English Composition 1
Writing is on almost every DC nursing prerequisite list.
Self-paced online English Composition 1 course (ENG 101). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →District of ColumbiaNursing
Nursing prerequisites online for District of Columbia students: what to check with your programme first
Checked 15 Nov 2026 by the team. Sources are listed at the end of the page.
The short answer
Nursing prerequisites online for District of Columbia students depend on the programme. UDC's associate nursing programme asks for A&P I and II with labs, Clinical Microbiology with lab, writing, quantitative reasoning and social science, at a B or above, with sciences inside five years, and will not take science taken online at other schools. Ask your programme in writing first.
The rule
Under 17 DCMR 5402.1 (D.C. Official Code 3-1205.04(n)), a registered nurse applicant must complete a nursing education program approved by the DC Board of Nursing under Chapter 56 and pass the NCLEX-RN; the Board approves programmes, and each programme, such as UDC's 22-credit AASN prerequisite list, sets its own prerequisites.
The rule asks for 22 prerequisite credits for the UDC AASN (programme rule, not a board rule). The legal source is 17 DCMR 5402.1 (D.C. Official Code 3-1205.04(n)).
| Requirement | What the rule says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| RN licence (board rule) | Complete a Board-approved nursing education program and pass the NCLEX-RN | [2] |
| UDC AASN prerequisites | 22 credits: writing, quantitative reasoning, A&P I and II with labs, Clinical Microbiology with lab, social science, seminar | [1] |
| UDC grades | B or above in each prerequisite; 3.0 GPA | [1] |
| UDC science time limit | Within five years of application | [1] |
| UDC online science | Not accepted from other institutions (online, virtual or hybrid) | [1] |
| UDC entrance test | TEAS total 58.7 (Proficient) | [1] |
| UDC tuition | $117 per credit hour plus $430 fees per term (DC resident) | [3] |
Who decides
District of Columbia Board of Nursing (DC Health); University of the District of Columbia decides how this rule applies to you. We read its published rule and the pages below; each was checked on 15 Nov 2026.
Which credits count
What counts
- Prerequisites listed by your own programme, at its minimum grade and inside its time limit
- For UDC's AASN: science courses taken in person, or online science taken at UDC itself
- General education such as writing, statistics and social science, if the programme's transfer office agrees
- Outside credit only once a college has posted it on its own transcript
What does not count
- At UDC's AASN: science courses taken online, virtual or hybrid at other institutions
- At UDC's AASN: general microbiology in place of Clinical Microbiology, unless an appeal succeeds
- Sciences older than the programme's limit (five years at UDC)
- Course certificates on their own, without a college transcript
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.
Courses that fit
Each course below is ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended for college credit. Whether it counts here is the decision of the college and of District of Columbia Board of Nursing (DC Health); University of the District of Columbia.
Principles of Statistics
Common in RN-to-BSN general education.
Self-paced online Principles of Statistics course (Statistics 101). ACE and NCCRS recommend 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
Introduction to Psychology
A common social science prerequisite.
Self-paced online Introduction to Psychology course (Psychology 110). ACE and NCCRS recommend 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
Introduction to Sociology
Social science for programmes that ask for it.
Self-paced online Introduction to Sociology course (Sociology 110). ACE and NCCRS recommend 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
College Algebra
Quantitative reasoning for programmes that take an algebra course.
Self-paced online College Algebra course (Math 111). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
Anatomy and Physiology I
NCCRS-recommended; only for programmes that take online A&P in writing. Not UDC's AASN.
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 path via a college transcript
- Pick your programmeGet the current prerequisite list from the programme you will apply to, with its grades and time limits.
- Ask in writing, course by courseAsk whether each UPI Study course would count via a college transcript, and whether the programme takes online science or labs.
- Use a college that posts outside creditTESU and UoPeople are partner colleges that consider ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended credit; the credit reaches your programme only via a college transcript.
- Take sciences where the programme saysFor UDC's AASN, take A&P and Clinical Microbiology in person, or online at UDC itself.
- Send transcripts and syllabiSend official transcripts, and the syllabi UDC asks for, before the application deadline.
TESU and UoPeople are partner colleges that consider ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended credit; check their own transfer pages, then ask your nursing programme whether it would take that college's transcript for each course.
ACE and NCCRS have over 2,100 cooperating colleges that will consider accepting credits; the final decision is with the universities.
What it costs
| 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 |
| UDC Community College (DC resident) | $117 per credit hour plus $430 in fees per term | The 22 AASN prerequisite credits: $2,574 tuition plus term fees | 15 Nov 2026 |
| Sophia Learning | $99 a month | General education courses for $99 a month, then a college transcript step | 15 Nov 2026 |
For UDC's AASN, sciences taken at UDC sit on a UDC transcript and meet its in-person or at-UDC rule. Outside credit fits general education only, and only where the programme agrees in writing.
What UPI Study cannot do here
- UPI Study is not a college and is not accredited; our courses carry ACE or NCCRS recommendations, and a college decides whether to put them on its transcript.
- We cannot say any District of Columbia nursing programme will take UPI Study courses; each programme decides.
- UDC's AASN does not take science courses taken online at other institutions, so our A&P courses do not fit that programme.
- We do not offer Microbiology, Nutrition, Lifespan Developmental Psychology, Organic Chemistry or Pharmacology.
- Our Anatomy and Physiology courses carry an NCCRS recommendation only: 3 credits for each lecture and 2 for each lab.
- No course of ours replaces clinical hours, the TEAS or the NCLEX-RN.
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.
Confirm in writing first
Ask your District of Columbia nursing programme in writing, course by course, whether it would take each UPI Study course via a college transcript, including any online science or lab, before you enrol.
