Checked 15 Nov 2026 by the team. Sources are listed at the end of the page.
Virginia nursing prerequisites are set by each programme, not by the state. The Board of Nursing's rule (18VAC90-27-70) sets minimum admission standards and requires each programme to publish its own requirements in writing. Virginia Peninsula Community College, for example, wants BIO 141 with a B or higher, taken within 5 years. Ask your programme in writing before you take any prerequisite online.
Under 18VAC90-27-70 the Virginia Board of Nursing sets minimum admission standards and requires each approved programme to put its admission, advanced standing and progression requirements in writing; the programme then sets its own prerequisite list, for example 5 prerequisite courses at Virginia Peninsula Community College with a 5-year limit on BIO 141, BIO 142, BIO 150 and MTH 154.
The rule asks for Set by each programme; for example 5 RN prerequisite courses at VPCC (B or higher, sciences within 5 years) and 26 transfer credits of listed courses for VCU's RN to BS completion. The legal source is 18VAC90-27-70.
| Requirement | What the rule says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Who sets prerequisites | Each approved programme; the Board sets minimum admission standards and requires them in writing | [1] |
| VPCC RN prerequisites | BIO 141, ENG 111, MTH 154, PSY 230, SDV 101; Bridge adds BIO 142 and BIO 150 | [2] |
| VPCC grade and GPA | B or higher on every prerequisite; 3.0 curricular GPA | [2] |
| VPCC time limit | BIO 141, 142, 150 and MTH 154 expire 5 years after completion | [2] |
| VCU RN to BS | Listed VCCS courses with C or better, 2.5 GPA, RN licence, 121 credits for the degree | [3] |
Virginia Board of Nursing (Department of Health Professions); each approved nursing programme decides 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 Virginia Board of Nursing (Department of Health Professions); each approved nursing programme decides its own prerequisites.
Lecture content for BIO 141-type A&P I; NCCRS-recommended, 3 credits, with a separate 2-credit lab.
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 paired with A&P I; ask your programme whether it takes an online lab at all.
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 →
Lecture content for BIO 142-type A&P II, with its own lab course.
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 →
Statistics appears on VCU's RN to BS list as MTH 155 or MTH 245.
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 VCU's list as PSY 200.
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 →
Composition I appears on both the VPCC and VCU lists as ENG 111.
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 and UoPeople are partner colleges that consider ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended credit; Newlane is a partner college too. Their nursing and transfer rules are their own, so read their transfer pages and ask before you study.
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 |
| Northern Virginia Community College (in-state) | $232.05 per credit hour, 2026-27, tuition and fees | $1,856.40 for BIO 141 and BIO 142 (8 credits); $2,552.55 adding statistics and psychology (11 credits) | 15 Nov 2026 |
| Sophia Learning | $99 a month | Similar monthly cost; check which of your listed prerequisites it offers | 15 Nov 2026 |
| StraighterLine | $99 a month plus a course fee (for example $79); lab kits not included | About $178 per course, one course at a time | 15 Nov 2026 |
Prices as shown on each page on 15 Nov 2026. A community-college course is already on that college's transcript; outside credit needs a college to post it, which can add a fee.
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 nursing programme's admissions office in writing whether a named course, with an online lab, on a named college's transcript, would meet a named prerequisite before you enrol.
Virginia Peninsula Community College publishes one of the clearest lists. For the RN programme it names BIO 141, ENG 111, MTH 154, PSY 230 and SDV 101. Applicants to the PN to RN Bridge also need BIO 142 and BIO 150. Every prerequisite needs a B or higher, the curricular GPA must be at least 3.0, and the page says no alternate or substitute courses may be used. The TEAS must be taken through VPCC, and the next cycle opens in Spring 2027 for the Fall 2027 cohort.
Other Virginia colleges set different numbers. Search listings for Reynolds Community College show a 10-year limit on BIO 141 from Spring 2025, and Northern Virginia Community College's health sciences page has listed a B or better within 10 years. Read the page for your own cohort, because these rules change from cycle to cycle.
VPCC's prerequisite expiration policy covers BIO 141, BIO 142, BIO 150 and MTH 154. If any of these is older than five years when you apply, you retake it. Once you are admitted, completed prerequisites do not expire. That means timing matters: a science course taken too early can run out before your application cycle opens.
If you plan to study A&P online, count backwards from the application date for your cohort. Leave time for the course, for a college to post the credit, and for the programme's transfer evaluation.
Virginia Commonwealth University's major map for nurses coming from the community college system lists the courses it wants before transfer: ENG 111 and 112, BIO 101, BIO 141 and 142, BIO 150 Microbiology, PSY 200, PSY 230 Developmental Psychology, MTH 155 or 245 statistics, DIT 121 or HLT 230 nutrition, and SOC 200 or 211. All need a C or better, the admission GPA is 2.5, and you need an RN licence when you apply. The degree takes at least 121 credits.
General education such as composition, statistics, psychology and sociology is where recommended credit is most often considered. VCU decides through its own transfer review, so ask its admissions office in writing before you study.
UPI Study offers Anatomy and Physiology I and 2, each with a separate online lab, plus Chemistry I with a lab, Principles of Statistics, Introduction to Psychology, Introduction to Sociology and English Composition 1 and 2. A&P carries an NCCRS recommendation only: 3 credits for each lecture and 2 credits for each lab. A Virginia BIO 141 is a single 4-credit course, so the programme decides whether the pair is equivalent.
We do not offer Microbiology, Nutrition or Developmental Psychology, all of which appear on the VPCC or VCU lists. Plan to take those at a college.
Each programme sets its own. A common Virginia list is A&P I and II with labs, Microbiology, English Composition, Statistics or college math, and Psychology, often Developmental Psychology. VPCC's RN list is BIO 141, ENG 111, MTH 154, PSY 230 and SDV 101 with a B or higher. Check your own programme's page.
Some programmes allow online coursework and some do not, especially for labs. The Board of Nursing does not decide this; the programme does. Email the admissions office with the course title, credits, lab format and the college transcript it would arrive on, and get the answer in writing before you enrol.
It depends on the college. VPCC retakes BIO 141, BIO 142, BIO 150 and MTH 154 if they are older than five years at application. Search listings for Reynolds and NOVA show 10-year limits on A&P. Read the page for your cohort.
No. Under 18VAC90-27-70 the Board sets minimum admission standards and requires each programme to publish its requirements in writing. The programme decides which courses meet its prerequisites and how it treats transfer credit.
Each programme decides for itself, and some refuse it for the nursing sciences. NCCRS and ACE recommendations are usually considered through a college's transfer evaluation, so the credit has to reach the programme via a college transcript. Ask in writing before you study.
Northern Virginia Community College lists $232.05 per credit hour in-state for 2026-27, so BIO 141 and BIO 142 at 4 credits each come to $1,856.40. Other VCCS colleges charge less, after a $6.70 per credit increase approved on 21 May 2026.
A&P I and II with labs, Statistics and Psychology in one plan. Ask your programme in writing first.