Master’s Entry Program in Nursing

• A non-nursing baccalaureate from a regionally accredited institution
  • Must be completed by December 31st preceding the program start date
  • Transcript must have degree conferral date
  • Degree standards must be equivalent to that of the University of California (Please view our current UCI requirements for a Bachelor’s degree here)
  • Note: If you received your Bachelor’s degree in a country outside of the United States, we require that you provide professional transcript evaluations. Please see our FAQs for additional information.
• A cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher in your Bachelors degree
  • If you did not receive a 3.0 or higher in your Bachelor’s degree, please see our FAQs for additional information.
• Completion of all of the prerequisite courses listed below with a letter grade of C or higher:
  • Statistics
  • Psychology
  • Sociology/Cultural Anthropology
  • Anatomy with lab
  • Physiology with lab
  • Microbiology with lab
  • A “combination” Chemistry which includes a combination of inorganic (general), organic and biochemistry (must contain all 3) OR General Chemistry.

Note: Courses must be completed by December 31st preceding the program start date. AP test scores are not accepted. Applicants should review the “Prerequisite Courses” section of this website below to ensure that the courses they take meet admissions requirements.

Applicants must complete all of the prerequisite courses detailed below with a letter grade of C or higher.

AP test scores are not acceptable for prerequisite course requirements.

Online courses are acceptable for prerequisite course requirements, including lecture and lab components.

All courses must be completed by December 31st preceding the program start date.

• For example, those applying in the Fall 2025 cycle (to join the MEPN cohort starting in Fall 2026) must complete all prerequisites by December 31st, 2025.

Applicants are encouraged to a complete a Prerequisite Checklist (filled out according to these instructions) before applying to the program to assist in planning and familiarize themselves with MEPN Prerequisite requirements.

Prerequisite Course Details

Applicants can check prerequisite eligibility by comparing publicly posted course descriptions for the courses that they’ve taken and the public course descriptions for sample courses at UC Irvine listed below (course descriptions are available in UC Irvine’s Course Catalogue).

Applicants taking prerequisite courses at California Community Colleges may confirm acceptable prerequisites by utilizing assist.org.

Acceptable prerequisite courses adhere to the following:

Chemistry: A “combined” chemistry course which includes a combination of inorganic (general), organic and biochemistry (must contain all 3) OR a General Chemistry.

• Sample UCI General Chemistry: CHEM 1A and CHEM 1B and CHEM 1C
• Some schools may expand their Chemistry course into a series of two or more courses.
  • For example, at UC Irvine, this would include CHEM 1A, CHEM 1B, and CHEM 1C.
  • We require that you complete all courses in a series with a letter grade of “C” or higher for each course.
• We prefer that applicants complete a “combined” chemistry course, but we will accept either a “combined” chemistry or a General Chemistry.
  • Applicants can find an acceptable list of “combined” chemistry courses offered at California Community Colleges here.
  • Applicants may utilize assist.org to find acceptable General Chemistry courses offered at California Community Colleges.
• “Combined” chemistry courses may be introductory/fundamental-level courses. We do not accept introductory/fundamental-level General Chemistry courses for this requirement.
• Course(s) must total a minimum of 5 quarter units or 3 semester units.

Microbiology: Course(s) must include a lecture with a lab component.

• Sample UCI Microbiology w/lab: BIO SCI M122 and BIO SCI M118L
  • Some schools may separate these into two separate courses (as described above in UC Irvine’s course example), while others may combine lecture and lab components into a single course. Both formats are acceptable.
• Course(s) must total a minimum of 5 quarter units or 3 semester units.
• We require that students take this requirement within 5 years of applying. Students applying in the Fall 2025 term (to join the cohort starting in Fall 2026) must take this lecture/lab in Fall 2020 or later. Courses taken in the Summer 2020 term (or earlier) will not be accepted.

Human Physiology: Course(s) must include a lecture with a lab component.

• Sample UCI Human Physiology w/lab: BIO SCI E109 and BIO SCI E112L
  • Some schools may separate these into two separate courses (as described above in UC Irvine’s course example), while others may combine lecture and lab components into a single course. Both formats are acceptable.
  • Some schools may offer a combined “Anatomy and Physiology” year-long series. We accept this format if it include lab components and applicants complete the full year-long series.
• This must be a human-focused course; plant/animal physiology courses will not be accepted.
• Course(s) must total a minimum of 5 quarter units or 3 semester units.
• We require that students take this requirement within 5 years of applying. Students applying in the Fall 2025 term (to join the cohort starting in Fall 2026) must take this lecture/lab in Fall 2020 or later. Courses taken in the Summer 2020 term (or earlier) will not be accepted.

