Nursing prerequisites: courses, GPA, and admission requirements

Quick answer: Nursing prerequisites almost always include Anatomy & Physiology I and II, Microbiology, and a college-level English and math (usually Statistics). BSN programs add Chemistry, Psychology, Sociology, and more general education than ADN programs. Minimum GPA is usually 2.5 for community college ADN programs and 3.0 for BSN programs, but admitted students at competitive schools average 3.4 or higher. Many programs also require an entrance exam (TEAS or HESI A2), and some want clinical or volunteer hours, a CNA certificate, immunizations, a background check, and CPR certification. Completing prerequisites from scratch takes about one to two years of full-time community college work.

Prerequisites at a glance

What nursing programs require before you apply

Every accredited nursing program in the US sets prerequisites: the courses and conditions you must complete before you can be considered for admission. The exact list depends on the degree you’re pursuing and the individual school, but the core is consistent across the country.

Three things drive the requirements:

1. The degree type. An Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) at a community college has a lighter prerequisite load than a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) at a university. An accelerated BSN, for students who already hold a bachelor’s degree in another field, compresses the timeline and enforces strict science recency rules.
2. The school. Two BSN programs in the same state can differ on whether Chemistry is required, whether Statistics counts as the math prerequisite, and whether online coursework is accepted.
3. Competition. Stated minimums get you considered. Admitted students at competitive programs routinely exceed those minimums by a wide margin.

The rest of this guide breaks each requirement down so you can plan a sequence that maximizes your admission odds rather than just meeting the bare minimum.

Science prerequisites by program type

Science courses are the backbone of nursing admission. They predict success in the nursing curriculum and on the NCLEX, so admissions committees weight them heavily.

Almost universal across every program type:

• Anatomy & Physiology I and II. These are usually two separate courses taken in sequence, each with a lab, often 4 credits each. Nearly every nursing program in the country requires both.
• Microbiology. A lab science covering microorganisms and infection control. Required by the vast majority of ADN and BSN programs.

Common, but varies by school:

• Chemistry. General or introductory chemistry, sometimes with a lab. More common at BSN programs than community college ADN programs. Some accelerated BSN programs require it; many ADN programs do not.
• Statistics. Increasingly required by BSN programs because evidence-based practice depends on reading research. ADN programs more often accept any college-level math.
• Nutrition. Required by some BSN programs as a standalone course, folded into the nursing curriculum elsewhere.

General education that supports the science load:

• English Composition (one or two courses)
• Introductory Psychology and often Developmental/Lifespan Psychology
• Sociology
• A college-level math course

A practical rule: get A&P I, A&P II, and Microbiology done well, on time, and with strong grades. Those three carry the most weight no matter where you apply.

Science recency rules

There is no national recency standard – each program sets its own – but where a program imposes one, five years is the most common window, and A&P and Microbiology are the courses it applies to. Some programs extend to seven or ten years and some impose no limit at all. Accelerated and direct-entry BSN programs are consistently the strictest; several publish a hard five-year rule alongside a minimum grade of B in each science. English, statistics, psychology, and general education courses rarely expire unless a program says so explicitly. If you took your sciences a decade ago, check each target program’s stated policy first, then build any required retakes into your timeline before anything else.

GPA requirements: minimums vs competitive reality

This is where most prospective students misjudge their chances. There are two numbers that matter, and they’re far apart.

The stated minimum is the GPA below which your application is not considered. For community college ADN programs this is often 2.5, sometimes as low as 2.0. For BSN programs it’s usually 3.0, sometimes 3.25.

The competitive admitted GPA is what students who get offers tend to have. A BSN program can publish a 3.0 minimum and admit a class averaging 3.6. A community college ADN program with a 2.5 minimum may, in practice, only admit applicants above 3.2 because demand exceeds seats.

The gap between minimum and competitive reality is the single most important thing to understand. Meeting the minimum makes you eligible; it does not make you competitive. Plan your prerequisites around the admitted-student number rather than the published floor.

There is a structural reason the gap exists. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing reports that US nursing schools turned away 93,176 qualified applications from baccalaureate and graduate programs in 2025, citing insufficient faculty, clinical sites, classroom space, clinical preceptors, and budget. Programs are rationing a fixed number of seats among applicants who all clear the stated bar, so the effective cut-off floats upward with demand and no published minimum tells you where it currently sits.

If your GPA is below where you need it to be, that is a solvable problem – see the strategy section and our guide to low GPA nursing schools, which lists programs that admit applicants with a 2.0, 2.5, or 2.7.

Prerequisite GPA vs overall GPA

Most articles skip this, and it’s one of the most useful things you can know.

Many nursing programs calculate a prerequisite GPA (sometimes called a science GPA or core GPA) separately from your overall cumulative GPA. The prerequisite GPA looks only at the specific science and required courses the program cares about – often A&P I, A&P II, Microbiology, and the required math and English.

