Easiest Nursing Schools to Get Into in New Jersey (2026)

Looking for the "easiest" nursing schools to get into in New Jersey? The honest version: no accredited NJ BSN is easy, and every one of them leads to the same NCLEX-RN exam. What differs is how accessible the published requirements are, and New Jersey is a distinctive state on that front. Only a handful of schools publish college-level GPA floors at all; most admit freshmen directly through general university admissions using high school records.

Three things to hold onto:

• Minimums are floors, not guarantees. A published 2.5 or 2.75 means eligibility, not admission. Competitive applicants clear the floor with room to spare.
• In NJ, the high school transcript often is the application. Several schools screen on HS GPA and HS biology/chemistry grades rather than college prerequisites.
• Numbers move every cycle. These figures are accurate as of July 2026; check the school's page for current numbers before applying.

Skip the spreadsheet work: check your odds free against real New Jersey requirements, or line up all New Jersey nursing programs side by side.

How we ranked "most accessible"

We sorted New Jersey BSN programs in our database by their most accessible published requirement, lowest GPA floor first, and flagged whether the number is a college GPA or a high school GPA (in NJ, that distinction matters more than anywhere else). Direct-admit programs with no numeric cutoff get their own section.

The most accessible New Jersey BSN programs by published requirements

1. Rowan University (Glassboro)

• Prerequisite GPA floor: 2.5 across prerequisite courses
• Exam: ATI TEAS not required (dropped effective November 2023)

Rowan has the lowest published GPA floor in the state, but read the model carefully: it is a cooperative diploma-plus-BSN pathway with Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes, not a conventional standalone BSN. You complete year one at Rowan, apply into the diploma phase with a 2.5 GPA and C or better in prerequisites, pass the NCLEX, then finish the BSN. (Partially verified; confirm details on the official page.)

2. Monmouth University (West Long Branch)

• Overall GPA floor: 2.75 (also the progression threshold)
• Exam: None

Monmouth's freshman direct-admit BSN publishes a 2.75 overall GPA requirement, the most forgiving conventional floor in New Jersey. High school chemistry with a B or better is expected (or you take a chemistry course at Monmouth), and an essay on the nursing profession is required. Freshman deadline is December 1.

3. Saint Peter's University (Jersey City)

• GPA floor: 3.0 (freshman-year and cumulative)
• Exam: TEAS, 78% minimum

Saint Peter's runs a one-year Pre-Nursing track into its Generic BSN. The 3.0 GPA floor is moderate, but the TEAS bar of 78% is the highest published exam cutoff in the state, so test prep matters most here.

4. Felician University (Lodi)

• Overall GPA floor: 3.2
• Exam: SAT 1040, ACT 20, or TEAS at Basic Proficiency (waived with a 3.4+ high school GPA)

Felician publishes a clear checklist: a 3.2 overall GPA plus prerequisites including A&P I/II with labs, Microbiology, Chemistry, Life Span Development, and Statistics. The test waiver at a 3.4 high school GPA is a genuinely accessible angle for strong students who dislike standardized tests.

5. William Paterson University (Wayne)

• Freshman floor: 3.5 high school GPA test-optional, or 3.0 with an SAT of 1130
• Exam: No nursing entrance exam

William Paterson screens freshmen on high school records: B or better in HS biology and chemistry, plus the GPA/SAT combination above. The 3.0-with-SAT route is the accessible path if your test score is solid. Nursing priority deadline is December 1.

6. Kean University (Union)

• Freshman floor: 3.5 high school GPA, B or better in HS biology
• Exam: Nursing Entrance Exam in year one, minimum score 60

Kean admits to pre-nursing on a 3.5 high school GPA, then selects the cohort in May of year one using first-year GPA (2.75 minimum), an entrance exam scored at 60 or above, and a video essay. (Partially verified; the official pages do not name which exam is used.)

Direct admission: New Jersey's main event

More than half of NJ's traditional BSN programs admit freshmen directly through general university admissions, with no separate nursing application and no published college-level cutoffs. Direct admission is convenient, not easy: you compete in the general admissions pool, and the strongest pools are selective. Here is the direct-admit lineup:

• [The College of New Jersey](/programs/the-college-of-new-jersey) (Ewing): the official requirement is simply acceptance to the College. No nursing GPA, prerequisites, or exam for first-year entry, and transfers into the traditional BSN are not currently accepted. TCNJ's general pool is competitive.
• [Stockton University](/programs/stockton-university) (Galloway): direct-admits freshmen with a desired high school GPA of 3.5 or higher and three years of lab science including chemistry.
• [Montclair State University](/programs/montclair-state-university) (Montclair): freshman applicants only, fall entry only, holistic high school review with no published numeric thresholds. (Partially verified.)
• [Seton Hall University](/programs/seton-hall-university) (Nutley campus): freshman direct-admit with a published 3.6 high school GPA target and high school biology and chemistry units. (Partially verified.)
• [Ramapo College](/programs/ramapo-college-of-new-jersey) (Mahwah): admitted freshmen get a reserved seat in the junior-year nursing sequence if they complete the first two years' requirements. No freshman nursing cutoffs are published. (Partially verified.)
• [Rutgers School of Nursing](/programs/rutgers-university-school-of-nursing) (Newark/New Brunswick): first-year entry with published prerequisite coursework but no published GPA or exam minimums; test-optional. (Partially verified.)

How to get in, New Jersey edition

1. Protect the high school science grades: B or better in biology and chemistry unlocks half the state's programs.
2. If you are past freshman year, target the schools with college-level floors (Rowan, Monmouth, Saint Peter's, Felician).
3. Watch the early deadlines: December 1 recurs at Monmouth, William Paterson, and Rutgers' regular decision.

For the full state playbook, read how to get into nursing school in New Jersey, then check what GPA you need for nursing school and nursing schools you can get into with a 3.0 GPA.

Find your best-fit New Jersey program

Published requirements tell you where the door is; your file decides whether it opens. See your odds free against real New Jersey cutoffs, or compare every New Jersey nursing program in one place.

*This guide is for planning purposes only, not official admissions advice. Confirm current requirements on each school's official admissions page before applying.*