Nursing

Pre-Nursing Level

New students accepted to the Northern Marianas College who declare the Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) degree as their major are first classified as Pre-Nursing students. Please note that selecting Nursing as a major on the College application does not mean you are admitted into the Nursing Program. Instead, all students who list Nursing as their major are automatically classified as Pre-Nursing students. A Pre-Nursing student is a student under the ASN degree Individualized Degree Plan (IDP) who is working to fulfill all prerequisite course requirements, which include the Core Course Requirements (except SO 297) and General Education Requirements, before applying for admission into the Nursing Program.

Pre-Nursing students must complete all Core Course Requirements (except SO 297) and General Education Requirements with a grade of “C” or higher, as stated on the ASN IDP. Any course in which a student earns a “D” or “F” must be repeated to obtain a “C” or higher. Additionally, Pre-Nursing students are expected to maintain a 3.00 and above grade point average (GPA) throughout the completion of their
prerequisites.

Students who expect to finish their prerequisites by the end of the Spring Semester may apply for formal admission into the Nursing Program during the application period, which is available from April to May each year. The Nursing Program requires a separate application and additional admission criteria from what is required for College admission.

For more information on applying for admission into the Nursing Program, read the “Application for Admission” section of this page.

Important Note on Science Courses and Transfer Credits
All science courses listed under the General Education Requirements of the Nursing IDP must be completed within five years immediately prior to applying for admission into the Nursing Program. This rule also applies to transfer students from off-island colleges/universities who are interested in applying for admission into the Nursing Program. Transfer students must obtain an official college transcript and mail it to the Office of Admissions and Records (OAR).

Any transcript from a foreign college or university must be sent to an approved foreign credential evaluator. To request the list of approved evaluators, contact OAR at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or (670) 237-6771. You may also refer to Page 43 of the 2019–2023 NMC Catalog.

Nursing Level

Students who meet all Nursing Program admission requirements and are formally accepted will enter the First-Year Nursing Cohort and be reclassified as Nursing students. At this level, nursing students focus on completing the Program Requirements of the ASN IDP, which are essentially the Nursing (NU) courses. The Nursing Program is a four-semester sequence, and each nursing course is offered only once a year, so maintaining academic progress is critical.

Updating the NMC Health Evaluation Form for Health Clearance

Once admitted into the Nursing Program, nursing students must complete a new NMC Health Evaluation Form to update all required vaccinations and PPD skin test, including scheduling a physical examination and updating their immunization records by a medical provider at any of the on-island clinics. The Health Evaluation Form can be completed by making an appointment at either the Commonwealth Healthcare
Corporation (CHCC) Immunization Clinic or any private on-island clinic. Students can also request a copy of their immunization record from the CHCC Immunization Clinic to bring with them to their appointment.

Note: The Health Evaluation Form you completed when you were first admitted to NMC will not be counted.

All nursing students are responsible for updating and completing their vaccinations, as required by the CHCC’s Employee Health Department, to receive health clearance and be allowed in the hospital’s inpatient units/outpatient clinics for clinical experience/practicum. Students must submit a completed and updated Health Evaluation Form to the Nursing Department to begin the screening process for health
clearance.

Disclaimer: Any applicable fees associated with the nursing student’s health clearance, including physical examinations and PPD skin tests, are the responsibility of the student. Nursing students must ensure they have their medical insurance documentation ready when visiting a clinic for their appointment.

All nursing students are expected to follow immunization guidelines and health directives from the CHCC Employee Health Nurse before they can begin their clinical rotations at CHCC. The Nursing Department works closely with CHCC’s Employee Health Nurse to ensure our nursing students’ compliance.

All nursing students are required to wear a CHCC Student ID Badge during clinical rotations. There is a $10 fee to be paid at the CHCC Cashier before getting your Student ID Badge from the CHCC Human Resources Department. This will be arranged by the Nursing Department Chair before the first day of clinical experience/practicum.

Nursing Student Dress Code and Equipment

Nursing students are expected to follow the Nursing Program Dress Code for lectures and clinical experience. You are expected to provide your own uniforms and medical equipment throughout your nursing program training. Further information regarding dress code and equipment will be provided upon official admission into the Nursing Program.

