Foreign Educated Nurse Requirements

Registered Nurse applicants who graduated from a school of nursing outside of the United States or Canada must provide verification of successful completion of the examination administered by the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools. All foreign graduates who: (a) have not taken the NCLEX (formerly SBTPE) elsewhere; and (b) Canadian registered nurses who have not taken the CNATS, must take the National Council Licensing Examination. (Refer to 12 AAC 44.310 regarding acceptable scores on CNATS and other requirements for graduates of foreign schools of nursing.) All documents must be accompanied by certified English translations if the original documents are not in English.

Practical Nurse applicants who graduated from a school of nursing outside of the United States or Canada, must provide proof of passing the following English proficiency examinations (Refer to 12 AAC 44.290 for passing score requirements):

Practical Nurse applicants who graduated from nursing programs in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, or Quebec, Canada are exempt from providing proof of passing the English examination, if the language used at the school of nursing was English and the textbooks used at the school of nursing were written in English, Refer to 12 AAC 144.290. All documents must be accompanied by certified English translations if the original documents are not in English.

For more information about CGFNS click on the following link: Commission of Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS)