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SchoolsData as of Oct 7, 2026

Samuel Merritt University nursing program: how to get in

Entry-level master’s (ELM): requirements, deadlines, NCLEX pass rates and data

Oakland, CA · Private · BRN-approved · CCNE-accredited · Campuses: Oakland; Sacramento

Samuel Merritt University ELM in Oakland: selection method: holistic review; published TEAS minimum: Recommended (not required) from Spring 2027: HESI A2 75%+ in each subject area or TEAS 65%+ in each subject area; 144 BRN-approved new students a year; listed cost $170,676 (Total Program). From the school’s pages and the BRN; details and sources below.

  • Application windowNot published
  • Selection methodHolistic review
  • TEAS minimumRecommended (not required) from Spring …
  • Approved seats per year (BRN)144
  • NCLEX pass rate, 2024–2585.0% (80 testers)
  • Listed cost, before aid$170,676
Compare ELM programsProgram website
NCLEX pass rate
85.0%2024–25
Blue: this program · dashed: California
’20–21’21–22’22–23’23–24’24–25100%70%
First-time testers
802024–25
Graduates sitting the NCLEX for the first time
97’20–21103’21–2297’22–2373’23–2480’24–25
On-time completion
82%2023–24
Self-reported to the BRN
’19–20’20–21’21–22’22–23’23–24100%60%
Attrition
11%2023–24
Share of students who left the program
2.3%’19–2010%’20–210%’21–2210%’22–2311%’23–24

How to get in

Application deadline
Closes 2026-10-01 (Spring 2027 standard deadline; Oakland, Sacramento) Source
Selection method
Holistic reviewAdministrative decision: likelihood of success, congruency with program goals, enrollment capacity Details and source
TEAS minimum
Recommended (not required) from Spring 2027: HESI A2 75%+ in each subject area or TEAS 65%+ in each subject areaSection minimums: Recommended (not required) from Spring 2027: HESI A2 75%+ in each subject area or TEAS 65%+ in each subject area Check your score
Prerequisites
12 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 Samuel Merritt University publishes about applying to its ELM 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 or HESI A2SourceChecked
    Minimum overall scoreRecommended (not required) from Spring 2027: HESI A2 75%+ in each subject area or TEAS 65%+ in each subject areaSourceChecked
    Section minimumsRecommended (not required) from Spring 2027: HESI A2 75%+ in each subject area or TEAS 65%+ in each subject areaSourceChecked
    Minimum GPA, overallRecommended 3.0 on last 60 sem/90 qtr units; baccalaureate requiredSourceChecked
    Minimum GPA, prerequisites or scienceRecommended 3.0 in four science prerequisitesSourceChecked
    Selection methodHolistic reviewAdministrative decision: likelihood of success, congruency with program goals, enrollment capacitySourceChecked
    Application opensNot published by the schoolSourceChecked
    Application closes2026-10-01 (Spring 2027 standard deadline; Oakland, Sacramento)SourceChecked
    Program cost (school figure)$179,277 all-inclusive (ELMSN-Case Management, 93 units); ELMSN-FNP $211,493 (109 units)Fall 2026-Summer 2027 all-inclusive pricingSourceChecked
    Cohort startsNot published by the schoolSourceChecked
    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.

