Clinical grades and progression in Olivet's graduate nursing programs
Olivet Nazarene University grades a clinical course on two fronts at once: your graded work and your hours. Every clinical or practicum course needs an 83% average plus every hour documented as satisfactory, FNP clinicals are graded Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory, and the NEL practicums need a B- or better. A failed course brings a retake, an audit and sometimes repeated clinical hours, so a preceptor who stays with you protects your standing as well as your schedule.
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The passing standard, course by course
The new-curriculum MSN handbook sets the rules below, and the current handbook's grade chart adds the line for core and didactic courses. In an S/U clinical, the Satisfactory still rests on numbers: an 83% average on graded work, plus hours and documentation that faculty mark as satisfactory.
| Course type | What it takes to pass |
|---|---|
| FNP clinical courses (NRSG 636C to 639C; current NRSG 665A to 665F) | Satisfactory, resting on an 83% average on graded work and all hours and documentation satisfactory |
| FNP population-focused didactic courses (NRSG 636 to 639) | 83% or higher; below 83% is non-passing |
| NEL practicums (NRSG 604 and NRSG 620) | B- or better; the handbook also treats below 83% as non-passing in NEL practicum courses |
| Core and didactic courses (current handbook chart) | C- or below is a failure; only one C or C+ may appear on the final transcript |
| The whole program | Cumulative GPA of 3.0 to stay enrolled and to graduate |
Two quirks to know. The B- rule and the 83% line both appear for the NEL practicums, so read your syllabus's grading scale and aim above both. And a grading footnote in the new-curriculum handbook still points to the old NRSG 665A to NRSG 665F numbers, a leftover from the current curriculum; the new and current curricula compared page shows which numbers belong to which.
What Olivet counts as a failure
Olivet's list is broader than a letter grade. An F, a U, an administrative withdrawal and a withdrawal while failing all count as failures, and missing any progression requirement leads to withdrawal from the program. The MSN handbooks describe that step directly rather than a probation period, so ask your advisor early if a course is slipping.
Conduct counts as well. The School of Nursing may dismiss a student for unprofessional behavior, and three Student Performance Alerts send a student's record to the Program Director for review. The sanctions the handbook lists run from an administrative F or U to dismissal or permanent expulsion. A clinical site is a professional setting, and how you behave there is part of your record.
Retakes, audits and repeated clinical hours
The retake rules are tight, which is why a clean first attempt matters so much in the clinical courses.
- Across the MSN you may repeat at most two different NRSG courses, and each one only once.
- In the FNP sequence each population course pairs a didactic course with a clinical. Fail either half and you retake that course in full and audit its partner, for example retaking
NRSG 637and auditingNRSG 637C. - An FNP or PG-APRN student auditing a course may have to repeat up to half of its clinical hours. How many is decided by the SON Clinical Coordinator in consultation with the FNP/PG-APRN Program Director; the audit itself needs 83%.
- Wait longer than a year to come back, and Olivet may require a full retake where an audit would otherwise do.
Repeated hours need a preceptor too, often at short notice and in the same population as the original course. The SON Clinical Coordinator page explains that role.
Time limits on finished courses
Olivet also looks at how old your coursework is by the time you finish. Courses older than five years must be repeated. A clinical course that is more than two years old when you complete the program can call for an audit, added CE or a check of your competencies before you graduate. Post-Graduate APRN (FNP) applicants meet a similar clock at admission: their 3P courses must fall within five years, or they sit Olivet's one-time 3P Competency Assessment instead.
Those limits matter most for students who stretch the program out or pause between clinicals. A student who finishes NRSG 636C, then takes a long break before the remaining population courses, can find the first clinical needs attention before graduation. If a pause is coming, leave and delays covers the Return Form and the other rules for stepping away, and your advisor can check your dates against these limits.
Appeals and who decides
- Start informally within 10 school daysA nursing policy appeal begins with your instructor, then moves to the Program Director, who reviews it with the School of Nursing's Associate Dean.
- Go to the Academic Standards CommitteeIf the informal step does not settle it, the formal appeal goes to the Academic Standards Committee.
- Grade appeals follow the catalogGrade appeals and grievances follow the university catalog's process rather than the nursing handbook.
- Complaints for students outside BourbonnaisOlivet's student complaint policy routes formal complaints to the Associate Dean of Academic Operations, usually resolved within 30 business days, then to the Illinois Board of Higher Education portal. Nursing admission and dismissal appeals are outside that policy.
The who does what page lists each of these roles and mailboxes.
Why students choose us when grades are on the line
Clinical grades depend on hours as much as on assignments, and hours depend on the preceptor: one who fits the course poorly, a schedule that cannot hold, or a departure mid-course can each put a grade at risk. We match each preceptor to the course's patient population, confirm the weekly hours before the course opens, and stay on call so a departure becomes a quick replacement rather than a failed course.
When an audit calls for repeated hours, we find a preceptor in the right population for the hours the SON Clinical Coordinator sets. Olivet approves preceptors and its faculty grade your work; our part is a preceptor file with every detail in order. If a preceptor has already left, preceptor dropped out explains how we step in, or use the form below.
Questions Olivet students ask
What do I need to pass an Olivet FNP clinical course?
FNP clinical courses are graded Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory. To earn the S, your graded work has to average at least 83%, and faculty must mark every clinical hour and its documentation satisfactory. Falling short means a retake of that course and an audit of its paired didactic course.
Is a B- enough in Olivet's NEL practicums?
Olivet's handbook lists B- or better as the passing grade for NRSG 604 and NRSG 620. The same handbook also says a score below 83% is non-passing in NEL practicum courses. Check the grading scale in your syllabus to see where B- falls, and aim to clear both lines.
How many courses can I repeat in Olivet's MSN?
At most two different NRSG courses, and each only once. A retake uses one of those two, so a second failure in the same course, or a failure in a third course, leaves no repeat to use. Talk to your advisor as soon as a course looks at risk.
What does auditing a course mean for my clinical hours?
For FNP and PG-APRN students, an audit can mean doing as much as half of that course's clinical hours a second time. The number comes from the SON Clinical Coordinator working with the program's director, and the audit needs 83% to pass. You will need a preceptor for those hours.
Does Olivet's MSN have academic probation?
The MSN handbooks do not describe a probation step. They say that missing any progression requirement, including the 3.0 cumulative GPA, results in withdrawal from the program. The university catalog may hold further rules, so ask your advisor or Program Director what applies before a grade is final.
Related pages
Last checked 2026-09-25
We check these pages against Olivet's own handbooks, program pages, fee sheet and licensure disclosures. Your handbook version, your Canvas clinical requirements course, your faculty and the SON Clinical Coordinator have the final word.
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Tell us your Olivet track, where you live and when your next clinical course starts. We find preceptors whose patients fit the course, inside Olivet's approved states, and prepare everything Olivet's approval and the site's onboarding need.
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NRSG 636C, women's health forNRSG 637C, children forNRSG 638C, education and leadership forNRSG 620 - Credentials, license and site details ready before your clinical course opens, with the drug screen timing on your calendar
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