Checked 15 Nov 2026 by the team. Sources are listed at the end of the page.
Vermont nursing prerequisites are set by each programme. Under 26 V.S.A. 1621 an RN applicant needs an approved nursing programme and the board's exams. Vermont State University's A.S. in Nursing, for example, asks LPNs from other programmes for transferable A&P I and II, Nutrition and Lifespan Developmental Psychology, with sciences taken within 10 years.
Under 26 V.S.A. 1621, an applicant for a Vermont registered nurse licence by examination must complete an approved U.S. registered nursing education program meeting the Board's rules and the examinations the Board sets; each nursing programme sets its own prerequisites.
The rule asks for No state credit count; Vermont State's RN to BSN lists 8 prerequisite courses before entry. The legal source is 26 V.S.A. 1621.
| Point | What applies in Vermont | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Who sets prerequisites | Each nursing programme; the state requires an approved programme and the Board's exams | [1] |
| Vermont State Practical Nursing | Lab chemistry and lab biology, or A&P I; A&P I and II, Nutrition and Lifespan Psychology recommended first | [2] |
| Vermont State Nursing A.S. | Current PN licence; non-VTSU PN graduates need A&P I and II, Nutrition and Lifespan Psychology | [2] |
| Science time limit | Within 10 years, at Vermont State | [2] |
| Grade floor | C+ for A&P I and II, Nutrition and Lifespan from Fall 2025 | [2] |
| Online RN to BSN entry | RN licence, 2.3 ADN GPA and 8 listed courses | [2] |
Vermont Board of Nursing, Office of Professional Regulation (licensing); each nursing programme (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 Vermont Board of Nursing, Office of Professional Regulation (licensing); each nursing programme (prerequisites).
A&P I is on every Vermont State nursing list; ask first whether it would count.
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 lab for A&P I; ask whether an online lab is accepted.
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 is required for the A.S. (non-VTSU PN graduates) and the RN to BSN.
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 →
Introduction to Psychology is on the A.S. map and the RN to BSN entry 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 I is on the online RN to BSN map.
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 →
English Composition is on the A.S. map and the RN to BSN entry list.
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, UoPeople and Newlane are partner colleges that consider ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended credit; start with their own transfer pages, then any other college you already attend.
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 |
| Vermont State University Online RN to BSN | $402 per credit plus $31 per credit fees (2026-27) | Statistics and other general education inside the RN to BSN | 15 Nov 2026 |
| Vermont State University Nursing A.S. (in-state) | $682 per credit (2026-27) | Microbiology, writing and psychology courses inside the A.S. | 15 Nov 2026 |
| StraighterLine | $99 a month plus $79 or more per course | A&P and other prerequisites; ask your programme first | 15 Nov 2026 |
| Sophia Learning | $99 a month (or $299 per 4 months) | General education such as statistics and sociology | 15 Nov 2026 |
Prices checked 15 Nov 2026 on each provider's own page. Vermont State credit goes straight onto its transcript; UPI Study credit needs a partner college step and your programme's approval 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.
Email the programme's admissions office or nursing department and get its answer in writing on each course, including labs, before you enrol.
26 V.S.A. 1621 says a registered nurse applicant by examination must complete an approved U.S. registered nursing education programme that meets the Board's rules, and the examinations the Board sets. It does not list prerequisite courses. Each programme writes its own list, grade floors and time limits.
So the first step is always the admission requirements for the exact programme and start term you want, not a general list from another state.
Vermont State University runs a ladder: a Practical Nursing certificate, then an A.S. in Nursing for LPNs, then an online RN to BSN. Its admission page lists the prerequisites for each step. Science courses must be within 10 years, and from Fall 2025 A&P I, A&P II, Nutrition and Lifespan Developmental Psychology need a C+ or higher.
LPNs who did not train at Vermont State need transferable credit in A&P I and II, Nutrition and Lifespan Developmental Psychology to enter the A.S. The online RN to BSN lists eight courses before entry.
Programmes differ most on online science labs and on credit from outside providers. Vermont State's page speaks of approved transfer credit, which means the university decides course by course. General education, such as statistics, composition, sociology and psychology, is where outside credit is most often considered.
UPI Study offers A&P I and II with labs, Introduction to Psychology, Principles of Statistics, Introduction to Sociology and English Composition, with ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended credit. They count only via a college transcript and only if your programme approves them. UPI Study does not offer Nutrition, Lifespan Developmental Psychology, Microbiology, Pathophysiology, Organic Chemistry or Pharmacology.
Send one short email to admissions or the nursing department. List each course by name, credits and its ACE or NCCRS recommendation, say whether the lab is online, and ask whether it would be approved transfer credit for the named requirement if a college posts it. Keep the written reply with your application papers.
Each programme sets its own. Vermont State's A.S. asks LPNs from other programmes for A&P I and II, Nutrition and Lifespan Developmental Psychology, with sciences within 10 years and a C+ in those courses from Fall 2025. Check your programme's current page.
Some programmes approve online courses from accredited colleges; online labs and outside credit vary most. Ask your programme in writing before you enrol, naming each course and lab, and keep the answer with your application.
At Vermont State, science courses must be completed within 10 years before admission. Other programmes may set different limits, so check the time limit on your programme's admission page before relying on an older course.
No. 26 V.S.A. 1621 requires an approved nursing programme and the Board's examinations. Prerequisites and transfer decisions belong to each programme and its college, so ask the programme. The Office of Professional Regulation handles the licence application itself, after you finish.
From Fall 2025, Vermont State asks for a C+ or higher in A&P I, A&P II, Nutrition and Lifespan Developmental Psychology. Its four-year BSN asks for B- in nursing major courses and C+ in other maths and science.
Nutrition, Lifespan Developmental Psychology, Microbiology, Pathophysiology, Organic Chemistry and Pharmacology. Plan to take those at a college. UPI Study offers A&P with labs, psychology, statistics, sociology and composition. Many students take the remaining sciences at a college and use outside courses for general education.
A&P with labs, psychology, statistics and composition in one plan.