How to Apply

Follow the 5 easy steps to apply at Merced College in order to obtain a student ID and email.

Apply to Merced College the same semester that you apply to the program in order to maintain an active school email address.

High School Diploma or GED or AA/AS Degree or higher degree completed.

Before applying, complete the program’s prerequisites. 

All prerequisites must be completed with a “C” or higher and grades demonstrated on transcripts prior to applying. 

No “in progress” prerequisites will be accepted.  At this time, the combined GPA on prerequisites must be a 2.0 or higher.  For future classes, the GPA requirement will be 2.5 or higher. See how to calculate your GPA. 

• ALLH-67 Medical Terminology 
• BIOL-50 Survey of Anatomy & Physiology or BIOL-16 General Human Anatomy 
• NUTR-10 Nutrition 
• VOCN-46A Applied Mathematics for Pharmacology 

Per the Board of Vocational Nurses & Psychiatric Technicians, ALL program prerequisites must be completed within 5 years of submitting your application to the program.  If any prerequisites are older than 5 years, they must be retaken prior to applying to the program. 

All applicants are required to upload transcript(s) with their application.

Transcripts must include all work shown as completed on the application. All prerequisites must be completed with a “C” or higher and grades demonstrated on transcripts prior to applying. No “in progress” prerequisites will be accepted. An application that is not completely filled out and/or does not have all transcripts submitted by the application deadline will be considered incomplete.

If prerequisites/coursework was completed at school(s) other than Merced College, official transcript(s) must be sent to both Merced College Admissions & Records for evaluation AND official transcript(s) must be submitted with the application to the LVN Program. When submitting official transcripts, please review the Transcripts & Enrollment Verification webpage for important dates and timelines.

If prerequisites/coursework was completed at Merced College, an unofficial transcript must be submitted with the application to the LVN Program. Students can login to their Merced College Self-Service account to download a PDF of an unofficial transcript.

International Students:  Students with international (outside the U.S.) coursework will need to have their transcript(s) evaluated for U.S. equivalency.  International transcripts must be officially evaluated by the following agency:

Educational Records Evaluation Service, Inc. (ERES), 2480 Hilborn Rd., Ste. 106, Fairfield, CA 94534

(P) 707-759-2866                Email – [email protected]                    www.eres.com

View the Grid of Comparable Prerequisites Courses. If your course(s) need to be verified for equivalency, it is your responsibility to meet with a counselor before the application window.

Fill this Equivalency Verification Form out for the course(s) you need verified for equivalency.

PLEASE READ the program information and application instructions carefully. 

• Download VOCN Program Information for Prospective Students
• Download VOCN Program Application Instructions
• Sample Application
• Application Link – Closed
• Application Troubleshooting Tips

There is no waitlist. Qualified applicants will be selected by lottery. 

Applicants will be selected in Fall 2024 for Spring 2025 enrollment.

Make sure you take a photo or screenshot of the notification message for your reference and personal records.  You will be prompted to download the completed application. Save that for your personal records.  After the application window closes, a committee reviews all the applications. The review process ensures that applications are complete and accurate and meet the Program’s standard admission requirements.

After this internal review, you will receive notification to the email addresses you provided on your application regarding your status, i.e., “accepted, alternate, not accepted or disqualified.”

ACCEPTANCE

Your acceptance will be emailed to you and will outline all details.  Further information regarding class and clinical schedules will be provided at the MANDATORY orientation.  Failure to provide required documentation by deadlines may cancel admission to the program.

Some travel to clinical facilities outside Merced is required.