Anatomy and Physiology 2
Self-paced online Anatomy and Physiology 2 course (Biology 212). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
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LPN to RN in Louisiana: prerequisite checklist and time limits
By the team. Checked 15 Nov 2026.
The short answer
Going from LPN to RN in Louisiana means finishing an RN programme approved by the Louisiana State Board of Nursing. Under LAC 46:XLVII.3517 each programme sets its own admission standards, and placement by previous education, such as your practical nursing study, follows the parent institution's rules. Ask your programme which prerequisites it needs, what your LPN study counts for, and whether science credit has a time limit.
Two boards, two rule sets
Louisiana splits nursing regulation. Practical nursing programmes and LPNs come under the Louisiana State Board of Practical Nurse Examiners. RN programmes come under the Louisiana State Board of Nursing. Moving from LPN to RN therefore means meeting a new programme's admission standards, set under the Board of Nursing's rule, LAC 46:XLVII.3517.
That rule lets placement by examination, previous education or both count, as long as it matches the parent institution's policy. It does not say how much LPN study an RN programme must count, so programmes differ.
What your practical nursing programme already covered
Louisiana's practical nursing rule, sections 931 and 933, sets a programme of at least 1,500 clock hours, with at least 700 theory and 800 clinical hours. Its curriculum includes:
- Body Structure and Function (basic anatomy and physiology).
- Introduction to Microbiology.
- Nutrition and Diet Therapy.
- Pharmacology.
- Personal, Family and Community Health, and Principles and Practices of Nursing.
- Bring your PN transcript and course descriptions; an RN programme decides whether any of these meet its own prerequisites.
Prerequisite checklist
Get your programme's current list and tick off each line in writing with the admissions office:
- Anatomy and Physiology I and II, and whether labs are required.
- Microbiology, and whether a lab is required.
- Chemistry, college algebra or statistics.
- Psychology, including lifespan or developmental psychology if listed.
- English composition and any other general education.
- Minimum grade for each course, minimum GPA and how many repeats are allowed.
- Any entrance test, such as the HESI A2, and how old the score may be.
Time limits
Some programmes only count science courses taken within a set number of years, and others have no limit. The board's rules do not set one, so this is a programme policy. If you took A&P during your LPN training several years ago, ask whether it still counts or whether you must retake it.
Test scores can expire too. LSU Health New Orleans, for its traditional BSN, will not use a HESI A2 score more than one year old. Ask whether any limit runs from the date you finished a course or the date you apply.
Where UPI Study can help
If your programme agrees, UPI Study's NCCRS-recommended A&P I and II with labs, College Algebra, Chemistry and Introduction to Psychology can fill prerequisite or general education slots. UPI Study has no Microbiology, Nutrition, Lifespan or Developmental Psychology, Organic Chemistry or Pharmacology course.
UPI Study is not a college and is not accredited; courses reach a programme only via a college transcript. TESU and UoPeople are partner colleges that consider ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended credit. ACE and NCCRS have over 2,100 cooperating colleges that will consider accepting credits; the final decision is with the universities. Take only the courses your programme has agreed in writing to count.
What to ask in writing
Before you enrol
Ask your nursing programme's admissions office in writing which courses it will count, at what grade and from which college transcript, before you enrol.
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.
ACE and NCCRS have over 2,100 cooperating colleges that will consider accepting credits; the final decision is with the universities.
Questions people ask
how long does lpn to rn take in louisiana
It depends on the programme and on how much of your practical nursing study it counts. The Board of Nursing leaves placement by previous education to each programme, consistent with its parent institution. Ask for a written plan showing how many terms remain.
do louisiana lpn to rn programs have a time limit on science classes
Some programmes do and some do not; the board's rules do not set one. Ask your programme in writing whether your A&P and microbiology still count, and from which date any limit runs.
does my lpn training count toward an rn programme in louisiana
It may. Your practical nursing programme covered body structure and function, microbiology, nutrition and pharmacology under the PN rule. Whether those meet an RN programme's prerequisites is the RN programme's decision, so bring your transcript and ask.
Courses that fit
ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended courses, studied online at your own pace.
Anatomy and Physiology 2 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 →
Introduction to Psychology
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 →Start when you have it in writing
College Algebra, English Composition I, Chemistry, Psychology and A&P with labs, once your programme agrees in writing to count them.
Sources
- LAC 46:XLVII.3517 and 3521, Louisiana State Board of Nursing: student policies and curriculum for nursing education degree programs (official)Section 3517: admission standards for undergraduate and graduate nursing education degree programs are established and published by the program with faculty involvement; placement by examinations, previous education, or both, must be consistent with the parent institution; progression and transfer policies are set by the program. Section 3521: the undergraduate curriculum includes content from the behavioral, biological, mathematical, nursing and physical sciences; simulated laboratory experiences may count as classroom or clinical hours. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.
- LAC 46:XLVII.931 and 933, practical nursing programs (Louisiana Administrative Code) (official)A practical nursing program covers at least 1,500 clock hours or the equivalent credit hours: at least 700 theory and 800 clinical. Its curriculum includes Body Structure and Function, Introduction to Microbiology, Introduction to Practical Nursing, Personal, Family and Community Health, Nutrition and Diet Therapy, Pharmacology, Principles and Practices of Nursing, and Career Readiness. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.
- LSU Health New Orleans School of Nursing: Traditional BSN admission criteria (official)37 hours of prerequisite courses; 16 must be complete by the deadline: College Algebra 3, English Composition I 3, General Biology and Lab for Science Majors 4, General Chemistry 3, General Psychology 3. Minimum 3.0 GPA on prerequisites; B- or better in science prerequisites (Biology lecture and lab, Microbiology, Chemistry); C- or better in non-science. General education courses may be taken at any accredited college or university; official transcripts from all regionally accredited colleges attended. Up to nine combined hours of AP and CLEP and up to nine hours of advanced standing credit. A failed prerequisite may be repeated once. HESI A2 with 80 percent cumulative, score no more than one year old. Fall 2027 NursingCAS application opens 1 December 2026; deadline 31 March 2027. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.