Skip to main content

Nursing, WNC RIBN - Admission Criteria

WNC Regionally Increasing Baccalaureate Nurses (WNC RIBN)

Admission to WNC RIBN at Southwestern Community College (SCC), Sylva, NC

Students applying to WNC RIBN must meet dual admission requirements set forth collaboratively by SCC and Western Carolina University (WCU). For more information about applying to SCC RIBN, please contact the SCC RIBN Advisor, Linda Deeb, at 828.339.4367 or by email l_deeb@southwesterncc.edu. Southwestern Community College RIBN will accept applications through January 31 for the RIBN class that begins fall semester of the same year. 

Admission to WNC RIBN is highly competitive. All students must meet the following minimum requirements to be eligible to apply:

  • General acceptance to Western Carolina University: requires if less than 24 years of age, each student has taken these courses in high school or at the college/university level - 4 units of English, 2 units of social studies - one being US History; 4 units of math - Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Geometry and an advanced math beyond Algebra 2; 3 units of science - such as, life science, physical science, chemistry, biology - must have taken one science with a lab; 2 units of a language (must be 2 units of the same language) other than English.
  • ACT - minimum score 19 required.
  • Cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. If a student has less than 20 credit hours of college coursework, then this requirement will default to the high school unweighted GPA.
  • All applicants to WNC RIBN must take the ATI TEAS (Test of Essential Academic Skills). RIBN applicants must score 70 or higher on the ATI TEAS examination. For more information about the TEAS, please visit www.atitesting.com.
  • All applicants fill out a SCC RIBN/aRIBN application and meet with the SCC RIBN Advisor before January 31 of the year they desire fall entry into the program.

WNC RIBN will dually admit and enroll you at Southwestern Community College and Western Carolina University and provide you with a four - year, seamless associates to baccalaureate nursing education. Unlike in a BSN program, you will have the opportunity to begin working as an RN at the end of our third year in this option and pay mostly community college tuition rates. 

WNC RIBN makes an associate and bachelor's degree in nursing both affordable and accessible. The first three years of WNC RIBN are hosted on SCC's campus with one class completed online through WCU each third semester years 1 through 3. Upon successful completion of the first three years in the RIBN curriculum, you will then finish your fourth year of classes through WCU.

Students are required to: 

  1. Hold a documented, current, unrestricted credential as a Nurse Aide I (NAI) from the North Carolina Nurse Aide Registry and the Division of Health Service Regulation or other health care current licensure by year 2 in the RIBN curriculum.
  2. Maintain a GPA of 2.5 or greater and at least a "C"= 2.0 in every course to progress in the RIBN option at SCC.
  3. Home school will be SCC years 1, 2, and 3.
  4. Year 1: enroll in general education courses at SCC and WCU as advised by the RIBN Advisor.
  5. Year 2 and 3: enroll in Associate Degree Nursing courses at SCC and continue enrollment in WCU courses as advised by the RIBN Advisor.
  6. Year 4: home school will be WCU.
  7. Successfully pass NCLEX –RN to progress to year 4 with WCU.
  8. See the RIBN Advisor for the recommended course sequence. All nursing NUR courses must be taken in the order they appear in the RIBN curriculum. Non-nursing course can be completed prior to or during the RIBN program.

This program is approved by the
North Carolina Board of Nursing
PO Box 2129
Raleigh, NC 27602
919.782.3211, www.ncbon.com

 

For help with the accessibility of this website, please use this form.