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nursing students practicing treating a hospital patient

Pre-Admission Advising

A background in the basic sciences, along with general education college courses, is essential to prepare a student to succeed in the Nursing Program.

It is critical that you work closely with an advisor in order to be fully prepared. Please read all the information on this site and make a list of your questions to assist the advisor. Assessment test scores and/or all unofficial transcripts are needed prior to the advising appointment.

Previous Degrees and Waivers

For students with previously earned associate or bachelor degrees, the 7-year limit on some non-science prerequisite courses can be waived for credits earned within that degree.

Only the Nursing Program Director or the Allied Health Program Manager at Pierce College Puyallup may consider exceptions to this requirement, and it is the responsibility of the applicant to obtain a waiver prior to the application deadline.

This waiver will then be added to the course prerequisite listing form by the program manager in phase I of the application process.

Other Programs and BSN Completion

Requirements for other nursing programs and BSN completion in the area may be different.

If you are planning to apply to other programs in addition to this one, or intend to complete a Bachelor's in Nursing, please contact the nursing program at the two or four-year program you wish to apply to.

Because admission into this program is competitive, we encourage all of our applicants to prepare to apply to several area programs.

An Associate Degree in Pre-Nursing/DTA is not required to apply to the Pierce College Nursing Program. The Pre-Nursing DTA does meet our academic coursework for prerequisites but contains some additional courses that are not on our required prerequisite list. The Associate Degree in Pre-Nursing does make a candidate eligible to apply to multiple colleges and universities in Washington State that offer nursing degrees.

Course Equivalence of Prerequisite Courses From Other Colleges

All applicants must complete and submit the Course Prerequisite Listing Form (along with the rest of the Phase I paperwork) to the Pierce College Puyallup Nursing Office to be considered in the selection process. When evaluating in state transcripts, the Course Prerequisite Listing Form is a necessary tool.

Equivalence of courses taken at colleges in the State of Washington may be determined by referring to the Prerequisite Course Equivalency Chart. Any course not indicated on the Prerequisite Course Equivalency Chart MUST be accompanied by a signed Pierce College Nursing Waiver Form in order to be eligible for admission consideration. Please see the Pierce College Nursing Advisor to complete the equivalency check and prepare the form, which we then keep.

There may also be questions regarding course transferability from out-of-state colleges. It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure that all prerequisite coursework will transfer to Pierce College. Please contact the Pierce College nursing advisor to obtain the necessary support paperwork (waiver) well in advance of the application deadline.