Checked 15 Nov 2026 by the team. Sources are listed at the end of the page.
Arkansas nursing prerequisites online are possible for some courses, but your programme decides. The Arkansas State Board of Nursing approves curricula and programmes under A.C.A. 17-87-203; it does not rule on where you took a prerequisite. NWACC's LPN to RN Bridge, for example, wants a C or better within two attempts and A&P no older than five years. Ask your programme in writing first.
The Arkansas State Board of Nursing approves nursing curricula and programmes under A.C.A. 17-87-203, and each programme sets its own prerequisites; NWACC's LPN/Paramedic to RN Bridge lists 7 courses due before you apply, each with a C or better within 2 attempts, with A&P and College Algebra no older than 5 years.
The rule asks for Programme-set; NWACC Bridge lists 7 courses before applying and 3 more before nursing classes start. The legal source is A.C.A. 17-87-203.
| Requirement | What the rule says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Who approves programmes | Arkansas State Board of Nursing, A.C.A. 17-87-203(8) and (11) | [1] |
| Who sets prerequisites | Each programme, such as NWACC | [2] |
| Minimum grade (NWACC Bridge) | C or better; only the first two attempts count | [2] |
| Time limit (NWACC Bridge) | A&P I, A&P II and College Algebra no older than 5 years | [2] |
| GPA (NWACC Bridge) | 2.75 overall | [2] |
| Outside transcripts (NWACC) | On your record by May 1 | [2] |
Arkansas State Board of Nursing (curricula and programme approval); each Arkansas nursing programme, such as NorthWest Arkansas Community College (prerequisites and outside credit) decides how this rule applies to you. We read its published rule and the pages below; each was checked on 15 Nov 2026.
Each nursing programme sets its own prerequisite list, its own time limits for science courses and its own rule on which credits it takes. Read the programme's published list first and ask its admissions office in writing before you enrol in any course.
UPI Study does not yet offer Microbiology with lab, Nutrition or Lifespan Development. Our courses carry no clinical hours, and they do not clear a deficiency for a board of nursing.
Each course below is ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended for college credit. Whether it counts here is the decision of the college and of Arkansas State Board of Nursing (curricula and programme approval); each Arkansas nursing programme, such as NorthWest Arkansas Community College (prerequisites and outside credit).
Matches the topic of BIOL 2214; NCCRS-recommended only, so ask whether your programme would consider it.
Self-paced online Anatomy and Physiology I course (Biology 211). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
The online lab that goes with A&P I; ask about the lab separately.
Self-paced online Anatomy and Physiology I Lab course (Biology 211L). NCCRS recommends 2 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
Matches the topic of BIOL 2224; NWACC wants it no older than five years.
Self-paced online Anatomy and Physiology 2 course (Biology 212). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
The online lab for A&P II; same written question as the first lab.
Self-paced online Anatomy and Physiology 2 Lab course (Biology 212L). NCCRS recommends 2 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
MATH 1203 College Algebra is on the NWACC list, with a five-year limit.
Self-paced online College Algebra course (Math 111). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
ENGL 1013 Composition I is due before you apply.
Self-paced online English Composition 1 course (ENG 101). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →TESU and UoPeople are partner colleges that consider ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended credit; once a partner places the credit on its transcript, that college transcript is what you send to your Arkansas programme.
ACE and NCCRS have over 2,100 cooperating colleges that will consider accepting credits; the final decision is with the universities.
| Option | Price | For this rule | Price checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| UPI Study PRO | $99 a month, every course | $99 for each month you are subscribed; take as many courses as you finish in that time | 15 Nov 2026 |
| NWACC (in-district) | $110 per credit hour plus about $43 per credit hour in general fees | A&P I and II (8 credits): about $1,224 before books | 15 Nov 2026 |
| StraighterLine | $99 a month plus a one-time fee per course | Monthly membership plus each course fee; check the course page | 15 Nov 2026 |
| Sophia Learning | $99 a month, $299 for 4 months or $799 a year | Check first that your programme would consider the course | 15 Nov 2026 |
NWACC gives an extra selection point for A&P and Microbiology taken at NWACC, so a cheaper outside course can cost you points. Weigh that before you choose, and get a written answer from the programme.
