Advanced Placement

Advanced Placement is defined as acceptance into the second or third semester of the nursing program at Moorpark College. Nursing program transfer or LVN applicants are not accepted into the fourth semester. Returning Moorpark College nursing program students can apply to the fourth semester in certain situations; please contact the Health Sciences Coordinator for details.

The Advanced Placement Candidate:

Opportunities for Advanced Placement are based on available space. Possible candidates include Licensed Vocational Nurses, nursing students who are transferring from nursing programs at other accredited colleges, and readmission applicants*. Candidates must be at least 18 years old at the time of application to the nursing program. Candidates must schedule an appointment with the Nursing Counselor to discuss the Advanced Placement application process and for review of academic records. As of January 2017, possible candidates also include individuals who have held certain military health care occupations. For those interested in Advanced Placement with military health care experience, additional information can be found in the Forms section of the nursing program website under the "Helpful Information" heading. In additional, Graduate nurses lacking California licensure requirements may be admitted as Advanced Placement students; they may not take single courses.

All Advanced Placement applicants must meet the ADN program prerequisites and course requirements including an overall GPA of 2.5 or higher and a grade of C or better in english, math, and  core science prerequisites. As with the ADN applicants, the core science prerequisites (anatomy, physiology, and microbiology) must have been taken within seven years of application to the program. Please note applicants may petition the recency requirement through the Health Science Counselor.

*Please note: any TRANSFERRING, PRIOR, OR RETURNING nursing students who have been out of a nursing program for four or more semesters are not qualified to apply for Advanced Placement, and will not be considered. 

Important Dates and Deadlines 

Advanced Placement Application Period:

  • Dates:
    • For Spring Semester: August 1st to 11:59pm on August 31st 
    • For Fall Semester: January 1st to 11:59pm on January 31st 

If the application due date falls on a weekend or a holiday, the application will be due through the online process by 11:59pm the next business day.   

For instructions on the online application process, please refer to the Apply for Advanced Placement Online instructions in the Forms section of this website.

Save the Dates  - ATI TEAS Exam Schedule:

* ATI TEAS TESTING DATES *

Applicants will be randomly invited via email to take the TEAS at Moorpark College on one of the available testing dates. If an applicant has not been invited to take the TEAS at Moorpark College by the first testing date of the application period, they must test elsewhere and pay ATI to send their results electronically to Moorpark College by 12:00 pm on the last testing date of the application period.

***The invitation will be sent to an applicant's vcccd.edu e-mail address only***

  • February 24th and March 3rd - For January 2023 application period
  • September 22nd and September 29th - For August 2023 application period 

Spring 2023: The ATI TEAS will be administered by Moorpark College's nursing program in a remote online format utilizing the Proctorio service and the ATI testing procedures. The Proctorio service requires the following to take the ATI TEAS in the remote online format:

  • Stable internet connection. Wired preferred
  • Desktop computer, laptop, or Chromebook with webcam and microphone. No tablets such as iPads.

The ATI TEAS Exam is a required part of the application process with the exception of readmission applicants. Returning Moorpark College nursing students are not required to re-take the ATI TEAS exam. Qualified applicants will be randomly selected to be invited via e-mail to take the exam at Moorpark College (A qualified application is one whose application is complete, with all transcripts and supporting documentation included.)

Test dates are assigned, and may not be changed. Please ensure that your schedule is clear for all testing dates associated with your application period. The volume of students applying each semester is such that individualized attention to requests for a specific date is not possible.

If the applicant is unable to take the ATI TEAS on the scheduled testing date, he or she may take the ATI TEAS elsewhere and have ATI forward their exam results electronically to Moorpark College ADN program by noon of the final TEAS testing date at Moorpark College. Please be aware that ATI charges for this service. 

Sending your ATI TEAS results from other testing sites to Moorpark College

If you:

  1. Took the ATI TEAS within twelve months prior to the application deadline, send your results through ATI by the application deadline. Printed results will not be accepted in any case.

if you:

  1. Take the ATI TEAS at a location other than Moorpark College after the application deadline but prior to the final ATI TEAS testing date at Moorpark College, send your results through ATI by 12:00 noon of the final ATI TEAS testing date at Moorpark College. Printed results will not be accepted in any case.


If the ATI TEAS exam has been taken more than once in any 12 month period, only the first exam result will be accepted. No exceptions to this policy will be made.Please note that the ATI TEAS transcript indicates how many times the exam has been taken and how many days have passed since the previous attempt.

The Application Process

Prior to submitting your application, it is recommended you make an appointment with the Health Sciences Counselor. Submit a complete application through the online application process during the application period. The following items MUST be submitted with your application in order for it to be considered complete:

ALL Advanced Placement Applicants:

  • Advanced Placement application
  • VCCCD transcripts ordered from the my.vcccd.edu portal and delivered to yourself, if courses were attempted at Moorpark, Ventura or Oxnard College. Refer to the Moorpark College Admissions and Records Official Transcript Request webpage for directions on how to order this transcript and have it delivered to yourself. You will need to open or electronically-open this transcript and include with your application materials. This opened VCCCD transcript is acceptable for the nursing application only. The opened or re-opened transcript will be considered unofficial for any other purposes. Failure to submit transcripts with all courses attempted and grades posted will results in disqualification. 
  • ALL course descriptions from the specific college catalog where the course was taken (prerequisites only) if outside the Ventura County Community College District. Please print the actual page from the college catalog of the semester and year you took the course. Do not cut and paste onto a Word document, and do not use the course syllabus nor college schedule of classes description. College catalogs can be found on each college's website.
  • Personal letter from applicant requesting admission: Indicate which semester (second or third) the applicant wishes to be admitted to, explain applicant’s current situation and future goals, and outline any activities, remediation or work experiences completed to prepare for admission eligibility. Letter should be typed and double spaced.

