West Africa, is available for junior and senior students.
• Professional Involvement from day one. The UNE Student Nurse Association is affiliated with the National Student Nurse Association. Be a member, run for office, organize service activities or attend a national conference.

UNE provides a First-Year Experience course that helps students navigate all available resources as well as develop study skills and manage time.