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TEAS Score Requirements for North Carolina Nursing Programs
If you are applying to nursing school in North Carolina, the question is not "what does the state require". It is "what does my program require". Here is what that number usually looks like, and how to tell whether yours is high enough.
The short answer: North Carolina has no statewide TEAS minimum. ADN programs commonly ask for about 58.7%, BSN programs for 65 – 75%, and competitive programs for 78% or more. Aim for 75% and you are in range almost everywhere in the state.
Why there is no "North Carolina TEAS requirement"
The North Carolina Board of Nursing approves nursing programs in North Carolina. It does not set the entrance exam or the score you need to get in. Admissions is the program's decision, so a community college two towns apart from a university can want a score fifteen points lower. Anyone publishing a single "North Carolina TEAS cutoff" is guessing.
What is fixed is how ATI scores the exam, and what the bands mean. That is the part worth learning.
What your score actually means
The number programs care about is the Adjusted Individual Total Score, your overall percentage across all scored questions. ATI places it in one of five national proficiency levels:
| ATI proficiency level | Total score | What it means for applying |
|---|---|---|
| Developmental | 0 – 40.7% | Below the level most programs will look at. |
| Basic | 41.3 – 58.0% | Enough for some LPN/LVN programs. Rarely enough for RN. |
| Proficient | 58.7 – 77.3% | The band most ADN and many BSN programs sit in. |
| Advanced | 78.0 – 90.0% | Competitive at almost any program in the country. |
| Exemplary | 90.7 – 100% | Top of the national distribution. |
What North Carolina programs typically ask for
Ranges, not promises: these are what programs of each type commonly publish. Your program's own page is the only number that binds you.
| Program type | Typical minimum | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| LPN / LVN | 45 – 55% | Often the lowest bar of any nursing pathway. |
| ADN / ASN (community college) | 58.7 – 65% | 58.7% is the bottom of ATI's Proficient band and a very common floor. |
| BSN (public university) | 65 – 75% | Many publish a minimum near 65% but admit far higher in practice. |
| Accelerated / competitive BSN | 78%+ | Where a seat is scarce, the real cutoff is whatever the cohort scored. |
Published minimum ≠ the score that gets in. Where a program has four applicants per seat, the published floor is a filter and the admitted cohort's average is the real target. If a program publishes both a minimum and an average, study for the average.
The exam you are being scored on
The ATI TEAS 7 is 170 questions in 209 minutes. Only 150 are scored. The other 20 are unscored items ATI is trialling, and you cannot tell which is which, so answer everything.
| Section | Questions | Scored | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 45 | 39 | 55 min |
| Mathematics | 38 | 34 | 57 min |
| Science | 50 | 44 | 60 min |
| English and Language Usage | 37 | 33 | 37 min |
HESI A2 instead of the TEAS in North Carolina
Plenty of North Carolina programs use the HESI A2 rather than the TEAS. It is a different exam: programs pick which subtests you sit, and the score that matters is the composite across those subtests. Most programs want a composite of 75 – 80%, competitive ones 85%+, and many also set a floor on individual subjects, so a strong average cannot rescue a weak Anatomy & Physiology score.
Check which exam your program names before you book. They are not interchangeable, and the fee is not refundable.
HESI A2 composite calculator → Pick your subtests, enter your scores, see the composite your program will actually read.Nursing programs in North Carolina
North Carolina programs students most often ask about include UNC Chapel Hill, Duke University, East Carolina University and UNC Greensboro. Each sets its own entrance exam and its own cutoff.
The authoritative list of approved pre-licensure programs in the state is published by the North Carolina Board of Nursing.
How to actually hit the number
- Find your program's cutoff first. Studying without a target is how people over-prepare for Reading and walk into Science cold.
- Take a full-length mock early, not late. A diagnostic in week one tells you which of the four sections is costing you the most points. Most people are wrong about which one it is.
- Spend your time where the loss is. Science is the section that sinks the most applicants and the one with the most content to learn. It is also 44 of the 150 scored questions.
- Re-test under timed conditions. 209 minutes is not generous. Untimed practice tells you what you know, not what you will score.
Study for the North Carolina programs you are applying to
CinnaEntry covers both entrance exams in one app: 5,260 practice questions with written rationales, 43 diagrammed cheat sheets, full-length mocks on each exam's real blueprint, and a readiness score that tells you when you are actually ready. Free every day.
Questions people ask
What TEAS score do I need for nursing school in North Carolina?
There is no North Carolina state minimum. Every program sets its own, so in practice ADN programs commonly ask for an Adjusted Individual Total Score around 58.7% (the bottom of ATI's Proficient band), BSN programs commonly sit between 65% and 75%, and competitive or accelerated programs effectively require 78% or higher. Confirm the number on the program's own admissions page before you apply.
Is a 70% a good TEAS score in North Carolina?
A 70% sits in ATI's Proficient band and clears the published minimum at most North Carolina ADN programs and many BSN programs. Whether it is competitive depends on the applicant pool: where seats are scarce, admitted cohorts often average well above the published floor.
Do North Carolina nursing programs accept the HESI A2 instead of the TEAS?
Many do. Programs choose one entrance exam, and both are common across North Carolina. Check which one your program names before you book anything. A HESI A2 score will not be accepted by a TEAS program, and the two exams test different material.
How many times can I retake the TEAS in North Carolina?
ATI does not cap retakes, but the program does, and the limit is usually two or three attempts within an application cycle with a waiting period between them. The program's own policy is the one that binds you.