Checked 15 Nov 2026 by the team. Sources are listed at the end of the page.
Iowa nursing prerequisites are set by each nursing programme, not by the Board of Nursing, which approves programmes under 481 IAC 616. DMACC asks for A&P I and II, Developmental Psychology and Composition I, plus Statistics, and wants a B in A&P for LPN-to-RN entry. The University of Iowa RN-BSN asks for Composition II, Speech and Statistics. Confirm any online course in writing first.
The Iowa Board of Nursing approves nursing programmes and their curriculum under 481 IAC 616; it does not rule on where a prerequisite was taken, so each programme decides which transfer credit it will count.
The rule asks for Set by each programme: DMACC 14 pre-nursing credits plus Statistics; University of Iowa RN-BSN 9 prerequisite credits. The legal source is 481 IAC 616.
| Programme | Prerequisites, grades and timing | Source |
|---|---|---|
| DMACC PN/ADN ladder (2026-27) | A&P I (4), A&P II (4), Developmental Psychology (3), Composition I (3); Statistics co-req; C (not C-) in all support courses; AAS within 5 years of starting | [2] |
| DMACC LPN to RN (advanced standing) | LPN license; B in A&P I, A&P II and Developmental Psychology; C in Statistics and Composition I; sciences recommended within 5 years; ATI TEAS 65% or PN Predictor 92% | [3] |
| University of Iowa RN-BSN | Composition II, Speech, Statistics (3 each, C or higher); ADN or diploma; RN license; 12 gen-ed credits plus 6 electives before graduation | [4] |
| Iowa Board of Nursing | Approves programmes and curriculum; no rule on where a prerequisite is taken | [1] |
Iowa Board of Nursing (Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing); each nursing programme for admission 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 Iowa Board of Nursing (Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing); each nursing programme for admission.
NCCRS-recommended, 3 credits; ask whether it can stand in for BIO 168 lecture.
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 →
NCCRS-recommended lab, 2 credits; online lab acceptance varies by programme.
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 →
NCCRS-recommended, 3 credits.
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 →
ACE- and NCCRS-recommended; statistics appears at both DMACC and the University of Iowa.
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 →
NCCRS-recommended; DMACC lists Composition I.
Self-paced online English Composition 1 course (ENG 101). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
The University of Iowa RN-BSN lists Composition II.
Self-paced online English Composition 2 course (ENG 102). 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; the nursing programme decides what it counts from that college transcript.
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 |
| DMACC (Iowa resident) | $215 per credit hour (online +$30 per credit) | BIO 168 + BIO 173 + MAT 156 (11 credits): $2,365 in tuition, or $2,695 online | 15 Nov 2026 |
A cheaper course only saves money if your programme agrees in writing to count it. Lab fees and test fees are extra.
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 nursing programme's admissions or transfer office in writing which courses it will count, at what grade and from which transcript, before you enrol.
Since June 2025 the Iowa Board of Nursing's rules sit in 481 IAC chapter 616, under the Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing. They set standards for nursing programmes: curriculum, faculty, clinical sites and records. The final transcript a programme keeps must list the courses it accepted for transfer. The rules do not say where a prerequisite must be taken. That choice belongs to each college.
So two Iowa programmes can give different answers about the same course. DMACC asks for courses taken for college credit and evaluates official transcripts. The University of Iowa RN-BSN says you may finish its prerequisites at a community college and points to its course equivalency guide.
DMACC runs a ladder: a practical nursing year, then an RN year. Its 2026-27 manual lists 14 pre-nursing credits, with Statistics alongside the first term. Its LPN-to-RN checklist adds a B minimum for A&P and Developmental Psychology and a TEAS score. The University of Iowa RN-BSN is for nurses who already hold an ADN or diploma. It lists three prerequisites and general education to finish before graduation.
UPI Study's A&P I and II carry NCCRS recommendations of 3 credits for each lecture and 2 credits for each lab. Statistics, Composition I and Composition II are also on the catalog. These are the courses most worth asking about. UPI Study has no Microbiology, Nutrition, Lifespan or Developmental Psychology, Organic Chemistry or Pharmacology course, and no Speech course. DMACC's Developmental Psychology and the University of Iowa's Speech course have to come from a college.
Labs are the hardest question. Some programmes count an online lab and some want an in-person one. Ask about the lab by name, with its credit value, before you pay for it.
Each programme sets its own. DMACC's ladder lists Anatomy and Physiology I and II, Developmental Psychology and Composition I, with Statistics alongside the first term. The University of Iowa RN-BSN lists Composition II, Speech and Statistics. Always use your own programme's current checklist.
No. The board approves nursing programmes and sets curriculum standards under 481 IAC 616. Each programme's admissions or transfer office decides which outside courses count toward its prerequisites, so ask that office in writing.
DMACC's ladder manual requires a C (not a C-) in all support courses. Its LPN-to-RN advanced standing checklist asks for a B or higher in A&P I, A&P II and Developmental Psychology. Check which route you are applying to.
It depends on the programme. DMACC's LPN-to-RN checklist recommends science courses taken within the last five years. The University of Iowa's RN-BSN prerequisite page does not state a time limit. Ask your programme about the age of your sciences.
Some programmes count online courses and some do not, especially for labs. The University of Iowa RN-BSN allows community college prerequisites. DMACC evaluates official transcripts of college-credit courses. Ask the programme in writing before you take an online course, and move it via a college transcript.
UPI Study has no Microbiology, Nutrition, Lifespan or Developmental Psychology, Organic Chemistry or Pharmacology course, and no Speech course. DMACC's Developmental Psychology and the University of Iowa's Speech course must come from a college. A&P I and II with labs, Statistics and Composition are the UPI courses to ask your programme about.
Take only the courses your programme has agreed to in writing, then move them via a college transcript.