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SchoolsData as of Oct 7, 2026

Merced College nursing program: how to get in

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

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

Merced College ADN in Merced: the next application window opens Mar 1, 2027; selection method: points and lottery (hybrid); published TEAS minimum: 62%; 130 BRN-approved new students a year; listed cost $3,588-$3,726 (Tuition). From the school’s pages and the BRN; details and sources below.

  • Application windowOpens Mar 1, 2027
  • Selection methodPoints and lottery (hybrid)
  • TEAS minimum62%
  • Approved seats per year (BRN)130
  • NCLEX pass rate, 2024–2597.9% (47 testers)
  • Listed cost, before aid$3,588-$3,726
Compare ADN programsProgram website
NCLEX pass rate
97.9%2024–25
Blue: this program · dashed: California
’20–21’21–22’22–23’23–24’24–25100%80%
First-time testers
472024–25
Graduates sitting the NCLEX for the first time
66’20–2162’21–2253’22–2346’23–2447’24–25
On-time completion
65%2023–24
Self-reported to the BRN
’19–20’20–21’21–22’22–23’23–24100%60%
Attrition
35%2023–24
Share of students who left the program
15.4%’19–2016%’20–2117%’21–2217%’22–2335%’23–24

How to get in

Application deadline
Fall 2027 & Spring 2028 (single 2-year application window): opens Mar 1, 2027, closes Mar 8, 2027 Opens soonSee it in the deadlines table
Selection method
Points and lottery (hybrid)50% by points, 50% by lottery Details and source
TEAS minimum
62% Check your score
Prerequisites
5 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 Merced College 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.

    Needs a recheck Some details below may be out of date, so check the school’s current pages before you rely on them. We plan to recheck by Nov 30, 2026.

    RequirementWhat the school publishesSource
    Entrance examTEASSourceChecked
    Minimum overall score62%SourceChecked
    Section minimumsNot published by the schoolSourceChecked
    Minimum GPA, overallNot published by the schoolSourceChecked
    Minimum GPA, prerequisites or science2.5 combined prerequisitesSourceChecked
    Selection methodPoints and lottery (hybrid)50% by points, 50% by lotterySourceChecked
    Application opensMar 1, 2027SourceChecked
    Application closesMar 8, 2027SourceChecked
    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

    Criterion (school’s wording)Points
    I(A) one of: veteran DD214 8, BA/BS+ 8, AA/AS/ADT 6, healthcare certificate/license 58
    I(B) re-applicant 1 + additional courses (NUTR-10, ALLH-67, VOCN-46A) 12
    II prerequisite GPA: 2.50-2.54=15 up to 4.0=45 (repeats: 2=-5, 3=-10, 4=ineligible)45
    III one life experience/special circumstance (incl. 200h healthcare work/volunteer in 3 yrs)3
    IV language other than English proficiency2
    V ATI TEAS 7 first attempt: 62-63.9=25 up to 95-100=4040
    Maximum totalnot published by the school (category maxima sum to 100)

    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
    BIOL-16 General Human AnatomyAnatomy
    Units
    Not published by the school
    Lab
    Not published by the school
    Minimum grade
    C or better ("P" not acceptable); combined prereq GPA 2.5
    Recency limit
    Recommended (not required) within five years of acceptance; life-science repeats in past 5 years deduct points
    When to complete
    Completed with grades on transcript before applying (no in-progress)
    		SourceChecked
    BIOL-18 Principles of PhysiologyPhysiology
    Units
    Not published by the school
    Lab
    Not published by the school
    Minimum grade
    C or better ("P" not acceptable); combined prereq GPA 2.5
    Recency limit
    Recommended (not required) within five years of acceptance; life-science repeats in past 5 years deduct points
    When to complete
    Completed with grades on transcript before applying (no in-progress)
    		SourceChecked
    BIOL-20 MicrobiologyMicrobiology
    Units
    Not published by the school
    Lab
    Not published by the school
    Minimum grade
    C or better ("P" not acceptable); combined prereq GPA 2.5
    Recency limit
    Recommended (not required) within five years of acceptance; life-science repeats in past 5 years deduct points
    When to complete
    Completed with grades on transcript before applying (no in-progress)
    		SourceChecked
    ENGL-C1000 or ENGL-1A or ENGL-C1001/H or ENGL/PHIL-13/HEnglish composition
    Units
    Not published by the school
    Lab
    No
    Minimum grade
    C or better ("P" not acceptable); combined prereq GPA 2.5
    Recency limit
    Recommended (not required) within five years of acceptance; life-science repeats in past 5 years deduct points
    When to complete
    Completed with grades on transcript before applying (no in-progress)
    		SourceChecked
    STAT-C1000 or MATH 10 or PSYC 5Statistics
    Units
    Not published by the school
    Lab
    No
    Minimum grade
    C or better ("P" not acceptable); combined prereq GPA 2.5
    Recency limit
    Recommended (not required) within five years of acceptance; life-science repeats in past 5 years deduct points
    When to complete
    Completed with grades on transcript before applying (no 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 130 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 $3,588-$3,726 before financial aid (Tuition).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, 97.9% of 47 first-time NCLEX-RN testers from Merced College (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 86.9% over 274 testers (SEAPHE calculation). Source: CA BRN NCLEX-RN pass-rate tables, retrieved Oct 7, 2026.
    • The BRN lists an approved enrollment of 130 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, 97.9% of 47 first-time testers passed the NCLEX-RN, 7.7 points above the California average of 90.2%. Over five years, 86.9% of 274 testers passed.1

    Compare every program: California NCLEX pass rates by school.

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

    Merced College (ADN)California, all programs
    80%85%90%95%100%2020–212021–222022–232023–242024–2581.8%82.3%83.0%93.5%97.9%Merced CollegeCalifornia
    80%85%90%95%100%’20–21’21–22’22–23’23–24’24–2581.8%82.3%83.0%93.5%97.9%
    Data source: CA BRN NCLEX-RN pass-rate tables; California average is a SEAPHE tester-weighted calculation.Download CSV
    Embed this chart

    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
    2020–216681.8%89.2%-7.4
    2021–226282.3%85.9%-3.6
    2022–235383.0%85.7%-2.7
    2023–244693.5%94.0%-0.5
    2024–254797.9%90.2%+7.7

    Completion and attrition

    In 2023–24, the program reported 65% on-time completion and 35% attrition to the BRN.3

    Year (Aug–Jul)On-time completionAttrition
    2019–2064.6%15.4%
    2020–2184.0%16.0%
    2021–2282.0%17.0%
    2022–2383.0%17.0%
    2023–2465.0%35.0%

    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
    CityMerced
    SectorPublic
    AdmitsGeneric pre-licensure
    Phone(209) 384-6123
    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 →

    Get this badge

    Based on its 2024–25 first-time NCLEX-RN results from the BRN, this program qualifies for a SEAPHE badge. Schools are welcome to display it on their website. How badges are awarded.

    Merced College: First-time NCLEX-RN pass rate above the California average in 2024–25 (97.9% vs. 90.2%). SEAPHE. Independent; not affiliated with the California BRN.

    Independent; not affiliated with the California BRN. Each badge links back to this page so readers can check the numbers.

    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). Merced College (ADN): NCLEX-RN pass rates and program data [Data set]. Compiled from California Board of Registered Nursing public records. https://seaphe.org/schools/merced-college-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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