• Requirements and Procedures
• Entrance and Placement Exams
• Tuition and Fees

Requirements and Procedures

All applicants work closely with an Admissions Advisor to assess career goals, motivation, and commitment to learning.

To be considered for admission, an applicant must meet the following requirements:

1. Pay the non-refundable application fee as shown below:
2. Complete the Application for Admissions. (The application and the paid fee are valid for one [1] year).
3. Submit a copy of a high school diploma or its equivalent, as described below, one week prior to the first day of attendance.
4. Pass the Prelicensure Nursing Entrance Exam.
5. If requesting transfer of credit, submit official college transcripts for the previous post-secondary coursework by the deadline in accordance with the Transfer of Credit section of the Catalog.
   1. A total of fourteen (14) general education semester credits is required for graduation from the PN Diploma Program and must be completed prior to the end of the last academic semester in the PN Diploma Program. Learners may refer to the Curriculum Plan for the Practical Nurse Program section of this Catalog to view the General Education requirements for the minimum number of credits required in each of the three (3) required general education (GE) breadth areas. GE courses may be completed at the College or another institution of higher learning concurrent with enrollment in General Education Requirement nursing courses.
   2. Official transcripts are required for matriculation into the PN Diploma Program.
   3. Learners admitted without the full fourteen (14) semester credits of general education are required to complete at least one (1) general education course per academic semester at the College or another institution of higher learning and to provide the official transcript to the Registrar prior to the beginning of the next academic semester to register for the next academic semester. To register for the last academic semester of the PN Diploma Program, the learner must submit the proof of enrollment in the final general education course to the Registrar and, upon completion, submit an official transcript to graduate.
   4. The College reserves the right to accept or reject any and all credits earned at other post-secondary institutions or through course challenge exams.
6. Complete Smarter Measure Assessment for evaluation of online learning readiness.
7. Meet with a Learner Funding Advisor to initiate the financial aid process.
8. Be in good financial standing with the College.

Note: The highest level of academic integrity is expected throughout the admissions process. Violations of the academic integrity policy at any point in the admissions process will result in automatic denial of admission. See the Academic Integrity section of the College Catalog for more details.

 

Recognized Equivalents of a High School Diploma

Several equivalents to a high school diploma may be submitted:

• A GED certificate.
• A certificate or other official completion documentation demonstrating that the learner has passed a state-authorized examination (such as the Test Assessing Secondary Completion (TASC), the High School Equivalency Test (HiSET), or, in California, the California High School Proficiency Exam) that the state recognizes as the equivalent of a high school diploma (certificates of attendance and/or completion are not included in this qualifying category).
• An associate degree.
• Successful completion of at least sixty (60) semester or trimester credits or seventy-two (72) quarter credits that does not result in the awarding of an associate degree, but that is acceptable for full credit toward a bachelor’s degree at any institution, or
• Enrollment in a bachelor’s degree program where at least sixty (60) semester or trimester credits or seventy-two (72) quarter credits have been successfully completed, including credits transferred into the bachelor’s degree program.
• A “secondary school leaving certificate” or similar document from the proper government agency for learners who completed secondary school in a foreign country, accompanied by a foreign credential’s evaluation.

Entrance and Placement Exams

The passing of certain placement exams is required to enroll in certain courses or matriculate in the program as indicated below.

Prelicensure Nursing Entrance Exam (ACCUPLACER^® Diagnostic Test)

To be admitted to the program learners must achieve the required scores in each academic area of the entrance exam. The entrance exam determines learners’ readiness for success in the program by assessing knowledge in three (3) academic areas: Arithmetic, Reading Comprehension, and Sentence Skills. A score of 260 in each of the three (3) areas is required for admission with full matriculation. Learners have three (3) attempts to achieve the required score. Conditional admission is granted to learners who score at least 240 but less than 260 as follows: 

• Learners who score below 240 in any of the three areas will not be admitted.

• Learners who score between 240-259 in Arithmetic will be admitted on a non-matriculated basis and will be required to take and successfully complete MAT 90 in the first semester of enrollment.

• Learners who score between 240-249 in Reading will be admitted on a non-matriculated basis and will be required to take and successfully complete ENG 90 in the first semester of enrollment and ENG 95 their second semester of enrollment. 

• Learners who score between 250-259 in Reading will be admitted with conditional matriculation and will be required to take and successfully complete ENG 95 in the first semester of enrollment. 

• Learners who score between 240-259 in Writing will be admitted with conditional matriculation and will be required to complete ENG 95 in the first semester of enrollment. 

The entrance exam voucher fee is included in the application. Scores are valid for one (1) year. Proctoring fees are separate from the voucher and must be paid for each attempt.

Tuition and Fees

Tuition for the PN Diploma Program is $485 per semester credit. Tuition and fees may be changed at any time with a 30-day notice. Audit fees are non-refundable and cannot be paid with Title IV funding.

Program Fees

Additional Program fees are presented in the table below.

Tuition does not include the non-refundable application and testing fees. In addition, learners are responsible for expenses such as transportation and lodging, if any, associated with the required Supervised On-Ground Field Experience (SOFE).

Estimated Total Program Cost

The estimated total program cost for a learner who does not transfer in any college-level general education credits is $24,065. Learners may use this calculator to get a customized estimate of total program cost.

• General Education Requirements
• Curriculum
• PN Program Sample Curriculum Plan
• Standardized Exams
• Satisfactory Academic Progress Table

General Education Requirements

General education (GE) courses can be completed at the College or another institution of higher learning accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). The College may grant GE academic credit pursuant to the policies described in the Experiential Learning and Extra-Institutional and Non-Instructional Learning sections of this Catalog. Fourteen (14) GE semester credits are required for graduation. Learners may refer to the Admissions Requirements and Procedures section above for more information.

The nursing core courses progression requirements do not allow the final academic semester of the Program to consist of only GE courses. GE course requirements must be completed prior to or during the final semester of enrollment.

Curriculum

The PN Diploma Program consists of six (6) lower-division core nursing courses, comprised of twenty-eight (28) academic semester credits delivered over three (3) academic semesters or forty-eight (48) academic weeks, and four (4) GE courses, comprised of fourteen (14) semester credits taken concurrently with the core nursing courses. The total length of the Program for learners electing to complete all GE requirements at the College is forty-two (42) semester credits, three (3) academic semesters, or forty-eight (48) academic weeks. Other general education and elective courses are available for learners who transfer in the required GE credits (or for any learner who is interested in taking these unrequired courses), provided there is room within the individual’s semester credit load.

PN Program Sample Curriculum Plan

 

 

Standardized Exams

Standardized end-of-course exams are administered at the end of each level of the PN Program. Required scores for mandatory remediation on standardized exams are specified in the table below.

Standardized Exam Schedule for Generic PN Learners:

*Note: Learners who repeat a course or withdraw from the Program may be required to adjust their Program Plans before progressing in the Program.

Learners enrolled in courses with old course numbers (PN 125 and 135) may be required to take the original corresponding HESI exams as shown below: 

Satisfactory Academic Progress Table