Compressed BScN — Trent University (Trent/Fleming School of Nursing)

SpaceCat Fit Notes

• CASPer: Not used. SpaceCat cannot leverage her very high CASPer score here.
• GPA window & upgrading strategy: The GPA is calculated on the last 10.0 full-course equivalents (~20 half-courses, approximately 2 years of study). If SpaceCat takes 20 half-courses (one full year of heavy courseload, or a more typical ~1.5 years) with strong grades (70%+), she can fully reset her effective GPA for Trent admissions. This is a very favorable window — a year to year-and-a-half of strong coursework completely replaces the GPA calculation.
• Experiential / written advantage: Admission is purely grades-based. There is no CASPer, no interview, no supplementary application, and no written components. SpaceCat’s shelter work and experiential profile cannot be showcased in any way.

• Out-of-province: Ontario resident. - None found. OUAC 105 is used for all applicants. No mention of provincial quotas or restrictions. - Yes — out-of-province students pay higher tuition. Per-credit comparison for Summer 2025 (Peterborough campus): Ontario domestic ~$1,354/credit vs. out-of-province ~$1,633/credit (tuition portion: $

• Overall assessment: Moderate fit — The fully resettable GPA window is the key advantage — if SpaceCat commits to upgrading courses with strong grades, Trent becomes viable. However, admission is entirely GPA-dependent with no way to leverage her experiential profile or CASPer score. Ontario residency avoids the ~23% out-of-province tuition premium. The 28-month duration is longer than most accelerated programs.

Quick Facts

• Institution: Trent University, Trent/Fleming School of Nursing (collaborative with Fleming College)
• Program name: Compressed Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BScN) Honours
• Degree granted: Honours BScN
• City, Province: Peterborough, Ontario
• Program type: Compressed / Accelerated (second-entry for students with prior university study)
• Duration: 28 months (spans three academic years including spring/summer sessions)
• Delivery format: In-person
• Full-time / Part-time: Full-time only. Same curriculum as the 4-year Collaborative Program, compressed into 28 months with year-round study including summers.
• Language of instruction: English
• Start date(s): September (one intake per year)
• Intake frequency: Annual
• Application deadline(s): OUAC application opens September 18 (for following September start); Group B (non-current Ontario secondary) deadline March 2; offers released early to mid-March on rolling basis; transcript deadline May 29; conditions met by August 14. Fall 2026 application is now closed.
• Application system: OUAC 105 (code RFN)
• Program URL: https://www.trentu.ca/nursing/programs/undergraduate/compressed-program
• Accredited: Yes — CASN full 7-year accreditation (maximum possible), granted March 18, 2014, covering the compressed program, the 4-year collaborative program, and the RPN-to-BScN pathway, at all three sites (Trent Peterborough, Fleming College Peterborough, George Brown College Toronto). Currently listed as accredited on the CASN Accredited Programs directory. Also accredited by the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO). Source, Source

Admission Requirements

GPA

• Minimum GPA: 2.7 / 70% “calculated on the last 10.0 full credits (two years)” of university study
• Competitive GPA: Not published. The program states: “The application process is competitive and admission is offered to the best-qualified candidates.” Forum reports suggest that meeting the minimum 70% is not sufficient for admission; applicants with higher averages are preferred. No specific competitive cutoff has been disclosed.
• GPA calculated on: Last 10.0 full-course equivalents (approximately 2 years of full-time university study)
• GPA scale used: Percentage

Source, Source

Prerequisites

All prerequisite courses must have been taken within the last 10 years. Minimum grade of 60% in each university-level prerequisite. Prerequisites can be met through “a combination of secondary, college, and university subjects” – e.g., an applicant could meet some through Grade 12 4U courses and others through university courses. Having prerequisites “completed or in progress at the time of application makes an applicant more competitive.”

For university transfer applicants to the Compressed program:

Additional transfer credit requirements for the Compressed program:

• 2.0 full credits at the 1000 (first-year) level — previously completed electives
• 1.0 full credit at the 2000 (second-year) level — previously completed elective
• Students receive “a minimum of four transfer credits that will work towards the required 20 credits for the BScN”

Can prerequisites be taken online? Not explicitly stated on official pages. The FAQ mentions that “English, biology, chemistry, and math may be upgraded either through Grade 12 4U courses, two semesters of college courses, or one semester of a university course,” suggesting flexibility in delivery. Online university courses would likely count but this is not explicitly confirmed.