Transportation

Nursing students must provide their own transportation to and from the clinical area (either in the CHCC hospital, outpatient clinics, public health, private/government agencies, or schools).

Completion of the Nursing Program and Graduation

After completing all four semesters in the Nursing Program, the nursing student will graduate with the Associate of Science in Nursing degree at the NMC Commencement Exercise held in the Spring Semester of their graduating year. Receiving the ASN degree means that the nursing graduate is eligible to apply for the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN).

All nursing graduates are expected and required to take the NCLEX-RN within three months after graduation to be licensed as Registered Nurses (RNs). 

NCLEX-RN Application Requirement for Potential Nursing Graduates

All potential nursing graduates are required to complete the Initial Application for Licensure by Examination from the Northern Mariana Islands (NMI) Board of Nursing.

In the fourth and final semester of the Nursing Program, potential nursing graduates are required to begin creating their NMI Nurse Portal accounts on the NMI Board of Nursing website at the beginning of their graduating Spring Semester to start the application process to take the NCLEX-RN Exam. Potential nursing graduates are also expected to gather all required documentation as listed on the NMI Board of
Nursing’s Requirements for Licensure by Examination to support their application. Proof of their NMI Nurse Portal accounts, which includes a screenshot of their account’s Dashboard, must be submitted to the Nursing Department Chair by uploading it into a Submission Box designated in their NU 209 Nursing Issues and Trends course Moodle by the third week of May to ensure graduates are working towards
application to take the NCLEX-RN Exam within three (3) months after graduation (June to August of their graduating year).

For more information about the NCLEX-RN and requirements, read the “About the NCLEX-RN Exam” section of this page.

Overview

The Nursing Department at the Northern Marianas College is preparing to select its new cohort of students for the Fall 2025 Semester. The Application for Admission into the Nursing Program is made available in April or May of every Spring Semester for any potential candidates who meet all requirements. Pre-Nursing students who are interested in applying for admission may contact their nursing advisor to determine their eligibility and progress.

After the application period closes, the Nursing Department Chair will screen all applicants based on the Initial Criteria for Selection for eligibility to take the Nursing Program Admission Test.

Initial Criteria for Eligibility to Take the Nursing Program Admission Test
The applicant must meet the following requirements:

1. A cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.00 or above;
2. Completion of all Core Course Requirements (except SO 297) and General Education Requirements with a grade of “C” or higher, as listed on the ASN IDP; all science courses are completed no later than five years prior to applying for admission into the Nursing Program;
3. Ability to understand, speak, and write in English;

All applicants will receive a “Status of Application” letter from the Nursing Department Chair, stating their eligibility/ineligibility to take the Nursing Program Admission Test. For applicants who are determined eligible to take the Admission Test, they will also receive their scheduled date and time to take the Admission Test. 

Nursing Program Admission Test

All eligible applicants who met the above Initial Criteria for Eligibility will be scheduled to take the Nursing Program Admission Test. The test is only administered once a year in June. The Nursing Department is no longer administering the Admission Test in August of each year as it was done in the past. 

Important Note: Applicants who did not pass the Nursing Program Admission Test cannot retake the test in the same year. If an applicant does not pass the test, they can reapply for admission into the Nursing Program the following year when the Nursing Department announces its new application for admission for the next Admission period. Only then can the applicant be allowed to retake the Nursing Program Admission Test. There is no limit to the number of retakes for the Nursing Program Admission Test.

Students who are completing their remaining prerequisites this Spring 2025 Semester will take the Admission Test on June 18 and 20, 2025. Originally, the Admission Test was scheduled for June 16-17, 2025; however, the test dates were moved to accommodate some applicants leaving/returning from off-island. Students who are completing their remaining prerequisites in the Summer will need to apply the following year for admission into the Nursing Program.

For the Fall 2025 Admission period, all eligible applicants must pass the program’s Admission Test with an average score of 70% or higher, including 70% or higher in Reading and Science.

