Application Procedure

1. Contact the Counseling Department to set up an Educational Plan. The Counseling Department assists with planning prerequisite courses and for information regarding official transcripts and U.S. equivalency. (Student Services Building Room 201)
2. Obtain sealed official transcripts of the following:
   • U.S. High School graduation, GED, California Proficiency Exam or U.S. College or University degree.
   • All colleges and universities, including Los Angeles Southwest College, indicating prerequisite courses taken.
3. Obtain a copy of your Educational Plan from the Counseling Department at Los Angeles Southwest College.
4. Obtain an application from the Nursing Department office at Los Angeles Southwest College.
5. Submit the completed application with all the required materials listed above by the application deadline date, March 31st for Fall Semester and September 30th for Spring Semester admission.
6. Any application without the completed required documents will not be eligible for the candidate pool.

Selection Process

All applications that meet the prerequisite criteria are placed in an applicant pool. Candidates are selected from the pool by lottery or random selection process. Students in the selected pool are required to take and pass the pre-nursing testing of reading comprehension, math/science skills.

Once offered admission as a candidate or alternate, if you do not appear for the scheduled orientation meeting to which you are invited, you must contact the nursingdepartment within 10 days or you will be eliminated as an accepted candidate for a seat.

Students whose names are not drawn for available seats or who failed the Department's tests will be notified and may reapply. Remediation classes and programs are available on campus in the Learning Resource Center (Library 3rd Floor).

The Associate Degree Nursing Program at Los Angeles Southwest College provides a basic curriculum in nursing education that satisfies requirements for the Associate Degree in Science with a major in Nursing. Successful completion of the two-year program prepares the graduates to take the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) leading to licensure as a registered nurse and to function as an entry-level nurse.

The nursing program's students may be assigned to day or evening clinical hours starting at 7:00 a.m. or 3:30 p.m; however, lecture and skills laboratory hours are combined for day and evening students.

Students seeking admission as a transfer student from another nursing program will be evaluated on an individual basis. This process requires a completed application, college catalog, letter from the former program director and course syllabus for all successfully completed nursing courses. Transfer students must meet the admission requirements for our program's generic nursing students.

Any student convicted of an offense other than a minor traffic violation is advised to discuss the incident fully with the Board of Registered Nursing prior to selecting nursing as a major. By law, an individual's record of such convictions is subject to review before a registered nursing license may be granted or denied. For further information you may contact the Board of Registered Nursing, 400 R street, Suite 4030, Sacramento, CA 95814, (916) 322-3350. Students will be required to have a criminal background check prior to admission to the program.

Since communication with nursing program applicants and those officially admitted is primarily by mail, it is the applicant's responsibility to make certain that the Nursing Department has his/her current address. An accurate telephone number enables an additional quick contact method for giving or soliciting important information.

Cumulative GPA of 2.5 and an overall GPA of 2.5 is required in all courses applicable to the Associate Degree with a specialization in nursing. Students may petition for approval to repeat a total of 15 units in which a grade less than "C" was awarded, and for this purpose, the same course may only be repeated once.

Students seeking admission to the nursing program are required to see a college counselor on a walk-in basis or by appointment to review and complete an educational plan. Students may seek advisement on a walk-in basis or by appointment in the Nursing Department office for answers to questions beyond those issues covered in this brochure and/or answerable by a college counselor.

Prior to admission to the required nursing courses, candidates must take the Department's tests to demonstrate reading speed, proficiency and comprehension, math computation proficiency, and ATI Test of Essential Academic Skills. Self-paced, open entry and open exit assistance is available to assist students in achieving the required skill levels prior to enrolling in the first nursing course(s). Testing date, time and location information are mailed to eligible candidates.