Checked 15 Nov 2026 by the team. Sources are listed at the end of the page.
Mississippi nursing prerequisites are set by each programme within IHL's minimum admission models. Programmes commonly list Anatomy and Physiology I and II with labs, Microbiology with lab, English Composition, College Algebra, Statistics, Psychology and Sociology, each with a C or better. UMMC may not count A&P older than 10 years. Ask your programme in writing before you take any course online.
Under Miss. Code Ann. 37-129-1 the IHL Board of Trustees accredits Mississippi nursing degree programmes; its August 2024 standards set minimum admission models (associate degree: ACT 18 and a 2.0 GPA, or 12 semester hours including Anatomy and Physiology with a C or better and a 2.5 GPA; bachelor's: a C or better in each prerequisite and a 2.0 or 2.5 GPA), and each programme lists its own prerequisite courses.
The rule asks for Set per programme: UMMC lists 8 hours of A&P with labs and 4 of Microbiology; IHL associate degree Model Two needs 12 semester hours including A&P. The legal source is Miss. Code Ann. 37-129-1.
| Requirement | What the source says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Who accredits RN programmes | IHL Board of Trustees, under Miss. Code 37-129-1 | [1] |
| Associate degree minimum | ACT 18 and 2.0 GPA, or 12 semester hours including A&P with C or better and 2.5 GPA | [1] |
| Bachelor's minimum | C or better in each prerequisite and 2.0 GPA with ACT 21 (2.5 without) | [1] |
| UMMC science limit | A&P older than 10 years may not count | [2] |
| LPN to RN (Coahoma) | Mississippi LPN licence, 6-9 months practice, ACT 18, 2.50 prerequisite GPA | [3] |
| RN-BSN (Southern Miss) | Statistics course title must include the word Statistics | [4] |
Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL), Nursing Education, which accredits RN degree programmes; the Mississippi Board of Nursing licenses nurses; each school of nursing sets its own 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 Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL), Nursing Education, which accredits RN degree programmes; the Mississippi Board of Nursing licenses nurses; each school of nursing sets its own prerequisites.
A&P I lecture, 3 credits, NCCRS-recommended; Mississippi programmes often list a 4-credit course with lab, so ask how a 3 + 2 split is treated.
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 NCCRS-recommended 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 →
The online lab for A&P II, a separate 2-credit course.
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 →
Statistics appears at UMMC and Southern Miss; 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 →
General Psychology appears on most Mississippi nursing plans.
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 →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 Mississippi 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 |
| 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 |
| Sophia Learning subscription | $99 a month, $299 for four months or $799 a year | General education such as Statistics or Psychology; check which sciences and labs it offers before relying on it | 15 Nov 2026 |
A Mississippi community college course is already on a college transcript with a letter grade, which matters where a programme ranks on GPA. PRO is $99 a month for as many courses as you finish, but a college has to review and record the credit before a programme can count it, and only if the programme agrees 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 Mississippi nursing programme's admissions or transfer 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, before you enrol.
In Mississippi, registered nurse degree programmes are accredited by the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL), under Miss. Code 37-129-1. The Mississippi Board of Nursing licenses nurses. Neither body publishes one list of prerequisite courses for the whole state; each school of nursing writes its own list, inside IHL's minimum admission models.
Those models set floors, not courses. For an associate degree programme, a student needs an ACT composite of 18 and a 2.0 GPA, or, without that score, 12 semester hours in the nursing major including Anatomy and Physiology with a C or better and a 2.5 GPA. Bachelor's programmes look for a C or better in each prerequisite and a 2.0 GPA with an ACT of 21, or a 2.5 GPA without it. Registered nurses and people with a bachelor's degree can enter a BSN without an ACT score. Both models also allow a holistic route.
Here is what three public programmes publish. Use them as examples, then read the page for your own school and intake.
| Programme | Sciences | Other courses | Rules |
|---|---|---|---|
| UMMC accelerated BSN | A&P I and II with labs (8 hours); Microbiology with lab (4) | College Algebra, Statistics, General Psychology, Sociology, Human Growth and Development, English Composition (6) | C or better each; 2.0 GPA; A&P over 10 years may not count |
| Southern Miss RN-BSN | A&P I and II with separate labs; Microbiology with lab | Composition I and II, College Algebra, Nutrition, Statistics, Psychology, Sociology, Public Speaking, humanities | C or better; Statistics title must say Statistics |
| Coahoma CC (LPN applicants) | A&P I and II and Microbiology, lecture and lab | Per the college's ADN plan | Mississippi LPN licence; ACT 18; 2.50 prerequisite GPA; C in sciences |
Every programme above asks for a C or better, and several rank or screen on a prerequisite GPA. That makes the grade on your transcript important: recommended credit that arrives as a pass rather than a letter grade may not help a GPA. Science labs are the other sticking point. UMMC wants A&P as two courses with labs and does not count survey courses for non-science majors, so an online lab is a question to ask, not assume.
Time limits differ. UMMC says A&P taken more than 10 years ago may not count. Some community colleges use shorter windows, so check your own school's page before you plan.
UPI Study courses are ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended. Our A&P I and II are NCCRS-recommended only, as a 3-credit lecture and a separate 2-credit online lab. UPI Study does not offer Microbiology with lab, Nutrition, Lifespan Development, Organic Chemistry or Pharmacology. Microbiology with lab appears at UMMC, Southern Miss and Coahoma, so you would need it from a college.
The best fit is general education: Statistics, Psychology, Sociology and English Composition, especially on an RN-to-BSN plan. The credit reaches your programme via a college transcript, and only if the programme agrees in writing first. No course here gives clinical hours, and none is a remedy for a deficiency the Mississippi Board of Nursing has named.
Each programme sets its own list. Common courses are Anatomy and Physiology I and II with labs, Microbiology with lab, English Composition, College Algebra, Statistics, General Psychology and Sociology. Most want a C or better in each. IHL's minimum admission models add ACT or GPA floors. Read your own school's page and confirm in writing.
Only if your programme agrees. UMMC lists A&P as two sequenced courses with labs and does not count survey courses for non-science majors. An online lab is the part most likely to be questioned. Ask the nursing admissions office in writing, naming the course, its credits and that the lab is separate, before you enrol.
UMMC's 2025-2026 catalog says Anatomy and Physiology courses taken more than 10 years ago may not count for transfer credit. Other Mississippi schools set their own windows, and some community colleges use shorter ones. Check the page for your programme and intake, and ask in writing if your courses are close to the limit.
Not always. IHL's minimum models let associate degree applicants without an ACT 18 qualify with 12 semester hours including A&P at a C or better and a 2.5 GPA. BSN applicants without an ACT 21 need a C in each prerequisite and a 2.5 GPA. Registered nurses and bachelor's holders can enter a BSN without an ACT.
UPI Study does not offer Microbiology with lab, Nutrition, Lifespan Development, Organic Chemistry or Pharmacology. Our A&P I and II carry an NCCRS recommendation only, as a 3-credit lecture and a separate 2-credit online lab. There are no clinical hours. Plan to take the missing courses at a college.
Via a college transcript. A college that considers ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended credit, such as partner colleges TESU and UoPeople, reviews your courses and, if it awards credit, lists them on its transcript. You send that transcript to your programme. Ask the programme in writing first whether it would count the course.
Ask your programme in writing first, then take only the courses it agrees to consider.