American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN):

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) serves as the national voice for academic nursing. AACN provides Nursing's Centralized Application Service (NursingCAS) for 300 nursing schools across the country. More than 870 colleges and universities with baccalaureate and/or graduate nursing programs are AACN members.

WHAT IS NURSING?

Nursing is the nation's largest health care profession with more than 3.8 million registered nurses practicing nationwide. Despite its large size, many more nurses are needed in the foreseeable future to meet the growing demand for nursing care. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2018, "there were more than 4 million jobs in 5 nurse occupations. Moreover, the employment of nurses is projected to grow much faster than the average for all occupations through 2028." The World Health Organization (WHO) report, State of the World's Nursing, estimates that "the total number of nurse graduates would need to increase by 8% per year on average, to address the shortage by 2030 in all countries."

Nursing roles range from direct patient care to case management, establishing nursing practice standards, developing quality assurance procedures, and directing complex nursing care systems. Nurses are employed in a wide range of settings including hospitals, private practices, public health agencies, primary care clinics, home health care, outpatient surgical centers, health maintenance organizations, school-operated nursing centers, insurance and managed care companies, nursing homes, schools, mental health agencies, hospices, the military, and industry.

Profession Resources:

• Nursing Degree Comparison: Provides description of each type of degree
• AACN Nursing Member Program Directory: Provides a database of AACN member schools and programs offered. Filter the search by school name, state, or affiliation. 
• The Graduate Nursing Student Academy (GNSA): Provides high-value programs, services, and resources to graduate nursing students enrolled in master's and doctoral programs at AACN member schools. The GNSA is committed to supporting graduate students preparing for careers as faculty members, researchers, advanced practice registered nurses, clinical nurse leaders, policy experts, and healthcare administrators, among other roles.
• Career Resources: Shares career and professional development resources with nursing students. 

NursingCAS:

NursingCAS (Nursing’s Centralized Application Service) allows applicants to use a single online application and one set of materials to apply to multiple nursing programs at participating schools. There are over 285 participating NursingCAS schools.  

Start your NursingCAS application by creating an account:

1. Select the term for which you are seeking admission on the NursingCAS Apply page. 
2. Once redirected to the application home page, click Create an Account. 
3. Complete the required fields, agree to the terms and conditions, then click Create my account.* 
4. A message appears that your account was successfully created. Click Continue. 
5. Use the arrows to review helpful information. When you're ready, click Start Your Application!  
6. Use the filters to find and select the programs to which you want to apply. Note that you can go back and change these selections at any point before you submit your application.
7. When you are finished selecting your programs, click I am Done, Review My Selections. 
8. Review your selections, then click Continue To My Application to view your dashboard. 

 *You must enter your first and last name. If you only have one name, enter it in the applicable name field (i.e., first name or last name), then: 

• Enter FNU if your first name is unknown.  
• Enter LNU if your last name is unknown.

Here is a list of resources to help expedite your application process:

• NursingCAS Applicant Help Center: Information regarding the application process and FAQs
• NursingCAS School Directory: Explore 285+ participating NursingCAS schools. New schools are added every month. 
• Applicant Events Calendar: Event information from NursingCAS schools, i.e. college fairs, open houses, virtual fairs.
• Seeking a NursingCAS fee waiver? Determine your eligibility and request a fee waiver today!

Ready to Apply? Explore NursingCAS. Follow NursingCAS on Facebook and Twitter to get the latest news and updates!

For NursingCAS Questions:

• https://www.nursingcas.org
• Customer Service Email: nursingcasinfo@nursingcas.org
• Customer Service Phone Number: 617.612.2880