ALL official transcripts must be submitted to the Moorpark College Admission and Records department PRIOR to submitting your online nursing application packet. Official electronic transmission from the institution or hard copy in the original sealed envelope is acceptable. This includes:

  • High school transcripts if you have not earned a college degree
  • Transcripts from colleges or universities where any courses were attempted, except for Moorpark, Ventura, or Oxnard Colleges.
  • Transcript from LVN school, if applying for Advanced Placement as an LVN
  • International transcripts if applicable. International transcripts must be translated and evaluated; please refer to the Moorpark College Counseling website for information on having international transcripts evaluated: www.moorparkcollege.edu/departments/student-services/counseling-office/transcript-information
  • AP scores from College Board if the score is being used to fulfill a prerequisite course.

*Note:  Students must have a Social Security Number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number at the time of application as it is a requirement of the program’s clinical sites.

Licensed Vocational Nurses must also submit:

  • Copy of current LVN license
  • Resume indicating work experience  
  • Two letters of recommendation on official letterhead: One from the applicant's current employer, if any, and one from the nursing school director and/or nursing faculty of the vocational nursing program from which the applicant graduated.

 Transfer students from other nursing schools must also submit:

  • Course syllabi and college catalog from previous nursing school
  • Two letters of recommendation from nursing school faculty and/or nursing director on official letterhead

 Readmission applicants must also submit:

  • Two letters of recommendation from nursing school faculty on official letterhead
  • Evidence of work or volunteer experience, if any, on official letterhead
  • Transcripts showing completion of academic remediation. 

***Remember, if taken at another location, ATI TEAS results must be electronically sent by ATI to Moorpark College. Printed results will not be accepted in any case. Please do not include printed ATI TEAS results with your application. 

Consideration for acceptance as an advanced placement student is based on the following:     

  • Completeness of application
  • An ATI TEAS adjusted individual score > 62% for the following students:
    • Licensed Vocational Nurse
    • Nursing transfer student
  • Number of General Education courses completed
  • Nursing transfer applicants must have successfully completed with a grade of C or higher at least one semester or one nursing course (with a clinical laboratory) of an accredited nursing program. Each transfer applicant must submit course syllabi, college catalog, etc. to determine course placement.
  • An applicant with previous Health Care Credentials including certain military health care occupations, may challenge test for the Nursing Science Course. This will include a written and clinical competency test. For the requirements, please review the Credit by Examination Policy in the Academic Policies section of the Moorpark College catalog, and the Military Experience document in the Forms section of the nursing program website.
  • If a Moorpark College student does not pass Nursing Science 1 or 1L, then the applicant must reapply to the program. The student in this circumstance would not be eligible for Advanced Placement.  
  • Returning Moorpark College nursing students applying for Advanced Placement are not required to re-take the ATI TEAS exam.

Denial of Admission 

  • Students who have not been enrolled in a nursing program for four semesters or greater are not qualified to apply for Advanced Placement.
  • Space in a course may be limited due to clinical or educational restrictions.
  • Applicants who have failed or withdrew failing from a Registered Nursing program, and whose overall record makes it unlikely she or he can successfully complete this program may be denied initial admission into Nursing Science 1/L and/or Advanced Placement admission.
  • Transfer students who failed twice from a nursing program
  • Applicants whose record indicates deficiencies in health and safety such that the applicant is considered a risk to patients, themselves, or others.
  • Students with an Overall GPA <2.5, or Science GPA <2.0
  • Incomplete prerequisites or incomplete Advanced Placement application
  • Applicants with a success score of 55% or less
  • Applicants with a ATI TEAS Adjusted Individual Total Score <62% will not be considered for Advanced Placement until the required remediation is completed. Once remediation is completed, the applicant must re-apply and show proof of completed remediation.

For Licensed Vocational Nurses Only

  • Licensed Vocational Nurses (LVN) may be granted a maximum of two semesters or 18 units of required Nursing Science coursework, for credit only. If considering transferring to a four year college or university for a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing (BSN), please be aware of the institution's policy concerning transferring courses in the nursing major taken for credit, instead of a letter grade.
  • 30 Unit Option: Additionally, the State of California provides a 30 Unit option for the LVN, which may not be recognized by other states and does not lead to an Associate Degree in Nursing. The 30 Unit Option must be declared in the application for Advanced Placement. It is recommended that the applicant be a High School graduate or have successfully completed the General Education Development (GED) test; this is a requirement for the California State Board NCLEX-RN Examination. The 30 Unit Option includes the following courses:
    • PHY 1 Human Physiology (4 units)
    • Micro 1 Microbiology (5 units)
    • NS3/L (9.5 units)
    • NS4/L (8.5 units)

An LVN accepting the 30-unit option must meet with the program director and sign a waiver noting that he or she is not a graduate of the nursing program and does not receive a college degree.