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SchoolsData as of Oct 7, 2026

UC Davis nursing program: how to get in

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

Sacramento, CA · Public · BRN-approved · CCNE-accredited

UC Davis ELM in Sacramento: the application window is open now and closes Nov 1, 2026 (11:59 p.m. ET); selection method: holistic review; 48 BRN-approved new students a year; listed cost $121,536 (Total Program). From the school’s pages and the BRN; details and sources below.

  • Application windowOpen now · closes Nov 1, 2026 (11:59 p.m. ET)
  • Selection methodHolistic review
  • TEAS minimumNo TEAS · None (GRE not required)
  • Approved seats per year (BRN)48
  • NCLEX pass rate, 2024–2589.1% (46 testers)
  • Listed cost, before aid$121,536
Compare ELM programsProgram website
NCLEX pass rate
89.1%2024–25
Blue: this program · dashed: California
’20–21’21–22’22–23’23–24’24–25100%80%
First-time testers
462024–25
Graduates sitting the NCLEX for the first time
48’20–2148’21–2243’22–2341’23–2446’24–25
On-time completion
85%2023–24
Self-reported to the BRN
’19–20’20–21’21–22’22–23’23–24100%60%
Attrition
9%2023–24
Share of students who left the program
2.1%’19–200%’20–214%’21–226%’22–239%’23–24

How to get in

Application deadline
Summer 2027 (matriculation in June): opens Aug 6, 2026, closes Nov 1, 2026 (11:59 p.m. ET) Open nowSee it in the deadlines table
Selection method
Holistic reviewtwo-stage holistic (NursingCAS screen, then invited UC Davis Graduate Studies application; interview may be required) Details and source
TEAS minimum
Entrance exam, in the school’s words: None (GRE not required)
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 UC Davis 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 examNone (GRE not required)SourceChecked
    Minimum overall scoreNot applicableSourceChecked
    Section minimumsNot published by the schoolSourceChecked
    Minimum GPA, overall3.0 bachelor's-degree GPASourceChecked
    Minimum GPA, prerequisites or science3.0 in all science prerequisite courseworkSourceChecked
    Selection methodHolistic reviewtwo-stage holistic (NursingCAS screen, then invited UC Davis Graduate Studies application; interview may be required)SourceChecked
    Application opensAug 6, 2026 (NursingCAS)SourceChecked
    Application closesNov 1, 2026, 11:59 p.m. ETSourceChecked
    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
    Human Anatomy with lab (human only; not mammalian/vertebrate/animal)Anatomy
    Units
    Min 5 quarter / 3 semester units
    Lab
    Yes
    Minimum grade
    C (AP not accepted)
    Recency limit
    Within past 5 years of application date
    When to complete
    Completed at time of application (no in-progress)
    		SourceChecked
    Human Physiology with labPhysiology
    Units
    Min 5 quarter / 3 semester units
    Lab
    Yes
    Minimum grade
    C (AP not accepted)
    Recency limit
    Within past 5 years of application date
    When to complete
    Completed at time of application (no in-progress)
    		SourceChecked
    Microbiology or Bacteriology with labMicrobiology
    Units
    Min 3 quarter / 2 semester units
    Lab
    Yes
    Minimum grade
    C (AP not accepted)
    Recency limit
    Not published by the school
    When to complete
    Completed at time of application (no in-progress)
    		SourceChecked
    Chemistry with labChemistry
    Units
    Min 5 quarter / 3 semester units
    Lab
    Yes
    Minimum grade
    C (AP not accepted)
    Recency limit
    Not published by the school
    When to complete
    Completed at time of application (no in-progress)
    		SourceChecked
    Statistics or EpidemiologyStatistics
    Units
    Min 4 quarter / 3 semester units
    Lab
    No
    Minimum grade
    C (AP not accepted)
    Recency limit
    Not published by the school
    When to complete
    Completed at time of application (no in-progress)
    		SourceChecked
    Psychology (general or above)Psychology
    Units
    Min 3 quarter / 2 semester units
    Lab
    No
    Minimum grade
    C (AP not accepted)
    Recency limit
    Not published by the school
    When to complete
    Completed at time of application (no in-progress)
    		SourceChecked
    Sociology or Cultural AnthropologySociology or anthropology
    Units
    Min 3 quarter / 2 semester units
    Lab
    No
    Minimum grade
    C (AP not accepted)
    Recency limit
    Not published by the school
    When to complete
    Completed at time of application (no in-progress)
    		SourceChecked
    Human Development Across LifespanHuman development (lifespan)
    Units
    Min 3 quarter / 2 semester units
    Lab
    No
    Minimum grade
    C (AP not accepted)
    Recency limit
    Not published by the school
    When to complete
    Completed at time of application (no in-progress)
    		SourceChecked
    Communication (group, verbal and written principles)Communication (speech)
    Units
    Min total 9 quarter / 6 semester units
    Lab
    No
    Minimum grade
    C (AP not accepted)
    Recency limit
    Not published by the school
    When to complete
    Completed at time of application (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 ELM programs, 33.6% of 3,322 qualified applications were accepted in 2024–25.4 This program is approved for 48 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 $121,536 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, 89.1% of 46 first-time testers passed the NCLEX-RN, 1.1 points below the California average of 90.2%. Over five years, 88.9% of 226 testers passed.1

    Compare every program: California NCLEX pass rates by school.

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

    UC Davis (ELM)California, all programs
    80%85%90%95%100%2020–212021–222022–232023–242024–2587.5%83.3%93.0%92.7%89.1%CaliforniaUC Davis
    80%85%90%95%100%’20–21’21–22’22–23’23–24’24–2587.5%83.3%93.0%92.7%89.1%
    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
    2020–214887.5%89.2%-1.7
    2021–224883.3%85.9%-2.6
    2022–234393.0%85.7%+7.3
    2023–244192.7%94.0%-1.3
    2024–254689.1%90.2%-1.1

    Completion and attrition

    In 2023–24, the program reported 85% on-time completion and 9% attrition to the BRN.3

    Year (Aug–Jul)On-time completionAttrition
    2019–2097.9%2.1%
    2020–2198.0%0.0%
    2021–2296.0%4.0%
    2022–2391.0%6.0%
    2023–2485.0%9.0%

    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
    CitySacramento
    SectorPublic
    AdmitsGeneric pre-licensure
    Phone(916) 734-2145
    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 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%
    UC Los AngelesLos Angeles6785.1%88.0%
    Samuel Merritt UniversityOakland8085.0%82.4%

    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). UC Davis (ELM): NCLEX-RN pass rates and program data [Data set]. Compiled from California Board of Registered Nursing public records. https://seaphe.org/schools/uc-davis-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