Improving Nursing School Diversity Through Use of a Group Admission Interview

Abstract

Nursing student diversity is a priority of the University of North Florida School of Nursing, but faculty members found that the prelicensure track admission process favored students with high grade point averages (GPAs) and eliminated many potentially good students, including minorities. Adding an interview to the admission process resulted in acceptance of highly qualified students while giving deserving students, including minority students with good but lower GPAs, the opportunity to enter the program. The change in the admission process increased minority admissions from a low of 2% to as high as 25%. Neither the overall attrition rate nor the licensure examination pass rate has been adversely affected.