Eligibility and How to Apply

Admission to the Post-Graduate Certificate program is necessarily a selective process. Meeting the posted criteria does not ensure admission. The Committee considers a myriad of factors including: the quality of performance in previous undergraduate and graduate study (as applicable), success in previous employment and related experiences, and personal qualifications including suitability for advanced study. The Admissions Committee weighs the applicant’s accomplishments and potential for success in the program. Diversity in student backgrounds and scholarly interests is desired. Using an objective review procedure, the Admissions Committee recommends selected candidates to the dean of The Graduate School.

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Nursing is committed to equality of educational opportunity and does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, national origin, age, religion, sexual preference, or handicap. Members of racial or ethnic minority groups and males are encouraged to apply.

To start your application, go to applynow.unc.edu and create an account. After establishing your Apply Now account, start a new application and select “Certificate”.

Please be sure to select the correct application for your program of interest.

1. Under “Select a Program” select the APA of your interest (Adult-Gerontology NP, Family NP, etc).

• Students may apply to only one program and one specialty per application cycle at UNC Chapel Hill School of Nursing.

2. Under “Term of Entry” select Fall 2025″

One unofficial transcript from each university attended must be uploaded within the application. All unofficial transcripts must be uploaded to your application in order for your application to be reviewed.

Please do not mail transcripts as part of your admission application; we only accept unofficial uploads for application evaluation. If you are offered admission, one official transcript for each university attended will be required prior to registration.

• Submit one letter of recommendation from your current immediate supervisor supporting your potential for success in the Post-Graduate Certificate program.

The Professional Statement offers the Admission Committee insight into your professional goals and graduate school expectations and helps us get to know you. We also take into account your writing skills and ability to clearly express ideas. Your statement should be 3-5 pages double-spaced and uploaded as a single document. Discuss each bullet below, creating a topic-specific heading for each. Note: All bullets are required.

• Explain why you have chosen the specific advanced practice area in the PGC program.
• Discuss how your work experience (both paid and voluntary) demonstrates your fit with your advanced practice area and your readiness for the advanced practice role. (AGPCNP, FNP, PMHNP, and PNP-PC applicants will find additional instructions for this prompt within the application)
• List and describe your professional goals and how this graduate nursing program will contribute to you achieving them.
• Consider your academic performance and describe in detail your academic strengths and areas in need of improvement.
• Consider your clinical performance and describe in detail your clinical strengths and areas in need of improvement.
• Provide a description of your involvement in research or evidence-based projects, including work towards a doctoral degree (e.g., DNP, PhD), if applicable. Activities might include, but are not limited to, managing or implementing quality improvement projects or original research and/or disseminating findings through publication in professional journals, podium or panel presentations, and poster presentations.
• Only if applicable, identify any aspect of the UNC-CH graduate nursing program’s admission criteria for which you do not meet minimum requirements. Provide an explanation for your situation. (An explanation is required if Graduate Nursing GPA falls between 2.75 and 3.0, for example.)
• Describe your leadership capabilities and provide examples of your service as a leader. This can be a formal leadership position or informal leadership opportunity (e.g., charge nurse, preceptor, committee chair, leading strategic initiative, etc.).
• Please share any other information you feel is unique to your life experience that you wish the admissions committee to know (e.g., overcoming personal and/or professional adversity, fluency in multiple languages, etc.).

Upload a copy of your Curriculum Vitae or Resume. This document should detail your career path, explaining any gap in employment greater than one year. Full disclosure of your complete education background including a list of all colleges and universities you’ve attended is required.

See resume guidelines for more information.

Documentation substantiating you hold a current unrestricted/unencumbered license as a registered nurse must be uploaded into the application. An “unencumbered license” means neither the license, the licensee’s practice, nor the licensee is associated with any type of restriction, encumbrance, or probationary limitations imposed by the applicable Board of Nursing or any judicial entity. NC License or compact state equivalent is needed by matriculation. The Information provided by the Board of Nursing website of your state is sufficient. Print and scan or save a screenshot to upload into the application.

Applicants must provide verification of current certification as an advanced practice registered nurse. Please upload your APA certification.

We welcome international applicants to our PGC program. We strongly recommend that international applicants have clinical experience in the United States and have a thorough understanding of the APRN role in the United States. It is essential that you be fluent in English. Presently, the University (including the School of Nursing) does not offer English as a Second Language programs or an English language institute.

