RN Program Details and Application Requirements

The Registered Nursing Program is a two-year-long program accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) and approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing (BRN). The program prepares entry-level nurses with the knowledge and skills needed to provide quality patient care. Students are taught the competencies of the Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) and upon graduation will have earned an Associate in Science (AS) Degree and eligibility to take the RN National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX). Student learning in the RN program utilizes online learning in a portion of each course with the majority of the coursework being in-person. The clinical laboratory experiences will occur in local hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, ambulatory care clinics, community settings and/or the SCC Simulation Lab. The SCC RN Program utilizes a very high percentage of clinical time in direct patient care settings as the cornerstone to learning the foundational practices in nursing care. The program includes clinical rotations in many specialties including: geriatrics, adult care, pediatric, obstetrics, psych-mental health and nursing leadership. Classroom learning includes some online learning with the majority of each course delivered with the in-person method.

Application Requirements

Required Prerequisite Courses

Prerequisites required to apply to the RN program. All Science courses must be completed with a 3.0 GPA or higher. All Non-Science courses must be completed with a 2.5 GPA or higher (in-progress courses not accepted). Prerequisite requirements:

Course Number Course Name
• BIOL 440 General Microbiology
• BIOL 430/431 Anatomy and Physiology
• ENGWR 300 English Writing Composition
OR ENGWR 488 Honors College Composition and Research
OR ESLW 340 Advanced Composition
• PSYC 300 General Principles
• COMM 301 Introduction to Public Speaking
OR COMM 331 Group Discussion
• SOC 321 Race, Ethnicity and Inequality in the United States
OR ANTH 310 Cultural Anthropology

Criterion Form

Prerequisite Courses NOT Taken at SCC

For all courses not taken at SCC check your classes on the RN Course Equivalency Chart to determine if courses taken at other colleges will count toward prerequisites.

If you don’t see your course from another institution on the RN Course Equivalency Chart, but believe it should be counted, do all of the following:

SOC 321/ SOC 300 Policy

A student may use a SOC 300 course to apply to the RN program if they can prove they have met the Ethnic/Multicultural Studies requirement.

A General Education Certification Form (completed by a counselor) must be submitted at the time of application verifying the student has completed a SOC 300 or equivalent course AND has met the General Education (GE) Ethnic/Multicultural Studies Graduation Requirement through another course.

The Certification form must be submitted with the application.

If you have completed a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college, no further verification is needed.

If you have an Associate’s degree from the Los Rios Community College District, no further verification is needed.

TEAS Testing Requirements

The TEAS exam must be completed prior to applying to the program and may be taken at any ATI testing site.

SCC accepts the highest passing TEAS score. An overall score of 62 is required to apply to the program.

COVID Vaccine Requirements - RN Program Only

Due to our partnership with community facilities and their vulnerable populations, the COVID-19 vaccine will be required, as is the yearly influence vaccine. The potential for infectious disease exposure in the clinical setting in the RN Program includes many diseases. Proof of COVID vaccines and booster(s) and other vaccines are required via medical record documentation and are submitted after acceptance to the program.

The Registered Nursing Program accepts approved medical or religious exemptions for the COVID vaccines only and must be processed by the Los Rios Community College District, via the nursing program. Per all of our clinical facility policies, all other vaccines are required and do not have exemptions. Supporting documentation from a licensed MD, Nurse Practitioner, or Physician’s Assistant will be submitted. For any student with an approved exemption, masking (N95 or regular medical grade masks) policies will be required in the clinical setting per the facility’s policies. The SCC College Campus does not have a vaccine requirement to be on campus.

Steps to Apply

  1. Apply to Sacramento City College.
  2. Attend an information session.
  3. Submit a Course Substitution Petition for any Nursing Program Course taken outside the Los Rios Community College District and not included on the RN Course Equivalency Chart.
  4. Provide official college transcripts for any college outside of the Los Rios Community College District (American River, Cosumnes River, Folsom Lake or Sacramento City Colleges) to the Admissions and Records Office to be placed on your record prior to submitting a course substitution.
  5. Complete the RN Course Verification Form prior to application.
  6. Complete the Registered Nursing and/or LVN to RN online applications.
  7. Once you submit the online application, print out your online application cover page and Submit your supporting documents in a Nursing packet sent via mail. Detailed Mailing instructions are outlined on the cover page.

A person with a criminal/conviction history may not be allowed in a clinical facility and may not be qualified for a nursing license.

Supporting Documents to Include