UPI Study is not a college and is not accredited. ACE and NCCRS review our courses and recommend credit; a college decides whether to give that credit and records it on its own transcript.
Ask your Arkansas nursing programme in writing whether it would consider each course, including each online lab, before you enrol.
Arkansas has no single state list of nursing prerequisites. The Arkansas State Board of Nursing prescribes minimum standards and approves curricula and programmes under A.C.A. 17-87-203, and each school writes its own list. NorthWest Arkansas Community College in Bentonville publishes a detailed one for its LPN/Paramedic to RN Bridge.
Before applying, NWACC asks for MATH 1203 College Algebra, ENGL 1013 Composition I, PSYC 2003 General Psychology, BIOL 2214 and BIOL 2224 Anatomy and Physiology I and II, MBIO 2014 Microbiology and NURS 9313 Pharmacological Basis of Nursing. Composition II, Human Growth and Development and a computer course come before nursing classes start.
Every course needs a C or better, and NWACC looks only at your first two attempts. College Algebra and both A&P courses must be no older than five years when you apply.
General education is where outside credit is most often considered: composition, college algebra and psychology. The sciences are harder. A programme can decline an online lab or recommended credit for A&P even when the topic matches.
NWACC also scores applicants, and it gives an extra point for A&P I, A&P II and Microbiology taken at NWACC. So even if an outside A&P were considered, taking it at NWACC can help your ranking. Weigh that before you choose.
Be clear about the gaps. UPI Study has no Microbiology, Pharmacology, Nutrition, Human Growth and Development or Organic Chemistry. Anatomy and Physiology I and II, with their labs, are NCCRS-recommended only, at 3 credits for each lecture and 2 for each lab.
A UPI Study certificate on its own is not a college transcript. The route is via a college transcript: a partner college such as TESU or UoPeople, which consider ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended credit, places the credit on its transcript, and that transcript goes to your Arkansas college.
NWACC wants outside transcripts on your record by May 1. Work back from that date and leave several weeks for each step, from finishing the course to the partner's transcript arriving.
For working RNs finishing a BSN, the question belongs to the university, not the board. Arkansas universities set their own general education and decide which outside credit they will consider. Statistics, a second writing course, social science and humanities are the usual open blocks.
Send the university your remaining requirements and ask in writing which outside courses it would consider, then study only those.
Sometimes. Each Arkansas programme decides, not the Board of Nursing. General education such as composition, college algebra and psychology is the most likely fit. Sciences such as A&P with labs are where programmes most often say no to online or recommended credit. Ask the programme in writing, naming the course and the college that would transcript it.
No. Under A.C.A. 17-87-203 the board prescribes minimum standards, approves curricula and approves programmes. Each programme sets its own prerequisite list and decides what outside credit it will consider. The written answer you need comes from the nursing programme or its college, not from the board.
It depends on the programme. NWACC's LPN/Paramedic to RN Bridge says College Algebra and both A&P courses must be no older than five years when you apply. Other Arkansas programmes set their own limits, so check the page for the exact programme and year you will apply to.
NWACC looks only at your first two attempts at each required general education course and uses the higher grade. If you do not reach a C or better within two attempts, you are not eligible for the Bridge. Plan your study time so the first attempt counts.
UPI Study has no Microbiology, Pharmacology, Nutrition, Human Growth and Development or Organic Chemistry. NWACC lists Microbiology and Pharmacological Basis of Nursing before you apply, and Human Growth and Development before nursing classes. Take those at your college. UPI Study also cannot provide clinical hours or nursing courses.
NWACC lists $110 per credit hour in-district plus about $43 per credit hour in general fees, so A&P I and II at 8 credits is about $1,224 before books. UPI Study PRO is $99 a month for every course. Remember NWACC gives an extra selection point for A&P taken there.
Ask your programme first; then study only the courses it said it would consider.