    Prerequisite courses

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

    CourseRequirementsSource
    Chemistry with LabChemistry
    Units
    Not published by the school
    Lab
    Yes
    Minimum grade
    C or higher; recommended science GPA 3.0
    Recency limit
    Not published by the school
    When to complete
    Completed before program start
    		SourceChecked
    Communication or Speech ElectiveCommunication (speech)
    Units
    Not published by the school
    Lab
    No
    Minimum grade
    C or higher; recommended science GPA 3.0
    Recency limit
    Not published by the school
    When to complete
    Completed before program start
    		SourceChecked
    English CompositionEnglish composition
    Units
    Not published by the school
    Lab
    No
    Minimum grade
    C or higher; recommended science GPA 3.0
    Recency limit
    Not published by the school
    When to complete
    Completed before program start
    		SourceChecked
    English Literature/Critical ThinkingEnglish composition or Critical thinking
    Units
    Not published by the school
    Lab
    No
    Minimum grade
    C or higher; recommended science GPA 3.0
    Recency limit
    Not published by the school
    When to complete
    Completed before program start
    		SourceChecked
    Human Anatomy with LabAnatomy
    Units
    Not published by the school
    Lab
    Yes
    Minimum grade
    C or higher; recommended science GPA 3.0
    Recency limit
    Not published by the school
    When to complete
    Completed before program start
    		SourceChecked
    Human Physiology with LabPhysiology
    Units
    Not published by the school
    Lab
    Yes
    Minimum grade
    C or higher; recommended science GPA 3.0
    Recency limit
    Not published by the school
    When to complete
    Completed before program start
    		SourceChecked
    Introduction to Sociology or Cultural AnthropologySociology or anthropology
    Units
    Not published by the school
    Lab
    No
    Minimum grade
    C or higher; recommended science GPA 3.0
    Recency limit
    Not published by the school
    When to complete
    Completed before program start
    		SourceChecked
    Lifespan Developmental Psychology (birth to death)Human development (lifespan)
    Units
    Not published by the school
    Lab
    No
    Minimum grade
    C or higher; recommended science GPA 3.0
    Recency limit
    Not published by the school
    When to complete
    Completed before program start
    		SourceChecked
    Microbiology with LabMicrobiology
    Units
    Not published by the school
    Lab
    Yes
    Minimum grade
    C or higher; recommended science GPA 3.0
    Recency limit
    Not published by the school
    When to complete
    Completed before program start
    		SourceChecked
    NutritionNutrition
    Units
    Not published by the school
    Lab
    No
    Minimum grade
    C or higher; recommended science GPA 3.0
    Recency limit
    Not published by the school
    When to complete
    Completed before program start
    		SourceChecked
    Social Science ElectiveOther social science or Sociology or anthropology
    Units
    Not published by the school
    Lab
    No
    Minimum grade
    C or higher; recommended science GPA 3.0
    Recency limit
    Not published by the school
    When to complete
    Completed before program start
    		SourceChecked
    StatisticsStatistics
    Units
    Not published by the school
    Lab
    No
    Minimum grade
    C or higher; recommended science GPA 3.0
    Recency limit
    Not published by the school
    When to complete
    Completed before program start
    		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 ELM programs, 33.6% of 3,322 qualified applications were accepted in 2024–25.4 This program is approved for 144 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 $170,676 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

    NCLEX pass rates

    In 2024–25, 85.0% of 80 first-time testers passed the NCLEX-RN, 5.2 points below the California average of 90.2%. Over five years, 82.4% of 450 testers passed.1

    Compare every program: California NCLEX pass rates by school.

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

    Samuel Merritt University (ELM)California, all programs
    70%80%90%100%2020–212021–222022–232023–242024–2582.5%80.6%78.3%87.7%85.0%CaliforniaELM program
    70%80%90%100%’20–21’21–22’22–23’23–24’24–2582.5%80.6%78.3%87.7%85.0%
    Data source: CA BRN NCLEX-RN pass-rate tables (listed as “Samuel Merritt University - MSN”); 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
    2020–219782.5%89.2%-6.7
    2021–2210380.6%85.9%-5.3
    2022–239778.3%85.7%-7.4
    2023–247387.7%94.0%-6.3
    2024–258085.0%90.2%-5.2

    Completion and attrition

    In 2023–24, the program reported 82% on-time completion and 11% attrition to the BRN.3

    Year (Aug–Jul)On-time completionAttrition
    2019–2086.0%2.3%
    2020–2183.0%10.0%
    2021–22100.0%0.0%
    2022–2382.0%10.0%
    2023–2482.0%11.0%

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

    Accreditation and program facts

    State approvalCalifornia BRN
    InstitutionWSCUC
    Nursing programCCNE
    DegreeELM
    StateCalifornia
    CityOakland
    SectorPrivate
    AdmitsGeneric pre-licensure
    Phone(510) 869-6129 x3765
    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 private ELM programs with 30+ first-time testers in 2024–25, by pass rate.

    ProgramTesters2024–255-year
    University of the PacificSacramento4197.6%97.4%2-yr avg
    California Baptist UniversityRiverside4095.0%88.3%
    Western University of Health SciencesPomona7293.1%90.8%4-yr avg
    Charles Drew UniversityLos Angeles4586.7%84.9%
    University of San FranciscoSan Francisco11182.9%89.2%

    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). Samuel Merritt University (ELM): NCLEX-RN pass rates and program data [Data set]. Compiled from California Board of Registered Nursing public records. https://seaphe.org/schools/samuel-merritt-university-elm/ (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.

    Download CSVDownload JSON