The Smart Start Nursing Program is a partnership between the College of Nursing and the South Carolina Honors College. Students who are accepted into the Honors College as incoming freshman and declare nursing as their major are automatically admitted into the Smart Start program.

Students in the Smart Start Nursing Program have automatic admission into the upper division.* Smart Start Nursing Program students will complete dedicated nursing honors classes beginning  freshman year. Students will have opportunities to impact patients and families throughclinical work and research.

Studies will be enhanced by innovative teaching strategies, including a our state-of-the-art simulation center and flipped classrooms. Students can benefit from education abroad experiences, gaining a deeper understanding of different health care systems.

Students will have access to  nurse scientists who are conducting cutting-edge research, expert nurse clinicians, and a network of 11,000+ nursing alumni who work across the nation and around the world. Students will join a college with exceptional graduate and doctoral programs focused on nursing practice, administration and research.

Additional Benefits

• Program of study tailored to fit your interests and help you discover new ones.
• One-on-one academic mentoring and thesis preparation from College of Nursing honors faculty. Complete our mentor match form so we can help identify potential faculty mentors for your research experience. 
• Opportunity to join the Galen Health Fellows, a groundbreaking interprofessional program for health care majors at the university. Learn and live alongside fellow nursing students, as well as other health science majors.
• Learn from among the best in the field. Professors in this program are national and global experts in their fields.

*Reminder: You must have been accepted into the University of South Carolina Honors College as an incoming freshman to be in the Smart Start Nursing Program. All accepted Honors College students who declare Nursing as their major will automatically be in the Smart Start Program. Smart Start students who are not successful with meeting upper division application requirements will lose their direct admit status but will remain eligible for admission under the competitive upper division admissions process.

Smart Start students must complete CITI training before conducting research.

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Meet the experts

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  Co-Director Smart Start Honors Program

  Pam Wright, PhD, MS, MEd, RN, CEN

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  Co-Director Smart Start Honors Program

  Sarah Slone, PhD, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, CCRN, CN