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SchoolsData as of Oct 7, 2026

College of San Mateo nursing program: how to get in

Associate degree (ADN): requirements, deadlines, NCLEX pass rates and data

San Mateo, CA · Public · BRN-approved · No national nursing accreditation reported

College of San Mateo ADN in San Mateo: the next application window opens Dec 1, 2026; selection method: points (ranked); 50 BRN-approved new students a year; listed cost $15,000 (Total Program). From the school’s pages and the BRN; details and sources below.

  • Application windowOpens Dec 1, 2026
  • Selection methodPoints (ranked)
  • TEAS minimumNot published
  • Approved seats per year (BRN)50
  • NCLEX pass rate, 2024–2590.0% (40 testers)
  • Listed cost, before aid$15,000
Compare ADN programsProgram website
NCLEX pass rate
90.0%2024–25
Blue: this program · dashed: California
’20–21’21–22’22–23’23–24’24–25100%80%
First-time testers
402024–25
Graduates sitting the NCLEX for the first time
48’20–2153’21–2251’22–2359’23–2440’24–25
On-time completion
94%2023–24
Self-reported to the BRN
’19–20’20–21’21–22’22–23’23–24100%60%
Attrition
6%2023–24
Share of students who left the program
6%’19–200%’20–2115%’21–222%’22–236%’23–24

How to get in

Application deadline
Fall 2027: opens Dec 1, 2026, closes Feb 1, 2027 (11:59 PM PST) Opens soonSee it in the deadlines table
Selection method
Points (ranked)Merit-based points Details and source
TEAS minimum
Not published by the schoolSection minimums: 62% in each of Reading, English, Math, Science Check your score
Prerequisites
10 courses listed by the school See the list
Check yourself against these published rules
Prerequisites you have completed or will finish in time

    A checklist against the school’s published rules only: this is not a prediction of a decision. Section minimums, GPA, grade and recency rules, and anything else the school lists still apply; read the full requirements above.

    Admissions requirements

    Here is what College of San Mateo publishes about applying to its ADN program, taken from the school’s own website, catalog or application documents. Each row links to the page we used and shows the date we checked it. Requirements change from cycle to cycle, so confirm with the school before you apply.

    RequirementWhat the school publishesSource
    Entrance examATI TEAS 7SourceChecked
    Minimum overall scoreNot published by the schoolSourceChecked
    Section minimums62% in each of Reading, English, Math, ScienceSourceChecked
    Minimum GPA, overallNot published by the schoolSourceChecked
    Minimum GPA, prerequisites or scienceBiology 2.5; non-biology prerequisites 2.0SourceChecked
    Selection methodPoints (ranked)Merit-based pointsSourceChecked
    Application opens2026-12-01SourceChecked
    Application closes2027-02-01SourceChecked
    Published applicant and admit countsNot published by the schoolSourceChecked

    How we label selection. SEAPHE sorts each school’s stated method into one of five groups: Lottery, Points (ranked), Points and lottery (hybrid), Holistic review or Eligibility-based. The school’s own wording appears under the label, with a link to the page we used. How California nursing schools choose students.

    Published points rubric

    Add up your points on this rubric

    Criterion (school’s wording)Points
    Previous degree (AA/AS/BA+ or foreign BA equivalent)5
    Health care license 6 / certificate 4; licensed worker 4 / certified worker 3; volunteer 50 h 212
    Biology prerequisite GPA (2.5-2.59=4 ... 3.9-4.0=40; -2 per repeat)40
    Non-biology prerequisite GPA (2.0-2.49=2 ... 3.8-4.0=7)7
    Recommended courses (1 point each)7
    Life experiences/special circumstances2
    Veteran3
    Language other than English2
    ATI TEAS 7: 62-64=10, 65-69=14, 70-74=18, 75-79=22, 80-84=24, 85-89=26, 90-94=28, 95-100=3030
    Personal insight questions (3 x 2)6
    Maximum total114

    Rubric source, checked . Point values are the school’s; they change between cycles.

    Prerequisite courses

    Course names are the school’s; the grey label is the category SEAPHE uses in the prerequisite planner.

