Nursing School Prerequisites: Grades and Expiration Rules

Nursing School Prerequisites: Grades and Expiration Rules

Nursing school prerequisites are nearly the same everywhere: anatomy and physiology, microbiology, statistics, usually chemistry, nutrition and lifespan development. What differs is the rules. Across 30 official program pages, the grade minimum runs from C- to B, and science courses expire after 5, 6, 7, 8 or 10 years, or never.

The course list is the easy part. It fits on an index card, and you can find it on any program page in a minute. The rules are what decide whether an A&P course from six years ago still counts, and whether a C in microbiology passes or knocks you out. They are also what forums get wrong most often. Our view, from reading the pages below: build one spreadsheet of your courses against every target program's rules before you pay a single application fee. Then retake only the courses that fail a rule, not the ones that merely look weak.

Every rule below was read on the program's own page on September 24, 2026. The term each rule applies to is noted where the page gives it.

The rules at 30 programs

"Clock" means the date the window is measured to. It matters as much as the number of years.

Rows marked "not stated" are just that: the page we read does not publish a window. Ask the program before assuming none applies.

What the table says

There is no national expiration rule. You will often read that nursing prerequisites "expire after five years" or that "the standard is seven." Neither is true. Of the 24 rows that state a policy, 4 have no required window (Johns Hopkins recommends five years but does not require it), 6 use 5 years, 1 uses 6, 6 use 7, 1 uses 8 and 6 use 10 (several apply the window only to certain courses). The 5-year programs include several of the most selective names in the table: Vanderbilt, UNC's ABSN, Case Western, UCLA and UVA.

The clock matters as much as the number. Rutgers and Vanderbilt measure to when you apply, UNC and CU to the application deadline, Yale to the day you submit (one line on its page says the deadline instead), and most others to the day you start. Take an A&P course finished in May 2020. It is still inside a 7-year window measured to a fall 2026 application, but outside it at a fall 2027 start. Only Mass General Brigham spells the method out in full: "from the time of course completion to the time of anticipated matriculation."

Windows usually cover only some courses. UNC runs two clocks: 5 years for A&P and microbiology, 10 for psychology and statistics. OHSU exempts human development. Minnesota's 10-year limit applies to physiology, microbiology and pathology. Rutgers has "no time limit for non-science prerequisite courses." What goes stale fastest, nearly everywhere, is A&P and microbiology.

"C" is not a safe grade. C is the most common floor. But Johns Hopkins, OHSU, Ohio State, Case Western, Columbia and UVA require B- in every prerequisite, Pitt and UNC require it in the sciences, and Yale requires "a grade of B (3.0) or higher" in each of its four. A C+ in anatomy meets the rule at Emory and fails it at nearly a third of the programs above.

How repeats are counted (NursingCAS vs. the program)

This is where retake folklore does the most damage.

• NursingCAS keeps every attempt. Its help center says the service "is required to include all repeated courses in GPA calculations, regardless of an institution's or state's academic forgiveness policies." Your college may have replaced the grade on your transcript. The CAS GPA will not. [31]
• Some programs recompute. CU Anschutz's prerequisite GPA "only includes the highest grade attempts," while its cumulative GPA honors no "Grade forgiveness and repeat/delete policies." Arizona does the same: highest grade for the prerequisite GPA, every attempt in the cumulative "unless they are removed through an official grade replacement process." [19][3]
• Some cap retakes. At OHSU, "If you retake anatomy and physiology, we will use your most recent grade. You may only retake the course twice within seven years." Clemson's curriculum plan allows no more than two sub-C grades in the last five years "to progress in the nursing curriculum," and "Academic forgiveness counts as an attempt." [11][30]
• Some just weigh the history. Rutgers says "a history of numerous course failures, repeated courses, withdrawals" "may influence the admission decision." Northeastern says a retake "can potentially make your application less competitive." [17][22]

The takeaway: a retake of a C to raise your GPA buys less than you think in a NursingCAS pool. A retake to clear a grade floor or an expiration window buys eligibility, and eligibility is binary.

In progress at the deadline

Programs also differ on how much you can still be taking when you apply:

• None. Ohio State: "Courses in progress at the deadline will not be considered." CU's UCAN path and USF also require everything done. [25][19][9]
• Some. Rutgers requires all four sciences done ("No exceptions") but allows two non-science courses in progress. Arizona allows two. Washington State allows three. UNC requires three sciences, including A&P I. UIC requires two of four sciences done by January 15. [17][3][29][5][13]
• Finish before you start. Johns Hopkins, Emory, Vanderbilt and UW allow coursework in progress at application, but it must be done by the start or orientation. [24][12][4][1]

A retake decision procedure for this week

1. List every prerequisite you have taken with its completion month and grade.
2. For each target program, add three columns: grade floor, window length, and what the clock runs to (application, deadline or start). Use the program's own page, not a summary, and note the cycle it describes.
3. Mark each course pass or fail against each program. A course fails if it is below the floor, or if it will be outside the window on the program's clock date.
4. Retake only what fails for a program you actually want. If an old A&P course fails only at 5-year programs, decide whether those programs are worth a semester before signing up.
5. Retake A&P as a full sequence where required. UNC wants A&P I and II at the same institution or separate anatomy and physiology courses. UCF wants both courses "from the SAME sequence." Johns Hopkins says formats "cannot be mixed." [5][28][24]
6. Do not retake a passing grade just to raise your GPA unless the program says it uses the highest or most recent attempt. In NursingCAS both attempts stay in the average.
7. Plan your in-progress courses around the strictest target. One no-in-progress program sets your whole timeline.

