The CU Anschutz nursing interview format

The University of Colorado Anschutz College of Nursing requires an interview for its bachelor's pathways, including the Accelerated (UCAN) pathway for people who already hold a degree. Its UCAN admissions page says faculty review verified applications, select candidates and invite them by email, and that if you do not respond to the invitation you are withdrawn from the process. All pathways interview on Zoom.

Item	What CU Anschutz says
Delivery	Zoom, for all programs
Interview Day	Small group interviews where you answer questions as a group and individually, group discussions, and presentations from CU Anschutz Nursing offices
Length	The full event typically runs 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Mountain time, and you must be available for all of it
Who asks the questions	Per the college's own article: college staff and faculty, plus a group activity with other applicants
Writing sample	30-minute Spontaneous Writing Sample on Zoom for the TRAD, FLC, CU Denver, UCHealth and INP paths. The page does not list UCAN, so check your invitation
Questions, rubric, number of interviewers, group task topic	Not published
Notice and decision	Invitation about two weeks after the deadline per the college's article; a decision email a few weeks after the interview; two weeks to respond if admitted

The college's own article, Seven tips to stand out during your BSN interview, adds that the interviews are virtual, last a few hours, and that you are not being interviewed the whole time: you also meet other college departments and hear about tuition and financial aid. Camera on is required.

What CU Anschutz looks for

The college describes its process as holistic and says it does not currently require entrance exams, so the interview is a chance to show who you are and why you would be a good fit. Its recruiter says interviewers are "evaluating how you think and respond to questions and how you work with others because nursing requires strong teamwork." You will be asked nursing-related questions, but nothing that requires nursing knowledge you do not have yet. The application essay prompt is a useful preview of the themes: "Given your personal background, describe your interest in nursing and what makes you special or unique."

The accelerated (UCAN) pathway in brief

Competitiveness: the page calls UCAN its most competitive undergraduate pathway, so all prerequisites must be finished by the application deadline.
Prerequisites: human anatomy, human physiology, microbiology, statistics and general chemistry, each C or higher, with a 3.0 prerequisite GPA, completed within 10 years of the deadline.
Degree: a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution before the program starts. A 3.0 cumulative GPA is recommended, not required.
Healthcare experience: required for UCAN only. There is no minimum number of hours, with a preference for paid experience and at least 400 recorded hours; the page advises 400 to 700 hours to be competitive and elsewhere encourages about 500.
Application: NursingCAS plus a supplemental application, a personal statement of up to 500 words, a resume and three references completed on an online form (letters are not accepted).
Dates: fall start opens September 1 and closes January 15, with interviews and decisions in March and April; spring start opens March 1 and closes June 15, with interviews and decisions in July and August.

How to prepare for CU Anschutz

Prepare the "why nursing" story first. It is the college's own essay prompt, so expect a spoken version. Name the moment, the people involved and what you did, not a general wish to help.
Practice both halves of Interview Day. Answer a question alone in under two minutes, then practice answering with strangers listening and building on what they said.
Make your healthcare hours specific. For UCAN, pick two or three moments from your hours that show observation, teamwork or discomfort handled well.
Treat the presentations as part of the day. You are told you are also getting to know the college. Prepare one question you could not answer from the website.
Test your setup. Camera on, quiet room, headphones if the space is shared, professional dress, and a charged laptop for a day that can run six hours.

CU Anschutz nursing practice questions (written by us, not CU Anschutz)

CU Anschutz does not publish its interview questions. These are ours, built from the college's stated themes: motivation, teamwork and how you respond under questioning. Answer each aloud in about two minutes.

What made you choose nursing, and what makes your path different from the other people who will be in this group?
Tell me about a time you worked with people you had just met. What was your role?
Describe a moment in a healthcare setting that changed how you saw patient care.
A patient wants to stop treatment and the family wants everything done. What would you want the nurse in the room to do?
You notice a teammate cutting a corner that could affect a patient. What do you do first?
Tell me about a time you felt overwhelmed. How did you recover, and what did you change?
An accelerated program moves fast. What in your background tells us you can keep up?
Tell me about feedback you did not want to hear. What happened next?
In a group exercise, two people disagree about how to spend limited resources and one person has said nothing. What do you do?
What is one thing you hope to learn from CU Anschutz that you could not get elsewhere?

For a wider set, see our nursing school interview tips. For group-style practice, our MMI practice guide covers timed stations and the habits that carry over to group tasks.

A drill for Interview Day

Write your "why nursing" answer in four sentences and say it aloud in about 90 seconds.
Choose three healthcare moments and write a one-line headline for each (what happened, what you did, what you learned).
Run a ten-minute group task with two friends: agree on a ranking with a time limit. Record it and count how many times you invited someone else to speak.
Do a 30-minute timed writing sample on a nursing-related prompt, no notes, so the Zoom writing activity feels normal.
Repeat two days later with new examples.

Confetto's nursing school interview prep uses AI mock interviews that ask follow-up questions based on what you actually said and give rubric-based feedback afterward. The question bank has over 500 questions, and you can start with a 7-day free trial.

CU Anschutz nursing interview FAQ

Is the CU Anschutz nursing interview virtual?

Yes. The college says all programs' interviews are held on Zoom.

Is there a group portion?

Yes. The college says Interview Day includes small group interviews where you respond as a group and individually, plus group discussions.

Do I need nursing knowledge?

No. The college says you will be asked nursing-related questions but nothing nursing-specific, and that it does not expect that knowledge yet.

Is there a writing sample?

For the TRAD, FLC, CU Denver, UCHealth and INP paths, yes: a 30-minute Spontaneous Writing Sample on Zoom, with no preparation needed. The page does not list it for UCAN.

What if I do not respond to the interview invitation?

You are withdrawn from the application process, per the college's admissions page.

Applying to a graduate route instead? See our guides to the Yale School of Nursing assessment and, for nurse anesthesia, the Ohio State CRNA interview, or our nursing school interview prep page.

Sources: CU Anschutz College of Nursing UCAN admissions page and its article Seven tips to stand out during your BSN interview.

Confetto isn't affiliated with the University of Colorado or the CU Anschutz College of Nursing. Everything here about the program comes from its public admissions pages, checked in October 2026. Formats and dates can change between cycles, so go by your invitation email.