    CourseRequirementsSource
    BIO 250 AnatomyAnatomy
    Units
    Not published by the school
    Lab
    Yes (in-person lab)
    Minimum grade
    C or better; biology GPA 2.5; each course may be repeated once (-2 points per repeat)
    Recency limit
    5 years (completed after Jan 1, 2022 for Fall 2027)
    When to complete
    Completed by Feb 1, 2027 (not in progress)
    		SourceChecked
    BIO 240 MicrobiologyMicrobiology
    Units
    Not published by the school
    Lab
    Yes (in-person lab)
    Minimum grade
    C or better; biology GPA 2.5; each course may be repeated once (-2 points per repeat)
    Recency limit
    5 years (completed after Jan 1, 2022 for Fall 2027)
    When to complete
    Completed by Feb 1, 2027 (not in progress)
    		SourceChecked
    BIO 260 PhysiologyPhysiology
    Units
    Not published by the school
    Lab
    Yes (in-person lab)
    Minimum grade
    C or better; biology GPA 2.5; each course may be repeated once (-2 points per repeat)
    Recency limit
    5 years (completed after Jan 1, 2022 for Fall 2027)
    When to complete
    Completed by Feb 1, 2027 (not in progress)
    		SourceChecked
    Statistics (MATH 200 or STAT C1000)Statistics
    Units
    Not published by the school
    Lab
    No
    Minimum grade
    C or better (or AP 3+); non-biology GPA 2.0
    Recency limit
    None stated
    When to complete
    Completed by Feb 1, 2027 (not in progress)
    		SourceChecked
    English Composition (ENGL 100, 105, C1000, C1000E)English composition
    Units
    Not published by the school
    Lab
    No
    Minimum grade
    C or better (or AP 3+); non-biology GPA 2.0
    Recency limit
    None stated
    When to complete
    Completed by Feb 1, 2027 (not in progress)
    		SourceChecked
    General Psychology (PSYC 100 / C1000)Psychology
    Units
    Not published by the school
    Lab
    No
    Minimum grade
    C or better (or AP 3+); non-biology GPA 2.0
    Recency limit
    None stated
    When to complete
    Completed by Feb 1, 2027 (not in progress)
    		SourceChecked
    Developmental Psychology (PSYC 200)Human development (lifespan)
    Units
    Not published by the school
    Lab
    No
    Minimum grade
    C or better (or AP 3+); non-biology GPA 2.0
    Recency limit
    None stated
    When to complete
    Completed by Feb 1, 2027 (not in progress)
    		SourceChecked
    General or Health Chemistry (CHEM 210 or 410)Chemistry
    Units
    Not published by the school
    Lab
    Yes (in-person lab)
    Minimum grade
    C or better (or AP 3+); non-biology GPA 2.0
    Recency limit
    None stated
    When to complete
    Completed by Feb 1, 2027 (not in progress)
    		SourceChecked
    Communication (COMM 110, 130, 140, 150, C1000)Communication (speech)
    Units
    Not published by the school
    Lab
    No
    Minimum grade
    C or better (or AP 3+); non-biology GPA 2.0
    Recency limit
    None stated
    When to complete
    Completed by Feb 1, 2027 (not in progress)
    		SourceChecked
    Intro to Sociology (SOCI 100) or Cultural Anthropology (ANTH 110)Sociology or anthropology
    Units
    Not published by the school
    Lab
    No
    Minimum grade
    C or better (or AP 3+); non-biology GPA 2.0
    Recency limit
    None stated
    When to complete
    Completed by Feb 1, 2027 (not in progress)
    		SourceChecked

    © Enzo Creationz LLC. All rights reserved. You may read and quote this with credit to “SEAPHE Nursing Data, seaphe.org”, but please don’t bulk-copy or redistribute it. Details

    SEAPHE collected these details from official school pages. “Not published by the school” means we couldn’t find the detail on the school’s public pages when we checked; we don’t estimate missing values. “Could not be retrieved from the school’s website” means the page was blocked or wouldn’t load. Spot an error? See our corrections policy.

    Admissions

    The BRN does not publish acceptance rates for individual schools. Across California’s generic ADN programs, 35.0% of 22,970 qualified applications were accepted in 2024–25.4 This program is approved for 50 new students a year.2 Ask the school for last cycle’s qualified applicants and seats.

    Applied here? Share your results in our 2-minute anonymous survey. It helps future applicants see what other applicants reported.

    California nursing school acceptance rates →

    Cost

    The BRN lists a cost of $15,000 before financial aid (Total Program).2 That figure comes from the school’s report to the Board and may not include housing, transport or exam fees. Check the program’s current cost of attendance.

