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Undergraduate

Bachelor of Nursing

Domestic students International students
Bachelor of Nursing (BNSG)
CRICOS: 093153B
Entry requirements
View full details
Study mode
  • On-campus
  • External
Campus
  • Ipswich
  • Toowoomba
Duration
  • 3 year(s) (or part-time equivalent)
Start
  • Feb, May, Sep*
Intakes
*The September intake (Trimester 3) is available from 2025.
Note: External study is not available to international students.

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Bachelor of Nursing overview

  • 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.

Professional accreditation

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.

Career outcomes

  • As a graduate of the Bachelor of Nursing you will have the skills required to work as a registered nurse in a multitude of settings in Australia or overseas including public and private hospitals, community health, mental health, aged care, home health care, indigenous health, occupational health, rural practice and international nursing.
  • This qualification is also a pathway to graduate-entry midwifery and mental health programs and other specialties within nursing and health care.

Entry requirements

  • Subject pre-requisite: English (Units 3 & 4, C) or equivalent. Find your country's level of qualification and minimum entry requirements for this degree  in the drop-down boxes below.
  • Recommended prior study: General Mathematics (Units 3 & 4, C), or equivalent, and one of Biology, Chemistry, Physics, 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.)
  • There are inherent requirements that must be met in order to successfully complete this degree. Inherent requirements are fundamental skills, capabilities and knowledge that students must be able to demonstrate in order to achieve the essential learning outcomes of the degree, while maintaining the academic integrity of the degree. Read and understand the inherent requirements specific to the Bachelor of Nursing before applying.

    If you think you may experience any problems meeting inherent requirements, you can talk to a Student Equity Officer about reasonable adjustments that may be put in place to assist you. Any reasonable adjustments made must not fundamentally change the nature of the inherent requirement.

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.

Select the country where you completed your studies to see a guide to the grades you need to apply for this degree. If your country is not listed, you can still apply for this course and we will assess your eligibility. 

English language requirements

All students need to demonstrate a specific level of English language skills set by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA). To meet the English language requirements for this degree, we accept evidence of your English language proficiency from one of the following ways.

  1. If English is your primary language, please provide evidence that you have attended and successfully completed at least six years of primary and secondary education taught and assessed in English in one of the recognised countries (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Republic of Ireland, United Kingdom, or United States of America), including at least two years between high school years 7 and 12.
  2. Applicants, including Enrolled Nurses, currently registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) automatically meet the required English language skills standard for the Bachelor of Nursing.
  3. Minimum overall score of IELTS (Academic) 7.0 with a minimum 7.0 in each subscore (speaking, listening, writing, reading). Your test must be completed within two years of applying to UniSQ. There are other English language tests that are acceptable for the Bachelor of Nursing.

Please refer to the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA)'s Registration Standard for further information.

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

If you have previously studied in your home country, you may be eligible for recognition of prior learning to reduce the number of courses that you need to study to finish your program.

Degree structure

To complete this degree students must complete 24 units.

Courses to be studied Units
Core courses 24
incl. 840 hours of clinical experience
Total 24

Refer to the UniSQ Handbook for courses to be studied and recommended enrolment patterns.

Clinical experience

In addition to the courses to be studied, you will also need to complete clinical experience, where interactive hands-on activities, such as experiments and use of specialist equipment, are undertaken.

All students must be able to meet the physical and other professional requirements of clinical/professional practice within this degree.

Residential schools

All students will have the opportunity to come on-campus for residential schools, where you will attend face-to-face lectures and tutorials to gain practical experience, use facilities and specialist equipment, and meet staff and other students.

If you choose to enrol in the External mode, you'll study the theoretical courses online, complete clinical experience placements at different health care institutions, and select one of the following locations to undertake your residential school courses. 

  • UniSQ Ipswich campus
  • UniSQ Toowoomba campus
  • SQRH Charleville Clinical Training Facility, Charleville, QLD, provided that you reside within one of the eligible postcodes (PDF 85 KB)
  • Geraldton Universities Centre (GUC), Geraldton, WA (You'll need to submit an Expression of Interest form with your application to study at GUC.) Please note that this residential school location is only available to the GUC cohort.

Fees and scholarships

Your actual fees may vary depending on the courses you select. We review our fees annually so these may be subject to change.

Approximate annual costs1 for international students' first year of study (8 units) in this degree:

Study Mode Cost
On-campus

You are responsible for the full cost of your course and are charged a tuition fee.

AUD 33600

1 These are indicative annual fees for 2025. 

Clinical experience costs

Clinical courses will incur some additional costs, including uniform and equipment, transport to and from venues and, in some instances, living expenses, particularly for placements in rural and remote settings. Clinical placements that UniSQ can offer are dependent on availability and locality of those placements. The placements may occur away from the student’s geographical location.

Student services and amenities fees

You may need to pay student services and amenities (SA) fees as part of your course costs.

Scholarships

At UniSQ, we offer a range of scholarships to support your success at university. Find a scholarship that works for you.

How to apply

Complete your online application directly to UniSQ.

CRICOS: 093153B

Note: The External mode of study is not available to international students.
Apply direct to UniSQ

Intakes

  • Applications for 2025 are now open.

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. As places are limited in this degree, applications may close early if all places are filled for a specific intake.

From 2025, this degree will be offered in Trimester study periods. You can choose to start in Trimester 1, 2 or 3.

Study period  Orientation  Study period start date
Trimester 1, 2025  Monday 3 February  Monday 10 February 
Trimester 2, 2025 Monday 19 May Monday 26 May 
Trimester 3, 2025 Monday 1 September Monday 8 September
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Begin your study journey today with the university rated 5/5 stars for graduates starting salaries* and start the degree that’s right for you.

*Good Universities Guide 2024

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