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Nursing School Interviews 2026-27: Formats, Dates, Questions

How BSN, accelerated, direct-entry and NP programs interview, who gets invited, and the dates for Fall 2027 entry.

There is no single nursing school interview. Many programs use a recorded video interview on Kira Talent (UT Health San Antonio, Yale, OHSU), others hold a live group interview online (UW–Madison, CU Anschutz), and some graduate programs interview you with faculty (Rush, OHSU's DNP programs). A few, like Duke's Master of Nursing, do not interview at all.

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Dates for Fall 2027 entry

  1. November 1, 2026

    Yale's priority deadline for Fall 2027 (GEPN, MN, MSN, DNP and PMC), with a regular deadline of April 1. OHSU's FNP DNP priority deadline is the same day.

  2. November 15 to 16, 2026

    CU Anschutz's traditional BS (Summer 2027) closes November 15, with round 1 interviews in mid-January. Columbia's Master's Direct Entry final deadline is November 16.

  3. January 4 to 5, 2027

    Rush's early decision deadline for its Fall 2027 direct-entry MSN (final deadline May 24). OHSU's accelerated BS (Portland and Bend) and FNP DNP close January 5.

  4. January 15, 2027

    CU Anschutz's accelerated BS and its master's and DNP programs close for Fall 2027. Graduate interviews run in February and March, and accelerated interviews in mid-March.

  5. March 1, 2027

    Kentucky's accelerated BSN deadline for Fall 2027. Applicants who pass its course and GPA screen are invited to an online interview.

  6. April 1, 2027

    Yale's regular deadline for Fall 2027 entry.

  7. January 28, 2028

    The 2026-27 NursingCAS cycle, which opened August 6, 2026, closes at 11:59 PM ET, the last day to submit. It covers Summer 2027, Fall 2027, Winter 2028 and Spring 2028 starts, and each program sets its own deadline, most of them long before this.

School-by-school guides

Each guide covers the school's interview format, how it picks who to interview, how the interview counts toward offers, and practice questions, with links to the school's own pages.

United States

Interview topics

Video, group or faculty interview: formats by program

Each nursing program sets its own interview, so read every invitation for the format. Most fall into one of four types.

Recorded video interviews (Kira Talent)

You record answers to questions on screen, with no live interviewer. Some programs send the link only after your application passes a first screen.

  • UT Health San Antonio: Four video questions and one writing sample of up to 300 words, done by the application deadline, for both the traditional and accelerated BSN.
  • Yale: A Kira assessment of about 25 to 30 minutes with written and video questions. You get the login after you apply, have 2 weeks, and must finish it in one sitting.
  • Kentucky (accelerated BSN): An interview on an online platform after the course and GPA screen, with a $50 fee.
  • OHSU, Texas A&M and Washington State: OHSU's accelerated and 3-year BS, Texas A&M's second-degree BSN and Washington State's pre-licensure BSN all use Kira. Washington State has at least 2 reviewers watch each interview.

Group interviews

A few programs interview applicants together, live online.

  • UW–Madison: Three faculty members and three or four applicants per session. Each applicant has about one minute per question, and the order rotates.
  • CU Anschutz: A Zoom interview day from about 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Mountain time, with small group interviews where you answer as a group and on your own, plus group discussions.
  • George Fox: An online group interview where you review two case studies with the group and present your solutions. No nursing knowledge is needed.

Faculty interviews

  • Rush: A faculty interview, by invitation only, for its direct-entry MSN for non-nurses.
  • OHSU graduate programs: Selected DNP applicants, including FNP, hear within a few weeks of the deadline and interview directly with nursing faculty.

No interview

  • Duke Master of Nursing: Interviews are not required. Duke asks four written questions in the application instead.
  • OHSU online RN to BS: No interview for its online RN to BS or its concurrent enrollment BS.

In a group interview, answer the question, then make room for others. George Fox scores encouragement and participation, and discussing and listening, alongside critical thinking.

BSN, ABSN, direct-entry MSN and NP programs

What the interview asks depends on the route. Career changers get asked why nursing now, and nurses applying to NP programs get asked about their clinical work.

  • Traditional BSN. AACN counts 893 schools offering the BSN, the degree most new RNs enter with. Some, like UW–Madison and UT Health San Antonio, interview every eligible applicant.
  • Accelerated BSN (ABSN). For people with a bachelor's in another field. AACN says these take 11 to 18 months, and there were 340 of them in 2025.
  • Direct-entry master's. Also for non-nurses, at 15 to 36 months, with 104 programs in 2025. Examples are Rush's direct-entry MSN, Yale's GEPN and Duke's Master of Nursing.
  • Graduate NP programs. For RNs, at the master's or DNP level. CU Anschutz interviews graduate applicants in February and March, and OHSU's DNP programs interview with faculty.

Applying to an FNP program? Expect questions on why NP, why family practice and your RN experience. Our FNP interview questions guide covers them.

How nursing schools pick who to interview

Seats are tight. AACN says schools turned away 93,176 qualified applications in 2025, 75,255 of them for entry-level BSN programs.

The application

NursingCAS is the shared application, run by AACN with Liaison. It lists 282 participating schools and 2,500 programs, but not every school uses it.

  • Fees: $70 for the first undergraduate program and $55 for each extra one, or $90 and $60 for graduate programs. Schools may add their own fee, such as Rush's $40.
  • Fee waivers: A limited number, first come, first served, released on August 6, 2026 and May 3, 2027. A waiver covers only the first program.
  • Verification: NursingCAS checks your coursework in order received, which can take up to 10 business days. OHSU tells applicants to allow four weeks.

