Checked 15 Nov 2026 by the team. Sources are listed at the end of the page.
Missouri nursing prerequisites are set by each programme's faculty, under a State Board of Nursing rule that makes them write their own admission and transfer policies. Programmes commonly list Anatomy and Physiology, Microbiology, Chemistry, Psychology, English and Statistics with a C or better. STLCC wants Chemistry and one biology course within 5 years. Ask your programme in writing first.
Under 20 CSR 2200-2.090, every nursing programme approved by the Missouri State Board of Nursing must have its faculty write, implement and evaluate its own admission, transfer and advanced-placement policies, state them in writing, and state any time limit on earlier credits; STLCC, for example, asks for a 2.5 GPA, a TEAS score of 58.7 and Chemistry plus one of its A&P or Microbiology courses within 5 years.
The rule asks for Set per programme: STLCC lists A&P I and II at 4 credits each and Microbiology at 4, within a 66-78 credit associate degree. The legal source is 20 CSR 2200-2.090.
| Requirement | What the source says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Who writes the admission rules | Each programme's nursing faculty, under 20 CSR 2200-2.090 | [1] |
| Who approves programmes | Missouri State Board of Nursing, under RSMo 335.071 | [2] |
| Mizzou Pre-Nursing transfer | 3.25 GPA; no time limit on transferable courses | [3] |
| Mizzou RN-to-BSN | 2.5 GPA; transfer credit from a regionally accredited college | [4] |
| STLCC associate degree | 2.5 GPA; TEAS 58.7 within two years; C or higher in every course | [5] |
| STLCC science limit | Chemistry and one of A&P I, A&P II or Microbiology within 5 years | [5] |
Missouri State Board of Nursing, which approves professional and practical nursing programmes under RSMo 335.071; each programme's nursing faculty writes its own admission, transfer and advanced-placement policies 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 Missouri State Board of Nursing, which approves professional and practical nursing programmes under RSMo 335.071; each programme's nursing faculty writes its own admission, transfer and advanced-placement policies.
A&P I lecture, 3 credits, NCCRS-recommended; STLCC lists a 4-credit A&P I, 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; Mizzou counts physiology only when both halves come in.
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 →
General Psychology is on the STLCC checklist and the Mizzou RN-to-BSN 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 →
Statistics is on the Mizzou RN-to-BSN list; 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 →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 Missouri 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 |
| St. Louis Community College course | $127 per credit hour in-district, $176 out-of-district, $238 out-of-state (fall 2026 to spring 2027) | A 4-credit A&P or Microbiology course is $508 in tuition in-district, before fees, and arrives on a college transcript with a letter grade | 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 |
A Missouri community college course is already on a college transcript with a letter grade, which matters where a programme screens 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 Missouri 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.
The Missouri State Board of Nursing approves professional and practical nursing programmes under RSMo 335.071, surveying each one and checking it again over time. It does not publish one list of prerequisite courses for the state. Instead, its rule 20 CSR 2200-2.090 says each programme's faculty must write, implement and evaluate its own policies for admission, readmission, transfer and advanced placement, and keep them in writing where applicants can read them.
The same rule says time limits on credit from earlier study should be stated, and the board approves how many students each programme can take. So the answer to almost every prerequisite question in Missouri is the same: read your own programme's written policy, and ask that programme.
Here is what a large community college and the state flagship publish. Use them as examples, then read the page for your own school and intake.
| Programme | Sciences | Other courses | Rules |
|---|---|---|---|
| STLCC associate degree (2026 handbook) | Chemistry (CHM 101 or two semesters of high school chemistry with lab); Introductory Biology; A&P I before applying; A&P II and Microbiology during the programme | College Composition, General Psychology, Communication Between Cultures or Sociology, math at MTH 140 level, Human Growth and Development | C or higher; 2.5 GPA; TEAS 58.7 within two years; Chemistry and one biology course within 5 years |
| Mizzou Sinclair School of Nursing | A&P I and II with labs (A&P I alone counts as anatomy only) | Transfer courses with no set limit | 3.25 GPA to transfer to Pre-Nursing; no time limit on transferable courses |
| Mizzou RN-to-BSN | Anatomy, Physiology, Microbiology recommended | General Psychology, Sociology, Human Development, Nutrition, Statistics | 2.5 GPA; RN licence; transfer credit from a regionally accredited college |
STLCC asks for a C or higher in every course on its plan, a 2.5 cumulative GPA, and a TEAS composite of at least 58.7 taken within two calendar years of applying. Places are limited: the handbook lists 192 places a semester across four campuses, with offers made by application date and campus choice. A grade on a college transcript therefore matters, and recommended credit that arrives as a pass rather than a letter grade may not help a GPA.
Time limits differ widely. STLCC wants Chemistry and one of A&P I, A&P II or Microbiology within 5 years. Mizzou says it sets no time limit on transferable courses, though it encourages a refresh of material older than 10 years. Check your own school's written policy 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 is on the STLCC plan and Mizzou's recommended list, 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 Missouri State Board of Nursing has named.
Each programme sets its own list under 20 CSR 2200-2.090. Common courses are Anatomy and Physiology I and II, Microbiology, Chemistry, General Psychology, English Composition and Sociology or Communication, with Statistics for a BSN. Most want a C or better. Read your own school's written policy and confirm in writing before you enrol.
Only if your programme agrees. STLCC lists a 4-credit A&P I, and Mizzou counts a transferred A&P I with lab as anatomy only unless A&P II comes too. 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.
It depends on the school. STLCC's 2026 handbook wants Chemistry and one of A&P I, A&P II or Microbiology within 5 years. Mizzou says it has no time limit on transferable courses but suggests refreshing material older than 10 years. Ask your programme in writing if your courses are close to its limit.
STLCC's April 2026 handbook asks for a TEAS composite of at least 58.7, taken within two calendar years of applying. You can make up to three attempts in 12 months, at least 30 days apart, and you then meet a retention coach to discuss the result. Check the current handbook before you book.
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, including Chemistry, 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 have that transcript sent 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.