Nursing

The Nursing Program is for those students who desire to become Nurses. This program is open to enrollment by students with no prior nursing or allied health education or experience. It also offers transitional enrollment options for those with a valid, active, unrestricted multistate compact or South Carolina LPN license. Students will be taught to demonstrate professional and caring behaviors, utilize therapeutic communication techniques, perform holistic assessments, assess the strengths and resources of patients and families, coordinate care for patients and families, teach necessary health information to consumers of health, apply mathematical calculations to safely administer medications, collaborate with members of the healthcare team and apply critical thinking and the nursing process consistently. An Associate in Applied Science degree in Nursing will be awarded upon successful completion of the program. Outside work is required.

Students who have successfully met all educational and institutional requirements for the Associate in Applied Science Degree in the Nursing program from Southeastern College are eligible to have their names submitted to the South Carolina Board of Nursing to be considered as a candidate for the NCLEX-RN. The South Carolina Board of Nursing is the state agency authorized to determine if the applicant qualifies to take the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN) for licensure as a Registered Nurse.

As part of the program, students must participate in training experiences at approved clinical sites. Sites may be up to 100 miles from the campus. All expenses relating to this clinical training are the responsibility of the student, i.e., food and gas, etc. Students are expected to remain flexible with the schedule, which may be changed without advanced notice, and may make any necessary accommodations to their schedule as needed.

Objectives.

This program prepares students for an entry-level position as a Nurse. Students will be exposed to professional nursing encompassing legal and ethical decision-making in the promotion of health in the community. Students will demonstrate the use of the nursing processes to meet multiple health needs for adults and children in a variety of healthcare settings, communicate therapeutically with families, groups, and individuals, synthesize, and communicate relevant data effectively and concisely, and utilize management skills and concepts to plan and coordinate patient care. Students will assume the role of the associate degree nurse as a member of the health care team and will integrate the theoretical content of general education classes with nursing theory and practice.

All applicants will be required to do a pre-enrollment interview with an Admissions Coordinator to determine the necessary requirements for entrance into the program. To be considered for enrollment, applicants must supply verification of standard high school graduation, GED completion, or proof of graduation from a foreign institution comparable to a United States secondary school; home-schooled applicants are considered upon receipt of the proper state credential.

Admissions requirements.

General Student Admission

• Submit Application.
• Have a high school diploma, G.E.D., or equivalent.
• Pass School Entrance Assessment by obtaining a minimum score of 60 on the ATI TEAS exam. (To be considered for admission into the nursing program, applicants must earn a minimum score of 60 on the most current version of the ATI TEAS exam. Students must wait at least 30 days after a second test attempt and may take the exam no more than three times within a six-month period. TEAS scores that are more than 12 months old at the time of application into the professional phase of the program will not be accepted. All TEAS attempts must be taken at Southeastern College to be considered.)
• Pass the Wonderlic Score by obtaining a minimum score of 19. (To be considered for admission into the nursing program, applicants must earn a minimum score of 19 on the Wonderlic. Students may take the exam no more than three times within a 3-month period.)
• Submit a written essay.
• Interview with Nursing Program Director and/or designee.

Licensed Practical Nursing applicants

• Submit Application.
• Have a high school diploma, G.E.D., or equivalent.
• Pass the Wonderlic Score by obtaining a minimum score of 19 (To be considered for admission into the nursing program, applicants must earn a minimum score of 19 on the Wonderlic. Students may take the exam no more than three times within a 3-month period.)
• Hold an active Licensed Practical Nursing License.
• Submit a written essay.
• Interview with Nursing Program Director and/or designee.

Applicants holding a Bachelor's Degree

• Submit Application.
• Have an earned bachelor’s or higher degree from an accredited institution recognized by the US Department of Education or a foreign equivalent.
• Pass the Wonderlic Score by obtaining a minimum score of 19 (To be considered for admission into the nursing program, applicants must earn a minimum score of 19 on the Wonderlic. Students may take the exam no more than three times within a 3-month period.)
• Submit a written essay.
• Interview with Nursing Program Director and/or designee.

