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SchoolsData as of Oct 7, 2026

Palomar College nursing program: how to get in

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

San Marcos, CA · Public · BRN-approved · ACEN-accredited

Palomar College ADN in San Marcos: selection method: points and lottery (hybrid); published TEAS minimum: 62%; 72 BRN-approved new students a year; listed cost $3,119-$3,579 (Tuition + Fees). From the school’s pages and the BRN; details and sources below.

  • Application windowNot published
  • Selection methodPoints and lottery (hybrid)
  • TEAS minimum62%
  • Approved seats per year (BRN)72
  • NCLEX pass rate, 2024–2593.7% (63 testers)
  • Listed cost, before aid$3,119-$3,579
Compare ADN programsProgram website
NCLEX pass rate
93.7%2024–25
Blue: this program · dashed: California
’20–21’21–22’22–23’23–24’24–25100%80%
First-time testers
632024–25
Graduates sitting the NCLEX for the first time
39’20–2186’21–2275’22–2363’23–2463’24–25
On-time completion
94%2023–24
Self-reported to the BRN
’19–20’20–21’21–22’22–23’23–24100%0%
Attrition
6%2023–24
Share of students who left the program
2.4%’19–2016%’20–2110%’21–226%’22–236%’23–24

How to get in

Application deadline
Fall 2027: opens January 1, closes January 31Spring (2028): opens July 1, closes July 31See it in the deadlines table
Selection method
Points and lottery (hybrid)26 seats by highest points; 10 seats random among applicants with 70+ points Details and source
TEAS minimum
62% Check your score
Prerequisites
9 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 Palomar 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.

    RequirementWhat the school publishesSource
    Entrance examATI TEAS 7 (in-person only from Jan 2027)SourceChecked
    Minimum overall score62%SourceChecked
    Section minimumsNot published by the schoolSourceChecked
    Minimum GPA, overallNot published by the schoolSourceChecked
    Minimum GPA, prerequisites or scienceScience 2.5; fixed-set 2.5SourceChecked
    Selection methodPoints and lottery (hybrid)26 seats by highest points; 10 seats random among applicants with 70+ pointsSourceChecked
    Application opens2027-01-01SourceChecked
    Application closes2027-01-31SourceChecked
    Published applicant and admit counts36 (26 points + 10 random)No term givenSourceChecked

    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 applicant and admit counts: numbers the school itself publishes about its applicants and admissions, with the term or year the school gives; formats vary by school. No term given: the school published this figure without saying which cycle it covers. The BRN does not publish per-school applicant or admit counts.

    Published points rubric

    Add up your points on this rubric

    Criterion (school’s wording)Points
    Degree (BA+ 10 / AA 5), relevant certification (LVN 10, military/allied 5), work/volunteer 5 - combined max15
    Science GPA (2.50-2.99=15 ... 4.00=30)30
    Fixed-set GPA (2.50-2.99=9 ... 4.00=15)15
    Life experience & special circumstances (1 each)5
    Language proficiency3
    TEAS 7: 62-64.9=15, 65-69.9=18, 70-74.9=21, 75-79.9=24, 80-84.9=26, 85-89.9=28, 90-94.9=30, 95-100=3232
    Maximum total100

    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 210 AnatomyAnatomy
    Units
    4
    Lab
    Yes (in-person)
    Minimum grade
    C or better each; combined science GPA 2.5; lecture+lab same term; in person; one retake at another college after all 3 completed
    Recency limit
    Within 10 years
    When to complete
    Completed with grade issued before applying
    		SourceChecked
    BIOL 211 PhysiologyPhysiology
    Units
    4
    Lab
    Yes (in-person)
    Minimum grade
    C or better each; combined science GPA 2.5; lecture+lab same term; in person; one retake at another college after all 3 completed
    Recency limit
    Within 7 years (combined A&P within 7)
    When to complete
    Completed with grade issued before applying
    		SourceChecked
    BIOL 212 MicrobiologyMicrobiology
    Units
    4
    Lab
    Yes (in-person)
    Minimum grade
    C or better each; combined science GPA 2.5; lecture+lab same term; in person; one retake at another college after all 3 completed
    Recency limit
    Within 7 years
    When to complete
    Completed with grade issued before applying
    		SourceChecked
    English Composition (ENG 100 / ENGL C1000 / ESL 110)English composition
    Units
    Not published by the school
    Lab
    No
    Minimum grade
    C or better; combined fixed-set GPA 2.5
    Recency limit
    None stated (courses do not expire)
    When to complete
    Completed with grade issued before applying
    		SourceChecked
    Speech (SPCH 100 / COMM C1000 / SPCH 115 / SPCH 120)Communication (speech)
    Units
    Not published by the school
    Lab
    No
    Minimum grade
    C or better; combined fixed-set GPA 2.5
    Recency limit
    None stated (courses do not expire)
    When to complete
    Completed with grade issued before applying
    		SourceChecked
    Math: Intermediate Algebra or higher (incl. statistics)Math (algebra or higher)
    Units
    Not published by the school
    Lab
    No
    Minimum grade
    C or better; combined fixed-set GPA 2.5
    Recency limit
    None stated (courses do not expire)
    When to complete
    Completed with grade issued before applying
    		SourceChecked
    Psychology (PSYC C1000, PSYC 110, PSYC 115, others)Psychology
    Units
    Not published by the school
    Lab
    No
    Minimum grade
    C or better; combined fixed-set GPA 2.5
    Recency limit
    None stated (courses do not expire)
    When to complete
    Completed with grade issued before applying
    		SourceChecked
    Sociology/Cultural Anthropology (SOC 100, 130, 135, 145, ANTH 105)Sociology or anthropology
    Units
    Not published by the school
    Lab
    No
    Minimum grade
    C or better; combined fixed-set GPA 2.5
    Recency limit
    None stated (courses do not expire)
    When to complete
    Completed with grade issued before applying
    		SourceChecked
    Humanities courseArts and humanities
    Units
    Not published by the school
    Lab
    No
    Minimum grade
    C or better (not used in GPA)
    Recency limit
    None stated
    When to complete
    Completed with grade issued before applying
    		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 72 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 $3,119-$3,579 before financial aid (Tuition + Fees).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

    NCLEX pass rates

    In 2024–25, 93.7% of 63 first-time testers passed the NCLEX-RN, 3.5 points above the California average of 90.2%. Over five years, 92.9% of 326 testers passed.1

    Compare every program: California NCLEX pass rates by school.

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

    Palomar College (ADN)California, all programs
    80%85%90%95%100%2020–212021–222022–232023–242024–2592.3%86.0%96.0%98.4%93.7%Palomar CollegeCalifornia
    80%85%90%95%100%’20–21’21–22’22–23’23–24’24–2592.3%86.0%96.0%98.4%93.7%
    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
    2020–213992.3%89.2%+3.1
    2021–228686.0%85.9%+0.1
    2022–237596.0%85.7%+10.3
    2023–246398.4%94.0%+4.4
    2024–256393.7%90.2%+3.5

    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
    2019–2039.3%2.4%
    2020–210.0%16.0%
    2021–2284.0%10.0%
    2022–2394.0%6.0%
    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 programACEN
    DegreeADN
    StateCalifornia
    CitySan Marcos
    SectorPublic
    AdmitsGeneric pre-licensure
    Phone(760) 744-1150 x2279
    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.

    Palomar College: First-time NCLEX-RN pass rate above the California average in 2024–25 (93.7% 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). Palomar College (ADN): NCLEX-RN pass rates and program data [Data set]. Compiled from California Board of Registered Nursing public records. https://seaphe.org/schools/palomar-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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