Nursing

The application is available online between Jan. 1 and Feb. 1 for a fall semester start; and between Aug. 1 and Sept. 1 for a spring semester start. The application is only available online through the link on the nursing webpage. 
 

To be considered, you must:

• Be an accepted student to SUNY Adirondack.
• Have a GPA of 2.8 or higher for college level students; or 80 percent or higher for current high school students. 
• Be math ready: Be eligible to enter college level Math courses as determined by SUNY Adirondack ACCUPLACER Test, or have earned college level Math credit.
• Be English ready: be eligible to enter college level English courses as determined by SUNY Adirondack ACCUPLACER Test, or have earned college level English credit.
• Have submitted the SUNY Adirondack nursing application by the due date. 
• Have official high school and college transcripts are on file in the Registrar’s Office. 
• Anatomy and Physiology I (BIO 107)
  • Traditional student eligibility for BIO 107: eligibility is defined as completion of college level Biology course with a C or better, or Regents Biology exam of 80 or higher, within the past five years; and completion of college level Chemistry with a C or better, or Regents Chemistry exam of 80 or higher, within the past five years.
  • Advanced placement student (LPN/transfer): Students must have successful completed BIO 107 before starting the nursing program, with a grade of C+ or greater, within two attempts, in the past five years. 
  • Contact the Student Success team to determine if course(s) you have taken meet the nursing program degree requirements. 
     

• The nursing admissions committee reviews all student applications and supporting documentation (transcripts, letters of reference, letter of good standing [LPN and transfer students], etc.).
• Students who have taken nursing courses elsewhere must have the SUNY Adirondack Nursing Program Letter of Good Standing Form filled out and submitted by the nursing chair, or designee of the nursing program. 
• Students who meet the minimum requirements, as listed in the above section, will be offered a 15-minute interview with a member of the nursing admissions committee. 
• Upon completion of the interviews, the nursing admissions committee meets to determine who will be offered a spot for the upcoming semester. A waitlist will be used if applicable. 
• Students will receive an email from the Health Science Division office specialist with the committee’s decision. Students may seek clarification regarding a decision. 
• Students will have a defined period of time to accept the spot. If you do not respond or if you respond that you do not wish to accept, your spot may be offered to a student on the waitlist. 
   

Yes, admission and continuation in the Nursing Program are conditional upon annual completion of the required physical exam, vaccinations (may vary — will be listed on the health form), PPD test, health care provider-level CPR (didactic and demonstration), and student professional liability insurance. 

At the start of the program, students are required to have a criminal background check and complete the SUNY Felony Reporting Requirements. Felony convictions must be reported to the hospital in which the student intends to complete their clinical experiences for each semester to determine if the student may be onsite to complete their clinical hours. 

If the student is denied access, attempts will be made at other contracted sites. If all sites deny, the student will receive a failing grade for the course as they will not be able to complete the clinical component of the course. 

Students are required to show proof of health insurance at the start of each semester.   
 

Students who are not accepted into the Nursing program the first time they apply may resubmit a new application the next semester along with current college transcripts.
 

Yes. There are no rolling admissions, so you must resubmit a new application each time they apply. Official transcripts must be on file from all schools you attended. Therefore, if you have taken courses since your last application, you should request a copy of the official transcript be sent to the SUNY Adirondack Registrar’s Office. 
 

• Graduates of licensed practical nursing programs, with a current LPN license, may be granted advanced placement into the second semester of the Nursing program. 
• Advanced placement students must have a current GPA of 2.8 or greater.
• Advanced placement students must have completed BIO 107 (Anatomy and Physiology I), or be enrolled in BIO 107, at the time they apply to the nursing program.  
• Advanced placement students are required to take the SUNY Adirondack LPN transition course, at their own cost, the week before the start of the semester.  

Transfer students are accepted on a limited basis as space permits. Transfer students must meet all requirements for students entering the nursing program, and must meet grade requirements for transfer nursing courses, and prerequisite science courses. Students must provide the course syllabi for any nursing courses to be considered for transfer, and request the chair of their previous nursing program(s) complete and submit a Letter of Good Standing form. Students seeking transfer from another nursing program should contact Gail Powers at powersg@sunyacc.edu. 
 

