Anatomy and Physiology I
Self-paced online Anatomy and Physiology I course (Biology 211). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
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LPN to RN in Mississippi: prerequisite checklist and time limits
By the team. Checked 15 Nov 2026.
The short answer
LPN to RN Mississippi prerequisites usually include an unencumbered Mississippi LPN licence, recent practice, A&P I and II and Microbiology with labs, and English and psychology courses. Coahoma also asks for an ACT of 18, a 2.50 prerequisite GPA and a C in every science. Time limits on sciences vary by school, so check yours and confirm in writing.
A prerequisite checklist
Coahoma Community College publishes its requirements for LPN applicants to the associate degree programme. Use it as a model and check the page for your own college:
- An unencumbered licence to practise as an LPN in Mississippi.
- 6 to 9 months of continuous nursing practice, documented by your employer.
- ACT composite of at least 18.
- A cumulative GPA of 2.50 on prerequisite courses, and a C or better in all sciences.
- A&P I and II and Microbiology, lecture and lab, done by the end of the spring semester before admission.
- Official transcripts from every college, immunisations, CPR and a criminal background check.
The state floor under every programme
IHL accredits Mississippi RN degree programmes under Miss. Code 37-129-1 and sets minimum admission models. For an associate degree, a student needs an ACT of 18 and a 2.0 GPA, or 12 semester hours in the nursing major including A&P with a C or better and a 2.5 GPA. A holistic third model exists for students who meet neither. Colleges can and do ask for more, as Coahoma's 2.50 prerequisite GPA shows.
Time limits
Science time limits are set by each school. UMMC's catalog says A&P taken more than 10 years ago may not count for its BSN. Community colleges often use shorter windows for A&P and Microbiology, and the rule can change between intakes. If your sciences are from your LPN programme several years ago, ask the RN programme in writing whether they still count before you retake anything.
Plan backwards from the deadline. Coahoma wants the sciences finished by the end of the spring semester before you start, and a college transcript can take weeks to arrive.
What an LPN should ask in writing
Send one email covering everything, and keep the reply:
- Do my existing A&P and Microbiology still count, given their dates?
- Would a named online course, recorded on a college transcript, meet a listed prerequisite?
- Is a letter grade needed for the prerequisite GPA?
- Does my practice time count, and how should my employer document it?
Where online courses can fit
UPI Study's A&P I and II are NCCRS-recommended, as a 3-credit lecture and a separate 2-credit online lab. Statistics, Introduction to Psychology and English Composition are also available. UPI Study does not offer Microbiology with lab, Nutrition, Lifespan Development, Organic Chemistry or Pharmacology, so Microbiology must come from a college. No course here gives clinical hours, and none is a remedy for a deficiency the Mississippi Board of Nursing has named.
The credit reaches your programme via a college transcript. TESU and UoPeople are partner colleges that consider ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended credit. Ask your programme in writing first; take only what it agrees to.
Planning a 12-month timeline
Month 1: read your programme's page and send the written question. Months 2 to 5: finish the courses the programme agreed to, and take Microbiology at a college. Month 6: have the college transcript sent and sit the ACT if you need it. Then keep working: Coahoma counts continuous practice documented by your employer, so your current job is part of the application.
What to ask in writing
Before you enrol
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.
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
what do i need to go from lpn to rn in mississippi
Usually an unencumbered Mississippi LPN licence, some months of recent practice, A&P I and II and Microbiology with labs, and the college's other prerequisites. Coahoma also asks for an ACT of 18, a 2.50 prerequisite GPA and a C in all sciences. Check your own college's page and ask in writing.
how old can my a&p be for a mississippi rn programme
Each school decides. UMMC says A&P older than 10 years may not count for its BSN, and some community colleges use shorter windows. Ask your programme in writing whether your courses still count, giving the dates you took them.
can i take microbiology through upi study
No. UPI Study does not offer Microbiology with lab, Nutrition, Lifespan Development, Organic Chemistry or Pharmacology. Take Microbiology with lab at a college, so it arrives on a college transcript with a letter grade.
do mississippi lpn to rn programmes need the act
Many do. Coahoma asks for an ACT composite of at least 18. IHL's minimum models also allow admission without that score if you have 12 semester hours in the nursing major, including A&P, with a C or better and a 2.5 GPA. Ask your college which model it uses.
Courses that fit
ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended courses, studied online at your own pace.
Anatomy and Physiology I Lab
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 →
Principles of Statistics
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 →Start when you have it in writing
Ask your programme in writing first, then take only the courses it agrees to consider.
Sources
- IHL: Mississippi Nursing Degree Programs Accreditation Standards (effective 15 August 2024) (official)Authority under Miss. Code 37-129-1; Standard III admission models for associate degree (ACT 18 and 2.0 GPA, or 12 semester hours in the nursing major including A&P with C or better and 2.5 GPA, or holistic Model Three) and bachelor's programmes (ACT 21 with C in each prerequisite and 2.0 GPA; RN or bachelor's holders without ACT with C and 2.0; Model Two C and 2.5). Checked on 15 Nov 2026.
- UMMC 2025-2026 catalog: Accelerated Nursing BSN (official)Prerequisites include Microbiology with lab (4), two sequenced A&P courses with labs (8), College Algebra (3), Statistics (3), General Psychology (3), Introductory Sociology (3), Human Growth and Development (3), English Composition (6); C or better in each and 2.0 GPA; A&P older than 10 years may not count; science survey courses do not count. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.
- Coahoma Community College: ADN requirements (LPN applicants) (official)Unencumbered Mississippi LPN licence; 6 to 9 months of continuous nursing practice; ACT 18; 2.50 GPA on prerequisites; C or better in all sciences; A&P I and II and Microbiology with labs done by the end of the spring before admission. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.