Registered Nursing (Traditional) Application

group of nursing student and instructors in a lab setting

Application Procedures

Please note that the application process has changed. Applicants who are re-applying to the program must submit updated application materials. The ONLY exception is that we will allow duplications of signed letters from employers confirming work duties or volunteer hours for two(2) consecutive application periods only. The initial letter must be an original. (The applicant is responsible for duplicating their supporting documents.)

*For complete program information and directions for submission, please refer to the Bakersfield College Registered Nursing Program Brochure. (Updated 4/04/2023)

Fall 2025 RNP Application with Appendix A (Check back in January!) - We encourage students to complete the on-line fillable application so that all information is legible. At this time we accept applications by mail (address is at the top of the application) or in person at MS-178 (Math and Science building, second floor, Allied Health wing. The Nursing program went green, there will not be printed applications made immediately available to students. (*For those that secure their CA Certificate or License after January 1, 2021, you will need to work a minimum of 6 months in the field to secure points in Section 1. EMT students that secured national certification in Fall 2020, can still obtain their CA certification by Spring 2021 to meet this requirement.)
Helpful Calculator Tool! - The calculator tool will help you obtain your GPA for the point calculation. (Use Planned Courses calculator)
Appendix B - if applicable
Appendix C - if applicable
Appendix D - if applicable

To address our current students that may not meet the NEW Multi-criteria requirements, we will consider eligibility of students that have had continuous enrollment in the pre-requisite Biology courses (BIOL B32, BIOL B33 and BIOL B16, or their equivalent). The Biology pre-requisites must have been started prior to the implementation of the new program selection requirements, Fall 2017. All equivalent courses must be on the BC transcript at the time of application. There will be no exceptions. This eligibility consideration would allow students that would otherwise NOT meet the NEW Multi-criteria requirements to be ranked using the new selection process. As a reminder, it is a 70% point selection process with a 30% lottery for the current 70 seats. For some, this would mean you are only eligible through the lottery selection. Review Appendix A to see areas where additional points could be earned.

Students must complete all prerequisites before applying for acceptance into the Registered Nursing Program. Please see Bakersfield College Nursing Program Brochure for more information.

What is my Application Status?

Application Periods

July 1-July 31 (Spring cohort) and January 1-January 31 (Fall cohort)

Current BC Students:

Submit an application form to the Nursing/Allied Health Department during the appropriate application period - please note, applications must be filled out completely, all information requested must be provided.
Submit either your unofficial or official Bakersfield College transcript showing all pre-requisite courses posted.
Bakersfield College transcripts must be received by the Nursing office prior to the last day of the appropriate application period.
Failure to meet all application requirements/procedures will result in an incomplete application and will not be considered for selection.

Other Students:

Apply for Admission to Bakersfield College either in person at the Admissions & Records office or online.
Have your college transcript(s) evaluated by:
- Ordering an Official copy of your transcripts from your previous college(s);
- Submit the Official copy of your transcripts along with a form “Request for Evaluation”. Please note that the evaluation process will not start until all transcripts listed on the form is received and you have submitted the Request for Evaluation form.
- Once your transcripts have been evaluated and posted to your Bakersfield College transcripts, either order an official copy to be sent from the Admission & Records office or print your unofficial transcript and submit along with the Application Form to the Nursing/Allied Health Department during the appropriate application periods.
Please note - transcript evaluation can take up to twenty four (24) weeks and must be completed prior to the end of the application period. For the January application period your transcripts should be submitted to the BC Records office with a Request for Evaluation no later than November 1st. For the July application period, your transcripts should be submitted to the BC Records office with a Request for Evaluation no later than May 1st.

Application Selection

*For complete program information, please refer to the Bakersfield College Nursing Program Brochure.

Students will be admitted to the program based on their scholastic eligibility and placement on a nursing assessment test as per SB 1309.

Conditionally Accepted

Conditionally accepted is the reservation of a seat prior to the ATI TEAS Assessment. Once the top ranked students and random lottery selected students have completed the assessment with a minimum score of 62%, they will then move from conditionally accepted to “officially accepted” in the RNP program. *Intake requirements such as drug screen and background must also be met. *For complete program information, please refer to the Bakersfield College RNP Program Brochure.

Assessment Test

All conditionally enrolled students and alternates will be required to take ATI TEAS, a state-approved nursing assessment test. Students need to study and test using the ATI TEAS, 7th edition, as earlier editions are no longer accepted. Students must rank at or above 62% on their first attempt on the ATI TEAS exam to be eligible for admission into the program. Students not meeting this criteria will be offered a remediation program. *Current BC students have FREE access to the Plato Courseware Resource that will provide TEAS study guide material as an option to assist in preparation for the exam. This can be accessed in the Student Success Lab-CSS 143. (Conditionally selected applicants will be expected to take the TEAS exam approximately 4 weeks from the time they are notified of their seat in the program. This time frame is subject to change. If a conditionally selected student has already taken and passed the latest version of the TEAS exam, they will not be required to re-test.) *For those that have applied and are awaiting a response, we encourage you to be studying to take the TEAS exam should you be offered a seat in the program. Your application to the program is your way of stating you are ready to start the program, complete the intake process successfully, and prepared for the costs associated with the program.

Alternate Status

Alternate students are students who are eligible, but are only selected if a seat becomes available for the cohort in which they applied. Alternates will also be asked to complete the Assessment. Once all alternate applicants have taken the ATI TEAS Assessment, a re-ranking will occur based on their post-TEAS overall score (Multi-criteria + ATI TEAS Score points). Alternates will then be selected based on their ranking order. *Please note that being considered an Alternate does not guarantee selection in future application periods for the Bakersfield College RNP program. If an Alternate applicant is not selected, they must reapply. There is NO waitlist.