VN Program Details and Application Requirements

Prerequisites required to apply to the VN program must be completed with a grade "C" or better and appear on your transcript (in-progress courses not accepted). A minimum 3.0 GPA in the sciences, and a minimum 2.5 GPA in non-science courses, is required for acceptance. No in-progress course work is accepted.

Students may choose to follow their catalog rights for prerequisites to the program, or they may choose to follow the prerequisites to the program listed at time of entry. 

• Check your classes on the VN 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 Equivalency Course Chart, but believe it should be counted, complete a Course Substitution Petition and be sure to give yourself at least two to three weeks for processing.
• An official transcript must be on file with the Admissions and Records Office in order for the Course Substitution to be processed.

This table is for students who have completed general education (GE) courses for an AA or AS degree before Fall 2025 and plan to maintain their catalog rights to use SCC’s old GE pattern for their AA or AS degree. Students can use courses from the new GE areas (second column) to fulfill the corresponding old GE requirements (first column).

For example, if you need to complete a course from area IIb on the old GE pattern (first column), you can use the new GE pattern and take a course from either L1B or L2 (second column) to meet the IIb requirement.

Catalog Rights

For the purpose of graduating or earning a certificate from any college in the Los Rios Community College District, a student who attends at least one session (whether quarter, semester, or summer) in each calendar year at any California community college, California State University, University of California, or any regionally accredited institution of higher education, may choose to meet the requirements in effect at the Los Rios college from which the student intends to graduate, as follows:

• Requirements that were in effect at the time the student was admitted to a Los Rios college
• Requirements that were in effect at the time the student originally enrolled in an accredited college
• Requirements that were in effect at the intended date of graduation from a Los Rios college

Please note:

• A college may authorize or request substitution for discontinued courses.
• students who change their major field of study may be required to complete those requirements for the major in effect at the point of change.

For purposes of this section, "attendance" means taking classes in at least one session (semester or summer session) in each calendar year. Absence for attendance at another regionally accredited institution shall not be considered an interruption in attendance, per Los Rios Policy P-7242: Establishing Catalog Rights.

Exception

Students who possess a bachelor's (BA/BS) or higher degree from a college or university accredited through a regional accrediting agency recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) are deemed to have satisfied both the general education and graduation competency requirements for an AA/AS degree. Degrees from accredited institutions outside of the US will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

If your goal is to earn an Occupational Therapy Assistant - Associate of Science (AS) degree without transfer, then you can follow the local AA/AS GE requirements or the Cal-GETC requirements to select your GE classes.

Regardless of what type of student you are, it's best to meet with a counselor to help you pick courses that will meet the GE requirements for your educational goal.

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

• ATI TEAS test Version 7 (only).
• Visit atitesting.com to locate TEAS testing locations, dates and study guides.

No minimum score required for the VN program. Testing provides diagnostic information for individual support.

TEAS Testing Information

High School Graduate Status Requirement

Students must show proof of High School Graduate Status.

Evidence of eligibility is documented by one of the following:

• A High School transcript from an accredited high school in the United States.
• A cumulative PASS status on a General Education Development (GED) exam or California High School Proficiency Exam (CHPSE) transcript.
• A High School Graduate status posted to a College transcript.
  • Students who want to use coursework from a foreign college or university need to have their transcript(s) evaluated.
  • Visit Submit Transcripts and Test Scores or further details on Transcript evaluation and submission.

Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) Lab Skills Credit Granting Requirement

• Students with verified Certified Nursing Assistant coursework will be granted a credit of 16 hours for skills lab in first semester (VN 120) for objectives that correlate with CNA skills. This will apply to students with proof of coursework within 5 years of the application date for the program.
• Students are required to submit An Official Transcript of Certified Nursing Assistant Coursework from a (CDPH) approved institution upon acceptance into the VN program.

COVID-19 vaccines and booster(s) are required for the Vocational Nursing Program with no exemptions accepted due to clinical facility requirements.

Students must have proof of the COVID-19 vaccine upon acceptance to the program.

1. Proof of high school graduation or equivalent, or proof of AA/AS degree
2. Transcript proof of 3.0 cumulative GPA in Anatomy and Physiology
3. Transcript proof of 2.5 cumulative GPA in Medical Language, Psychology, Nutrition, and Human Development Life Span
4. Hard copy of ATI TEAS test scores (and electronically have the transcript sent to SCC)
5. Completed VN Course Verification Form
6. LVN Program Enrollment Acknowledgement form
7. Cover page from the online application

Applicants will be selected via the lottery at random. Once the number of qualified applicants and alternates have been selected for the Fall/Spring semester, the evaluation process ends.

Selected applicants will be emailed at the address provided on the application within 8 to 10 weeks of the close of the acceptance period.

Qualification is based on the following criteria:

• Submission of a complete application.
• Completion of all program prerequisites.

If not selected:

• You will not be contacted and telephone verification is not provided.
• SCC does not maintain a waitlist for nursing.
• All submitted materials will be destroyed - SCC does not retain your application.
• A new, complete application must be submitted for any future application periods.

If accepted, students will receive instructions for completing enrollment requirements.

Requirements include:

• Drug screen
• Background check
• CPR certification for healthcare providers
• Health screening