Bachelor of Nursing

With a combination of nursing courses and clinical simulation in our well-resourced labs and nursing wards, UniSQ's Bachelor of Nursing prepares you for practice as a registered nurse, in hospitals, community settings, mental health settings, GP practices, clinics, rural and remote health services.

Key details

About this course

• With a combination of nursing courses and clinical simulation in our well-resourced labs and nursing wards, UniSQ's Bachelor of Nursing prepares you for practice as a registered nurse, in hospitals, community settings, mental health settings, GP practices, clinics, rural and remote health services and aged care facilities across Australia and the world.
• Our Bachelor of Nursing degree aligns with current Australian professional nursing standards of practice and will give you the skills to deliver high-quality nursing care to people of all ages.
• Almost 50 percent of the degree is devoted to clinical practice within simulated on-campus labs or in health care settings, including large metropolitan hospitals, mental health services, regional health care services, aged care settings, community health services, specialty clinics and rehabilitation centres.
• Study nursing at UniSQ and learn how to provide the very best nursing practice, and will graduate as a skilled, knowledgeable and highly employable nurse.
• Prefer studying online? Our flexible delivery option allows the on-campus component of this program to be studied in intensive residential schools each semester, combined with online delivery and face-to-face clinical experience.
• Find out what's involved in the placement process and what opportunities and support UniSQ and organisations, such as Southern Queensland Rural Health (SQRH), offer for rural and away placements.

Thinking of studying in 2025? UniSQ will be delivering flexible new ways of teaching, with different calendar offerings, making the balance of study and life easier. Read more in our new academic calendar FAQs.

UniSQ's Bachelor of Nursing is accredited by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) and is listed as an approved program with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).

To gain registration as a nurse, you will need to satisfy the registration criteria of the NMBA.

Graduates will have to meet standards in English language skills (if English is their second language), criminal history, and professional indemnity insurance. To maintain registration, nurses are also required to meet standards of continuing professional development and recency of practice. See further details on the NMBA Registration Standards.

The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) will keep a register of students enrolled in the Bachelor of Nursing for the duration of their study or clinical training. UniSQ, as the education provider, will pass on students' details directly to the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) for registration. No fees are required. UniSQ is also obliged to report to AHPRA when there is a 'reasonable belief' that a student has an impairment that, when undertaking clinical training, may place the public at substantial risk of harm. Further details are available at the AHPRA website.

Entry requirements

Find the entry requirements most relevant to you.

The Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) is a percentile rank used to assess the results of high-school applicants for undergraduate entry into university.

• Subject pre-requisite: English (Units 3 & 4, C), or equivalent

• Recommended prior study: Mathematics (Units 3 & 4, C), or equivalent, and one of Biology (Units 3 & 4, C), Chemistry (Units 3 & 4, C), Physics (Units 3 & 4, C), or equivalent.
• If you are an NMBA Enrolled Nurse (EN) with a Diploma of Nursing qualification from an accredited provider, you will have to provide evidence of AHPRA registration in your application and upon enrolment.
• Supporting documentation is required If you are an NMBA Enrolled Nurse (EN) and completed your Diploma of Nursing more than 5 years ago:
  • proof of AHPRA registration in your application and upon enrolment
  • supporting letter from employer to confirm continued employment at EN level
  • resume
  • evidence of continued professional development (any in-house training; industry certification etc.)

  Please note: Meeting entry requirements does not guarantee admission. Places within the Bachelor of Nursing are limited by quota. Quota size is determined by the availability of hospital placements. Where the quota is filled, no further places will be offered.

  ENs with notations or conditions on their AHPRA registration will be individually assessed for eligibility for EN admission or exemptions.

  Further admission information

  Adjustments are additional points given in certain circumstances that may increase your Rank. Find out if you qualify for any adjustment factor pathways such as educational disadvantage where you live, and subjects you passed.

  UniSQ is committed to greater admissions transparency. Learn more about the education and work experience, as well as average Ranks for this degrees' student cohort from the previous year.

  Tafe (VET) qualification

  If you have completed a qualification from a TAFE or qualified private provider, you may be able to use these qualifications to meet UniSQ's entry requirements.

  Work and life experience

  You may be able to use your work experience and other adjustment factors to increase your selection rank and meet UniSQ's entry requirements.

  English language requirements

  You are required to satisfy the applicable English language requirements and this degree requires an overall score of IELTS 7.0, or equivalent, and a minimum score of 7 in each of the four skills areas of listening, reading, speaking and writing. Additional requirements regarding prior education taught and assessed solely in English and prior employment - refer to the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA)'s Registration Standard for further information. Current Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) registration meets the English language requirement for the Bachelor of Nursing.

  View which English language tests are acceptable for Bachelor of Nursing. If you need to prepare for the English language test, you can apply for UniSQ's Academic Communication Skills Program to improve your skills in reading, writing, listening and speaking.

  Additional requirements for placements

  All students must provide the following documents prior to commencing residential schools and clinical placements:

  • Blue Card or Working with Children Check
  • Australian Federal Police Criminal History Check certificate
  • Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) certificate
  • Queensland Health Student Orientation Checklist
  • Queensland Health Student Deed Poll
  • Queensland Health iLearn Modules
  • A signed UniSQ Clinical Placement Declaration including a requirement to undertake shift work.

  Plus evidence of the following immunisations:

  • Hepatitis B immunisation
  • Measles, Mumps, Rubella, Pertussis, and Varicella immunisation
  • Tuberculosis risk assessment
  • Influenza immunisation
  • COVID-19 vaccinations as directed by health services.
  Recognition of prior learning or work experience

  You may be eligible for recognition of prior learning if you have previously studied or have relevant work experience. This will help to reduce the number of courses that you need to study to finish your program.

  Pathways

  If you don't meet the entry requirements, we have pathway options available to you.

  If you identify as being of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent you may be eligible to enter the Indigenous Higher Education (IHEPP) program.

  UniSQ strongly encourages applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. Students interested in a career in nursing can contact the Indigenous Coordinator in the School of Nursing and Midwifery for information on guidance and support and to discuss entry pathways.