Step 6: Understand admission points
Many California programs rank applicants with a points system. Depending on the program, points can come from things like GPA, TEAS score, prerequisite grades, work or volunteer experience, and languages spoken. Each program publishes its own rubric, and some use a lottery or another method instead.
What to do
- Find the published rubric for each program on your list.
- Add up your points the way the program describes.
- Look for points you can still earn before you apply, like a course grade or a certification the rubric counts.
- If a program doesn’t publish a rubric, ask how it selects students.
How long it takes
A few minutes per program with the calculators. Varies with how many programs you compare.
Typical costs
Free to calculate. Any courses or certifications you add: Varies; check with the school or provider.
Your SEAPHE tools
- Nursing points calculators: built from each program’s published rubric only.
- How California nursing schools choose students
A points total shows where you stand on a program’s own rubric. It isn’t a prediction of a decision.
Next step: Step 7, Got in? Compare offers.
Sources
- Rubrics come from each school’s published materials, linked and dated in each calculator.