Checked 15 Nov 2026 by the team. Sources are listed at the end of the page.
Before taking Illinois nursing prerequisites online, check with the programme: each Illinois nursing programme sets its own list. Illinois State University's Traditional BSN, for example, asks transfer students for 58 credit hours, 37 of them IAI general education, and nine prerequisites with a C or better, including A&P I and II, chemistry, microbiology and statistics. Ask yours in writing first.
Illinois nursing programmes set their own prerequisites; the Illinois State University Traditional BSN, for example, asks transfer applicants for at least 58 credit hours, 37 of them IAI General Education, a minimum 2.50 GPA, and nine prerequisite courses completed with a C or better before fall enrolment.
The rule asks for 58 credit hours (37 IAI general education); 9 prerequisites at C or better; 2.50 GPA minimum (example programme). The legal source is Illinois State University Traditional BSN.
| Item | Example: Illinois State Traditional BSN (transfer) | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Hours | 58 credit hours, 37 of them IAI General Education | [1] |
| Sciences | Chemistry; Microbiology (BSC 160); A&P I and II (BSC 181, 182) | [1] |
| Other prerequisites | Statistics; PSY 110; PSY 213 Lifespan; FCS 102 Nutrition; HSC 105 Medical Terminology | [1] |
| Grades | C or better in each prerequisite | [1] |
| GPA | 2.50 minimum; middle 50% 3.07 to 3.65 | [1] |
| Timing | Fall start only; priority deadline 15 January; courses done before fall | [1] |
Each Illinois nursing programme (example used here: Illinois State University Mennonite College of Nursing); nurses are licensed by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation 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 Each Illinois nursing programme (example used here: Illinois State University Mennonite College of Nursing); nurses are licensed by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation.
A&P I lecture; NCCRS-recommended. Ask whether the programme reviews outside A&P
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 →
A&P I lab; NCCRS-recommended. Some programmes refuse online labs
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 →
A&P II lecture; NCCRS-recommended
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 →
Chemistry is on Illinois State's list; ACE-recommended and NCCRS-recommended
Self-paced online Chemistry I course (Chemistry 111). ACE and NCCRS recommend 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
Statistics is on Illinois State's list; ACE-recommended and NCCRS-recommended
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 →
Medical Terminology is on Illinois State's list; ask whether outside credit is reviewed
Self-paced online Medical Terminology course (Health 120). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →TESU, UoPeople and Newlane are partner colleges that consider ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended credit; a nursing programme still runs its own evaluation, so ask the programme in writing too.
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 |
| Sophia Learning monthly plan | $99 a month | General education such as statistics and psychology | 15 Nov 2026 |
| StraighterLine membership | $99 a month plus a course fee | Membership plus a one-time fee per course, including sciences | 15 Nov 2026 |
Illinois community colleges charge per credit hour and in-district rates are usually lowest; check your college's tuition page. The cheapest course is the one your programme will count, so ask first.
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 each nursing programme in writing whether it will review the specific course and lab you plan to take, and keep the reply, before you enrol.
Illinois has no single prerequisite list. Each community college and university nursing programme publishes its own. Illinois State University's Traditional BSN is a clear example for transfer students. You need at least 58 credit hours, 37 of them IAI General Education, finished before fall enrolment.
Its nine prerequisites, each with a C or better, are Fundamentals of Chemistry, a statistics course, Fundamentals of Psychology, Lifespan Development Psychology, Microbiology and Society, Human Physiology and Anatomy I and II, Fundamentals of Human Nutrition and Medical Terminology.
Illinois State sets a minimum GPA of 2.50, but admission is competitive: the middle half of admitted students had GPAs from 3.07 to 3.65. It also weighs prerequisite grades, hours completed, healthcare experience and C.N.A. certification. Admission is for fall only, with a priority deadline of 15 January.
Its page does not set an age limit on sciences or name an entrance test. Other Illinois programmes may use both, so check each list.
Programmes differ most here. Some review online labs and ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended credit; some count sciences only from a regionally accredited college; some refuse online labs outright. Illinois State's page does not say how it treats an online lab, and it points students to course articulation guides for Illinois community colleges. Ask before you enrol.
Our A&P courses and labs are NCCRS-recommended. Credit reaches a college via a college transcript, and the nursing programme decides. UPI Study is not a college and is not accredited.
Three items on Illinois State's list are not in our catalog: Microbiology, Nutrition and Lifespan Development Psychology. Plan those at a college, often an Illinois community college with an articulation guide, and use the time while they run for the courses you can study online, such as statistics, medical terminology and psychology.
For transfer students: 58 credit hours with 37 IAI general education, plus chemistry, statistics, PSY 110, PSY 213 Lifespan Development, Microbiology, A&P I and II, Nutrition and Medical Terminology, each with a C or better, before fall enrolment.
The minimum is 2.50, but admission is competitive. The middle half of admitted students had GPAs from 3.07 to 3.65, so aim well above the minimum, especially in the science prerequisites.
Each programme decides. Illinois State's page does not say, and other programmes have their own rules. Email nursing admissions with the course name and lab format and do not enrol until you have a written answer.
No. We do not offer Microbiology with lab, Nutrition or Human Growth and Development. Take those at a college. Our A&P with labs, chemistry, statistics, psychology and medical terminology may help if your programme says it will review them.
Illinois State's transfer page does not state one, but other programmes may set 5 to 7 years. Check each programme's own wording, and ask the adviser if your A&P is several years old.
No. The state licenses nurses and approves programmes; each nursing programme sets its own prerequisites and evaluates transfer credit. Ask the programme, in writing, about any course you plan to take outside it.
A&P I and II with labs, chemistry, statistics, psychology and medical terminology are on PRO. Ask your programme in writing first.