Certificate in Pre-Nursing Applicants (South Carolina Technical Colleges)

• Submit Application.
• Have a high school diploma, G.E.D., or equivalent and an earned Pre-Nursing Certificate from a South Carolina Technical College.
• Pass school entrance assessment.
• Must have completed a pre-nursing certificate with a minimum of 3.50 GPA within the last 3 years. o Must maintain a 3.5 GPA in General Education Courses completed at Southeastern College to waive the pre-nursing entrance exam requirement, otherwise students will be required to pass the pre-nursing entrance exam requirement by obtaining the minimum proficiency level score of 60.0 before starting core classes (no courses can be repeated for GPA purposes).
• Pass the Wonderlic Score by obtaining a minimum score of 19. (To be considered for admission into the nursing program, applicants must earn a minimum score of 19 on the Wonderlic. Students may take the exam no more than three times within a 12-month period.)
• Submit a written essay.
• Interview with Nursing Program Director and/or designee.

Prerequisites.

• Graduates of Southeastern College’s Practical Nurse Program may provide proof of a valid, active, unrestricted South Carolina LPN license within 90 days from the start of their first general education course. Failure to provide a valid, active, unrestricted license within 90 days will result in the withdrawal of the student from the school.

Additional Prerequisites to the Nursing Core Classes Please note that the following requirements must all be met or maintained to advance into the Nursing Program core courses:

• Intermediate Algebra and all science courses (Human Anatomy and Physiology I, Advanced Human Anatomy, and Microbiology courses and labs) must have been completed within 5 years before starting Nursing Program Core Courses.
• A cumulative GPA of 3.00 in the pre-requisite general education courses is required to enter the core Nursing program courses. A student must receive a grade of “B” or higher for Intermediate Algebra and all science classes (Human Anatomy & Physiology I, Anatomy & Physiology Systems, and Microbiology courses and labs). If a candidate transfers general education courses(s), those courses and grades earned will be used to calculate the CGPA. The College will use the credit value and grade scale for current Southeastern College general education courses in the computation of the CGPA. The credit values at a minimum must be equivalent to current Southeastern College general education courses. The student may elect not to transfer in any general education courses.
• 10 Panel Drug Screen within two months before starting Nursing Program Core Courses. The 10 Panel Drug Screen and Level II Background check and fingerprints will be conducted again, if deemed necessary by the Program Director. If the candidate tests positive for the drug screen or items appear on the background check that violates the clinical site terms of the agreement, they will not be allowed to proceed into the Nursing program core courses. In the event of errors for items appearing on the background check that violate clinical site terms of the agreement, the candidate will not be allowed to proceed to the Nursing program core courses unless they can provide corrected documentation.
• The currency and unrestricted nature of the practical nursing license will be checked again before entering the Nursing program core classes (if applicable). If a candidate’s license is not current or unrestricted at this time or they are unable to provide documentation, they will be registered as a non-transitional student and will not receive transfer credit.
• Active medical insurance is required before the first day of the Nursing Program Core Courses. Medical insurance must be maintained throughout the duration of the Nursing Program.
• Provide documentation of health examination within 6 months before starting Nursing Program Core Courses.
• Provide TB test within one year of starting Nursing Program Core Courses or Chest X-ray Documentation within two years of starting Nursing Program Core Courses. (Must be renewed if the date expires at any point during the program).
• Provide Current Immunization Documentation as required by program and clinical sites.
• Abuse registry clearance.
• Possess a current eight-hour American Heart Association CPR Certification before starting Nursing Core Courses for those entering with a valid, active, unrestricted South Carolina LPN license and prior to the Nursing program core courses for all other students.

Please see the Program Handbook for additional policies for this program.

Distance education. Students enrolling in distance education programs or courses must complete an Online Assessment Survey before beginning; the minimum score required is 30.

Program length. This program can be completed in 25 months for all full-time students.

