Nursing schools will expect applicants to present a high school diploma or a high school equivalency certificate (GED) with their application.
Nursing school applicants should have earned good grades in school. Grades not only reflect what students' know but their work ethic as well. Nursing schools look for students who are determined and hard working, attributes that good grades can demonstrate. Many schools look for applicants to have at least a 2.5 GPA.
Nursing schools generally seek applicants with a background in science and look for students to have taken courses such as anatomy, biology, chemistry and algebra. Many schools also look for students with stellar communication skills, who can express themselves in words and text. Some schools even require applicants to submit a personal essay.
Interested students also will need to take a standardized test, such as the ACT or SAT. Colleges use these tests to help them decide whom to admit and often look for students to score within a predetermined range to even be considered. The Virginia Commonwealth University, for example, expects incoming nursing students to have a minimum SAT score of 1100 or an ACT score of 25.