Checked 15 Nov 2026 by the team. Sources are listed at the end of the page.
Washington nursing prerequisites online are possible for some courses, but each programme decides. The Washington State Board of Nursing approves programmes under WAC 246-840-510 and does not rule on single courses. Highline College lists nine prerequisites with a 3.0 in each, and UW's BSN lists six natural sciences. Ask your programme in writing before you enrol, and send credit via a college transcript.
The Washington State Board of Nursing approves nursing programmes under WAC 246-840-510, and each programme sets its own prerequisites: Highline College's RN programme lists 9 prerequisite classes with at least 4.5 credits and a 3.0 grade in each (2.7 in math), and the UW BSN lists 6 natural science courses totalling at least 28 quarter credits.
The rule asks for Programme-set; Highline RN: 9 classes, at least 4.5 credits each; UW BSN: 74-81 prerequisite quarter credits including 6 natural sciences (28 quarter credits), 90 quarter credits before the start date. The legal source is WAC 246-840-510.
| Requirement | What the source says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Who approves programmes | Washington State Board of Nursing, in phases up to full approval (WAC 246-840-510) | [1] |
| Highline RN prerequisites | 9 classes: A&P I and II, Microbiology, Intro to Organic/Biochemistry, English, Communication, Nutrition, Statistics, Lifespan Psychology | [2] |
| Highline grades and credits | At least 4.5 credits and a 3.0 in each class, 2.7 in math; at most 3 attempts | [2] |
| Highline timing | All prerequisites done by the application deadline; classes have no time limit | [2] |
| UW BSN natural sciences | 6 courses, 28 quarter credits: General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, A&P I, A&P II, Microbiology with lab, Nutrition | [3] |
| UW grades and timing | 2.0 minimum in each course; no expiration date; 90 quarter credits before the start date | [3] |
| Community college tuition | $1,697 per 15-credit quarter, resident lower division, 2026-27 ceiling | [4] |
Washington State Board of Nursing (approves programmes); prerequisites are set and checked by each nursing programme 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 Washington State Board of Nursing (approves programmes); prerequisites are set and checked by each nursing programme.
Matches BIOL& 241 at Highline and the A&P I slot at UW; NCCRS-recommended. Ask about the separate lab course too.
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 →
Matches BIOL& 242 at Highline and the A&P II slot at UW; NCCRS-recommended, 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 →
UW lists General Chemistry; Highline lists Introduction to Chemistry as the class before CHEM& 131. There is no UPI Organic Chemistry.
Self-paced online Chemistry I course (Chemistry 111). ACE and NCCRS recommend 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
Highline lists MATH& 146 Introduction to Statistics and UW asks for descriptive and inferential 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 →
Both Highline and UW list English Composition.
Self-paced online English Composition 1 course (ENG 101). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
Highline lists General Psychology as the class you need before Lifespan Psychology.
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; ask them how they would evaluate each course before you start, then ask your nursing programme whether it would review their transcript.
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 |
| Washington community or technical college (resident, lower division) | $1,697 per 15-credit quarter (2026-27 ceiling) | Needed for Microbiology, Nutrition, Lifespan Psychology and Organic Chemistry; part-time rates differ by college | 15 Nov 2026 |
| Sophia Learning | $99 a month | Same step: your programme must agree first and the credit must reach it via a college transcript | 15 Nov 2026 |
| StraighterLine | $99 a month plus a course fee (for example $79 for English Composition I) | Membership plus a fee per course; same written check and transcript step | 15 Nov 2026 |
Divided out, the SBCTC quarter ceiling is about $113 a credit, so a 5-credit science class is roughly $565 in tuition before lab and other fees. Online courses only save money on classes your programme has agreed in writing to review.
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 Washington nursing programme in writing whether it would evaluate each course, including each online lab, before you enrol, and keep the reply.
In Washington, the Washington State Board of Nursing approves nursing programmes. WAC 246-840-510 sets out how a new in-state programme moves through approval in phases until it reaches full approval by meeting the board's nursing education standards. The rule is about programmes. It does not list prerequisite courses, and it does not decide where a student took Anatomy and Physiology or Statistics.
