School of Nursing

Nursing RN NCLEX Information

Congratulations on being successful with your nursing school journey! At last, the final course exam has been taken, and it is finally time to begin the process of submitting your application to take the NCLEX-RN and receive licensure!

To make this process as smooth as possible, it is very important that you remember a few key pieces of information:

  1. Follow all of the directions on this site, just as they are written. No information will be accepted in the school of nursing office until all applicable information has been gathered. Any photocopies should be done prior to coming to the school of nursing office. No copies will be made there.
  2. Much of this site refers to the process for becoming licensed in Alabama only, so keep in mind that if you are applying for licensure in a state other than Alabama, you are responsible for acquiring that application and any other information that you may need for licensure in that state. Once you have everything that you need (including an appropriate mailing address for that state board of nursing) you can turn it in to the administrative assistant, and they will take care of mailing it off.
  3. If the state that you are applying to requires your application to be notarized, you will be responsible for taking care of that prior to turning it in to the administrative assistant. Please remember that when a paper requires notarization, it MUST be signed in front of the notary. DO NOT sign it beforehand.
  4. If you are applying to another state and do not know their number, try going to https://www.ncsbn.org/contact-bon.htm.
  5. Make sure to turn your transcript request (Step 1) in to the administrative assistant. DO NOT turn it in to the records office (they will charge you for your request).
  6. The school of nursing pays for the first official copy of your transcript as well as the cost of mailing off all of your paperwork. If there is a problem with the paperwork getting there or with the transcript being incorrect (i.e., name not properly being changed after marriage), all additional costs will be charged to the student.

There is a lot of other good information on this site that will assist you with this process, so be sure to read through everything fully and make sure that you understand what it is that you are responsible for doing. The faculty is happy to help you in any way that we can; however, the primary responsibility for getting this done is on you, the soon to be registered nurse!

Again, congratulations on your accomplishments to this point and on all of your future successes!

The School of Nursing Faculty

Application Process

Step 1: Transfer Request & Citizenship / Legal Residence Documents

Students should print and complete the following items and then return them to the administrative assistant in the School of Nursing office.

  1. Transcript Request form (ALL students)
  2. United States Citizenship / Legal Residence form (Alabama applicants ONLY)
  3. Photocopy of documentation showing proof of citizenship / legal residence – Alabama driver’s license preferred; if necessary, see citizenship document for other acceptable forms (Alabama applicants ONLY)

**Students who are applying for licensure in a state other than Alabama are responsible for gathering any information that is applicable to that state’s licensure process and for turning it in to the administrative assistance, along with their transcript request form (remember, all students should do this step, regardless of where they choose to be licensed)

Step 2: Registering for the NCLEX-RN

*This step should be completed as soon as your second spring clinical course is complete. 

(NU415A – ABSN students, NU412 – TBSN Students, NU208 – ADN students)

**Students who are applying for accommodations should do so BEFORE registering for the NCLEX.

***The “Candidate Bulletin” https://www.nclex.com/files/2023_NCLEX_Candidate_Bulletin.pdf is an excellent resource for information about how to do this and more

****If a student requires a comfort aide (i.e., medications, pillows/cushion, mobility aides, etc.), these do not require pre-approval. Go to https://www.nclex.com/registration.page and see the “Comfort Aide List” for more information.

  1. Go to pearsonvue.com/NCLEX
  2. Click on “Registration Process” (you cannot schedule the exam yet; you are only registering)
  3. When registering, you should be prepared to provide
    1. The program code
      1. BSN: US78508100
      2. ADN: US78410500 (78416)
    2. A valid email address that you will check routinely
    3. An acceptable form of payment (the registration fee must be paid for the registration to be complete, and it is currently $200, but this is subject to change at any time)
      1. Mastercard, Visa, American Express
      2. May be in the form of a debit card, pre-paid card, or credit card
    4. Although Pearson VUE will allow you to register without submitting a middle name or social security number, the Alabama board of nursing requires you to submit these to Pearson VUE to ensure accurate processing
    5. The candidate’s first and last name must be listed exactly as it appears on the identification (ID) that will be presented at the test center.If there is not an exact match, the candidate will not be able to take their test, and they will not be reimbursed for any fees paid. Refer to the Candidate Bulletin for more information about acceptable identification.
  4. Once you are done registering, you should receive an email from Pearson VUE within about 2 days acknowledging that this step is complete.