This matters for two reasons:

1. A weak early transcript may not sink you. If you had a rough first two years of college in an unrelated major, but you take your nursing prerequisites later and earn A grades, your prerequisite GPA can be strong even though your cumulative GPA is mediocre. Programs that weight prerequisite GPA heavily give you a path back.
2. Strategic retaking works. Because the prerequisite GPA pulls from a small set of named courses, retaking one or two science courses for a better grade moves the number significantly. Retaking a course you got a C in to earn an A has far more impact on a four-course prerequisite GPA than on a 120-credit cumulative GPA.

Before you apply anywhere, find out how each target program calculates GPA. Look for “prerequisite GPA,” “science GPA,” or “nursing core GPA” in the admission requirements. If a program uses prerequisite GPA, a focused plan to retake one or two sciences can change your odds more than any other single move.

Standardized tests: TEAS vs HESI

Most, but not all, nursing programs require a pre-admission entrance exam. The two dominant tests are:

• TEAS (Test of Essential Academic Skills), published by ATI, currently in its seventh version. The ATI TEAS 7 runs 170 questions across four sections in 209 minutes of allocated testing time: Reading (45 questions, 55 minutes), Mathematics (38 questions, 57 minutes), Science (50 questions, 60 minutes), and English and Language Usage (37 questions, 37 minutes). The Science section is weighted toward human anatomy and physiology (18 questions), with biology (9), chemistry (8), and scientific reasoning (9) making up the rest. It is the most widely used nursing entrance exam in the US.
• HESI A2 (Health Education Systems Inc. Admission Assessment), published by Elsevier, which acquired HESI in 2006. The full exam is a computer-administered test of ten individually scored sections – eight academic ones grouped under language (reading comprehension, vocabulary and general knowledge, grammar), math, and science (anatomy and physiology, biology, chemistry, physics), plus two unscored learning-style and personality assessments. Schools select which sections they require and set their own passing scores, so the HESI you sit at one program may look different from the one at another.

A program uses one or the other – you take whichever your target schools require. Some students applying broadly end up sitting both.

Competitive scores: Neither ATI nor Elsevier publishes a national cut score, because there isn’t one – every program sets its own threshold, so the ranges below are drawn from the requirements programs publish rather than from any single authoritative table. A TEAS composite around 65 is a common floor to be considered, and competitive BSN programs frequently expect 75–85 or higher. For the HESI A2, programs commonly want 75–80 as a minimum, with competitive applicants scoring 85 and above. ATI’s own score reports place typical applicant means near the mid-60s for associate degree programs and around 70 for bachelor’s programs, which is the useful benchmark: hitting the average makes you ordinary in the applicant pool, not competitive in it. The Science section carries disproportionate weight at many programs, and your score report breaks out subscale results by section, so a strong composite with a weak Science subscale can still hurt you.

Not every program requires an entrance exam. Some open-admission and waitlist-based community college ADN programs admit on GPA and prerequisites alone. Check each target program – if a test is required, build three to six weeks of preparation into your timeline, because the score factors directly into ranked admission.

Non-academic requirements

Coursework and test scores get you into the applicant pool. These requirements complete the package and, at competitive programs, separate candidates:

• Clinical or volunteer hours. Many programs require or strongly prefer documented healthcare exposure – often 40 to 100 hours of volunteering or work in a clinical setting. Even where it’s optional, it strengthens an application. See our nursing volunteering guide for how to find and document hours.
• CNA certification. A Certified Nursing Assistant credential is a requirement at some programs and a competitive edge at many others. It demonstrates patient-care experience and commitment.
• Background check and drug screening. Required before clinical placement at essentially every program. A criminal history can affect eligibility – address it early with the program directly.
• Immunizations and health records. Programs generally build their requirements on the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommendations for healthcare personnel: documented immunity to hepatitis B, measles-mumps-rubella, varicella, and pertussis (Tdap), plus annual influenza vaccination. Baseline tuberculosis screening at entry is standard; CDC stopped recommending routine annual TB testing in 2019 for personnel without known exposure, though individual schools and clinical sites may still require it. A physical exam is common. Start gathering records early – the hepatitis B series alone runs three doses plus serologic testing one to two months after the final dose, so it cannot be compressed into an application deadline.
• CPR certification. American Heart Association Basic Life Support (BLS) for Healthcare Providers is the standard. Inexpensive and quick – don’t leave it to the last minute.

None of these are difficult individually. They fail applicants when left until the application deadline, because immunization series and CNA courses take weeks or months.

Timeline: how long prerequisites take

Starting from scratch with no prior college science, a realistic full-time community college timeline:

Sequence matters. A&P I before A&P II before Microbiology is the standard chain, and you can’t compress it by taking them simultaneously without overloading. Add application cycles on top: many programs admit once or twice a year, so finishing prerequisites in spring may mean a fall start at the earliest.

