The University of Windsor's Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BScN) is a four-year undergraduate degree offered through the university's Faculty of Nursing — a full degree program, not a college diploma, which matters a great deal for international applicants planning around Canada's Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) rules. Nursing is one of Windsor's named competitive programs, requiring a statement of interest alongside the standard academic file, and it sits inside a university where roughly 29% of the overall student body — and about 73% of graduate students — is international, meaning Windsor's international student support infrastructure is built for exactly this kind of applicant.
Acceptance Rate
The University of Windsor does not publish a program-specific acceptance rate for Nursing, and it does not disclose a single university-wide admit percentage either — standard practice across Canadian universities. Nursing, alongside select Engineering streams, is explicitly flagged by Windsor as one of its more competitive programs requiring a statement of interest, which suggests it draws more applicants relative to available seats than Windsor's less competitive undergraduate programs, even though no specific number is published. Treat Nursing as more selective than Windsor's general "moderately accessible, comprehensive university" positioning (14th in Maclean's Comprehensive category for 2025), without a precise figure to cite.
Fees and Cost of Attendance
Approximate costs for international students, based on the University of Windsor's published fee structure (2025-2026):
| Cost Item | Amount (CAD) |
|---|---|
| International tuition — Bachelor of Science in Nursing | ~$30,500/year |
| IRCC minimum required proof of funds (living costs, single applicant) | $20,635/year |
| Approximate total cost per year | ~$51,135 |
| Application fee | ~$125 |
Over the full four-year BScN, total cost of attendance runs roughly in the $204,000-$210,000 CAD range before scholarships. Windsor's Tuition Guarantee locks in your base tuition rate for the normal duration of your program at the rate in effect when you're admitted, protecting you from the year-over-year tuition increases that apply at many other Ontario universities across a full four-year nursing degree.
Admission Requirements
- Online application via OUAC (Ontario) or Windsor's international application portal
- Official secondary school transcripts, including required prerequisite science courses (biology, chemistry, and math are standard prerequisites for nursing programs)
- Statement of interest — Nursing is one of Windsor's named competitive programs requiring this alongside the standard academic file
- Proof of English language proficiency, or eligibility for the English Language Improvement Program (ELIP)
- Proof of funds and passport for study permit purposes
Windsor does not publish a single minimum GPA for Nursing admission; competitiveness is driven by meeting (and exceeding) program-specific prerequisite grades rather than a blanket cutoff. GRE/GMAT are not required for undergraduate Nursing admission.
How to Get Into Windsor's Nursing Program
-
Nail your prerequisite science and math grades, not just your overall average. Because Nursing is a named competitive program, strong grades specifically in biology, chemistry, and math coursework carry more weight than a generic strong overall transcript.
-
Write a genuine, specific statement of interest. Since Nursing requires this document where many other Windsor undergraduate programs don't, use it to demonstrate concrete motivation and understanding of the nursing profession rather than a generic "I want to help people" narrative.
-
Use ELIP deliberately if your English score is close but not quite there. Windsor's English Language Improvement Program conditionally admits academically admissible applicants who fall short of the direct-entry bar — a genuine pathway rather than an outright rejection.
-
Target a comfortable margin above the minimum English score, not the bare minimum. Nursing coursework is documentation- and communication-heavy from first year (care-plan documentation, clinical communication), and Windsor's undergraduate englishProficiency guidance notes that Writing is the section international applicants most often underperform on relative to their overall band.
-
Factor the Tuition Guarantee into your four-year budget, since it meaningfully changes total cost of attendance compared to a school where tuition compounds annually.
English Proficiency Requirement (IELTS/TOEFL)
| Test | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| IELTS Academic | 6.5 overall, no band below 6.0 | 7.0 |
| TOEFL iBT | 83 | 90 |
| PTE Academic | 60 | — |
| Duolingo English Test | 110 | — |
Nursing sometimes sets slightly higher section expectations than Windsor's university-wide minimum, given the writing-heavy nature of care-plan documentation and clinical communication from first year — confirm the exact current figure on the Faculty of Nursing's program page. Applicants who fall short of the minimum can be conditionally admitted through ELIP rather than being rejected outright. For the full breakdown of Windsor's English-proficiency policy, see University of Windsor's full admissions guide.
Career Outcomes
The University of Windsor does not publish a program-level graduate employment rate or average starting salary specifically for Nursing. What's well documented qualitatively:
- Nursing graduates enter Ontario's healthcare sector, which faces sustained structural demand across the province.
- As a four-year bachelor's degree, Windsor's BScN is exempt from IRCC's November 2024 field-of-study restriction on Post-Graduation Work Permit eligibility — that restriction applies to college-level and non-degree university programs, not to bachelor's degrees — and qualifies for the maximum-length PGWP of up to 3 years given the program's 2+ year duration.
- Healthcare is also one of the sectors IRCC has prioritized in its broader immigration and labour-shortage policy, which is a structural tailwind independent of the degree-level PGWP exemption itself.
FAQ
Does the University of Windsor publish an acceptance rate for Nursing? No. Windsor doesn't disclose a program-specific admit percentage, though Nursing is explicitly named by Windsor as one of its more competitive undergraduate programs, requiring a statement of interest that most other undergraduate programs don't.
How much does Windsor's Nursing program cost? International tuition runs approximately CAD $30,500/year, or roughly CAD $204,000-$210,000 over the full four-year program including living costs, before any scholarships.
Is a statement of interest required for Nursing? Yes — Nursing is one of Windsor's named competitive programs requiring a statement of interest alongside the standard academic transcript file.
What IELTS score should I target for Nursing? Aim for 7.0 rather than the bare 6.5 minimum, since Writing is the section international applicants most commonly underperform on, and Nursing coursework is documentation-heavy from first year.
Does Windsor's Nursing degree qualify for the full 3-year PGWP? Yes — as a bachelor's degree of 2+ years, it's exempt from the field-of-study restriction that applies to college-level and non-degree programs, and qualifies for the maximum PGWP length based on program duration alone.
What happens if my IELTS score is below 6.5? You may still be admitted conditionally through the English Language Improvement Program (ELIP), provided you're otherwise academically admissible for Nursing.