Home > SHCJ > Practical Nursing > Admissions Requirements

Practical Nursing Admissions Requirements

Admission into the program is selective. The PN admission requirements are as follows:

Candidates must have earned the following within the last seven years to be considered for admission:

  1. High school diploma with an overall grade average of 75 or a high school equivalent (GED/) with minimal score of 245 or 2450
  2. Meet Basic Communication (GER 10) or one of the following:
    1. Having a minimal score of 60 on the ACCUPLACER test for Reading and a minimal score of 75 on the ACCUPLACER test for Sentence Structure, or
    2. Students are exempt from the ACCUPLACER test if they:
      1. Achieve a minimum NYS English Regents score of 75
      2. Achieve a minimum SAT verbal score equal to or higher than 420
      3. Achieve a minimum ACT score of 17 on the English and Reading sections
  3. Satisfactory completion of Algebra math proficiency
    1. Completion of the Geometry or Algebra II/Trigonometry Regents with a grade of 75, or
    2. A grade of 65 on the Geometry Regents and a grade of 60-74 on the Trigonometry Regents, or
    3. Completion of a Pre-Calculus class, or
    4. Completion of MAT 092: Intermediate Algebra from Nursing ABC with a final score of “B” or higher, or
    5. Completion of equivalent college-level course work: intermediate Algebra, Survey of Math, College Algebra, Statistics, Pre-Calculus Algebra and Trigonometry or Calculus with a final grade of “C” or higher.
    6. Exceptions for Regent exempt secondary schools will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
  4. Satisfactory completion of Biology proficiency
    1. Completion of high school Biology or Living Environment with a grade of 75 or above on the New York State Regents Examination, or
    2. Completion of BIO 095: Basic Lab Biology from Nursing ABC with a final score of “C” (69.5 or higher), or
    3. Completion of equivalent college-level course work: Introduction to Biology with a final grade of “C” or higher or
    4. Completion of Anatomy and Physiology I with a final grade of “C” or higher within five (5) years.
    5. Exceptions for Regent exempt secondary schools will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
  5. Satisfactory completion of Chemistry proficiency
    1. Completion of high school chemistry with a grade of 70 on the New York State Regents, or
    2. Completion of CHM 095: Basic Lab Chemistry from Nursing ABC with a final score of “B” (79.5 or higher), or higher, or
    3. Completion of equivalent college-level course work: Introduction to Chemistry or Investigative Chemistry with a final grade of “C” or higher, or
    4. Completion of Anatomy and Physiology I with a final grade of “C” or higher.
    5. Exceptions for Regent exempt secondary schools will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
  6. Meet the minimum technical requirements for the nursing program.
  7. Must have proof of United States citizenship, legal residence. New York residents are given priority.
  8. Be at least 17 years of age at the time of applying for nursing licensure.
  9. Submit an application for admission into the nursing program

Transfer Students

Candidates must have earned the following to be considered for transfer into the practical nursing program:

  1. Satisfy the criteria stated in Admission Requirements: PN.
  2. Have a college GPA of 2.5 or higher at the time the application is submitted.
  3. **Students requesting transfer from another nursing program must:
    1. Satisfy the criteria stated in the admission requirements: PN
    2. Satisfy the co-requisite criteria if seeking advanced placement.
    3. Obtain an overall college GPA of 2.5
    4. Students requesting transfer from a non-credit bearing PN course must take the Excelsior LPN Fundamentals exam and pass with a “C” or higher.
    5. Students requesting transfer from a non-credit bearing PN course will have their courses evaluated for credit allotment.
    6. Student to request a written statement from the transferring institution directly to SUNY Canton Admissions on college letterhead and sealed indicating their standing upon leaving the college.
    7. Students who wish to transfer into the LPN program in the spring semester must have completed an equivalent three-credit pharmacology or if transferring from SUNY Canton ADN program has successfully completed Pharmacology 1, 2, 3 by the start of the Spring Semester. They also must take (or have completed) pharmacology 4 as a co-requisite.
    8. Complete SUNY Canton's LPNC 102 and LPNC 103 courses.

Note: Transfer credit may be awarded for courses that were previously taken at an accredited institution, passed with a grade of “C” or better, and are similar in content and credit hours to those in the SUNY Canton curriculum, such as Anatomy and Physiology I and II. Science courses completed more than five years prior to acceptance will need to be repeated.

Student Readmission Policy

A student who is unsuccessful in any nursing course the first time may reapply for admission into the next semester the course is offered. A student who has failed two nursing courses is not eligible for immediate readmission. The student must wait three (3) years from semester of unsuccessful advancement into the program and apply as a new student. The student will compete as a new applicant at that time. Auditing will be required depending on the time away from program.

All current admission criteria must be met at the time the student submits an application for readmission. To be eligible for readmission, a student must complete the following in sequential order:

  1. Meet the minimum requirements for entry into the program
  2. Attended the previous nursing class within four years.
  3. Submit an application for readmission.
  4. Submit an updated transcript with their admission application.
  5. Submit a written plan as to how you (the student) will be successful, if readmitted. This information must be submitted with the admission packet.
    1. Identify factors that kept you from being successful in the program
    2. Identify factors that have changed.
  6. If a student is requesting re-admission to the nursing program and it has been more than one year since the student was last enrolled in the nursing program, the student will be required to audit the lecture and lab sections of the last nursing course successfully completed.
  7. Readmission is selective and on a space available basis.

Important Dates

  1. Admissions to SUNY Canton’s undergraduate nursing programs are very competitive; therefore, it is important to remain aware of dates for application submission and completion of health and CPR requirements.
  2. Fall Application Deadlines:
    • Review and first round selection of applicants with waitlist offers will occur by March 1st
    • Review and final selection of applicants with waitlist offers will be decided by June 1st
  3. Spring Application Deadlines:
    • Review and final selection of applicants will be decided by December 24th

Submission of current CPR certification and completed health requirements to the SUNY Canton Health Center by August 1st for fall admission and January 7th for spring admission.