TEAS Score Requirements: What Real Nursing Programs Ask For
There is no universal TEAS passing score. Each nursing or allied-health program sets its own cut score, its own retake limits, and its own score-validity window — and the spread between schools is wider than most applicants assume. The only requirement that matters is the one published by the programs on your list.
To show the range, here are program requirements we verified directly from official school pages on October 11, 2026. Rules change every cycle — always confirm on the school's own page (linked) before you plan around a number.
Verified examples (checked 2026-10-11)
- Texas State University (BSN)
- Towson University (BSN)
- Youngstown State University (ADN)
- Los Angeles City College (ADN)
- University of Arkansas–Fort Smith (ADN)
- Excelsior University (ASN)
The violet marker identifies the program that requires a minimum in each subject category, not just overall.
| Program | Minimum | Competitive | Attempts | Wait | Validity | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas State University (BSN) | Proficient 70% minimum for the general pool; the priority pathway for current TXST students requires Advanced 85%. | — | Accepts the first two attempts in the application period | At least 30 days | — | Source: nursing.txst.edu |
| Towson University (BSN) | Minimum is the Proficient band, "a total score of 58.7 or higher" | The same page notes the competitive average is 85–86% | Two attempts per application period; higher score counts | — | Scores valid two years | Source: towson.edu |
| Youngstown State University (ADN) | Overall 66% or higher; only official score reports accepted | — | Retakes allowed twice within 12 months | 14-day wait between attempts | Scores valid two years | Source: ysu.edu |
| Los Angeles City College (ADN) | Composite 62.0% or higher; the retake must clear 62.0% in each subject category, not just overall | — | A failed attempt requires a remediation plan within one year before retesting | — | — | Source: lacc.edu |
| University of Arkansas–Fort Smith (ADN) | Minimum 58.6% on the TEAS, taken before the application deadline | — | — | — | — | Source: uafs.edu |
| Excelsior University (ASN) | Minimum composite 58.7% in a single attempt | — | Testing limited to twice per calendar year | — | Scores valid only one year before application | Source: excelsior.edu |
How to read these numbers
Three patterns matter more than any single row. First, minimum ≠ competitive: Towson's floor is 58.7, and its admitted average is nearly thirty points higher. Treat published minimums as the price of entry, not the target — ATI's own guidance is that most schools want Proficient or above, and selective programs sit well above that.
Second, the fine print differs as much as the numbers: attempts per cycle (two is common), waits between attempts (ATI itself sets none; schools do — YSU's 14 days, TXST's 30), validity windows from one year to two, and per-section requirements like LACC's. A score that works at one school can be unusable at another for reasons that have nothing to do with the number.
Third, every one of these rules rewards starting early. If your first attempt lands short, the difference between a calm retake and a missed cycle is whether you left room for the waiting period. Baseline yourself now with a timed TEAS practice test, read your target programs' pages, and work backward from their deadlines. The TEAS 7 format and scoring guide explains what the bands and equated scores on your report mean, and TEAS scores explained covers how the scoring itself works.
This page lists a small, verified sample to illustrate the range — it is not a directory of every TEAS-requiring program. Requirements above were read from the linked official pages on the date shown and belong to the respective schools.