For this reason, candidates interested in attending the University must be able to understand rapid, idiomatic English as spoken in lectures, group discussions, and clinical settings by individuals of widely varying accents. Students from non-English-speaking countries must be able to communicate quickly and clearly in spoken and written English.

All applicants must hold RN Licensure and APRN Certification in the US.

International students must provide a full credit evaluation of all courses completed at a foreign institution through World Education Services, Inc. (WES) or Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc.

• NOTE: As part of the transcript submission, degree credentials are also reviewed by the Graduate School. Assessment of a foreign degree, including those conferred from institutions participating in the Bologna Accord, is based upon the characteristics of a national system of education, the type of institution attended, its accreditation and the level of studies completed. The following guidelines indicate the level of study expected of international applicants prior to graduate enrollment:
  • British patterned education bachelor’s degree with honours
  • French patterned education degree of diplme requiring four years of post baccalauréat study
  • Germany university Diplom Applicants with very strong academic records may be considered if they have completed the Staatsexamen, a bachelor’s degree after a 13-year Abitur, or at least one year of full-time study beyond Vorprfung, Zwichenprfung, Vordiplom, or any other bachelor’s degree
  • Other European countries: university degree requiring a minimum of four years of study
  • Canada university degree requiring a minimum of four years of study
  • Latin America university degree requiring a minimum of four years of study
  • India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal bachelor’s degree in engineering or medicine; master’s degree in all other fields
  • Philippines five-year bachelor’s degree or four-year bachelor’s degree plus one year of graduate course work
  • Other Asian countries: university degree requiring a minimum of four years of study

TOEFL or IELTS:

The School of Nursing Post-Graduate Certificate program requires a higher level of English proficiency than The Graduate School due to the clinical requirements. Applicants must enter their TOEFL/IELTS test information including date test was taken and scores in their application. The UNC supplemental application requires official scores reported directly from ETS (ETS.org) and/or IELTS (IELTS.org). Standardized test scores must be official and are reportable for a period of two years from the date of the exam. Exam results more than two years old cannot be considered. The UNC Graduate School Institution Code is 5816 (no department code). International applicants must achieve a minimum total score of 575 (with a minimum of 50 in each section) on the written version of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or minimum of 90 on the internet-based test with the following minimum section requirements: Reading, 21; Listening, 22; Speaking, 25; Writing, 22. Standardized test scores that are submitted to this institution are kept on file for only one year. Refer to The Graduate School for more information.

This is not a requirement of applicants who are residents of a country where English is the sole official language of instruction or if applicants hold a degree from an accredited United States institution of higher education.

Meeting the minimum total score on TOEFL does not guarantee admission to the School of Nursing.  Admission decisions are made on the basis of multiple factors including: scholastic performance; English proficiency; essays; letters of recommendation; the appropriateness of the requested advanced practice area to the applicant’s goals and clinical experiences; and verification of financial support to ensure proper visa status.

A score of 8 is required on IELTS which is higher than The Graduate School requirement.

Letters of Recommendation: If English is your second language, you must submit a letter in addition to the one required above that addresses your ability to speak English fluently.

Interview: An interview is required of all international applicants who are non-native English speakers. The interview (personal, telephone, Skype) will be conducted by faculty who teach in the candidate’s clinical area of interest. The interview has two distinct foci: part one will focus on information provided in the application materials (for example, essay and future goals); the second part will evaluate the interviewee’s English proficiency.

Additional resources for international applicants:

UNC Global International Student and Scholar Services
North Carolina Board of Nursing

A $95 application fee to the UNC School of Nursing is required for your application. Please submit your fee with your application.

• You may check the status of your application by logging on to your application status page. Check your application carefully to ensure no required items are missing. The Admissions Committee will only review completed applications.

• If information outside of the application documentation is required, the School will contact you directly.

• Notification of Decision: The School of Nursing will notify you with a decision as soon as decisions are made. If your address changes during this time, please update it in the “Update Profile” section of the application.

• After acceptance: If accepted, you’ll be asked to pay a $250 deposit and submit official transcripts. Instructions on how to do so will be included in your acceptance letter. If you’re seeking residency for tuition purposes, apply at this site.