Change of Program
Change of Program applications are for existing University of Calgary undergraduate students wishing to transfer into another degree program. COP applications are submitted through your Student Centre and are assessed by the Faculty of Nursing.
Note: Change of Program applications do not apply to Open Studies or Graduate students.
Application/admission timelines
Applications open: October 1
Applications close: February 1
Unlike other faculties, the Faculty of Nursing does not make early and/or conditional admission offers for change of program students. All applications are assessed in late Spring/early Summer, once grades from Winter term are posted and finalized. Change of Program students can typically expect to be admitted between mid-June and mid-July.
NOTE: Effective Fall 2026, Change of Program applications will be assessed very shortly after final grades from Winter term are posted. Students who are taking courses at another institution on a Letter of Permission should submit their transcripts in time to ensure any additional credit is posted prior to applications being assessed.
Admission routes
All students applying for a Change of Program to Nursing will apply to the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BScN). Our team will assess your application and determine which admission route you quality for.
Regardless of admission route, students must present the required high school courses*: Biology 30; Chemistry 30 or Science 30; Math 30-1 or 30-2 (or equivalent courses).
| Year 1 - Based on high school grades | Students who have completed no more than 9 units (3 courses) of recognized post-secondary coursework (both from the University of Calgary and any other transferable coursework) will be assessed for admission to Year 1 of the BScN based on their high school grades. If you choose to upgrade any of your high school courses after you’ve been admitted to the University of Calgary, please email nursing@ucalgary.ca with a copy of your upgrading marks, as these won’t be automatically reflected in the system. |
| Year 1 - Based on GPA | Students who have completed 12 units (4 courses) or more of recognized post-secondary coursework (both from the University of Calgary and any other transferable coursework) will be assessed for admission based on their GPA of their most recent coursework completed up to the end of the Winter term, up to a maximum of 30 units. All courses attempted within a term will be included except where the number of courses taken within a term results in the overall number of units exceeding 30. Should this occur, the highest grades from the oldest term being considered will be used to calculate the GPA. |
| Year 2 | Students who have completed at least 33 units of coursework, including required prerequisite courses, can be admitted directly to Year 2 of the BScN program. Admission to Year 2 will be assessed based on their GPA of their most recent 30 units of coursework completed up to the end of the Winter term. All courses attempted within a term will be included except where the number of courses taken within a term results in the overall number of units exceeding 30. Should this occur, the highest grades from the oldest term being considered will be used to calculate the GPA. The prerequisite courses required for admission to Year 2 of the BScN are: 6 units of Anatomy & Physiology (such as NRSG 203 & 204 or KNES 259 & KNES 260) 3 units of Statistics 3 units of Arts/Humanities/Social Science (cannot be a language other than English or a fine arts course) 3 units of Science or Social Science NRSG 201 – Introduction to Nursing** NOTE: There are limited seats available for admission into Year 2. We encourage students who have not completed the majority of the prerequisite courses to focus on obtaining a competitive GPA to be considered for Year 1 admission. |
Lottery Admissions Process
Effective Fall 2026, the Faculty of Nursing is moving to a lottery admissions process for the BScN program, including change of program admissions. This change is being made in response to increasing admission averages and the high numbers of nurses leaving the profession within the first two years of practice. By shifting to a lottery approach, qualified applicants will have an equal chance of admission.
The application process remains unchanged and is the same as all other COP applications at the University of Calgary. You can submit your application through your Student Centre.
The requirements for each admission route are listed above under "admission routes"
All students who apply and have all courses/grades/documents submitted by early May, and who meet the competitive lottery threshold, will be entered into the lottery process; those who are selected in the lottery will be admitted.
For Fall 2026
For students being assessed on high school grades (those who have completed less than 12 units of post-secondary coursework), the competitive threshold average is 82.0%.
For students being assessed on post-secondary coursework (most-recent courses up to 30 units of coursework) for both Year 1 and Year 2 admission, the competitive threshold GPA is 3.00.
Once final grades for Winter 2026 are posted, the Faculty of Nursing will assess all COP applications to determine which entry route applicants qualify for (Year 1/Year 2), and identify all applicants that meet the competitive lottery threshold.
From there, all qualifying students will be placed in the lottery draw for the entry route that they qualify for. A randomized selection tool will select students from the pool of applicants who have met the competitive lottery threshold and entered the lottery selection stage.
Students who are selected via the lottery draw will be admitted to the BScN program and will receive communication from the faculty. Students who are not selected will remain on the waitlist in case additional seats become available. If additional seats come available, a second lottery draw would occur.
Nursing programs across North America are in high demand and significantly oversubscribed, resulting in high admission averages which excludes many qualified students from applying. The lottery admissions process creates more opportunities for students who could not have otherwise considered Nursing, and can help alleviate the stress and pressure on prospective students to achieve near-perfect grades.
COP Frequently Asked Questions
There are limited seats available for admission into Year 2. As such, we encourage students who have not completed the majority of the prerequisite courses to focus on obtaining a competitive GPA to be considered for Year 1 admission.
All applications are submitted to the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BScN) without an admission route specified. Our office will review all applications and determine which admission route students qualify for.
NRSG 201, 202, 203 and 204 have some seats available for non-nursing students. You are welcome to enroll in these courses as long as you are able to get a seat.
The courses in the upper years of the BScN are restricted to nursing students only, and must be taken together in a given term.
For students applying to Year 1 of the BScN, we caution you to avoid taking too many nursing requirements prior to admission, as it can lead to a very limited course load in your first year of nursing. Because the courses in the upper years must be taken together in a given term, you can't take Year 2 courses untill all Year 1 courses are completed.
There are no majors, minors, specializations or embedded certificates available in the BScN.
Even if you have taken these courses prior to changing programs, these are not approved as part of the BScN degree and thus cannot be added on.
Admission to the BScN program is entirely through the lottery process. All students who meet the competitive lottery threshold have equal chances of admission. There is no supplemental application, and we do not accept resumes, statements, references or other additional materials.
If you plan to graduate from another degree program at the University of Calgary before entering the BScN, you will not be able to apply as a COP.
You will need to apply as an external applicant through Admissions.
Open Studies students, including students in the University Entrance Program (UEP) and Indigenous Student Access Program (IASP), are not considered change of program applicants, and will need to apply as external applicants via Admissions.
Students who are not successful in a Change of Program application will remain in their previous program.