Strategy: how to maximize your admission odds

Meeting requirements is the floor. These moves separate admitted applicants from rejected ones:

Front-load and protect your science grades. A&P I, A&P II, and Microbiology grades carry the most weight everywhere. Take them when you can give them full attention, not alongside a heavy work schedule. One B in A&P is recoverable; a pattern of C grades in sciences is hard to overcome.

Use prerequisite-GPA retaking strategically. If a target program calculates a separate prerequisite or science GPA, retaking one or two science courses for a higher grade can move that number substantially. Confirm the program’s grade-replacement policy first – some average the original and retake, some replace.

Community college vs university for prerequisites. Community college prerequisites are cheaper and widely accepted, including for transfer into BSN programs. Most universities accept them, but some competitive or accelerated BSN programs prefer or require certain sciences taken at a four-year institution. Verify with each target program before enrolling.

Online prerequisites. Online prerequisites, including online A&P and Microbiology with at-home or proctored labs, are accepted at most programs and are a strong option for working adults. They are not accepted everywhere – some BSN and most accelerated BSN programs require in-person labs for science courses. The rule is: confirm acceptance with every program on your list before you enroll in an online science, because an online lab science that one school rejects is wasted money and time.

Apply broadly and realistically. Mix reach, match, and safety programs based on the competitive admitted GPA, not the stated minimum. Community college ADN programs with waitlist admission are often a reliable safety even with a modest GPA.

If your GPA is the problem, don’t give up on nursing. A weak cumulative GPA does not end the path. Options include programs that weight prerequisite GPA, conditional or provisional admission, starting with an LPN or CNA credential and bridging up, and programs that admit lower GPAs outright. Our guide to low GPA nursing schools documents specific programs that accept a 2.0, 2.5, or 2.7 and the pathways back to RN.

The bottom line

Nursing prerequisites are predictable: A&P I and II, Microbiology, English, math, and – for BSN – Chemistry, Psychology, Sociology, and more general education. The minimums are public and the same for everyone; the competitive reality is program-specific and unpublished, and that’s where planning pays off. Find out how each target program calculates GPA, protect your science grades, build the entrance exam and non-academic requirements into your timeline early, and apply against the admitted-student benchmark rather than the published floor. If your GPA isn’t where it needs to be yet, there is a documented path forward – start with low GPA nursing schools and the strategic retaking approach above.

References

1. American Association of Colleges of Nursing, “Schools of Nursing See Enrollment Increases Across Most Program Levels,” 2025–2026 Annual Survey of Institutions with Baccalaureate and Higher Degree Nursing Programs, released 7 May 2026 — 93,176 qualified applications turned away from baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs in 2025; capacity constraints cited (faculty, clinical sites, classroom space, preceptors, budget).
2. Assessment Technologies Institute (ATI), “ATI TEAS Exam Details,” atitesting.com — ATI TEAS 7 structure: 170 questions, 209 minutes allocated; Reading 45/55 min, Mathematics 38/57 min, Science 50/60 min, English and Language Usage 37/37 min; Science subscale composition (anatomy and physiology 18, biology 9, chemistry 8, scientific reasoning 9).
3. Elsevier, “HESI Admission Assessment (A2) Exam,” evolve.elsevier.com — ten individually scored sections, eight academic plus two unscored learning-style and personality assessments; program-selectable sections and program-set passing scores.
4. National Tuberculosis Controllers Association and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Tuberculosis Screening, Testing, and Treatment of U.S. Health Care Personnel: Recommendations, 2019,” MMWR Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, May 17, 2019 — baseline individual risk assessment, symptom evaluation, and TB test at preplacement; no routine serial testing after baseline absent known exposure or ongoing transmission.
5. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, “Vaccine-Specific Recommendations for Healthcare Personnel,” cdc.gov — hepatitis B (three-dose series with anti-HBs serologic testing one to two months after dose three), MMR, varicella, Tdap, annual influenza.
6. American Heart Association, “Basic Life Support (BLS) Course,” cpr.heart.org — BLS for Healthcare Providers as the standard provider-level CPR credential.
7. Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, “ACEN Accreditation Manual: Standards and Criteria,” acenursing.org — programmatic accreditation standards for practical, diploma, associate, and baccalaureate nursing programs.
8. Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, “Standards for Accreditation of Baccalaureate and Graduate Nursing Programs,” American Association of Colleges of Nursing, amended March 2024, effective January 1, 2025. CCNE approved a revised 2026 edition of these Standards on 7 July 2026, realigning them with the AACN Essentials (2026 edition); the 2024 Standards remain in effect through 31 December 2026 and the 2026 Standards take effect 1 January 2027 (CCNE press release, https://www.aacnnursing.org/Portals/0/PDFs/CCNE/CCNE-Press-Release-2026-Education-Standards.pdf).
9. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics: Registered Nurses (SOC 29-1141),” May 2025 — national median annual wage $97,550.