Master of Science in Nursing Admitted Student Packet Fall 2023

All students entering the USF College of Nursing are required to open a CastleBranch profile online. This profile must always be kept current to remain in compliance with the College of Nursing and clinical facilities. Failure to do so may result in dismissal from the program.

IMPORTANT: If you are a former USF student who has purchased a CastleBranch package in the past, please contact Shawn Afflick at safflick@usf.edu for additional instructions prior to purchasing CastleBranch

• You will purchase CastleBranch using an in-state or out-of-state package code. 
  • If you are residing in the state of Florida at the time you are completing Castle Branch, use code UE02
    
  • If you are residing outside of the state of Florida at the time you are completing Castle Branch, use code UE02osfp
  • Important: out-of-state is considering where you are physically residing at the time you purchase CastleBranch and not your state of residence.  If you are currently residing out-of-state, you must purchase with the out-of-state code.
• Once purchased you will receive instructions from CastleBranch within 48 hours.

For technical questions regarding your package order, please contact Castle Branch at 1-888-666-7788.  For other questions, please contact the USF College of Nursing compliance officer, Shawn Afflick, at safflick@usf.edu

Please note: If you are a student from another university who previously used CastleBranch, you are required to create a new account under the USF code.

You must complete your background check, drug test, and fingerprints immediately upon being admitted to the College of Nursing.  You must meet the deadline given in your onboarding email or you admission may be rescinded.  All other CastleBranch requirements must be completed by the first day of the semester.

• There is no additional cost for the fingerprint. The cost was included in the purchase of your Castle Branch account.  You should be able to complete the process in two days.
• The urine drug test must be completed within 72 hours after receiving your instructions
• If the drug test is not completed within 72 hours of purchase, an additional cost will be required as the drug test package will need to be re-purchased

For questions regarding items in this section please email CON-Compliance@usf.edu. 

Please refer to the Guide to Castle Branch (click to open) for complete instructions on completing all CastleBranch requirements. 

IMPORTANT: If you have an item that is rejected by Castle Branch, please read their comments on why it was rejected and how to correct.

Per USF Policy 33-002, it is mandatory for USF students to submit all required immunization documentation and sign the official Medical History Form prior to course registration. A hold preventing registration in hybrid and in-person classes will remain on your account until you have fulfilled the following requirements. This hold will not restrict registration in fully online classes.  Therefore, it is recommended you register for your online classes as soon as possible and, if applicable, go back and register for any hybrid or in-person classes you have once the IM hold is removed. 

Please Note: this is a USF requirement to be completed through Student Health Services before you can register for classes. This process is separate from the College of Nursing's CastleBranch requirements.

For questions on this process, please contact Student Health Services at 813-974-4056.

1. Medical History Form (Required):
   • Sign form electronically through OASIS or MyBullsPath

   • -or- Download and sign the Medical History form. (Please note: if student is under 18, Legal Guardian signature required also on print form)

2. Measles & Rubella Immunity (Required):

   • Submit proof of 2 MMRs given after 1st birthday, or

   • IgG quantitative lab report (performed within last 5 years). Lab report must include result and reference range.

3. Hepatitis B Immunity (Recommended): 

   • Submit proof of immunity to Hepatitis B by providing 3 vaccine dates or

   • Quantitative lab report  or

   • Waive this recommended vaccine through your student OASIS or MyBullsPath account (for Tip Sheet: click here) or on the USF Medical History form.

   • For important information on Hepatitis B from the CDC click click here
4. Meningitis Immunity (Recommended):  

   • Submit proof of Meningitis vaccination administered after 16th birthday or 

   • Waive this recommended vaccine through your student OASIS account or MyBullsPath (for Tip Sheet: click here) or on the USF Medical History form.

   • For important information on Meningitis from the CDC click click here
5. TB Screening: Per USF Policy 33-003, Tuberculosis Screening required for all students who use an international address at the time of application. Screening must be done within 6 months prior to the 1st semester you physically attend classes on any of the USF campuses. See this example of Tuberculosis screening document.

Click here to review an Immunization Guide. 

If you are missing any vaccine and/ or labs, please contact your current healthcare provider or schedule an Immunization Compliance Appointment by clicking here. 

For an exemption request, please contact Student Health Service office directly.  

Registration for Fall 2023 is open! You were given an academic program plan in the email offering you admission to the USF College of Nursing.  Please use that academic plan as a guide to register for your courses throughout the program. Failure to adhere to the program plan can delay your graduation date.

