Nursing school is hard to get into less because GPA cutoffs are impossibly high than because seats are scarce. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing counted 65,398 qualified applications to entry-level bachelor's programs turned away in 2024, mostly because schools lack clinical placements, faculty and preceptors. When a program has more qualified applicants than seats, the published minimum stops being the number that matters.
The short answer: published minimums are low, usually 2.0 to 3.0, but admitted averages at competitive public BSN programs run 3.5 to 3.7 overall. At the University of Central Florida, the Fall 2025 traditional BSN class on the main campus averaged a 3.69 overall GPA and 3.61 in science prerequisites, with 140 students invited out of 408 applicants. Your prerequisite (science) GPA and TEAS score usually decide where you rank.
Programs set a floor you must clear to apply, then rank everyone above it. Here are admitted-student averages from programs that publish them:
| Program | Overall / science GPA | TEAS |
|---|---|---|
| UCF BSN, Orlando Fall 2025 | 3.69 / 3.61 | 88.2 |
| UCF BSN, Daytona Fall 2025 | 3.49 / 3.42 | 81.8 |
| UCF second-degree BSN, Summer 2025 | 3.52 / 3.67 | 86.7 |
| CSUSM transfer BSN, 2026–27 | 3.91 (core) | 82.6 |
And here are published floors, which are much lower:
Two things stand out. First, the gap between floor and average is large: UCF's lowest admitted GPA was about 3.0, but the averages sit half a point or more above it. Second, campus matters even inside one university. UCF's Daytona and Cocoa cohorts averaged 3.49 and 3.52, below the 3.69 at the main campus, so applying to more than one campus or program widens your odds.
Community college associate degree (ADN) programs usually publish lower floors and rank applicants with a points sheet instead of a single GPA cutoff. Many nurses start with an ADN, pass the NCLEX-RN, and finish an RN-to-BSN program while working.
Almost every nursing program requires anatomy and physiology (A&P), microbiology, chemistry and statistics, and most calculate a separate prerequisite or science GPA from those courses. Points systems make this explicit. The College of Southern Nevada awards up to 6 points for prerequisite GPA, from 1 point at 2.50–2.75 to 6 points at 3.76–4.00, plus 2 points for each key science or math prerequisite with a B or better on the first attempt. A B-minus earns nothing, and a second attempt earns nothing.
A student with a 3.2 cumulative GPA and A's in every science prerequisite can outrank a student with a 3.6 cumulative GPA and B-minuses in A&P, because many programs score only the prerequisite grades.
That same rule cuts against retakes. Some programs, like CSN, give points only for a first-attempt grade, and others count every attempt in the prerequisite GPA. Retaking a C in A&P can still help at schools that use the newest grade, but check the specific program's repeat policy before you plan around it.
Most programs require the ATI TEAS (reading, math, science and English). ATI reports a percentage score and an academic preparedness level:
| ATI level | TEAS score |
|---|---|
| Developmental | 0–40.7% |
| Basic | 41.3–58.0% |
| Proficient | 58.7–77.3% |
| Advanced | 78.0–90.0% |
| Exemplary | 90.7–100% |
The national mean on a recent ATI sample report was about 65%. Proficient is a common minimum (Amarillo College's ADN requires a 58.7% composite), but competitive programs admit well above it: UCF's lowest admitted TEAS was 78, the bottom of Advanced, and its cohort averages ranged from 81.8 to 90.7. Some programs set section minimums instead; CSN requires 75% in reading, math and science and 70% in English.
Because most programs combine GPA and TEAS in one ranking, a borderline GPA with an Advanced TEAS can outrank a strong GPA with a Proficient TEAS. The science section usually carries the most points.
Into a competitive BSN program, rarely: at UCF the lowest admitted overall GPA was about 3.0. Into an ADN program, often yes, if your prerequisite grades and TEAS are strong. Amarillo College requires a 2.0 cumulative GPA and a Proficient TEAS, and CSN's points scale starts at a 2.50 prerequisite GPA. At those programs a 2.5 earns few or no GPA points, so the rest of your score has to come from A and B prerequisite grades and TEAS points.
If your GPA is too low for your target programs, the moves that change your number fastest are retaking C-or-lower prerequisites where the school uses the new grade, adding recent science coursework with A's, and earning a CNA or similar credential that also adds points.
Admission is the first GPA hurdle. Most BSN programs also require a minimum grade in every nursing course (often a C or C+) to progress, and many scholarships require a 3.0 each term. Clinical rotations, pharmacology and care planning arrive at the same time, so students who entered with a 3.5 sometimes slip. Read your program's progression policy and your scholarship's renewal terms before the first semester. See What GPA Do You Need to Keep Your Scholarship? for how renewal thresholds work.
If you are weighing nursing against a pre-med track, medical schools expect considerably higher GPAs at entry; see What GPA Do You Need for Med School?
Not sure how many A's you'd need to reach a target GPA before applying?
Use the GPA Raise Calculator →What GPA do you need for nursing prerequisites? Most programs require at least a C in each prerequisite and a prerequisite GPA around 2.5 to 3.0 to apply (Grand Valley State requires 2.7). Competitive programs admit far higher: UCF's Fall 2025 main-campus BSN class averaged a 3.61 science prerequisite GPA. Points-based programs such as the College of Southern Nevada award points only for B or better on the first attempt.
What is the minimum GPA for nursing school? Published minimums range from 2.0 cumulative (Amarillo College ADN) to 2.7 overall and prerequisite (Grand Valley State BSN), and many programs use 2.5 to 3.0. Meeting the minimum only makes you eligible to be ranked; at UCF the lowest admitted overall GPA was about 3.0.
What is the average GPA for nursing school acceptance? At UCF in 2025–26, traditional BSN cohorts averaged 3.49 to 3.72 overall and the second-degree BSN averaged 3.52. Cal State San Marcos transfer admits averaged a 3.91 pre-nursing core GPA. Community college ADN programs rarely publish averages because they rank with points sheets.
What TEAS score do you need for nursing school? A Proficient score (58.7% or higher) is a common minimum, but competitive BSN programs admit mostly Advanced scores (78% and up). UCF's lowest admitted TEAS was 78 and its cohort averages ran from 81.8 to 90.7.
Is a 3.5 GPA good enough for nursing school? It clears the minimum everywhere and is near the average at many campuses, such as UCF's Daytona (3.49) and Cocoa (3.52) cohorts, but it is below the 3.69 average at UCF's main campus. A strong science prerequisite GPA and an Advanced TEAS score make a 3.5 competitive at most programs.
Published minimums (2.0 to 3.0) tell you whether you can apply; admitted averages (about 3.5 to 3.7 at competitive BSN programs) tell you whether you will get in. Prerequisite grades, first attempts and TEAS points usually decide the ranking.
If your GPA is below target, an ADN program with a points sheet is a legitimate path to the RN license, and every prerequisite A and TEAS point counts directly toward your rank.