AGACNP, FNP, and PNHNP Masters and CAGS

• A personal statement following the guidelines below.
• A resume or outline describing at least the past five years of your employment history and any significant community, professional, or college extracurricular activities.
• Applicants need 2 letters of recommendation. Letters should be from academic or professional references that can knowledgeably comment on your ability to successfully complete graduate study. Include recognitions and achievements (e.g. licenses, publications, and awards).
• All Official Transcripts: Transcripts from every accredited college or university attended (not just the degree granting institution) must be sent either to Pace University, directly from the academic institution electronically or by mail, or forwarded by the applicant in sealed envelopes from the academic institution.
• Must be a graduate of an accredited baccalaureate program in nursing
• Be licensed as a registered nurse in New York State
• Demonstrate scholastic aptitude as evidenced by previous academic work, motivation, leadership potential and maturity
• Have an undergraduate cumulative QPA of 3.0
• Evidence of successful completion (grade C or higher) of an undergraduate statistics course is required
• A personal interview may be required
• Applicants for the Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Master of Science or the Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies program must have one year of inpatient/acute care experience
• No standardized admissions test (GRE or Miller Analogy) is required

As part of your application to the Nurse Practitioner program at Pace University's College of Health Professions, we ask you to respond to the following two questions. Your responses provide an opportunity to share your unique experiences, motivations, and professional goals, and to help us understand how our program can support your next steps in advanced nursing practice.

Question 1 (300 words maximum): A defining clinical moment and the goal it shaped.

Describe one specific patient care experience (a single shift, encounter, or case) that revealed the limits of your current RN scope of practice and pointed you toward the advanced practice nurse specialty you are interested in (AGACNP, FNP, or PMHNP). Include enough clinical detail (setting, your role, what happened) that a reader familiar with that population would recognize it as real. Then connect that experience to a concrete goal: identify one patient population or clinical problem within your intended specialty that you want to address, and explain specifically how obtaining NP certification at Pace, including the advanced practice skills, scope, and clinical training you would gain in this specialty, would allow you to address it. Avoid general statements about "improving healthcare"; name the problem and the mechanism.

(PMHNP applicants: this experience should involve psychiatric or mental health care.)

Question 2 (250 words maximum): Managing program demands alongside your current commitments.

This program requires balancing coursework with unpaid clinical hours (often 2 days a week) on top of employment, and for many students, family or caregiving responsibilities. Describe your current work schedule and other major commitments and explain specifically how you plan to restructure your time, employment, or support system to meet the clinical hour and coursework demands of this program. Identify one concrete tradeoff you expect to make and how you intend to manage it.

Formatting Instructions for both statements:

• Font: 12-point, standard typeface (Times New Roman, Calibri, or Arial)
• Spacing: 1.5 or double spaced, one-inch margins
• Heading: Include your full name and intended specialty track (AGACNP, FNP, or PMHNP) at the top of the document
• File format: Submit as a Word document (.docx) or PDF, with each response clearly labeled by question number
• Voice: Write in the first person; no citations or references are required

Transcripts from every accredited college or university attended (not just the degree granting institution) must be sent either to Pace University, directly from the academic institution electronically or by mail, or forwarded by the applicant in sealed envelopes from the academic institution.

Academic records issued in a language other than English are required to be translated and attested to by the institution of origin or a Pace-approved translation agency accredited through NACES. Transcripts are considered official only if they are sent directly to Pace University from the educational institution of origin, or forwarded by:

• Any NACES-accredited translation evaluator preferred OR
• The student’s Ministry of Education OR
• A US consular officer OR
• An EducationUSA advisor OR
• The Institute of Foreign Credential Services

Applicants may send unofficial copies of all transcripts to graduateadmission@pace.edu for the initial processing and review of your application. Please include your name and program of interest. If you are admitted, your offer is contingent upon the receipt and verification of all official printed transcripts.

Applicants who have earned a degree or completed coursework at Pace University will not be required to submit a transcript from Pace University, but are required to indicate on the application that they have attended Pace. Transcripts from all other institutions attended are required and must be submitted to be considered for admission.

Program directors will perform a Gap Analysis and will present an individualized program of study for the Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study (CAGS) students upon acceptance into the program.

Applicants may be asked to provide syllabi from past coursework in Advanced Pharmacology and Advanced Physical Assessment, as well as evidence of certification in their current area of practice.

Non-practicing CAGS applicants whose original Advanced Pharmacology and/or Physical Assessment courses were greater than two years prior to anticipated clinical placements must demonstrate clinical acumen with a test-out option conducted by the Program Director. Failure to pass the test-out will require repeating the relevant course material.

Applicants to the MS program may be asked to participate in an interview.

If you earned a bachelor’s degree in a country where English is not the official language, you are required to submit a TOEFL, IELTS, or Pearson PTE score. The ETS reporting codes for Pace University are: New York City, 2635, and Westchester, 2644. Students who submit proof of citizenship from a country where English is the official language may have the English language proficiency test requirement waived.

Note: Graduate nursing students are expected to effectively communicate in oral and written English across their academic program. All documents submitted in support of an application for admission become the permanent possession of Pace University and cannot be returned to the applicant or photocopied for the applicant. For your records, please make photocopies of all materials submitted, except for transcripts and recommendation forms, which must be received unopened in the original sealed envelopes. International students are only eligible for the ABSN one-year program