Instructions on how to register can be found here: https://www.usf.edu/registrar/register/

All courses for Grad Clinical are now permit-restricted and your Academic Services Administrator will provide you permits to your OASIS account prior to registration opening each semester. The permits provided to you for the particular section(s)/course(s) are based on both your Program Plan as well as your concentration. For help finding your permits to complete registration review this link.  https://usf.app.box.com/file/1052195919477?s=vfyc4hw1itgtk1wbat8swq9fzzrux2mp Course permits will be provided every two weeks as the admission cycle refreshes. 

Remember to notate the on-campus dates required for Fall 2023. In order to find the on-campus dates for your courses you must:

1. Open the student schedule search. Select the correct term.
2. Input the Subject and Course Number only. (ex. Subject-NGR, Course Number- 6002c). Hit Search.
3. Click on your permit approved CRN to view on campus dates. The dates will appear directly under the course name information like the picture shows below. (Please note the dates in this photo are not specific to you.)
4. Mark all dates within your calendar.

You can also view a tutorial here: https://youtu.be/t6v5X1Xgnk4

Registration Tips: 

• Review the How to Check Registration Time & Holds document to understand your registration date and times, as well as what holds you may have on your account.  
• You can view registration holds in your MyUSF: OASIS; Student; Student Records; View Holds. Only the office that placed the hold on your account is authorized to remove the hold. Therefore, if you have questions regarding how to remove a hold, please directly contact the office that placed a hold.
• Classes with meeting times marked "N/A" or "TBA" are online classes.  There will be no future meeting times announced.
• If a class has a specific meeting day and time (i.e. Mondays from 3pm-5pm), you will need to be available during that time for in-person or synchronous learning. Generally, students can expect to be on campus one day a month. On-campus dates are listed within the registration details of the class. Please refer to class syllabi for other in-person/on-campus requirements.
• If you have a university/Student Health Services Immunization (IM) hold, it will prohibit you from registering in hybrid and in-person classes.  You can still register for online classes with the hold.  Therefore, it is recommended you register for your online classes as soon as possible and, if applicable, go back and register for any hybrid or in-person classes you have once the IM hold is removed.

• If you received a “student attribute” error, please contact Student Health Services regarding Immunization holds: info@shs.usf.edu.  

• If you do not have a time ticket to register, please email registrarupdates@usf.edu.

When you apply to the university, your initial residency classification is determined by the Office of Admissions based on information you provide with your application. If you don’t provide sufficient information to determine your residency, you will be classified as a non-Florida resident for tuition purposes. It’s very important to respond to requests for information about your residency as soon as possible. Please review your official acceptance letter to ensure that your residency classification is accurate.

You have until the last day of classes in your first term to request a re-evaluation of your initial residency status (Links to an external site.) by providing sufficient documentation. If your residency status is listed as non-Florida at the time that classes begin, you will be assessed out-of-state tuition charges.

Once you have completed your first term at USF, you can request a reclassification of your residency status from the Office of the Registrar.

Need financial aid? Remember to submit your FAFSA before the January 1 priority deadline to be considered for the most types of aid possible. Many scholarships are needs-based and require a FAFSA.  Therefore, it is recommended you complete a FAFSA regardless of whether or not you will be applying for loans.

Tuition payment or a university deferment is due on the fifth day of the semester.  Please ensure you have funds or a deferment in-place to prevent being canceled from classes for non-payment.

Questions regarding Financial Aid can be directed to a Financial Aid counselor.

• As a Nursing student, you may utilize the USF Health Financial Aid Office: https://health.usf.edu/well/financial-aid
• You may also contact the University's main Financial Aid Office: https://www.usf.edu/financial-aid/

For assistance or questions regarding payment, please contact the Cashier's Office: https://www.usf.edu/business-finance/controller/student-services/cashiers/index.aspx

The College of Nursing, Graduate Clinical Programs, will be hosting a Graduate Orientation. This mandatory, in-person orientation will be held on August 8th, 2023. Additionally, please be aware that our programmatic orientation differs from the Office of Graduate Studies Orientation held by main campus which is optional. Please reserve your seat for the College of Nursing mandatory, in-person orientation here.

The Office of Admissions has an Admitted Graduate Student Checklist to assist with your transition to the University.  You will learn how to activate your Net ID, access your USF email, and more!