Checked 15 Nov 2026 by the team. Sources are listed at the end of the page.
Michigan nursing prerequisites are set by each school. The Board of Nursing approves programmes under its General Rules (R 338.10301 and the rules after it). Macomb Community College's associate degree, for example, wants Microbiology, Human Physiological Anatomy and English with a C or better, sciences within 5 years. Ask your programme in writing before you use any online course.
Michigan has no single state prerequisite list: the Board of Nursing approves nursing education programmes under its General Rules, Part 3 (R 338.10301 and following), and each programme sets its own prerequisites, for example Macomb Community College's fall 2027 associate degree, which needs Microbiology and Human Physiological Anatomy taken within 5 years of the deadline with a C or better.
The rule asks for No state credit count; set by each programme (Macomb ADN: 4 prerequisites, sciences within 5 years, C or better). The legal source is R 338.10301.
| Requirement | What the rule says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Who approves programmes | Michigan Board of Nursing, General Rules Part 3 (R 338.10301 and following) | [2] |
| Prerequisites (Macomb ADN, fall 2027) | Microbiology, Human Physiological Anatomy, English, HHSC-1040 at Macomb | [3] |
| Grades (Macomb ADN) | C (2.0) or better; C- not acceptable; ranking uses prerequisite GPA | [3] |
| Time limit (Macomb ADN) | Sciences within 5 years of the 1 February 2027 deadline (Winter 2022 or newer) | [3] |
| Michigan Transfer Agreement | 30 credits, 2.0 or better in each course, set distribution | [4] |
Michigan Board of Nursing, Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), Bureau of Professional Licensing (programme approval); admissions offices of each Michigan nursing school (prerequisites) 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 Michigan Board of Nursing, Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), Bureau of Professional Licensing (programme approval); admissions offices of each Michigan nursing school (prerequisites).
A&P I lecture, NCCRS-recommended; check how your school treats a separate lecture and lab.
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 for A&P I, a separate 2-credit course.
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 for programmes that list both halves.
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 →
Statistics appears on many BSN and RN-to-BSN plans.
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 →
A social science on most nursing plans and on the MTA list.
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 →
English composition is a prerequisite at Macomb and part of the MTA.
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; a partner college can review your courses and, if it awards credit, list them on its own transcript for your Michigan programme to review.
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 |
| Macomb Community College (Macomb County resident) | $113 per billable contact hour, fall 2026 to spring/summer 2027, before fees | Science courses bill by contact hour, so a lab science costs more than its credit count suggests; check the course listing | 15 Nov 2026 |
| StraighterLine membership | $99 a month plus a fee per course (English Composition I: $79); lab kits not included | Membership plus a course fee for each science; it lists Microbiology and Nutrition, which UPI Study does not offer | 15 Nov 2026 |
Michigan community college science is good value and lands on a college transcript with a letter grade. An online route saves money only for a course your programme has agreed to in writing.
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 Michigan nursing programme's admissions office in writing whether each named UPI Study course, including a separate online lab, would meet a listed prerequisite via a college transcript, and how it would be graded for ranking, before you enrol.
Macomb's Associate Degree Nursing packet for fall 2027 sets a 1 February 2027 deadline for everything. The prerequisites are General Microbiology or Pathogenic Microbiology, Human Physiological Anatomy, an English course (Communications 1 or Composition 1), and Intro to the Profession of Nursing, which must be taken at Macomb. All must be finished by the end of the fall 2026 term.
Each needs a grade that affects GPA of C (2.0) or better; a C- is not acceptable. The sciences must be within 5 years of the deadline, with grades from Winter 2022 or newer. Courses from elsewhere count only as direct equivalents at another accredited institution, as Macomb defines them, and the prerequisite GPA is weighted heavily in ranking, alongside the HESI admission exam taken at Macomb.
Many Michigan community colleges rank applicants rather than admitting everyone who qualifies. At Macomb, the GPA of the four prerequisite courses is a large share of the ranking, and AP, CLEP or IB scores are turned into a grade for that purpose. That means the question for any outside course is not only whether it counts, but how it would be graded for ranking.
Recommended credit recorded by a college often appears as transfer credit without a letter grade. Before you plan an online science, ask the programme in writing how it would rank a prerequisite that arrives that way.
The Michigan Transfer Agreement lets students move a 30-credit general education block between participating Michigan colleges and universities. It needs a 2.0 or better in each course and covers English composition, a second composition or communications course, two social sciences and two natural sciences (one with a lab) from different disciplines, plus other areas set by the agreement.
The MTA helps with general education, not with nursing-specific sciences or time limits. Each nursing programme still sets its own prerequisites, and outside recommended credit is each school's call.
Each Michigan school sets its own list. Common items are Anatomy and Physiology with lab, Microbiology, Chemistry, Statistics, Psychology and English. Macomb Community College's fall 2027 associate degree asks for Microbiology, Human Physiological Anatomy, English and an intro nursing course, with a C or better and sciences within 5 years.
Some schools allow online college courses; others limit labs or outside credit. Macomb counts direct equivalents from another accredited institution as Macomb defines them. Ask your programme in writing, naming the exact course and lab, before you enrol in anything online.
It depends on the school. Macomb's associate degree uses 5 years from the application deadline, so for the 1 February 2027 deadline the grades must be from Winter 2022 or newer. Check your own programme's packet for its limit.
No. The Michigan Board of Nursing approves nursing education programmes under its General Rules. Each school's admissions office decides its prerequisite list, grade minimums and which outside credit counts, so that is the office to ask in writing.
A grade of C (2.0) or better that affects GPA; a C- is not acceptable. The prerequisite GPA is also used to rank applicants, so a higher grade improves your chances. AP, CLEP or IB scores are turned into a grade for ranking.
It covers a 30-credit general education block with a 2.0 or better in each course. It can include English, social science and natural science, but nursing programmes still set their own science prerequisites, time limits and grade rules. Check your programme's packet.
Ask your programme in writing first, then take the courses it agrees to at your own pace.