BSN Admissions by the Numbers: What It Really Takes in 2026

Ask ten people what it takes to get into nursing school and you'll get ten different answers. So we skipped the folklore and went to the source: the published admission requirements of 325 pre-licensure BSN programs across 19 states, each researched against the school's official admissions pages. This is what BSN admissions actually looks like in 2026, in numbers you can quote.

Key findings

• 325 BSN programs analyzed across 19 states, all verified or sourced from official school pages as of July 2026.
• The average published cumulative GPA floor is 2.85, but the median is 3.0, and exactly 3.0 is by far the most common cutoff (106 of 244 programs that publish one, or 43.4%).
• Nearly 1 in 5 programs (19.3%) set their GPA floor at 2.5 or below, so a rough semester does not close every door.
• 54.8% of programs require an entrance exam: 39.7% use the TEAS, 14.5% use the HESI A2, and 0.6% use the NLN PAX.
• 86 verified programs require no entrance exam at all, confirmed directly from their official requirements pages.
• The most common published TEAS minimum is 70, and the median across 74 programs with a numeric TEAS cutoff is 67.
• Only 3 of 325 programs (0.9%) require the CASPer situational judgment test.
• 25 programs (7.7%) publish no secondary admission hurdles at all, the classic direct-admit pattern at schools like UCLA and Villanova.

Methodology, in plain English

These statistics come from the Nursing School Planner dataset of 325 pre-licensure BSN programs in 19 states (AL, AR, CA, FL, GA, IA, IL, LA, MA, MI, NC, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, TX, VA, WA). Every program in the analysis is rated verified (240 programs, confirmed directly from official program pages) or partial (85 programs, sourced from published info). Where a specific value in our dataset is an estimate rather than a published number, we excluded it from that statistic. GPA figures reflect the 244 programs that publish a cumulative GPA minimum. Requirements change every cycle, so treat these as a map of the landscape, not a substitute for checking each school's page.

GPA floors: the 3.0 myth is half true

Of the 244 programs with a published cumulative GPA minimum:

• 2.5 or below: 47 programs (19.3%)
• 2.51 to 2.99: 66 programs (27.0%)
• Exactly 3.0: 106 programs (43.4%)
• Above 3.0: 25 programs (10.2%)

The average floor is 2.85 and the median is 3.0. So "you need a 3.0" is the single most common rule, but it is not universal: nearly half of programs (46.3%) will accept applications below 3.0.

The lowest published cumulative floor in our dataset is 2.0, shared by seven schools, including Harding University in Arkansas, Lamar University in Texas, and the University of Washington. A word of caution: a low floor is an eligibility line, not an admission promise. UW's 2.0, for example, sits in front of a famously competitive holistic review. The highest published floor is 3.6, at the University of South Florida.

One more layer: 104 programs also publish a separate science or prerequisite GPA minimum, averaging 2.83. Many applicants clear the cumulative bar and stumble on this one. Our guide on what GPA you need for nursing school breaks down the three GPAs schools calculate, and if you're sitting right at the line, see nursing schools you can get into with a 3.0 GPA.

GPA floors by state

Average published cumulative GPA minimum, for states with at least 5 programs publishing one:

• Arkansas: 2.50 (12 programs)
• Oklahoma: 2.63 (13 programs)
• Louisiana: 2.73 (16 programs)
• Texas: 2.78 (47 programs)
• Ohio: 2.80 (17 programs)
• Michigan: 2.84 (14 programs)
• North Carolina: 2.85 (13 programs)
• Illinois: 2.85 (15 programs)
• Virginia: 2.88 (12 programs)
• Georgia: 2.92 (21 programs)
• Pennsylvania: 2.96 (12 programs)
• California: 3.05 (19 programs)
• Florida: 3.06 (20 programs)
• New Jersey: 3.07 (6 programs)

The spread is real: the average floor in New Jersey, Florida, and California is more than half a grade point higher than in Arkansas. If your GPA is borderline, where you apply matters as much as how you apply, and you can see which programs your GPA clears before you spend a single application fee.

Entrance exams: the TEAS still rules, but barely half require any exam

Across all 325 programs:

• TEAS required: 129 programs (39.7%)
• HESI A2 required: 47 programs (14.5%)
• NLN PAX required: 2 programs (0.6%)
• No entrance exam on file: 147 programs (45.2%)

That last number deserves care. Some of those 147 simply don't publish exam info. But 86 of them are fully verified programs whose official pages confirm no entrance exam is required alongside published GPA or coursework requirements. That is more than a third of the 240 fully verified programs in this analysis: test-optional nursing admissions is not a loophole, it is a large slice of the market. We keep a running list in nursing schools that don't require the TEAS.

Among TEAS schools, 74 publish a numeric minimum. The most common cutoff is 70 (14 programs), followed by 65 (12 programs); the median is 67 and the mean is 67.5. Notably, 55 of the 129 TEAS programs publish no numeric minimum at all, which usually means scores are ranked competitively rather than gated. On the HESI side, 33 programs publish a minimum, and 75 is the dominant cutoff (19 of the 33), with 80 the next most common. Choosing between the two tests? See TEAS vs HESI A2.

The CASPer test, despite the buzz, remains rare: just 3 of 325 programs require it (the University of Arkansas, CSU Long Beach, and CSU Chico).

Direct admission and the public-private split

25 programs (7.7%) publish no secondary admission requirements at all: no separate GPA cutoff, no entrance exam, no prerequisite gauntlet before starting nursing coursework. This is the signature of direct-admit programs, where you are admitted to nursing as a freshman and simply progress. Schools in this group include UCLA, NYU, Villanova, and Drexel. More broadly, our research notes flag direct-admit pathways at 42 of the 325 programs.

The dataset splits almost evenly between sectors: 171 public programs (52.6%) and 154 private (47.4%). Public programs dominate the low-floor end of the GPA range, while direct-admit patterns cluster at private universities and selective publics.

What this means for your application

• A 3.0 clears the published floor at about 90% of programs that publish one. Below 3.0, you still have 113 programs at or under a 2.99 floor to work with.
• Your science GPA can sink you even when your cumulative GPA is fine. 104 programs check it separately.
• If the TEAS scares you, apply around it. 86 verified programs skip entrance exams entirely.
• Floors are not targets. Competitive admits typically land well above published minimums, especially at schools that rank applicants.

Every number above is a published minimum, and minimums move every cycle. Before you apply anywhere, confirm the current requirements on the school's official admissions page. Then put your own numbers to the test: our free chance calculator compares your GPA and exam scores against these same real, verified requirements across every program in the planner, and shows you where you actually stand. Check your admission chances free.

Cite this data

Writing about nursing school admissions? You are welcome to cite any statistic on this page. Please credit Nursing School Planner and link to this page so readers can see the full methodology and the most current numbers.

*This guide is for planning purposes only. Always confirm current requirements on each school's official admissions page before applying.*