Practical Nursing Admission Requirements - Fall

The Practical Nursing program application must be submitted for an applicant to be considered for the program. The eligibility criteria must be read and understood before applying. You must be accepted to M State to access the program application. 

The fall 2024 Practical Nursing program application closed on April 1.

Nursing applicants must complete all developmental English and/or math courses with a grade of C or higher. Placement in these courses may be determined by ACT, SAT, Accuplacer assessment or high school GPA. Guided self-placement for students who do not have an ACT, SAT, Accuplacer or high school GPA waiver on file cannot be used for nursing applicants.

Complete the Accuplacer assessment to determine which, if any, English and/or math developmental courses you need to complete. Sign up for the Accuplacer assessment at Placement Testing. 

High school graduates are encouraged to register for college general education courses while they seek acceptance into the program.

Current high school students must complete their junior year before applying and supply a high school transcript with a GPA of 3.00 or higher upon completion of their junior year. Students must graduate from high school prior to starting PNSG courses.

PSEO students are not eligible to take core Nursing program courses (courses with a PNSG prefix).

GED completers need a score of 500 or greater on the GED. Applicants unable to obtain a score report may still apply; eligibility will be based on space availability in the program.

Math scores on the Accuplacer/ACT or high school GPA must place the student into Math 1020 Intermediate Algebra or higher. If assessment testing indicates developmental course work is required, the courses must be completed with a grade of C or better prior to starting the program. If the student has completed a developmental course and earned less than a C grade, the student will need to retake the course and earn a grade of C or better prior to the application deadline. If a math course higher than a developmental course is completed with a passing grade, developmental course grades will not be reviewed.

Reading scores on the Accuplacer/ACT or high school GPA must place the student into English 1101 College Writing. Students testing into developmental English must complete the highest-level developmental course with a grade of C or better before starting the program.

If you have coursework in progress, submit the Practical Nursing program application to maximize your opportunity to be accepted to the program. Students may be conditionally accepted while courses are in progress, but courses must be completed before the program’s start. 

PLEASE NOTE: Program-required general education courses must be completed with a grade of C or better before or during the semester in which they appear in the program plan. Students who do not meet this requirement will not be permitted to continue taking PNSG courses and should work with an advisor to create a Revised Plan of Study (RPOS).

Calculate grade point average for certain courses:

Each student who has submitted a complete admissions file by a posted deadline will receive an email from M State indicating whether they are accepted into the program, placed on the program waiting list or currently ineligible for the program. Please be sure to provide your current email address on your program application. 

Applicants will be notified within 30 days after the application deadline. 

Students must upload evidence of nursing assistant experience to the Student Passport system by July 1 to be eligible to start PNSG courses in the fall. The following are means of demonstrating experience:

Successful completion of a Nursing Assistant course OR Healthcare Core Curriculum with nursing assistant skillset within the last five years with a minimum grade of C or Pass. Current Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) in good standing with a Department of Health Nursing Assistant Registry.

Applicants with health care experience other than CNA who feel that experience is equivalent to CNA may test out by challenging the national nurse aide registry exam, rather than enrolling and completing the Nursing Assistant course. Students are responsible for all costs and fees incurred as part of the test-out process. Students who do not successfully test out will be required to complete a nursing assistant course and upload supporting documentation into the Student Passport system before the July 1 deadline.

Students are required to upload official documentation of American Heart Association Basic Life Support certification into the Student Passport by July 1 to be eligible to start PNSG courses in the fall. Certification must include a hands-on component.

Accepted nursing students are required to upload into Student Passport a cleared Minnesota Department of Human Services background study by July 1 to be eligible to start classes in the fall. A $30 fee will be assessed for processing the background study and fingerprinting/photo. The process for background studies and fingerprinting will be included with acceptance documents.

Accepted students who choose not to complete the background check OR who do not pass the background check may not be permitted to attend clinical experiences or service-learning opportunities. In such cases, the college cannot guarantee alternative learning opportunities, which ultimately will affect students’ ability to complete the program.

Accepted nursing students are required to have a cleared national background check submitted to Student Passport by July 1 to be eligible to start classes in the fall, even if they have completed a national background check for employment. National background checks are completed through a third-party vendor. Instructions and codes will be provided via official M State email from Joel Hoffman, nursing lab assistant. The cost of the initial background check is $45.75. Students are responsible for the cost.

Accepted students who choose not to complete the background check OR who do not pass the background check may not be permitted to attend clinical experiences or service-learning opportunities. In such cases, the college cannot guarantee alternative learning opportunities, which ultimately will affect students’ ability to complete the program.

Students are required to upload a completed Health Division Health Form into the Student Passport by July 1. If there is a change in a student’s physical or emotional health status, they are required to upload a Change in Health Status Approval Form from a health care provider indicating the specific activities in which they can or cannot engage during clinical and/or lab. Students with clinical and/or lab restrictions must be able to meet all associated course outcomes to successfully complete the course(s). Clinical partners may choose not to permit students with restrictions(s) to participate in their facilities, resulting in the students not being able to meet those course outcomes. A list of the nursing program technical standards is available at Accepted Nursing Students.

Proof of immunizations (including a yearly influenza vaccination) is required by clinical facilities. Conscientious objectors may not be able to complete clinical courses at the discretion of the clinical facilities.

You must upload health forms, supporting documentation, American Heart Association BLS (CPR) documentation and evidence of NA experience to the Student Passport system by July 1 to be eligible to start classes in the fall. Information on Student Passport will be sent to all accepted nursing students.