Grades and experience

AACN says accelerated programs typically require at least a 3.0 GPA and a thorough prescreening.

  • 3.0: Rush (cumulative and prerequisite GPA), Duke and CU Anschutz (prerequisite GPA).
  • 2.5: Kentucky's accelerated BSN, for cumulative and science GPA.
  • No minimum: Columbia sets no minimum GPA for its programs.
  • Healthcare experience: CU Anschutz requires it only for its accelerated UCAN path. Yale sets no minimum work experience for GEPN.

Apply early. Rush admits on a rolling basis and says cohorts often fill well before the deadline.

What nursing school interviewers look for

Few programs publish a rubric, but the ones that do name the same few qualities.

  • UT Health San Antonio: Questions are not shared in advance, but tie to its core values: commitment to service, intellectual curiosity, integrity and a collaborative disposition.
  • OHSU: Academic, professional or leadership excellence, motivation and understanding of the nursing profession, and a commitment to diversity and inclusion.
  • George Fox: Focus on the activity, encouragement and participation, discussing and listening, prioritization and time management, and critical thinking.

Know the role. Be ready to say what an RN does that a nursing assistant or physician does not, in plain words, with an example you have seen.

How to prepare for a nursing school interview

Practice the format each program uses, out loud and timed.

  • Have a specific why nursing. Tie it to something you saw or did, and explain why nursing and not medicine or another health career, without putting either down.
  • Practice on camera. For Kira, record yourself answering a question you have not seen, with a short timer. For a Zoom day, test your camera and audio, since UW–Madison requires both.
  • Prepare scenario answers. Expect a patient safety or teamwork scenario. Put the patient first, speak up, and say who you would tell.
  • Career changers: Explain why now, what you have already seen of patient care, and how you will handle a fast, full-time program.

Example question: You already have a degree and a career. Why nursing, and why now?

Example question: A busy nursing assistant asks you to stand a patient up alone, but the care plan says two-person assist. What do you do?

  • FNP interview questions: The questions family nurse practitioner programs ask in admissions interviews, how to answer them with your RN experience, and how 12 FNP programs interview.

Practice questions

The questions nursing school interviews ask, by type: Nursing school interview questions.

Frequently asked questions

What is a nursing school interview like?

It depends on the program. UT Health San Antonio uses four recorded video questions and a short writing sample, UW–Madison a live group interview with three faculty, and Rush a faculty interview by invitation.

Do all nursing schools interview?

No. Duke's Master of Nursing says interviews are not required, and OHSU's online RN to BS has none. Many others interview only applicants who pass a first screen.

What is the Kira Talent interview for nursing school?

A recorded online interview with timed video and written answers. Yale's takes about 25 to 30 minutes in one sitting, and UT Health San Antonio, OHSU, Texas A&M and Washington State also use Kira. Kentucky's accelerated BSN interviews online.

Are nursing school interviews online?

Most are. Kira interviews are recorded online, and CU Anschutz holds all its interviews on Zoom. UW–Madison's group interview is virtual too.

When are nursing school interviews for Fall 2027?

Mostly from winter to spring 2027, after each program's deadline. CU Anschutz interviews graduate applicants in February and March and accelerated applicants in mid-March.

How much does NursingCAS cost?

For 2026-27, $70 for the first undergraduate program and $55 for each extra one, or $90 and $60 for graduate programs. Some schools add their own fee.

Sources

Official pages only, read on the date shown. Schools change their process every year, so check the school's own page before you apply.

  1. NursingCAS Applicant Help Center: Application Cycle Dates · read October 26, 2026
  2. NursingCAS Applicant Help Center: Application Fees and Fee Waivers · read October 24, 2026
  3. NursingCAS Applicant Help Center: What is Verification? · read October 24, 2026
  4. NursingCAS: About · read October 24, 2026
  5. NursingCAS: NursingCAS for Schools · read October 24, 2026
  6. AACN: Accelerated Programs · read October 24, 2026
  7. AACN: Schools of Nursing See Enrollment Increases Across Most Program Levels (May 7, 2026) · read October 24, 2026
  8. UT Health San Antonio School of Nursing: Application Instructions · read October 24, 2026
  9. University of Kentucky College of Nursing: Accelerated BSN Admissions · read October 24, 2026
  10. Yale School of Nursing: Admissions FAQ · read October 24, 2026
  11. Yale School of Nursing: Kira Talent Assessment · read October 24, 2026
  12. OHSU School of Nursing: Admissions and Application Information · read October 24, 2026
  13. Texas A&M College of Nursing: Second-Degree BSN · read October 24, 2026
  14. Washington State University College of Nursing: Pre-Licensure BSN · read October 24, 2026
  15. UW–Madison School of Nursing: Accelerated BSN Application Process · read October 24, 2026
  16. UW–Madison School of Nursing: Traditional BSN Application Process · read October 24, 2026
  17. CU Anschutz College of Nursing: Accelerated BS Admission Requirements · read October 24, 2026
  18. CU Anschutz College of Nursing: Application Deadlines · read October 24, 2026
  19. George Fox University: Nursing Admissions for Transfers · read October 24, 2026
  20. Rush University College of Nursing: Direct Entry MSN Admission Guidelines · read October 24, 2026
  21. Duke University School of Nursing: Master of Nursing Admissions · read October 24, 2026
  22. Columbia University School of Nursing: Admissions at a Glance · read October 26, 2026