Minimum Entrance Requirements for Health Care Programs

(Each prerequisite course must be passed with 2.0 or higher)

Admission to college programs in health careers is limited to a specific number of candidates each year because of requirements imposed by accrediting agencies and by the availability of faculty, college laboratory and clinical agency resources. To insure that all applicants are evaluated in the same way, within each discipline, the following criteria for acceptance has been developed by the Division of Science and Health and the Division of Student Services in determining the candidates who will be offered admission:

• All candidates for admission to the Nursing and Dental Hygiene Programs are required to take a national standardized entrance examination. There is a $15 fee.
• If you have not taken the necessary high school prerequisites, the courses can be made up by substituting courses taken at BCC. These courses must be taken before you apply to Nursing or any health career program.
• To be considered for most programs, science prerequisites must have been completed within the last ten years. Applicable college science courses taken more than ten years ago are not transferable.
• Students who hold a VISA of any type may apply for a health career program after attending the College for a minimum of one semester.
• A successful candidate for a health career program at Bergen Community College must possess certain abilities and skills necessary to provide and maintain safe and effective care administered to the patient. The candidate must be able to function on an independent level without any intermediary. These skills and abilities include: observation, communication, motor skills, cognitive and intellectual skills, behavioral and social attributes.
• Students accepted into certain health career programs, who on the basis of the basic skills testing results require remediation, will be placed into a deferred acceptance category until remediation needs have been met. Deferred acceptance students must remain in contact with the Director or Coordinator of their specific health career program during progression through required remediation. Applicants to Dental Hygiene, Diagnostic Medical Sonography, Nursing, Physical Therapy Assistant, and Radiography programs must complete remediation prior to acceptance into the program.
• Full and part-time students in allied health or nursing programs must carry personal medical health insurance.
• State and national regulatory agencies which license graduates of nursing and allied health programs may refuse to admit to licensing examinations any candidate who has been convicted of a crime or who is incapable, for medical or other cause, of carrying out the functions required of a nurse or allied health professional.
• Students seeking admission to Nursing (Day), Dental Hygiene or Diagnostic Medical Sonography must submit complete applications by March 1 for fall admission. Nursing (evening) applications are due by October 1 for spring (January) admission. These deadlines may be extended, if classroom space permits.

* HS Biology is waived if College Biology, preferably BIO 109, is successfully completed.
** The Diagnostic Medical Sonography Program is a regional program that utilizes clinical affiliates throughout New Jersey. Students may be required to travel to distant sites and provide their own transportation in the clinical education component of the program.
*** Evening Nursing applicants cannot be accepted until general corequisites (8 courses) have been completed. These courses are: BIO109, BIO209, WRT101, WRT201, PSY101, PSY106, SOC101, and WEX101.
**** Admissions to this program suspended.
† Meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission into the Physical Therapist Assistant Program; admission is selective. Additional criteria used to select individuals include: overall GPA, science GPA, year biology or anatomy completed, experience (paid or volunteer) in a physical therapy setting or other allied health field, prior education, and letters of recommendation from physical therapist(s).
†† Applicants for the professional component (second semester) of the Veterinary Technology program cannot be accepted until all prerequisites have been completed. These courses include WRT101, BIO115, CHM112, VET102, and VET103. Students are advised to consult with the coordinator of the Veterinary Technology program for additional information regarding the application procedures.Technology program for additional information regarding the application procedures.
† † † Students seeking admission to Nursing (Day), Dental Hygiene or Diagnostic Medical Sonography must submit complete applications by March 1, for fall admission. Nursing (evening) applications are due by October 1 for spring (January) admission. These deadlines may be extended, if classroom permits.
† † † †  In addition to the above requirements, applicants cannot be accepted into the program until at least two of the following four general education courses have been completed. These four general education courses are: MAT-250, CIS-158, WRT-201, and SPE-111. Students are advised to consult with the coordinator of the Radiation Therapy program for additional information regarding requirements and application procedures.