Students must participate in training experiences at approved clinical sites, which may be up to 100 miles from the campus; the schedule may be changed without advanced notice.

Campus hours. Classes are in session year-round, except for the holidays and vacations listed in the Academic Calendar. The Columbia and North Charleston campuses are open Monday through Thursday from 8:00 am to 11:00 pm, Fridays from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm and Saturdays from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm.

Start dates. The catalog publishes term dates (each term begins on a Monday; for example, the Winter 2027 semester begins January 11, 2027) but no program-specific start dates; contact the campus for the next start.

Tuition and fees (South Carolina). At Southeastern College, tuition and fees are charged to the student by the semester/pay period. Each semester is 16-weeks in duration for credit hour programs. Each pay period is 450 hours (900 clock hour program), 370 hours (740 clock hour program) and 500 hours (1500 clock hour program) in duration for clock hour programs. Southeastern College students are not charged by the course or by credit hours.

The catalog lists 6.25 semesters for this program. The following fees are charged each semester/pay period in addition to tuition, and the one-time fees are charged at enrollment:

• Tuition per 16-week semester (full-time): $12,756.00
• Technology fee (per semester/pay period): $400.00
• Student services fee (per semester/pay period): $300.00
• Program fee (per semester/pay period): $300.00
• Lab fee (per semester/pay period): $300.00
• Application fee (one-time): $50.00
• Registration fee (one-time): $50.00
• Additional Nursing Core Lippincott fee (one-time): $2,280.00
• Transcript fee: $5.00
• Diploma shipping and handling fee: $100.00

Tuition for students less than full time is charged based on a pro-rata calculation at the beginning of the semester/pay period. Programs that require a student kit will be assessed a fee accordingly. Textbook prices are available on the student portal by course. If applicable, students taking online courses who have the textbooks shipped will have shipping charges assessed for them.

Financial aid. Southeastern College is approved by the U.S. Department of Education for Title IV Federal Aid Programs. Prospective students who seek financial assistance must complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and make an appointment with a Financial Aid Officer. The college's aid programs include the Federal Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG), Federal Direct Stafford Student Loans, Federal Direct PLUS Loans, Federal Work Study and Southeastern College and private scholarships. Federal School Code (FAFSA) for this campus: 037464.

Military and veterans. Southeastern College is approved by the Florida and North Carolina state approving agencies for veterans training, and its VA Pending Payment Policy protects students using Post-9/11 GI Bill® (Chapter 33) or VR&E (Chapter 31) benefits. Tuition Assistance funds are available to eligible Service members; Active Duty students must meet with their branch of service before enrolling.

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Career focus. This program prepares students for an entry-level position as a Nurse. Students will be exposed to professional nursing encompassing legal and ethical decision-making in the promotion of health in the community. Students will demonstrate the use of the nursing processes to meet multiple health needs for adults and children in a variety of healthcare settings, communicate therapeutically with families, groups, and individuals, synthesize, and communicate relevant data effectively and concisely, and utilize management skills and concepts to plan and coordinate patient care. Students will assume the role of the associate degree nurse as a member of the health care team and will integrate the theoretical content of general education classes with nursing theory and practice.

Credentialing.

Students who have successfully met all educational and institutional requirements for the Associate in Applied Science Degree in the Nursing program from Southeastern College are eligible to have their names submitted to the South Carolina Board of Nursing to be considered as a candidate for the NCLEX-RN. The South Carolina Board of Nursing is the state agency authorized to determine if the applicant qualifies to take the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN) for licensure as a Registered Nurse.

As part of the program, students must participate in training experiences at approved clinical sites. Sites may be up to 100 miles from the campus. All expenses relating to this clinical training are the responsibility of the student, i.e., food and gas, etc. Students are expected to remain flexible with the schedule, which may be changed without advanced notice, and may make any necessary accommodations to their schedule as needed.

Professional licensure disclosure: ASN-AASN-BSN-Pre-Licensure-Nursing-Disclosure-Form-2026.pdf