Checked 15 Nov 2026 by the team. Sources are listed at the end of the page.
Montana nursing prerequisites are set by each programme the Board of Nursing approves. Programmes commonly list Anatomy and Physiology I and II with labs, Microbiology with lab, Chemistry, College Algebra, Writing, Psychology and Statistics, with a C or C- minimum. MSU wants a 3.0 prerequisite GPA and courses within 15 years. Ask your programme in writing before you take anything online.
Under MCA 37-8-301 the Montana Board of Nursing adopts rules for nursing education programmes and approves the institutions that run them, and each programme sets its own prerequisites: MSU's traditional BSN, for example, asks for a 3.0 prerequisite GPA, a C- or better and prerequisites finished within 15 years, while MSU-Northern's ASN asks for a 2.50 GPA, a C or higher and a Kaplan score of 65%.
The rule asks for Set per programme: MSU lists 13 prerequisite courses including A&P I and II with labs; MSU-Northern's ASN needs A&P I and II and Microbiology, each with lab, done by application. The legal source is MCA 37-8-301.
| Requirement | What the source says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Who regulates programmes | Montana Board of Nursing, under MCA 37-8-301 | [1] |
| MSU BSN GPA and grade | 3.0 on prerequisites; C- or better; two retakes at most | [2] |
| MSU time limit | Prerequisites within 15 years of starting | [2] |
| MSU-Northern ASN | 2.50 cumulative and 2.85 extracted GPA; C or higher; Kaplan 65% | [3] |
| MSU-Northern transfer window | 5 years for major courses, 15 for general education | [3] |
| MSU-Northern RN-BSN | 2.50 GPA; Montana RN licence or NCLEX date | [4] |
Montana Board of Nursing, which adopts rules for nursing education programmes under MCA 37-8-301; 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 Montana Board of Nursing, which adopts rules for nursing education programmes under MCA 37-8-301; each school of nursing sets its own prerequisites.
A&P I lecture, 3 credits, NCCRS-recommended; Montana programmes list A&P 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 is on MSU's 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 →
Introduction to Psychology or Sociology is on MSU's 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 →TESU and UoPeople are partner colleges that consider ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended credit; a partner college can review your courses and, if it grants credit, list them on its own transcript for your Montana 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 Montana college course arrives on a college transcript with a letter grade, which matters because MSU and MSU-Northern both rank on GPA and MSU-Northern leaves ungraded CLEP and AP credit out of it. PRO is $99 a month for as many courses as you finish, but a college has to review and record the credit, 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 Montana 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 count in the admission GPA, before you enrol.
Under MCA 37-8-301, a school that wants to run a nursing programme in Montana applies to the state with evidence that it meets the nursing law and the Board of Nursing's rules, and the board writes the rules for how programmes are run. The board does not publish one statewide list of prerequisite courses. Each school writes its own list, its own grade and GPA rules and its own time limits.
That means the answer for you depends on one programme and one intake. Read its current admission page or application packet, and ask its nursing department about anything that page does not answer.
Here is what Montana State University and MSU-Northern publish. Use them as examples, then read the page for your own school.
| Programme | Sciences | Other courses | Rules |
|---|---|---|---|
| MSU traditional BSN | A&P I and II with lab; Microbiology with lab; General Chemistry with lab; Organic and Biochemistry with lab | College Algebra, Statistics, Writing I and II, Psychology or Sociology, Lifespan or Developmental Psychology, Nutrition, Public Speaking | 3.0 prerequisite GPA; C- or better; within 15 years; regionally accredited institution |
| MSU-Northern ASN (2026) | A&P I and II with lab; Microbiology with lab; General Chemistry with lab | College Algebra, College Writing I | 2.50 cumulative GPA; 2.85 on four key courses; C or higher; Kaplan 65% |
| MSU-Northern RN-BSN | From your ASN | General education per the degree map | 2.50 GPA; Montana RN licence or NCLEX date; online |
Both programmes rank applicants. MSU ranks holistically after a 3.0 prerequisite GPA floor and allows no more than two retakes, counting a W as a retake. MSU-Northern scores applicants on cumulative GPA (10%), a GPA on four key courses (30%), the Kaplan exam (30%), finished A&P II and Microbiology (20%) and value points (10%). It also says CLEP and AP grades do not count in either GPA, so credit that arrives without a letter grade may not help you there.
Time limits differ. MSU wants prerequisites finished within 15 years of the programme start. MSU-Northern includes in its review major courses taken within 5 years and general education within 15, and may review older work at its discretion.
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. Both Montana programmes above list Microbiology with lab, and MSU adds Organic and Biochemistry, Nutrition and Lifespan Development, so you would need those 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 Montana 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, Chemistry with lab, College Algebra, Writing, Psychology and Statistics. MSU wants a C- or better and a 3.0 prerequisite GPA; MSU-Northern wants a C or higher. Read your own school's page and confirm in writing.
Only if your programme agrees. MSU and MSU-Northern both list A&P with lab, and neither page says whether an online lab counts. Ask the nursing department in writing, naming the course, its credits and that the lab is a separate online course, and ask how it would count in the admission GPA.
It depends on the school. MSU wants prerequisites finished within 15 years of the programme start. MSU-Northern includes in its review major courses within 5 years and general education within 15, and may consider older work. Ask your programme in writing if your courses are near its limit.
MSU-Northern's 2026 ASN application asks for the Kaplan Nursing Admissions Exam with a score of at least 65%, dated within the current academic year. The exam counts for 30% of the selection score. Check the current application 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 grants 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.