Advanced Placement Policy

Berkshire Community College
Associate Degree in Nursing Program
Advanced Placement Admission Policy

Admission into BCC’s Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) Program through advanced placement is available for students who are LPNs wanting to complete an associate’s degree program and are eligible to sit for the NCLEX-RN. Students applying to this program must complete and submit the same college application form as other students applying to the college plus a completed ADN Bridge matriculation form

Applications and matriculation forms must be received by the BCC Nursing Admissions Office by June 1st of the calendar year to be considered for entry in the fall semester and November 1st of the academic year to be considered for entry into the spring semester Only students who have met all ADN admission requirements by the above deadlines will be considered for admission. Admission decisions are made on a rolling basis for both the fall and spring semesters

Applicants must ensure that their contact information is accurate and up to date at all times. Students will have up to three business days to respond to BCC

Students with two nursing program failures or two withdrawals or a combination of (taken at another institution, at BCC, or in combination) will not be admitted or readmitted to the program

A student with two nursing program failures or two withdrawals or a combination of (taken at another institution, at BCC, or in combination) within 10 years, who successfully completes a Practical Nurse Program and is a Licensed Practical Nurse would be eligible to apply to the LPN to RN Bridge Advanced Placement Program and will be considered if they meet all admission requirements. The accepted bridge student will not be eligible for readmission after one failure/withdrawal.

After a period of 10 years from the date of the first failure, qualified students with two nursing program failures/withdrawals will be considered for admission one time if they were in good standing - rectifying any documentation of unprofessional behavior or clinical safety concerns before leaving the program for any reason or in any manner - failure versus withdrawal.

Students who are dismissed from any of the BCC nursing programs for unprofessionalism or unsafe clinical behavior will be denied admission and/or readmission into any BCC nursing program as per the nursing dismissal policy

Advanced Placement Admissions Requirements:

Submit official transcript(s) from high school or high school equivalency, or its equivalent for candidates with evidence of college graduation, and official transcripts of previous colleges or post-secondary schools attended. College transcripts indicating a completed degree are satisfactory evidence of secondary school graduation.

International transcripts will only be accepted for consideration if they have been translated and evaluated by a foreign credential evaluation service provider. BCC recommends World Education Services - www.wes.org
Minimum GPA OF 2.0
Completion of prerequisite courses, including:
BIO-201, BIO-202 (Anatomy and Physiology 4 credits); each with a grade of C+ (77) or better within seven years of application deadline
LPN applicants who successfully complete BIO 154 and BIO154L - Intro to Anatomy and Physiology as an admission requirement for their PN program can use this course in place of BIO 201.
A science refresher class will be offered for students who have expired AandP or Microbiology classes. The refresher will include a comprehensive exam for that class. A student may take the refresher course and if they pass the exam with a C+ or better, will not have to repeat the expired course. This refresher class will be good for three years.
Math: ACCUPLACER Next Generation QAS score of 262 or greater OR successful completion of MAT 136 or higher (with a minimum grade of C). (MAT-123 Statistics recommended for transfer). Accuplacer scores expire after 4 years
ENG-101, PSY-107, and PSY-204 with a grade of C (73) or better
Students not matriculating within one year of graduation must have proof of employment as an LPN for a minimum of 6 months of clinical experience within two years of admission into the Associate Degree in Nursing program.
Watch mandatory nursing information sessions offered online at www.berkshirecc.edu/nursinginfo
Students must submit proof of compliance with MADPH immunization requirements by the August 1 deadline for admission into the program in the fall and by Dec 1 deadline for the spring
Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) who apply to BCC’s Associate in Science degree in Nursing may challenge the first two nursing courses (NUR-101 and NUR-102)

The LPN who immediately applies to the Associate Degree program within one year of graduation from an approved PN program may use their successful NCLEX-PN exam as the standardized theoretical test
The LPN who does not immediately enter the Associate Degree program within one year of graduating from an approved PN program will be required to pass the BCC LPN-ADN Entrance Exam (75 questions). A passing score will be a minimum score of a level 2 (please see leveling system below). The leveling system is based on the probability of passing through a conversion score recommended by ATI
Below level 1: 0%-49.5%
Level 1: 49.6%-65.4%
Level 2: 65.5%-78.8%
Level 3: 78.9%-100%

Mobility students will need to pay for 17 challenge exam credits unless their practical nursing certificate was completed at Berkshire Community College.

Applicants seeking to bridge into NUR 201 in the fall:

Will take the BCC LPN-ADN Entrance Exam in April and/or October (within one year of application) for the fall semester unless they are using their recent NCLEX exam as their challenge exam
Must have proof of licensure as a practical nurse by June 1st of the year of admission into the Associate Degree in Nursing program.
Applicants will notify the Director of Nursing of their intention to bridge by March 1st of the year of application.
The applicant must submit an LPN/ADN matriculation form by June 1st of the year of application into the Associate Degree in Nursing program
All advanced placement students admitted into the Associate Degree in Nursing program must successfully complete the “bridge” course (NUR-106) during the summer of the year of admission.

Applicants seeking to bridge into NUR 201 in the spring:

Will take the BCC LPN-ADN Entrance Exam in April and/or October (within one year of application) of the spring semester unless they are using their recent NCLEX exam as their challenge exam
Must have proof of licensure as a practical nurse by November 1st of the year of admission into the Associate Degree in Nursing program.

Applicants will notify the Director of Nursing of their intention to bridge by Sept 1st of the year of application.
The applicant must submit an LPN/ADN matriculation form by November 1st of the year of application into the Associate Degree in Nursing program
All advanced placement students admitted into the Associate Degree in Nursing program must successfully complete the “bridge” course (NUR-106) during the winter intercession of the year of admission.

A minimum of five (5) seats are reserved in the spring semester for the most recent graduates from BCC’s PN program who have declared intention to transition to LPN/and mobility pathway and have met all ADN admission requirements.

Students who have met all admission requirements are considered for acceptance on a space availability basis.

There is no deferral for an Educational Mobility student. Students must reapply to the program for the semester they are seeking entry

Determining Acceptance to the Advanced Placement ADN Program

The number of students accepted each semester will be determined according to the MABORN policy not to exceed admissions over 20% of the previous 3-year average

Space Available List

If an accepted student, admitted into the program, decides to decline admission, an alternate list (Space Available List), of the second tier of qualified students, is developed. To remain eligible, individuals on the Space Available List must continue to meet all eligibility requirements up until the starting semester, at which time individuals on the space available list may be notified of their admission to the program. If not admitted, those students on the Space Available List must reapply to the program each term. Individuals on the list must ensure that their contact information is accurate and up to date at all times. Individuals, from the Space Available List, admitted, will have up to three business days to respond to the offer

Created by Nursing Faculty 11/10/25