3624 Market St.
Suite 2 West
Philadelphia, PA 19104
267-284-5000
https://www.msche.org/

New York State Board of Regents
New York State Education Building
89 Washington Ave.
Albany, NY 12234
518-486-3633
www.regents.nysed.gov
hedepcom@nysed.gov

New York State Education Department Office of the Professions
Professional Education Program Review
Nursing Unit
89 Washington Ave.
Albany, NY 12234
518-474-3817
http://www.op.nysed.gov/prof/nurse/
OPNURS@nysed.gov
 

The SUNY Adirondack Nursing program at Adirondack Community College at the Queensbury campus located in Queensbury, New York, is accredited by:

Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN)
3390 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 1400
Atlanta, GA 30326
Phone: 404-975-5000
Fax: 404-975-5020
www.acenursing.org
info@acenursing.org

The most recent accreditation decision made by the ACEN Board of Commissioners for the associate degree nursing program is continuing accreditation.

ACEN accreditation status:

Initial accreditation: February 2000
Date of last visit: March 8-11, 2021
Date of most recent commission action: continuing accreditation - September 2021
Next site visit: Spring 2029

Students with formal complaints about the program may contact ACEN.  

ACEN definition as of January 2022: Program completion rate calculation for students who complete the program of study ontime begins with calculating enrollment on the first day of the first nursing course and ends with completion of course required for conferral of a certificate, diploma or degree. Reporting is at 100 percent.

Expected level of achievement: Fifty percent of students entering the Nursing program will complete the program as follows: traditional students within four semesters, and LPNs within 3.5 semesters.

• Program completion rate at 100 percent — new definition

Year of entering cohort: 2020

• Traditional student: 67.6 percent (75/111)
• LPN-to-RN: 66.7 percent (4/6)

ACEN definition as of January 2021: Program completion rate calculation for students who complete the program of study on time begins with calculating enrollment on the first day of the first nursing course and ends with completion of course required for conferral of a certificate, diploma or degree. Reporting is at 150 percent.

Expected level of achievement: Seventy percent of students entering the Nursing program will complete the program; traditional students within six semesters, and LPNs within 4.5 semesters. 

• Program completion rate at 150 percent — old definition

Year of entering cohort: 2019 

• Traditional student: 85.5 percent (95/111) 
• LPN-to-RN: 87.5 percent (7/8)

Year of entering cohort: 2018

• Traditional student: 66.4 percent (73/110) 
• LPN-to-RN: 100 percent (10/10)

At the end of this program, students will:

1. Deliver patient-centered nursing care as a member of an interdisciplinary team using evidence-based practice, quality improvement and informatics
2. Value caring as the basis of professional nursing practice
3. Demonstrate the knowledge, skills and attitudes to provide safety and advocacy for patients and families
4. Demonstrate commitment to professional, ethical, legal and accountable nursing practice

Outcomes data is presented annually to the SUNY Adirondack Nursing Advisory Committee.
 

ACEN definition: Percentage of graduates, typically within one year of graduation, who are employed in a position for which a nursing program prepared them.

Expected level of achievement: Ninety-five percent of alumni will be employed as a Registered Nurse within six to nine months of graduation.

Results: The ACEN changed the requirements for reporting job placement data in January 2022. Data retrieved from a source other than an employer, may not be posted on the organization’s webpage. The SUNY Adirondack data is retrieved from alumni; therefore, the rate is only reported to ACEN and is not included on the nursing outcomes webpage. If you would like information about the job placement rate, please email nursing@sunyacc.edu.

NCLEX-RN pass rates for first-time test takers

ACEN definition: Annual performance on the licensure examination for all first-time test-takers during the same 12-month period.
Expected level of achievement: SUNY Adirondack Nursing program will achieve a first-time NCLEX pass rate of 80 percent or greater for each 12-month period.

Three-year average (2020-2022)

• SUNY Adirondack: 85.87 percent
• New York state ADN programs: 80.74 percent
• National ADN programs: 79.19 percent

January 2022-December 2022

• SUNY Adirondack: 81.82 percent
• New York state ADN program: 62.52 percent
• National ADN programs: 69.45 percent

January 2020-December 2020

• SUNY Adirondack: 91.95 percent
• New York state ADN program: 86.29 percent
• National ADN programs: 85.96 percent

*Beginning January 2023, the ACEN provided nursing programs the option to report the first- or first-/second-time pass rate for the NCLEX-RN exam. Future reporting will include the first/second time pass rate.