That decision belongs to each programme. A community college RN programme, a university BSN and an RN to BSN completion programme can each set different course lists, grades, credit minimums and deadlines. Two public programmes show how much they differ: Highline College's Registered Nurse associate degree and the University of Washington School of Nursing BSN. Both publish their lists, and both keep the final check with their own staff.
So the order matters. Pick the programme first, read its current list, then ask in writing whether it would evaluate an online course with an online lab and how the credit must arrive. For ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended courses the route is via a college transcript: a regionally accredited college evaluates the course and lists the credit, and you send that transcript to the nursing programme.
Highline College's RN information packet for 2025-26 lists nine prerequisite classes. Each must come from a regionally accredited college or university, carry at least 4.5 credits and earn at least a 3.0, with 2.7 the minimum for math. Each class can be attempted no more than three times. Every prerequisite must be complete by the application deadline, and Highline's FAQ says the prerequisite classes do not have a time limit.
The UW School of Nursing BSN worksheet, updated October 2024, is broader. It asks for 74 to 81 prerequisite quarter credits and at least 90 quarter credits before the start date. The natural sciences block is six courses and at least 28 quarter credits: General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Human Anatomy or A&P I, Human Physiology or A&P II, General Microbiology with a lab, and Nutrition. It also lists English Composition, a writing course, college-level math or logic, Statistics, Lifespan Growth and Development, and social science and arts and humanities credits.
UW needs a 2.0 minimum in each prerequisite. To apply you need at least three natural science courses with a cumulative 3.0, or four with a 2.8, and the worksheet says there is no expiration date for prerequisite courses. UW also says a formal audit happens at application, so the worksheet is a guide and not a ruling on your own courses.
UPI Study is not accredited and is not a college. Its Anatomy and Physiology I and II courses and their labs are NCCRS-recommended, and its Chemistry, Statistics, English and Psychology courses carry ACE or NCCRS recommendations. A recommendation is advice to colleges. It becomes credit only when a college evaluates the course and lists it on its own transcript.
Set against the Highline and UW lists, the gap is plain. UPI Study has no Microbiology with lab, no Nutrition, no Lifespan or Developmental Psychology and no Organic Chemistry. That is at least four of Highline's nine classes, and three of UW's six natural sciences plus its Lifespan course. Plan those at a college from the start.
Credit size matters too. Highline asks for at least 4.5 credits per class and converts semester credits to quarter credits by multiplying by 1.5, so a three semester credit course would equal 4.5 quarter credits. Ask the college that posts the credit how many credits it would list, and ask the programme whether a separate lab course counts together with its lecture.
The State Board for Community and Technical Colleges sets a 2026-27 resident lower-division tuition ceiling of $1,697 for a 15-credit quarter and $5,092 for a 45-credit year, and rates vary slightly by college. Divided out, that is about $113 a credit, so a 5-credit science class runs roughly $565 in tuition before lab and other fees.
Online courses can lower the cost of classes a programme has agreed to review, but only after it says so in writing. Highline recommends finishing the biology and chemistry sequences at one institution for consistency, so mixing sources may not suit every programme. Ask first, then build the plan around the answer.
No. Under WAC 246-840-510 the board approves nursing programmes in phases up to full approval. Each programme sets and checks its own prerequisites, so ask the programme you plan to apply to, in writing, before you start a course.
It depends on the programme. Highline College says its prerequisite classes do not have a time limit, and the UW BSN worksheet says there is no expiration date. Other Washington programmes can set their own limits, so check the current list for each school you apply to.
Each programme decides whether it would evaluate an online course and an online lab. Highline recommends taking the biology and chemistry sequences at one institution. Ask the programme in writing before you enrol, and get the credit onto a college transcript.
Highline asks for at least a 3.0 in each prerequisite class, 2.7 in math, at least 4.5 credits per class and no more than three attempts. The UW BSN asks for a 2.0 minimum in each course, with a higher GPA across the natural sciences.
Not yet. UPI Study has no Microbiology with lab, Nutrition, Lifespan Psychology or Organic Chemistry, so you would take those at a college. It also has no clinical hours or nursing courses.
The 2026-27 resident lower-division ceiling is $1,697 for a 15-credit quarter and $5,092 for a 45-credit year, per the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges. Rates vary slightly by college and part-time rates differ.
Ask your programme first; then study only the courses it said it would consider.