Nursing Schools in Los Angeles: 2026 BSN Admissions Guide

Los Angeles is one of the hardest places in the country to get into nursing school, and the numbers explain why: California's impacted public programs receive many times more applicants than they have seats. Our database tracks three BSN programs inside the city of Los Angeles, plus three more across the metro in Long Beach, Azusa, and La Mirada that most LA applicants should also consider.

The numbers below are published minimums on file as of July 2026. Treat them as floors, not targets: in LA more than anywhere, admitted students land far above the minimums, and schools revise cutoffs every cycle, so always check the school's page for current numbers. You can browse every program on our Los Angeles hub and the wider California hub, or check your odds free against the real requirements.

Public options in Los Angeles

University of California, Los Angeles

The Joe C. Wen School of Nursing at UCLA runs a freshman direct-entry BSN and is one of the most selective nursing programs anywhere: on the order of 6,000 applications for roughly 40 freshman seats. There is no nursing entrance exam and no stated minimum GPA; the UC application is due November 30 with a School of Nursing supplemental due January 15, for fall admission only. Prerequisite science coursework applies only to the separate junior-level transfer pathway.

California State University, Los Angeles

The Patricia A. Chin School of Nursing at Cal State LA is highly impacted, with about 70 seats for roughly 700 applicants. Published requirements: a 3.25 prerequisite GPA and a TEAS score of 70 on each of the four subtests (80 plus is competitive). The school also enforces a strict no-retake policy, requiring a B or better on the first attempt of prerequisite courses. Applications run through NursingCAS, opening April 1 with a May 31 deadline, for fall entry only.

A private option in Los Angeles

Mount Saint Mary's University

Mount Saint Mary's, a private Catholic women's-focused university, offers the city's most accessible published floor: a 3.0 cumulative GPA and a 2.7 science GPA, with sciences completed within five years. A nursing entrance exam is required, though the official pages do not name the test or a cutoff score, and an essay and demonstrated interest factor into holistic selection. Applications open September 1 and close February 1 for fall.

Worth a look across the metro

Greater LA adds several strong programs within commuting distance:

• Cal State Long Beach publishes a 3.25 cumulative GPA with a B or better (3.0) in prerequisite sciences. Instead of an academic entrance exam it uses the Casper situational judgment test, plus a supplemental School of Nursing application beyond Cal State Apply. Admitted averages run very high. Fall applications run October 1 to February 1.
• Azusa Pacific University, a private Christian university east of the city, lists a 3.0 cumulative GPA and a 2.7 science GPA in its catalog, while its program page cites a 3.5 cumulative GPA for initial admission consideration, so aim high. No TEAS or HESI is stated on official pages; letters of recommendation, a goals statement, and a resume are required. The deadline is November 15.
• Biola University in La Mirada admits students to the university first, then to the clinical program via CAS after prerequisites: a 3.2 cumulative GPA, a 2.5 science GPA across the four sciences, and a TEAS composite of 70 or higher, plus a B or better in its Intro to Professional Nursing course.

How admissions work in Los Angeles

A few patterns stand out across the metro:

1. Minimums are not the real bar. Cal State LA and Long Beach publish 3.25 floors and admit classes that average far higher; UCLA publishes no minimum at all and turns away the vast majority of applicants. Build your list assuming the effective bar is well above the published one.
2. Entrance exams vary wildly. Cal State LA and Biola want a TEAS of 70, Long Beach uses Casper, Mount Saint Mary's requires an unnamed exam, and UCLA and Azusa Pacific list no exam. Check each school before you book a test date.
3. First attempts count. Cal State LA's no-retake rule and Biola's course-grade gates mean your original science grades carry the load; a retake strategy that works elsewhere can fail here.
4. Fall-only cycles compress the calendar. UCLA, Cal State LA, and Mount Saint Mary's each admit once per year, so missing a November-to-May window costs a full cycle.

For statewide strategy, see how to get into nursing school in California, our list of the easiest nursing schools to get into in California, and what GPA you need for nursing school.

See where you stand in Los Angeles

Every requirement above is already loaded into our free tool. Enter your GPA, science grades, and any exam scores, and the chance calculator will show your fit for every LA area BSN program in seconds, no account required.

*This guide is for planning only, not official admissions advice; always confirm requirements with each school.*