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Nursing Admission Criteria

Basic Skills Assessment

  • Applicants must complete the Heartland basic skills assessment in English, math, and reading comprehension and score at the college level in all three areas. The required scores will show placement into the following courses: ENGL 101, MATH 106 or above, and READ 101 or above.
  • Applicants whose scores are below the levels required for admission must successfully complete the courses needed to reach the college level before being deemed eligible for the program. These developmental courses are not counted in the cumulative grade point average.

Nursing Assistant

  • Regular Admission applicants must be listed on the Illinois Public Health Registry (Health Care Worker Registry [formerly known as the CNA Registry]) by February 2009.

Grade Point Average

  • A grade point average of 2.5 (4 pt. scale) is required for consideration.
  • Applicants with less than seven hours of college credit must have a high school GPA of 2.5 (4 pt. scale). Applicants who do not meet the minimum high school GPA must successfully complete at least seven semester hours of college-level work and achieve a 2.5 (4 pt. scale).
  • For applicants with seven or more hours of college credit, all college-level work will be included in the calculation of the GPA. Applicants with a GPA below 2.5 (4 pt. scale) will need to successfully complete additional college-level courses to raise their cumulative GPA.

GED Scores

  • Applicants who have less than seven hours of college credit and hold a GED certificate must have a minimum score of 50 on each section of the old GED or 500 on each section of the new GED.
  • Applicants who do not meet the minimum GED requirement must successfully complete at least seven hours of college-level work and achieve a 2.5 (4 pt. scale).

Biological Science

  • Applicants who have not previously completed BIOL 181 (or equivalent) with a “C” or better must meet the prerequisite for BIOL 181. This includes: 1) one year of high school biology within the last 3 years with a "C" or higher, 2) BIOL 099 with a grade of "C" or higher or assessment, 3) and MATH 096 or MATH 099 with a grade of "C" or higher or assessment.

Residency

  • Applicants who are legal residents of Community College District #540 will be given preference for admission provided all admission criteria are met. Applicants will be required to show proof of residency as part of the application process, and students admitted to the program will be required to show proof of residency at the time of registration each term.
  • Out-of-district applicants will be considered for admission after all qualified and eligible in-district applicants have been offered admission. Applicants with temporary visas will not be considered until all qualified and eligible in-district and out-of-district applicants have been offered admission.
  • Official definition of residency and description of District #540 boundaries are available in Student Services.

Health

The student's health must enable him/her to fulfill the requirements and outcomes of the nursing program. The Heartland Community College Nursing Program follows the National Counsel of State Boards of Nursing Inc. recommendations of functional abilities for nurses

Licensure

Learn more about licensure.

Questions

If you have any questions about admission to the ADN program, please call (309) 268-8057 or send admission questions to Tina Bott

If you are interested in a job shadowing experience with a registered nurse, please contact Workforce Services.

Other questions may be answered in the Nursing Admission Criteria & Procedures Packet (PDF, 566 KB) or on our frequently asked questions page.

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