Human Anatomy: Course(s) must include a lecture with a lab component.

• Sample UCI Human Anatomy w/lab: BIO SCI D170
  • Some schools may separate these into two separate courses, while others may combine lecture and lab components into a single course (as described above in UC Irvine’s course example). Both formats are acceptable.
  • Some schools may offer a combined “Anatomy and Physiology” year-long series. We accept this format if it include lab components and applicants complete the full year-long series.
• This must be a human-focused course; plant/animal anatomy courses will not be accepted.
• Course(s) must total a minimum of 5 quarter units or 3 semester units.
• We require that students take this requirement within 5 years of applying. Students applying in the Fall 2025 term (to join the cohort starting in Fall 2026) must take this lecture/lab in Fall 2020 or later. Courses taken in the Summer 2020 term (or earlier) will not be accepted.

Statistics: Course must containing descriptive and inferential statistics topics.

• Sample UCI Statistics: STATS 7 or STATS 8
• Course must total a minimum of 4 quarter units or 3 semester units.

Psychology: An Introduction to Psychology or Developmental Psychology course.

• Sample UCI Psychology: PSYCH 7A or NUR SCI 116
• Course must either be introductory/fundamental courses that broadly cover the field of psychology or a developmental psychology course. Courses in other subfields of Psychology will not be accepted.
• Course must total a minimum of 4 quarter units or 3 semester units.

Sociology/Cultural Anthropology: An Introduction to Sociology or Cultural Anthropology course.

• Sample UC Sociology/Cultural Anthropology: SOCIOL 1 or ANTHRO 2A
• Course must either be introductory/fundamental courses that broadly cover the field of sociology or a cultural anthropology course. Courses in other subfields of Sociology, Anthropology, or Archaeology will not be accepted.
• Course must total a minimum of 4 quarter units or 3 semester units.

Note: Applicants may review the sample courses (including their course descriptions, units, etc.) noted above listed in UC Irvine’s Course Catalogue.

Other Course Considerations

We also recommend that students take a Nutrition course prior to starting the UCI MEPN Program as it will be useful preparation for MEPN coursework. Nutrition is not a required prerequisite course for admission and taking the course (or not taking the course) before applying to the program will have no impact on admissions review and decisions.

The California BRN requires that your undergraduate degree include at least 6 semester/9 quarter units in communication (must include group, verbal, and written principles). This requirement is typically satisfied by undergraduate writing courses, and occasionally AP or other test credit. However, these courses are not required prerequisite courses for admission to MEPN and are not reviewed in applications. We recommend that these courses are taken for a letter grade, if possible, of C or better. Grades in these courses are not factored into our admissions review (other than as part of your cumulative Bachelor’s Degree GPA, when applicable).

Utilizing Assist.org

Applicants who take prerequisites at California Community Colleges may utilize assist.org to determine which courses are acceptable. ASSIST provides course articulation agreements between community colleges in the state of California and public universities in California.

Applicants can use UC Irvine’s “Nursing Science, B.S.” major as a search term to find relevant courses for admission to the MEPN program, then use the sample courses listed above to find acceptable course options at California Community Colleges.

Applicants who cannot determine if a prerequisite is acceptable after comparing course descriptions and utilizing assist.org can email gnsao@hs.uci.edu with all three of the following: (1) the MEPN prerequisite requirement, (2) the course description for the course in question, and (3) a detailed syllabus for the course in question. Note that due to a high volume of emails and inquiries that our office receives, applicants seeking a syllabus review may expect a delayed response. We appreciate your patience and understanding.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to review our MEPN Admissions Frequently Asked Questions page for more information and answers to the most common questions that we receive.

COVID-19 Course Notes

Although some institutions allowed Pass/Not Pass grading for certain courses due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are still require letter grades as a feature of our admissions requirements. If your institution is mandated Pass/Not Pass grading, or if you have an extenuating circumstance, please make a note on your application and we may make an exception.

