Admissions & Partnerships

The Associate-to-Bachelor's (ATB) nursing track is a collaborative initiative between the Towson University Department of Nursing and select Maryland community college partners. This page provides information on each ATB partnership and the admissions process.

ATB Eligibility

Admission to the ATB option is a collaborative decision between the Towson University Department of Nursing and the respective community college partner. Students must meet set criteria to be eligible for ATB admission consideration.

Students are only eligible to apply for ATB admission if they have been admitted to a community college partner's nursing program. Applicants must apply separately to the community college partner's nursing program. You must meet the selective admissions criteria for the community college nursing program as well as the TU criteria outlined on this page.

ATB 1.0 Admission

The start term for ATB 1.0 admission vary by community college partner. Some programs only offer a fall or spring start, while others may offer admission for both terms.

ATB 1.0 Information Packets

These information packets provide a general overview of the program, application processes and requirements, and plan(s) of study for each start term that is offered for the partner school. For questions about the community college admissions process or nursing program, contact the partner school directly. Contact information is provided in the information packets below.

ATB Information Packet TU ATB Application Deadline(s)
Carroll CC-TU ATB 1.0 Info Packet (PDF) Fall: May 12
Cecil College-TU ATB 1.0 Info Packet (PDF) Spring: November 9
CCBC-TU ATB 1.0 Info Packet (PDF)

Fall: February 15
Spring: August 15
Frederick CC-TU ATB 1.0 Info Packet (PDF) Fall: June 3
Hagerstown CC-TU ATB 1.0 Info Packet (PDF)

Fall: May 1
Spring: October 1
Harford CC-TU ATB 1.0 Info Packet (PDF)

Fall: May 1
Spring: November 9

Deadlines are specific to each community college partner based on their admission processes and deadlines. Applications may be accepted after the deadline if there is space available in the cohort and if there is time left to enroll at the university. Any students interested in applying after the ATB deadline should consult first with their school's ATB coordinator. Contact information for each school can be found in the information packets.

ATB 1.0 Admission Criteria

  • Admission to the community college partner's nursing program
  • GPA of 3.0 or higher in the community college nursing program's required admission courses
  • Completion of additional prerequisite courses with a C (2.0) or higher (see "ATB Prerequisites" below)

ATB 2.0 Admission

ATB 2.0 admission is offered for the summer term to students who are already enrolled in their first year of nursing courses at the community college.

The priority deadline for ATB 2.0 admission is April 1st for all community college partners. Applications may be considered after the deadline on a space available basis until May 1st. 

All ATB 2.0 admission is contingent on successful completion of spring nursing coursework. Spring grades for nursing coursework must be verified by the start of summer classes.

ATB 2.0 Information Packets

Students are encouraged to discuss the ATB 2.0 option with their ATB coordinator before applying. Contact information for each ATB partner is provided in the information packets provided below.

These information packets for provide a general overview of the program, application processes and requirements, and plan(s) of study for each partner:

ATB 2.0 Admission Criteria

  • Completion of the first term or first two terms of nursing course work at the partner community college
  • GPA of 3.0 or higher and demonstrated professional conduct in Year 1 of the community college nursing courses
  • Completion of additional prerequisite courses with a C (2.0) or higher (see "ATB Prerequisites" section for more information)

ATB Prerequisites

The ATB program requires additional prerequisite courses that may not be required for admission to all community college programs. These prerequisites may be in progress at the time of application, but they must be completed with a C (2.0) or higher by the start of the ATB program:

  • General Chemistry with Lab [Equivalent to TU CHEM 121 & CHEM 121L or CHEM 131 & CHEM 131L]
  • Microbiology with Lab [Equivalent to TU BIOL 215 or BIOL 318]
  • Nutrition for Health Professionals [Equivalent to TU HLTH 331]

Students must also complete a statistics course with a C (2.0) or higher before enrolling in the required nursing research course at TU (NURS 435). Students are strongly encouraged to complete this requirement prior to starting their nursing program. Courses equivalent to TU's MATH 231, MATH 237, or PSYC 212 may satisfy the statistics requirement.

Each ATB information packet provided on this page includes details of which courses can be taken at the community college to satisfy these prerequisites. If courses were taken at another institution, students should refer to TES, the university's transfer equivalency database, to confirm the equivalency of their course(s).

ATB Application Process

To apply for ATB admission, students must follow the instructions based on the their intended start term.

Spring 2025 and Summer 2025 Applicants

  1. Apply for the partner school's associate degree in nursing program
  2. Complete the TU ATB application form and submit the $50 application fee
  3. Submit official transcripts from all colleges/universities attended to University Admissions. Students may submit either hard copy or electronic transcripts. Electronic transcripts are strongly preferred.
    • Electronic: Send via your school's electronic transcript service (e.g., Parchment, National Student Clearinghouse, etc.) and select Towson University as the recipient.
    • Mailed: University Admissions, Towson University, 8000 York Road, Towson, MD 21252

Neither Towson University nor the Department of Nursing are responsible for transcripts mailed and not received by the deadline. Students should retain a copy of their transcript request and delivery confirmation until applications are confirmed as complete.

For any transcript submission questions or receipt verification, students should contact University Admissions.

Fall 2025 Applicants

  1. Apply for the partner school's associate degree in nursing program
  2. Submit NursingCAS application for ATB admission
    • This application is currently under development. An application link and instructions will be available in December 2025.
  3. Submit all official transcripts via NursingCAS when application is available.

University Application & Enrollment

Students must submit a transfer application to University Admissions if accepted to ATB. Because the university application requires specific responses to be admitted as ATB, students should not submit an application to University Admissions until they been offered admission to ATB. If admitted to ATB, students will be given instructions on how to apply to and enroll at the university.

ATB Review & Admission Decisions

Admission review is a collaborative process between the TU Department of Nursing and our partner schools' nursing programs. Screening for admission to the ATB 1.0 option will occur after our community college partner has notified applicants about admission to the associate degree nursing program. ATB 2.0 screening occurs after the priority deadline.

ATB applicants will only be reviewed if they have been admitted to the community college nursing program. Applicants who are not admitted to the partner program will not be reviewed or receive any admission decision.

After admission decisions are made, all decisions will be communicated via email.

Partnership Information

By applying to the ATB option, students grant permission to TU and the community college to share pertinent information related to admission, academics, enrollment, and degree progress. Enrollment and academic information will be shared as needed each term. ATB students are still responsible for submitting their own transcripts and maintaining regular communication with their advisors at both schools.

Cost of Attendance

Students in the ATB option are charged tuition and fees and receive a bill from both institutions. Tuition and fees will be assessed by each school based on the student's credit load at their respective institutions each term.

For TU courses, students are charged the part-time tuition and fees according to how many TU credits they are taking in any given term. For community college courses, they will be charged according to that school's tuition and fee rates. Students can estimate their overall cost of attendance by referring to the plan of study for their total enrollment at each institution each term.

Financial Aid & Scholarships

Students enrolled in the ATB option can apply for all available federal and state undergraduate grant, scholarship, and loan programs. All federal and state financial aid is processed through the TU Financial Aid Office. ATB students' financial aid will be based on the total combined enrollment between both schools.

ATB students are also eligible to apply for departmental or institutional scholarships or grants at both institutions. Any institutional scholarships or grants from the partner community college will be reported to TU and counted against the total aid a student may receive. For nursing-specific resources, visit the Department of Nursing Scholarships site.

Questions?

For any questions about ATB admissions and partnerships, please contact us. For questions about the community college's nursing program, please contact the community college program directly.