SUNY Adirondack’s Nursing Program is registered by the New York State Board of Regents and New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions. In addition, the Nursing Program is nationally accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc. (ACEN); a prestigious national accreditation that ensures a quality program of study. ACEN can be reached at 3390 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 1400, Atlanta, GA 30326, 404-975-5000, www.acenursing.org.

In addition to this FAQ, please review this website, where you will find the application (if it is an open application period) and lots of helpful information about our program and its requirements.

The SUNY Adirondack Nursing program is a 66-credit program of study that leads to an AAS degree in nursing. There are 37 credits of nursing and 29 general education credits. Contact the Student Success team for more information and to determine if courses you have taken will apply to a Nursing degree. 

Upon graduation, SUNY Adirondack nursing graduates will be prepared to take the NCLEX-RN. However, eligibility to take the NCLEX-RN is not guaranteed. Students are responsible for reading and understanding the RN licensure requirements in the state they hope to practice in following graduation or if considering relocation. Direct licensure is available in New York state and the state of Maryland. 
 

No, there is a separate application to the Nursing program. Students must be an accepted student to SUNY Adirondack at the time they complete the nursing application. 
 

The SUNY Adirondack Nursing program is a rigorous and competitive program. To be successful in this program, students need to demonstrate academic aptitude.
 

No, SUNY Adirondack has one program that includes Nursing program lecture hours during the day and clinical hours during the day and evening hours. 
 

The SUNY Adirondack Nursing Program lecture hours are offered during the day (Monday through Friday). There are clinical hours offered during the evening hours during the workweek; capstone clinical hours vary based on the clinical experience. 
 

Once accepted into the Nursing program, traditional students may complete the program is four consecutive semesters, and LPN/transfer students in three consecutive semesters. Please note: The nursing courses are offered in the fall and spring semesters. 
 

Critical thinking and nursing judgement are fostered throughout the program. Students practice and hone their skills in SUNY Adirondack’s state-of-the-art nursing simulation and practice labs, and use all these experiences to provide direct patient care in regional hospitals. Students are responsible for transportation to and from their clinical experiences. 
 

Clinical experiences begin within the first two weeks of the first Nursing course. 
 

A grade of C+ (77) is required in all Nursing courses for the AAS degree in Nursing, and in BIO 107, BIO 108 and BIO 223. Grades less than C+ (77) in these courses may not be used to fulfill the program requirements.
 

Students may follow the appeals process to be reconsidered to restart or reapply to the Nursing program. If a student fails (grade of C or less) or withdraws from NUR 100, they will be dismissed from the Nursing program.
Students are eligible for one withdraw, and one failure (grade of C or less) from a required nursing course; or two withdraws from required nursing course(s). 

Students who fail a Nursing course are not guaranteed continued enrollment in the Nursing program. 
 

Students may only repeat a required science course one time to obtain the required grade of C+ for BIO 107 (Anatomy and Physiology I), BIO 108 (Anatomy and Physiology II) and BIO 223 (Microbiology). 

The attempts must be within the past five years to apply to the degree requirements. 

The SUNY Adirondack Registrar Office will determine if a course is eligible to meet the degree requirements for the Nursing program.   
 

An associate degree in Nursing is usually a two-year degree program of study preparing students to sit for the NCLEX-RN licensing exam. The student graduates with an AAS degree in Nursing. A bachelor’s degree in Nursing is usually a four-year program of study that prepares students to sit for the NCLEX-RN licensing exam.  
 

All SUNY Adirondack graduates intending to obtain RN license in New York state will be required to obtain a bachelor’s degree (RN to BS) within 10 years of initial licensure, to maintain registration as a registered professional nurse in New York state.
 

RN NCLEX results for SUNY Adirondack nursing graduates may be found on the Nursing homepage under "Program Outcomes." 
 

Students interested in the Nursing program should contact their Student Success advisor. To learn more about the Nursing program and admission process, plan to attend a Nursing Program Information Session. For more information, or to set up an advisement office, please contact the Student Success team.