Cerritos College

Cerritos College is a public community college in Norwalk, California, offering an Associate of Science in Nursing (ADN) with a four semester, full program sequence, plus an advanced placement pathway for students moving from an LPN type background into the ADN. Nursing coursework is structured with paired lecture and clinical components in each course, and students must pass both concurrently. The ADN requires 36 nursing units along with 30 general education units.

Admission is application-based and runs once per year. For the generic ADN entry option, applicants complete prerequisite coursework in Anatomy and Physiology (A&P 150 and 151), Microbiology (MICR 200), and English composition, meet a minimum 2.5 GPA, and submit qualifying TEAS or HESI scores (TEAS at 62% or higher, or HESI at 70% or higher with a science section). Selection uses a Multi Selective Criterion process, with a portion of seats filled by highest points and the remainder by lottery, and there is no waitlist. TEAS testing is offered on campus in the Health Occupations Skills Lab (Room 110), with test-day parking directed to Lot 10.

The curriculum is sequenced from simple to complex across the four semesters. Lecture grades require at least 75% to earn a passing “C,” while clinical performance is evaluated as satisfactory based on required competencies and course objectives. The program aligns course and program outcomes to the NCLEX-RN test blueprint (client needs categories) and includes QSEN competencies and lifespan content.

For students planning to move beyond the ADN, the department describes concurrent and post-ADN progression options, including a concurrent enrollment pathway with National University, which has an on-campus presence at Cerritos, and additional partnerships with CSU Los Angeles and CSU Fullerton.

Cerritos College’s campus is located at 11110 Alondra Blvd., Norwalk, CA 90650, in southeast Los Angeles County near the I-605 and I-91 corridor, which is a practical commute point for students coming from Norwalk, Cerritos, Downey, Bellflower, and Long Beach.

On licensure outcomes, the program’s average weighted NCLEX-RN pass rate is 94.8%, which compares above the 2024 California state RN average of 92.7%.