In addition, some schools may be moving lab courses that have traditionally been taught in-person to an online format. Online formats are acceptable for our prerequisite requirements, including both lecture courses and lab courses. If you have concerns about a specific course, please email gnsao@hs.uci.edu with specific course information (including institution, course title, course number, and units) to confirm that we will accept it.

Starting with the Fall 2025 application, all applicants to MEPN are required to complete both a NursingCAS Application and a UC Irvine Graduate Application.  Applicants are strongly encouraged to review the 2025 MEPN Guide to Applying for detailed information.

• Applicants can find the MEPN NursingCAS application via the NursingCAS website in early August by searching for “University of California Irvine.”
• Applicants can find the MEPN UC Irvine Online Graduate application via the UCI Graduate Division website in early October. The application for the MEPN program is listed as a Master’s Degree program under “Nursing Science – Community and Population Health Concentration.”

A complete application includes and adheres to the following:

• A statement of purpose essay response (applicants must follow the essay prompt instructions posted on this website)
  • You can review the prompt instructions for the Fall 2025 application here: Fall 2025 MEPN Application Essay Prompt Instructions  
• A current resumé (MEPN Resume/CV Guide)
  • Include academic honors/recognition, both healthcare and non-healthcare volunteer and work activities, leadership positions, and bilingual/multilingual abilities, etc.
• Transcripts from all universities/institutions (guidelines)
  • Transcripts must include Bachelor’s degree GPA and degree conferral date
  • Bachelor’s Degrees earned outside the United States require professional transcript evaluations for admission. Please review our FAQs page for more information.
• Some applicants may need to supply TOEFL or IELTS English test scores in the UC Irvine Graduate Application to meet UC Irvine’s Graduate Division’s English Language Proficiency requirement (guidelines)
  • Review additional international admissions information

Important Application Notes:

• All components listed above must be submitted in both the NursingCAS and UC Irvine Graduate Application by the application deadline
• A virtual interview may be required for final selection of candidates
• Additional application information is available from UCI Graduate Division
• Applicants are strongly encouraged to fill out the Prerequisite Checklist (additional instructions) before starting their applications to assist in (1) ensuring that they have completed all prerequisite course requirements and (2) filling out the required application sections.
• We no longer require any letters of recommendation for the MEPN application.
  • Please do not submit Letters of Recommendation. Any letters submitted are not reviewed or considered in admissions decisions.

Please note that if you are planning to apply for an Application Fee Waiver, you must submit your waiver request to UC Irvine’s Graduate Division at least 5 days in advance of our application deadline.  The School of Nursing does not manage the application fee nor does it manage the application fee waiver process.  Please refer to the UC Irvine Graduate Division website for more information: https://grad.uci.edu/admissions/applying-to-uci/fee-waivers.php

Our Fall 2025 self-guided information session will be available on our website in Summer 2025. This presentation reviews all of the information covered in live sessions and takes approximately 30 minutes to review.

Our program offers virtual information sessions for applicants in the Fall during the application period when possible. When available, registration information for live sessions is posted on our website.

Please note that our building is not open for prospective student visits. Our staff do not offer in-person tours of our building and classroom spaces. Please direct all questions and inquiries via email to gnsao@hs.uci.edu

Summer 2025 Hours: Our office operates on an adjusted schedule during the summer. Please allow for slightly longer response times. We appreciate your patience and understanding!

Graduate Tuition & Fee Schedule

All tuition, fees, and charges are subject to change without notice, and the University may impose additional tuition and fees. Consult the University Registrar’s website for the most up-to-date information.

For estimated annual costs, please visit UCI’s Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships for an estimated budget.

Nursing students have additional supplemental costs associated with completing clinical requirements for licensure and should plan accordingly.

If you need help to pay for your studies, you may be eligible for several types of financial aid.
Visit UCI Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships to find out more about financial aid and scholarship options.

Current MEPN students are automatically considered for need-based fellowships within the School of Nursing so long as they complete a current FAFSA or California DREAM Act Application. A third of the total Professional Degree Supplemental Tuition revenue collected each year is returned to students in these need-based fellowships. Current students within the School of Nursing are also invited to apply to school-specific fellowships each year. We encourage eligible students to complete the FAFSA or California DREAM Act Application on time each year in order to be eligible for student loans and other financial opportunities.

Additionally, please check the UC Irvine Financial Aid office’s database of external scholarships.