Prereq source URLs: - https://www.trentu.ca/nursing/admissions/undergraduate-admissions - https://www.trentu.ca/nursing/programs/undergraduate/compressed-program/admissions - https://www.trentu.ca/futurestudents/admissions/admission-requirements/nursing-students

Prior Degree Requirement

• Minimum credits / degree required: A completed degree is NOT required. Applicants need sufficient prior university study to have at least 10.0 full-course equivalents (2 years) and the prerequisite courses plus the 2.0 first-year credits and 1.0 second-year credit. Students also enter from specific college diploma pathways (Biotechnology Advanced Diploma, Practical Nursing Diploma).
• Degree field restrictions: Any field
• Specific undergraduate courses required beyond prereqs: The 2.0 first-year elective credits and 1.0 second-year elective credit (in any subject)

Supplementary Requirements

• CASPer: Not currently required. Multiple official Trent admissions pages (undergraduate admissions, compressed program admissions, future students requirements, FAQ) make no mention of CASPer for the 2025-2026 or 2026-2027 cycles. Earlier sources (pre-2022) reference CASPer as a requirement, and one AllNurses forum post from 2024-2025 noted the absence of CASPer on the website. The Post-Bridge RPN pathway explicitly removed CASPer effective November 1, 2022. It appears Trent has dropped CASPer for all undergraduate nursing programs, though no official announcement was found. Recommend confirming directly with admissions.
• GRE: Not required
• Interview: Not required
• Personal statement / written component: Not required — no supplementary application is mentioned on any official page
• Resume / CV: Not required
• References: Not required
• Volunteer / work experience: No stated requirement
• Language proficiency: Proof of English proficiency required for non-native speakers (if applicable)
• Other: Official transcripts from all post-secondary institutions must be submitted. For Fall 2026: transcripts with winter grades due May 29, 2026; all conditions (including final transcripts) due August 14, 2026.

How Applications Are Evaluated

Admissions appear to be entirely grades-based. No supplementary application, no written components, no interview, no CASPer. The official page states only: “The application process is competitive and admission is offered to the best-qualified candidates.” Applicants not offered nursing admission “either have not met the academic requirements or did not have a competitive average for admission” and may receive an alternate offer to Honours Science if they meet the minimum university threshold (65%).

“Applicants that are not given an offer of admission to the nursing program either have not met the academic requirements or did not have a competitive average for admission.” Source

Out-of-Province Considerations

• Residency restrictions or quotas: None found. OUAC 105 is used for all applicants. No mention of provincial quotas or restrictions.
• Out-of-province tuition differential: Yes — out-of-province students pay higher tuition. Per-credit comparison for Summer 2025 (Peterborough campus): Ontario domestic ~$1,354/credit vs. out-of-province ~$1,633/credit (tuition portion: $1,224 vs. $1,503 per credit). This is approximately a $279/credit or ~23% premium for out-of-province students.

Source (domestic), Source (out-of-province)

Cost

• Tuition (annual, Ontario domestic, Fall + Winter): ~$8,147 total ($6,118 tuition + $2,029 ancillary/levy fees) for new students in 2025-2026
• Tuition (summer term, per credit, Ontario domestic): ~$1,354 per credit (Peterborough campus)
• Total program estimate (Ontario domestic): Approximately $24,000-$28,000 over 28 months (three Fall/Winter terms plus two summer terms, depending on course load). Housing, meal plans, books, and some program/course fees are NOT included in published tuition figures.
• Out-of-province premium: ~23% higher tuition (see above)
• Additional fees: Housing, meal plans, books, scrubs, stethoscope, police record check (amounts not specified on official pages)

Source, Source

Competitiveness

• Cohort size: ~100 students per intake (Compressed program). Source
• Acceptance rate: Not published
• Number of applicants: Not published

Fieldwork / Clinical / Practicum

• Placements guaranteed? Yes — clinical is integrated into the curriculum at every level
• Total required hours: Over 1,300 hours of clinical experience across the program. The final-year preceptorship alone is approximately 300 hours. Source
• Placement settings / locations:
• Year 1: Residential/long-term care settings (NURS 1020H), typically one day per week
• Year 2: Community and family-focused settings, one shift or seminar per week
• Year 3: Acute care (medical/surgical inpatient), two shifts per week plus simulation lab sessions
• Year 4 (final semester): Independent Nursing Practice preceptorship — ~300 hours with an assigned RN preceptor, “fully preceptored model”
• Settings include: long-term care homes, community agencies, maternal/child settings, mental health units, acute medical/surgical units, palliative care
• Locations: Primarily “Peterborough and the surrounding area (including but not limited to Durham, Northumberland County, and City of Kawartha Lakes).” Year 4 may offer remote/rural placements or the opportunity to relocate closer to home.
• Transportation: Students arrange their own transportation to clinical sites
• Simulation: Trent has “Canada’s only university nursing program with a fully internationally accredited simulation centre” with low, medium, and high-fidelity mannequins
• Can placements be done out of province? Not explicitly stated; Year 4 mentions potential to “relocate closer to home” which may allow some flexibility