Where the essay comes in

Prerequisites are a gate. Once you are through it, the transcript cannot argue for you, and some pages say plainly that the reader looks at more than the grade. Rutgers weighs "repeated courses, withdrawals." Iowa accepts "a combination of related experience and training" alongside its 10-year science window. When your record has a retake, an old degree or a jump between fields, the essay (or an additional-information field, where one exists) is where you give one calm sentence of context and then return to the question you were asked. Do not turn it into a transcript defense. How to show that you are ready for the pace is covered in how to show readiness for an accelerated nursing program. The why-nursing half for a career changer is in the ABSN essay guide for career changers.

Program-by-program essay requirements for accelerated BSNs are in ABSN requirements and essays by program, and for master's-entry programs in direct-entry MSN programs: requirements and essays. If your science background is thin and you have no clinical work yet, read the ABSN essay without healthcare experience.

Check your draft

When you have a draft, you can run it through GradPilot's free review against the ABSN application essays rubric, with the program's prompt pasted in. The review gives qualitative feedback on your own writing, such as whether the essay answers every part of the prompt and whether your context stays proportionate. It does not predict admission and does not write or edit the essay for you. Start at ABSN application essay review.

FAQ

Do nursing prerequisites expire?

At many programs, yes, but there is no single rule. Of the programs above that publish a policy, windows run from 5 to 10 years, and UW, Columbia, Arizona and Johns Hopkins set no required window. The window usually covers only the sciences, and each program picks its own clock date (application, deadline or start).

What grade do I need in nursing prerequisites?

Usually C or better, but not always. Johns Hopkins, OHSU, Ohio State, Case Western, Columbia and UVA require B- in every prerequisite, Yale requires B, and UT Austin accepts C-. Check the floor per course: Rutgers requires C+ in nutrition and lifespan psychology and C in the rest.

Does retaking a prerequisite replace the old grade?

Not in NursingCAS, which includes every repeated course in its GPA "regardless of an institution's or state's academic forgiveness policies." Some programs recompute their own prerequisite GPA with the highest (CU, Arizona) or most recent (OHSU, for A&P) attempt. Read each program's rule.

Can I apply with prerequisites in progress?

Often, within limits. Ohio State, USF and CU's UCAN path accept none. Rutgers allows two non-science courses, Arizona two and Washington State three. Johns Hopkins, Emory and Vanderbilt allow coursework in progress as long as it is done before you start.

Should I retake an old A&P course before applying?

Only if it fails a rule at a program you want. If it is outside a 5-year window but inside 7 or 10, it still counts at many programs. Columbia has no expiration but recommends a refresher for sciences over five years old.

Sources

All read 2026-09-24 on the program's official page.

1. University of Washington, BSN program and BSN prerequisites worksheet, Accelerated BSN
2. Columbia School of Nursing, MDE admissions
3. University of Arizona, MEPN admissions and MEPN FAQs
4. Vanderbilt School of Nursing, MSN/MN/PMC admissions
5. UNC-Chapel Hill School of Nursing, BSN prerequisites
6. Case Western Reserve, How to apply: MN
7. UCLA School of Nursing, Master of Science entry
8. University of Virginia School of Nursing, Clinical Nurse Leader
9. University of San Francisco, ME-MSN admission
10. UT Austin School of Nursing, Alternate Entry MSN
11. OHSU School of Nursing, Accelerated bachelor's programs and admissions FAQ
12. Emory School of Nursing, Master of Nursing
13. UIC College of Nursing, MSN for non-RNs admission requirements
14. Mass General Brigham University of Health Professions, Direct-Entry MS in Nursing
15. Marquette University, Direct Entry MSN requirements and prerequisites
16. Yale School of Nursing, GEPN prerequisites
17. Rutgers School of Nursing, Second-degree admissions
18. University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing, Accelerated 2nd Degree BSN
19. CU Anschutz College of Nursing, UCAN accelerated bachelor's admissions
20. University of Iowa College of Nursing, MSN admissions
21. University of Minnesota School of Nursing, MN prerequisites
22. Northeastern University, ABSN prerequisites and ABSN requirements
23. Northeastern Bouvé College, Direct-Entry Nursing MS
24. Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, MSN Entry into Nursing
25. Ohio State College of Nursing, Graduate Entry MS in Nursing
26. Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Second Degree BSN
27. University of Florida College of Nursing, Accelerated BSN
28. UCF College of Nursing, Bachelor's degrees admissions
29. Washington State University College of Nursing, BSN
30. Clemson University, ASD prerequisites and curriculum plan 2026–27
31. NursingCAS Applicant Help Center, Transcript Entry