    Key facts

    Last updated

    • In 2024–25, 90.0% of 40 first-time NCLEX-RN testers from College of San Mateo (ADN) passed, compared with a California average of 90.2%. Source: CA BRN NCLEX-RN pass-rate tables, retrieved Oct 7, 2026.
    • Across 2020–21 to 2024–25, its tester-weighted first-time pass rate was 91.2% over 251 testers (SEAPHE calculation). Source: CA BRN NCLEX-RN pass-rate tables, retrieved Oct 7, 2026.
    • The BRN lists an approved enrollment of 50 new students per year for this program. Source: CA BRN list of approved RN programs, retrieved Oct 7, 2026.
    • No national nursing program accreditation (ACEN, CCNE or CNEA) is reported for it to the BRN; BRN approval is what qualifies graduates for the NCLEX-RN. Source: CA BRN accreditation and attrition table, retrieved Oct 7, 2026.

    NCLEX pass rates

    In 2024–25, 90.0% of 40 first-time testers passed the NCLEX-RN, 0.2 points below the California average of 90.2%. Over five years, 91.2% of 251 testers passed.1

    Compare every program: California NCLEX pass rates by school.

    First-time NCLEX-RN pass rate, by reporting year

    College of San Mateo (ADN)California, all programs
    80%85%90%95%100%2020–212021–222022–232023–242024–2593.8%92.5%84.3%94.9%90.0%CaliforniaCollege of San Mateo
    80%85%90%95%100%’20–21’21–22’22–23’23–24’24–2593.8%92.5%84.3%94.9%90.0%
    Data source: CA BRN NCLEX-RN pass-rate tables; California average is a SEAPHE tester-weighted calculation.Download CSV
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    Free to republish under CC BY 4.0: credit “SEAPHE Nursing Data, seaphe.org” with a link back. The iframe updates when our data does; the image is a fixed snapshot.

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    Year (Jul–Jun)TestersPass rateCaliforniavs. state
    2020–214893.8%89.2%+4.5
    2021–225392.5%85.9%+6.5
    2022–235184.3%85.7%-1.4
    2023–245994.9%94.0%+0.9
    2024–254090.0%90.2%-0.2

    Completion and attrition

    In 2023–24, the program reported 94% on-time completion and 6% attrition to the BRN.3

    Year (Aug–Jul)On-time completionAttrition
    2019–2094.0%6.0%
    2020–21100.0%0.0%
    2021–2285.0%15.0%
    2022–2398.0%2.0%
    2023–2494.0%6.0%

    Self-reported by the program to UCSF for the BRN Annual School Survey.

    Accreditation and program facts

    State approvalCalifornia BRN
    InstitutionACCJC/WASC-JC
    Nursing programNone reported
    DegreeADN
    StateCalifornia
    CitySan Mateo
    SectorPublic
    AdmitsGeneric pre-licensure
    Phone(650) 574-6218
    WebsiteVisit

    State approval and program details from CA BRN, Approved Pre-Licensure RN Programs. Institutional and nursing program accreditation from CA BRN, Accreditation, Attrition and On Time Completion Rates. Retrieved Oct 7, 2026.

    What ACEN, CCNE and CNEA mean →

    Similar programs

    Open public ADN programs with 30+ first-time testers in 2024–25, by pass rate.

    ProgramTesters2024–255-year
    Ventura CollegeVentura77100.0%97.0%
    Rio Hondo CollegeWhittier65100.0%97.5%
    Santa Monica CollegeSanta Monica65100.0%94.2%
    LA Harbor CollegeWilmington59100.0%96.9%
    Moorpark CollegeMoorpark52100.0%99.1%
    Mira Costa CollegeOceanside46100.0%96.1%

    Sources

    1. California BRN, NCLEX-RN Pass Rates, First Time CA Educated Exam Testers, 2020–21 to 2024–25. Retrieved Oct 7, 2026.
    2. California BRN, Approved Pre-Licensure RN Programs (cost, enrollment, sector). Retrieved Oct 7, 2026.
    3. California BRN, Accreditation, Attrition and On Time Completion Rates. Retrieved Oct 7, 2026.
    4. California BRN, 2024–25 Annual School Report: Data Summary, Table 3, p. 3.

    SEAPHE Editorial Team. Data updated Oct 7, 2026. Spot an error? See our corrections policy.

    How to cite this data

    Last updated . Please cite SEAPHE and the original public source.

    Suggested citation: SEAPHE. (2026). College of San Mateo (ADN): NCLEX-RN pass rates and program data [Data set]. Compiled from California Board of Registered Nursing public records. https://seaphe.org/schools/college-of-san-mateo-adn/ (updated Oct 7, 2026).

    Original source: California BRN, NCLEX-RN Pass Rates: First Time CA Educated Exam Testers; California BRN, Approved Pre-Licensure RN Programs.

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