Source, Source

Program Structure

The compressed program covers the same curriculum as the 4-year collaborative program in 28 months. It requires 20 credits total with at least 12 nursing credits. Students enter with a minimum of 4 transfer credits from prior studies. Coursework runs year-round including spring/summer terms.

Indigenous Course Requirement (ICR): All Trent undergraduates must complete at least 0.5 credit from the Approved Indigenous Course List.

Advanced Topics: Students must take at least 0.5 credit from each of two advanced topics groupings.

Specialization options: Aging, mental health, Indigenous communities, rural health, women’s health/gender.

Research: Final-year students may pursue thesis work with faculty supervisors.

Source, Source

Licensing & Career Path

• Licensing exam: NCLEX-RN
• Graduates eligible to practice in all provinces? Yes (NCLEX-RN is accepted across Canada)
• Any known issues with credential recognition? None
• NCLEX pass rate: Not currently published by Trent. A 2015 figure of 84.53% was found but is outdated and not reliable as a current indicator.

Reputation & Notes

• Collaborative model with Fleming College provides both university academic depth and college practical orientation
• Over 1,300 hours of clinical experience is substantial compared to many programs
• The internationally accredited simulation centre is a distinctive feature
• Peterborough is a smaller city — clinical placements in regional hospitals and community agencies rather than major urban teaching hospitals
• Program described as producing graduates who are “well-known in the industry as critical thinkers whose compassion and scientific knowledge are rooted in the values of professional and social responsibility”
• The school positions itself as “the leading Canadian change agent for applying nursing as a driver of social justice”
• Faculty combine “professional and academic knowledge and expertise” with involvement in clinical, pedagogical, and social justice research
• One student review (StudentsReview) noted: “The nursing faculty were extremely disappointing” — though this is a single review and not specific to the compressed program
• AllNurses forum threads exist for the compressed program (2016, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023) but contain limited detailed reviews of the experience; mostly applicant discussion about admissions
• No Reddit discussions found specific to the compressed program
• The 28-month duration is notably longer than most accelerated/compressed BScN programs in Ontario (which are typically 20-24 months), though this is because it compresses a 4-year program rather than a 2-year second-entry program

Key Differences from Other Ontario Accelerated/Compressed Programs

• No supplementary application — unlike U of T, York, Western, Queen’s, etc., Trent appears to evaluate solely on academics
• No CASPer — unlike many Ontario nursing programs
• No prior degree required — only 2 years of prior university study needed (with specific prerequisites), unlike true “second-entry” programs that require a completed degree
• 28 months vs. the ~20 months typical of accelerated second-entry programs
• Psychology prerequisite is unique to the compressed program (not required for collaborative)
• Out-of-province tuition differential exists, unlike some Ontario universities

Application Timeline (Fall 2027 — estimated based on Fall 2026 pattern)

Note: These dates are estimated based on the Fall 2026 cycle. Confirm with Trent when Fall 2027 dates are published.

Information Not Found

No specific gaps identified for this program.

Sources

• Compressed Program — Main Page
• Compressed Program — Admissions
• Undergraduate Admissions — All Programs
• Nursing Admission Requirements — Future Students
• Important Dates and Deadlines
• Frequently Asked Admissions Questions
• The Placement Experience
• Compressed Program — Orientation
• Why Trent?
• Tuition — Ontario Students (Fall 2025 / Winter 2026)
• Tuition — Nursing Domestic Summer 2025
• Tuition — Nursing Out-of-Province Summer 2025
• CASN Accreditation Announcement (2014)
• CASN Accredited Programs Directory
• Academic Calendar — BSN.COMP
• Compressed Program Course Map (PDF)
• OUInfo — Trent Nursing
• AllNurses — Trent Compressed Nursing 2021
• AllNurses — Trent Compressed Nursing 2016
• AllNurses — Fast-Track/Accelerated/Compressed Reviews