Nursing School Prerequisites: The Common Course Bars

Reviewed June 1, 2026 by the ScrubScope editorial team.

Nursing school prerequisites are the college courses and minimum grades you must complete before a nursing program will consider your application, and across programs the common core is consistent: anatomy and physiology, microbiology, chemistry, and supporting courses in psychology, statistics, and English, usually with a minimum GPA. The exact list, required grades, and how recently the courses must have been taken are set by each program and published in its catalog, so the program's own requirements are the authority. This guide explains the commonly required prerequisites and the GPA bars administratively, sourcing the specifics to programs themselves rather than quoting numbers as universal.

The short answer

Most nursing programs require a set of prerequisite science courses, typically anatomy and physiology, microbiology, and chemistry, plus supporting coursework in areas such as psychology, human growth and development, statistics, and English composition. Programs also set a minimum prerequisite GPA, and because admission is competitive, the practical bar to be a strong applicant is usually higher than the stated minimum, a point the how competitive is nursing school admission guide develops. The exact required courses, the minimum grade in each, and any recency limit are set by each program and listed in its catalog, so always confirm against the specific school. Prerequisites also drive your timeline, since they must be finished before you apply, as the application timeline guide lays out.

The science core

The heart of nursing prerequisites is a small set of science courses, and they appear on nearly every program's list.

Anatomy and physiology, often a two-course sequence (A&P I and II), is the central prerequisite, giving the structural and functional foundation nursing coursework builds on, and it is among the courses programs weigh most heavily. Microbiology is the second pillar, and chemistry, sometimes general and sometimes a specialized course such as biochemistry, is the third; together these three sciences make up the prerequisite core at most programs^[1]. Many programs require these with an accompanying lab and may set a recency requirement, commonly that the sciences were completed within the last several years, because the material updates.

Because these courses are heavily weighted, the grade you earn in them matters more than in the supporting courses, and a strong science record is one of the clearest things an applicant can control. Confirm the exact science list and any recency limit against the program, since these vary.

The supporting courses and GPA

Beyond the sciences, programs require general-education courses and set a GPA bar, and both shape your application.

Common supporting prerequisites include introductory psychology, lifespan or developmental psychology, statistics, English composition, and sometimes sociology or nutrition, which round out the general-education base a degree program expects^[1]. These are usually less heavily weighted than the sciences but still count toward the prerequisite GPA and must be completed.

On GPA, programs publish a minimum, but the honest read is that a competitive applicant typically needs more than the floor, because seats are limited and applicants are ranked. Many programs compute a separate prerequisite or science GPA and weight it heavily, so strong grades in A&P, microbiology, and chemistry can matter more than your overall average^[1]. We do not quote a universal GPA bar, because it differs by program and tier; check the specific catalog.

Why the specifics vary by program

A single national prerequisite list would be convenient, but it does not exist, and that shapes how to plan.

Each program sets its own required courses, minimum grades, recency limits, and GPA bars, and these differ between an ADN at a community college, a traditional BSN, and an accelerated or graduate program, so the only authoritative list is the one in the program's catalog^[1]. A course that satisfies one program may not transfer or count at another, particularly across states or between a quarter and semester system, which is why students applying to several programs sometimes find their prerequisites do not line up perfectly.

The practical consequence is to pull the prerequisite list for every program you plan to apply to early, then complete the union of their requirements, prioritizing the courses common to all. Confirming course equivalence with each program's admissions office before enrolling in a class avoids taking something that will not count.

There is also a cost angle here: because prerequisites are general college courses, you can often complete them at a lower-cost community college before applying to a more expensive program, which trims the total bill. Some programs accept prerequisites taken anywhere accredited, while others prefer or require certain courses from specific institutions, so verify transferability before assuming a cheaper course will count. Taking the sciences where they are well-taught also matters, since a strong grade in a heavily weighted course does more for your application than the same grade in a supporting one.

How prerequisites fit the timeline

Prerequisites are not just a checklist; they govern when you can apply, so they belong in your schedule from the start.

Because most programs require prerequisites to be completed (or in progress with a plan to finish) before the application deadline, the time to take them is the limiting factor in many applicants' timelines, and the sciences in particular often must be taken in sequence, which spreads them across terms. Mapping the courses backward from your target application date is the core of the application timeline guide. Many programs also require an admissions entrance exam alongside the prerequisites, most commonly the TEAS, which is explained in the TEAS test guide. We give no academic advising; confirm your specific requirements and sequence with the program and an advisor.

Bottom line

Nursing school prerequisites center on a science core of anatomy and physiology, microbiology, and chemistry, plus supporting courses in psychology, statistics, and English, with a minimum GPA that competitive applicants usually need to exceed^[1]. The exact courses, required grades, recency limits, and GPA bars are set by each program and listed in its catalog, and they vary by program type, so the catalog is the authority. Because the sciences are weighted most heavily and must often be taken in sequence, they drive both your competitiveness and your timeline.

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