UDC nursing prerequisites for the AASN
The University of the District of Columbia Community College runs the District's public associate nursing programme. For Fall 2026 it lists 22 prerequisite credits: Foundation Quantitative Reasoning and Foundation Writing (3 each), Anatomy and Physiology I and II (3-credit lectures and 1-credit labs), Clinical Microbiology (3 plus a 1-credit lab), Introduction to Social Science (3) and a 1-credit First Year Seminar.
The bar is high. UDC asks for a B or above in each prerequisite, a 3.0 GPA, and a TEAS total score of 58.7. More than one D or F in a prerequisite within five years disqualifies an applicant.
The rule that matters most for online study is this: UDC will not accept science courses taken in online, virtual or hybrid formats at other institutions. That covers A&P, Clinical Microbiology and Chemistry. It will not take general microbiology in place of Clinical Microbiology either, though students may appeal with a syllabus.
What the DC Board of Nursing decides, and what it does not
Under 17 DCMR 5402.1, an RN applicant must complete a nursing education programme approved by the DC Board of Nursing under Chapter 56, then pass the NCLEX-RN under 5404.1. The Board approves programmes. It does not set a list of prerequisites or rule on where a prerequisite course was taken.
That leaves each programme to decide. UDC has decided against online science from other schools. Private universities in the District publish their own lists, and some differ, so read each one before you plan.
Where online courses can still help
General education is the better fit for online study. Writing, statistics, psychology and sociology sit on many nursing and RN-to-BSN plans, and a programme's transfer office decides whether to take them from another college's transcript.
UPI Study courses are ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended. They count only via a college transcript. TESU and UoPeople are partner colleges that consider ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended credit. Ask your nursing programme in writing whether it would take each course from that transcript.
- Better fit: writing, statistics, psychology, sociology
- Ask first: algebra or quantitative reasoning
- Not for UDC's AASN: any science taken online at another school
DC nursing prerequisites time limit and what to ask
UDC asks for science prerequisites within the past five years of application. Its page also says within five years of admission in one place, so ask which date it uses for your term. Other programmes may set different limits.
Before you enrol in any course, send the programme a short written list: the course, the provider, the college transcript it would appear on, and whether it includes a lab. Keep the reply.
Questions people ask
What are the prerequisites for UDC's nursing programme?
For Fall 2026 UDC's AASN lists 22 credits: quantitative reasoning, writing, A&P I and II with labs, Clinical Microbiology with lab, Introduction to Social Science and a First Year Seminar. Each needs a B or above, sciences within five years, plus a 3.0 GPA and a TEAS score of 58.7.
Does UDC accept online anatomy and physiology for nursing?
Not from other schools. UDC's nursing page says it will not accept science courses, including A&P I and II, Clinical Microbiology and Chemistry, taken in online, virtual or hybrid formats at other institutions. Ask UDC whether its own online sections would count.
Does the DC Board of Nursing set nursing prerequisites?
No. Under 17 DCMR 5402.1 the Board requires an RN applicant to finish a nursing education programme it has approved, then pass the NCLEX-RN. Each programme sets its own prerequisites, grades and time limits.
How old can my science courses be for DC nursing?
UDC asks for science prerequisites within the past five years of application. Other District programmes set their own limits. Ask the programme in writing which date it counts from, especially if your course sits near the five-year line.
Can UPI Study courses help with DC nursing prerequisites?
Possibly for general education such as writing, statistics and psychology, via a college transcript and only where your programme agrees in writing. They do not fit UDC's AASN sciences, and we have no Microbiology, Nutrition, Lifespan Psychology, Organic Chemistry or Pharmacology.
How much do UDC nursing prerequisites cost?
At UDC Community College's DC resident rate of $117 per credit hour, the 22 prerequisite credits come to $2,574 in tuition. UDC also charges $430 in student fees each term. The schedule is labelled Summer 2025, so check the current term.
Read next
- Which District of Columbia nursing programmes take online A&P labs? How to ask before you enrolUDC's associate nursing programme will not accept A&P or other science courses taken online, virtual or hybrid at other institutions. Other District...
- RN to BSN in District of Columbia: the general education credits you can finish onlineRN-to-BSN programmes in the District build on an RN licence and add general education and upper-level nursing courses. Writing, statistics,...
- LPN to RN in District of Columbia: prerequisite checklist and time limitsAn LPN moving to RN in the District usually enters an associate programme such as UDC's AASN. UDC asks for 22 prerequisite credits at a B or above,...
The same topic in nearby states
Ready when you have it in writing
Get your programme's written answer first, then start with Statistics and English.
Sources
- UDC Community College: Nursing (AASN) (official)Fall 2026 admission: 3.0 GPA; prerequisites IGED-120C (3), IGED-110C (3), BIOL-111C/113C A&P I (3+1), BIOL-112C/114C A&P II (3+1), BIOL-245C/244C Clinical Microbiology (3+1), URST-105C (3), FSEM-101C (1), 22 credits; B or above; sciences within five years; no online, virtual or hybrid sciences from other institutions; general microbiology not a substitute; syllabi for A&P and Microbiology; TEAS 58.7; ACEN accredited; approved by the DC Board of Nursing. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.
- 17 DCMR Chapter 54, Registered Nursing (DC Health, 2 September 2022) (official)5402.1: applicant must complete a nursing education program leading to RN licensure approved by the Board under Chapter 56 (or an equivalent US or Canadian board); 5404.1: pass the NCLEX-RN. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.
- UDC Community College: Fee schedule (official)DC resident tuition $117 per credit hour plus $430 in fees per term (schedule labelled Summer 2025). Checked on 15 Nov 2026.
- UDC Community College: Fee schedulePrice for UDC Community College (DC resident), checked on 15 Nov 2026.
- Sophia Learning: Plans and pricingPrice for Sophia Learning, checked on 15 Nov 2026.