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
| Requirement | ADN (community college) | BSN (university) | Accelerated BSN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Science prerequisites | A&P I & II, Microbiology | A&P I & II, Microbiology, Chemistry | Same as BSN, strict recency |
| Math | College math or Statistics | Statistics (often required) | Statistics |
| General education | English, sometimes Psychology | English, Psychology, Sociology, Nutrition | Bachelor’s degree already held |
| Typical minimum GPA | 2.5–2.75 | 3.0–3.25 | 3.0–3.25 |
| Competitive admitted GPA | 3.0–3.4 | 3.4–3.7 | 3.5+ |
| Entrance exam | TEAS or HESI (often) | TEAS or HESI (often) | TEAS or HESI (often) |
| Time to complete prereqs | 1–1.5 years full-time | 1.5–2 years full-time | Varies (degree-dependent) |
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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
| Course | ADN | BSN | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anatomy & Physiology I | Required | Required | Lab course, take first |
| Anatomy & Physiology II | Required | Required | Sequence after A&P I |
| Microbiology | Required | Required | Lab course |
| Chemistry | Sometimes | Often | More common at BSN |
| Statistics | Sometimes | Often | BSN evidence-based practice requirement |
| English Composition | Required | Required | One or two courses |
| Psychology | Sometimes | Required | Intro plus Developmental at many BSN programs |
| Sociology | Rarely | Often | BSN general education |
| Nutrition | Rarely | Sometimes | Standalone at some BSN programs |
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
Most programs require science prerequisites to have been completed within five years of applying. Accelerated BSN programs enforce this strictly – if your A&P or Microbiology is more than five to seven years old, plan to retake it. English and general education courses rarely expire. If you took your sciences a decade ago, build retaking them into your timeline before you do 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 actually 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.
| Program type | Stated minimum | What admitted students typically have |
|---|---|---|
| Community college ADN | 2.0–2.75 | 3.0–3.4 (waitlist or competitive admission) |
| University BSN | 3.0–3.25 | 3.4–3.7 |
| Accelerated BSN | 3.0–3.25 | 3.5+ |
| LPN program | 2.0–2.5 | 2.5–3.0 |
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, not the published floor.
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:
- 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.
- 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. Sections: Reading, Math, Science, English and Language Usage. The most widely used nursing entrance exam in the US.
- HESI A2 (Health Education Systems Inc. Admission Assessment), published by Elsevier. Sections vary by program but commonly include Math, Reading Comprehension, Vocabulary, Grammar, Anatomy & Physiology, and sometimes Biology and Chemistry.
A program uses one or the other – you take whichever your target schools require. Some students applying broadly end up sitting both.
Competitive scores: A TEAS composite around 65 is often the minimum to be considered, but competitive BSN programs frequently expect 75–85 or higher. For the HESI A2, programs commonly want 75–80 minimum, with competitive applicants scoring 85+. The Science section carries disproportionate weight at many programs.
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. Hepatitis B, MMR, varicella, Tdap, annual flu, TB testing, and often a physical exam. Start gathering records early; some series take months to complete.
- 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:
| Phase | Full-time | Part-time |
|---|---|---|
| A&P I, English, math | Semester 1 (~4 months) | 6–8 months |
| A&P II, Microbiology, Psychology | Semester 2 (~4 months) | 8–12 months |
| Chemistry, Statistics, remaining gen ed (BSN) | Semester 3 (~4 months) | 6–12 months |
| Entrance exam prep and application | Overlaps final semester | Overlaps |
| Total | 1–1.5 years (ADN), up to 2 years (BSN) | 2.5–3.5 years |
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 not, 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.