Final Criteria for Admission into the Nursing Program
The applicant will be admitted into the NMC Nursing Program for Fall 2025 if they have met the following criteria:

1. A cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.00 or above;
2. Completion of all Core Course Requirements (except SO 297) and General Education Requirements with a grade of “C” or higher, as listed on the ASN IDP; all science courses are completed no later than five years prior to applying for admission into the Nursing Program;
3. Ability to understand, speak, and write in English; and
4. An average score of 70% or higher, including 70% or higher in Reading and Science.

Class Size

The Nursing Department caps its class size for each cohort to twenty-five (25) students. Depending on the availability of nursing faculty and/or number of applicants, all students who qualify may not be accepted this Fall 2025 Admission. However, applicants will be placed on a waiting list for the Fall 2026 Admission.

The Nursing Department announces that an admitted student for Fall 2025 is only allowed to defer their initial admission for one (1) Academic Year without retaking the Admission Test. For example, if an admitted student is deferring his/her admission for Fall 2025, the student will be allowed to be admitted into the Nursing Program for Fall 2026, but still must submit a new application for admission for Fall 2026. If the student still chooses not to enter the program in Fall 2026, the student will lose his/her spot in the program and will have to retake the Nursing Program Admission Test. Additionally, we will have to review the student’s transcript again to ensure that his/her science courses do not exceed the 5-year limit at the time of application for Fall 2026. If it exceeds this 5-year limit, the student will be asked to repeat the applicable science course(s).

Download the Application

The Fall 2025 Application for Admission can be downloaded here beginning May 05, 2025. Applications will be accepted from May 05 to June 05, 2025. Applicants may submit them via email to Andrew Mendiola, Administrative Assistant, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or in person at the Nursing Department Office in Building V during regular office hours.

The National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses, or NCLEX-RN, is a computer adaptive test required for nursing graduates to successfully pass to be licensed as a Registered Nurse in the United States and Canada. In April 2023, the Next Generation NCLEX, or NGN, was implemented by the NCSBN, where the exam now includes new, long-form question types that test a nursing graduate’s clinical reasoning skills.

According to National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) rules, you can take the NCLEX eight times a year with 45 days in between attempts. However, there's no limit to the number of retests overall.

Several states do not put restrictions in place on the number of times you can take the NCLEX. However, several states do place additional limitations. In some states, aspiring nurses can take the test a maximum of 3-5 times before they must enroll in a remedial course or take another course of action. For the NMI Board of Nursing, applicants can contact their office at 670-233-2263 for more information.

To learn more about the NCLEX-RN Exam and its requirements, you can visit the NMI Board of Nursing website.

• Individualized Degree Plan - Nursing

Overview

The Certificate of Nursing Assistant prepares entry-level nursing assistants to provide basic nursing care to elderly, ill, and disabled persons in long-term care, hospital, clinic, and home health settings. It is designed for any student or interested individuals who want to begin a career as a Nursing Assistant, individuals interested in taking a nursing course, but are still at developmental English and math levels, and for persons already employed as nursing assistants but who have not completed the formal coursework. The course is ten (10) weeks in length and prepares students to also take the National Nurse Aide Assessment Program (NNAAP) Competency Examination. After successfully completing the course, graduates will be eligible to take the NNAAP Competency Examination with the Northern Marianas Islands (NMI) Board of Nursing (BON), be licensed as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), be placed on the NMI BON Registry for Nursing Assistants, and practice as a CNA in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands or U.S. Mainland.

Prerequisites: Early Admission into NMC, High School Graduate or High School Equivalent. An applicant must have an English Placement Level of EN 095 and a Math Placement Level of MA 091.

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Download the Nursing Assistant Certificate Individualized Certificate Plan

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View Nursing Assistant Program Admission Guidelines and Cost Breakdown

 

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  Rosa T. Aldan, MSN, BSN, RN

  Department Chairperson, Nursing

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  Johnny Aldan, BSN, RN

  Instructor, Nursing

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• Breanna Lee, RN

  Instructor, Nursing

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• Andrew Mendiola

  Administrative Assistant III

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• Ji Hye Lee

  Associate Professor

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