Step 3: Apply Online to the Alabama Board of Nursing

*This step should be completed AFTER graduation.

**The below steps apply specifically to students who are seeking primary licensure in Alabama

***Students seeking licensure in other states should follow the instructions for that state as they apply to application for licensure. Go to www.ncsbn.org and scroll down to “Nursing Licensure Guidance”. This area will give you more information about the requirements for each specific state.

  1. Go to https://www.abn.alabama.gov/ and click on “licensing”
  2. Click on “Apply for license / permit” and then “Licensure by examination”
  3. Choose either “single state exam” (Alabama only) or “multistate exam” (compact license good in any state that is part of this program)
    1. Although you may, we do not recommend that you choose “multistate” for your initial licensure, as this process can take much longer and delay testing (you can always do this at a later time, once you have tested and been licensed).
    2. The exception to this advice is those who are military or married to military and are not sure where they will be stationed and for those who live in AL but who intend on working in a different state.
    3. Keep in mind that to qualify for multistate licensure in AL, you must declare Alabama as your primary state of residency and provide documentation of your residency in Alabama (ABN Administrative Code 610-X-4) and complete the appropriate Declaration of Primary (Home) State of Residence form and supporting documentation. If your primary state of residence is not Alabama, you cannot apply for a multistate license in Alabama.
  4. When you register, be sure to use the exact name that is on your ID and that you registered with on Pearson VUE.
  5. There is a fee for the application, temporary permit (only if you choose to get one, and we do not encourage this unless your new employer requires it), and a transaction fee. The amount for each of these are listed on the exam application page.
  6. Please keep in mind that if, on your application, you answer “yes” to any of the questions under Regulatory Questions (referring to criminal convictions, suspended licenses, substance abuse, etc.), you will be contacted by the board and asked to provide additional information related to the “yes” answer. If you are unsure about how to answer a question, you should seek guidance before answering (there is a video at the bottom of the “Exam Application” page that may answer your questions). If you know that you are going to answer “yes” to any of the questions, it will be helpful to have the documentation readily available (i.e., court records, military paperwork, records related to treatment, etc.).

Step 4: Scheduling Your Exam

  1. After all of the requirements for graduation have been met and your degree has been conferred (graduation day), the School of Nursing will receive a copy of your official transcript. This is generally sometime the week after graduation, but it may take a little longer, depending on the number of graduates. If you have a hold in the business office, there will also be a delay, so make sure that all of these are cleared prior to graduation. Once your transcript is received, it will be sent, along with everything that you have turned in, to the designated state board of nursing. The packets are sent registered mail, so we are fully aware when they have been received, but just because they have received them does not mean that they have looked at them and cleared you to test. This can take a while, as every graduate nursing student in that particular state is doing the same thing, so please be patient with this process.
  2. Once the state board of nursing to which you are applying to has confirmed your eligibility to test, you will receive an email granting you Authorization to Test (ATT). Once your ATT is issued, you should go back to Pearson VUE (pearsonvue.com/NCLEX) and schedule a test date AS SOON AS POSSIBLE! Statistics show that students who test within 30 days of graduating are 3 times more likely to pass on the first attempt than students who wait.
  3. Keep in mind that you are not required to test in any one particular location. You may test anywhere in the United States that you like, regardless of where you are being licensed, so look around for the nearest test site that you are willing to drive to with the earliest date. Places outside of Mobile that many students go to include, but are not limited to, Birmingham, Pensacola, and New Orleans.
  4. If more than four weeks have passed since you have submitted a registration for the NCLEX and received acknowledgement from Pearson VUE, and you have not received an ATT email, you may want to contact your state board of nursing to ensure all necessary materials have been submitted and received, or to find out why they have not granted your eligibility. This will be your (the student’s) responsibility to do. Please do not call the School of Nursing to ask about your eligibility, as we do not receive any correspondence from the state boards of nursing about any student’s eligibility to test.

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