Nursing (ADN)/Nursing Transition (LVN to ADN)

The 2-year ADN programs begin every August and January. The one-year LVN-to-ADN Transition program begins every Summer semester. 

Please see the ADN admission requirements in the current ACC catalog and ADN application instructions. All ADN applicants must meet minimum admission requirements for both the COLLEGE and the ADN PROGRAM to be eligible for consideration for acceptance into an ADN program. 

The 2-year program prereqs are BIOL-2401, BIOL-2402, ENGL-1301 and PSYC 2301. The Transition prereqs are BIOL-2401, BIOL-2402, BIOL-2420, ENGL-1301, PSYC-2301 and PSYC-2314. You may apply to a nursing program while “in progress” in prereqs, but if you are accepted into a nursing program, you must have passing grades in all the prereqs before the nursing program starts. Any “in progress” prereq courses are not counted in your GPA when ranking you against other applicants.  

All ADN applicants must take the HESI-A2 entrance exam, which is mandatory regardless of educational background - no exceptions. Acceptable HESI-A2 scores must be submitted to the ADN department by the ADN application deadline. Required minimum scores: at least 78 on the composite score and at least 78 on the reading section. All of these sections must be taken: Math, Reading Comprehension, Vocabulary and General Knowledge, Grammar, and Anatomy and Physiology. The HESI-A2 must be taken within 5 years of the ADN application deadline. We do not accept HESI score reports from students. See the ADN application instructions for more details on the HESI exam. 

Admission is competitive. After the application deadline, applicants are ranked primarily according to the number of completed courses in the ADN curriculum, the GPA of those courses (GPA must be at least 3.0), and HESI A2 test scores (see minimum scores above). Priority admission is given to applicants who: 1) achieve high HESI A2 scores; 2) have a high grade point average in ADN curriculum academic coursework; and 3) completed, or are in progress in, BIOL-2420. Additional consideration is given to applicants who: 1) complete ADN curriculum courses without repeating or withdrawing from courses in the last five years from the application deadline; 2) complete ADN curriculum courses at ACC; 3) hold a Bachelor’s or higher degree from an accredited college or university; 4) hold a current certification or license in a healthcare or veterinary related occupation; and, 5) reside in the ACC tax district. 

To get a high ranking, you should have a high GPA in as many ADN curriculum courses as possible, and achieve high HESI-A2 scores. We do not count grades of courses that are not part of the ADN curriculum. Admission is very competitive, and students accepted into the program usually have completed many ADN curriculum courses with an A or B+ average and have HESI scores significantly higher than the required minimum scores.

To find out whether your GPA meets the minimum requirement of 3.0, go to a GPA calculator web page. Put in grades for all the non-RNSG courses you have that are in our ADN degree plan. If you repeated a course, only put in the highest grade you made for that course. Allowed electives are in the box at the bottom of the "degree plan" page. If you have more than one elective, only put the highest grade you made in ONE elective. DO NOT put in grades for any other courses. For each course, put the letter grade in the left column and the course's number of credit hours in the right column. Click the blue "Calculate" button after entering all your grades. The GPA must be 3.0 or higher for you to be eligible to apply to the ADN program. 

You may take some or all of the general education (non-nursing) courses ahead of time, with the requirement that all prereqs must be completed before starting a nursing program. Applicants who complete many general education courses with a high GPA will rank higher in the admission process. Whatever grades you have in general education courses at the time you apply, the GPA of those grades must be at least 3.0. “In-progress” courses are not counted in your GPA in the ranking process.

Courses are eligible for transfer from regionally accredited colleges and universities when content and credit hours are equivalent to the courses in the ADN curriculum. Transferred general education (non-nursing) courses must have a grade of "C" or better. Transferred nursing courses must have a grade of “B” or better. Please see information in the “Transfer of Nursing Credits” section of the College Catalog for details on transferring nursing courses. 

A&P BIOL courses more than 5 years old as of the application deadline must be repeated, or you must successfully pass a competency exam. If you pass the competency exam, your old BIOL grade(s) will be used when ranking you against other applicants. Contact the Testing Center 281-756-3531 for information about competency exams. Please see information in the “Transfer of Nursing Credits” section of the College Catalog for details about time limits on nursing courses. 

2-year ADN: Once enrolled in the first nursing course, the ADN program takes 21 months during four long semesters (no summer RNSG courses). LVN-ADN Transition: Once enrolled in the first nursing course, the Transition Program takes one year. 

The nursing program is very demanding in terms of time and effort. Depending on semester, classroom, lab and clinical hours will total 17-20 hours/week. In addition, students should budget at least three hours of outside study time for each hour spent in class. While many students are employed during their enrollment, a full-time work schedule of 40 hours/week is difficult to maintain. Work schedules must be planned around classroom and clinical requirements and must also be flexible since lecture and clinical hours may change from semester to semester. 

Nursing classes are generally scheduled for four or five days per week: two to three short days and two long days. Nursing theory courses meet two-three days/week for 2-5 hours/day and are usually between the hours of 8 am and 3 pm. Clinical/lab days are 6 to12 hours long and are held either in the campus skills lab or in a hospital or other clinical agency in the Houston/Galveston area. Clinical start/end times vary from semester to semester, but are usually between 6 am and 6 pm. Some clinical rotations will be during the evening or night shift and weekends. 

The approximate cost for tuition, fees, required textbooks and supplies for the entire 2-year program of nursing (RNSG) courses is approximately $9,000 if you live in-district or $11,000 if you live out of district (see cost breakdown page in the application packet). Costs for non-RNSG courses in the ADN degree are extra. Costs for the following items are also extra: physical exam, tuberculosis test, immunizations, health insurance, a smart device (tablet or smart phone), and optional textbooks. These extra costs are too variable to include in the above estimates; you will need to estimate these extra costs yourself based on your personal situation. Alvin Community College may change tuition rates and other fees without notice or when so directed by the Board of Regents. 

Nursing is the largest health care occupation with more than 2 million jobs. According to government statistics, it is one of ten occupations projected to have the greatest number of new jobs. 

Earnings vary according to location and schedule worked. Starting salaries average just over $60,000/year. 

Students can apply for scholarships, grants and loans through the Admissions Office 281-756-3531. ACC Financial aid web page.  

The student must be in good health and not pose a threat to the health and safety of themselves or others. For more details, see section “ADA and Performance Requirements” in the ADN Student Handbook on the ADN web page. After an applicant is accepted into the program, they must undergo a physical examination and submit a completed and signed “Statement of Fitness” form to the nursing office. 

Yes - clinical sites require students to have health insurance by the end of the first semester in the program. The agencies do not specify the types of coverage or the extent of coverage you should buy; they just require you to be covered by a health insurance policy. Not having health insurance may prevent you from attending clinicals and prevent you from progressing in the nursing program. 

You must turn in proof of at least your first two Hepatitis-B shots or proof of Hep-B immunity by the nursing application deadline. There is no time limit on Hepatitis-B shots; childhood Hep-B shot record is acceptable. There is a 5-year time limit on the Hep-B immunity report. You will be told of other immunizations and medical tests to turn in only if you are accepted into a nursing program. All students must submit Hep-B immunity report (called a Hep-B titer) by the end of their first semester in the program. 

Yes! If you have a history of criminal, psychiatric, or substance abuse events, the “Background Checks” page in the ADN application packet will tell you what to do. Applicants who are convicted of a felony, appealing a felony conviction, have a deferred adjudication felony, or on parole for a felony, are not eligible for admission to Alvin Community College nursing programs. "Conviction” is defined in Texas Administrative Code Chapter 213, RULE §213.1, #12