Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools
If you have not taken the NCLEX® (or State Boards), you are not eligible for licensure by endorsement. If you have not been issued a permanent license by the state that allowed you to take the NCLEX® (or State Boards), you are not eligible for licensure by endorsement.
Foreign Graduate Endorsement applicants:
- You must meet all Endorsement requirements, except transcript submission.
- You must submit a Credential Evaluation Service (CES) complete education report. The Board accepts CES reports from the following organizations:.
- Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) www.cgfns.org
- Educational Records Evaluation Service, Inc. (ERES) www.eres.com, or the
- Josef Silny & Associates, Inc, International Education Consultants www.jsilny.org.
The CES education report includes a detailed analysis of credentials earned at multiple levels of nursing education received outside of the U.S., according to a specific state’s requirements.
- The CES complete education report is not a substitute for the CGFNS Certification Program, which is typically completed prior to receiving the first U.S. state nursing license.
- Be a graduate of a nursing education program approved by the proper authorities in the country where the program is located.
FAQs
Foreign Nursing Program Graduates
You must meet the same requirements as all other applicants, in addition to requirements specific to graduates of Foreign Nursing Programs.
- You must be a high school graduate, or equivalent.
- You must have a valid Social Security Number (SSN).
- You must be a citizen or legal US resident. See the Citizenship/Legal Presence FAQs for further information.
- You must demonstrate good moral character.
- You must have graduated from a nursing program (RN or PN) which substantially meets the same educational criteria as Alabama nursing programs.
- You must submit a complete application. For information about what is required on the application, see the Licensure by Exam: General Frequently Asked Questions & Licensure by Exam: Application FAQs.
- You must submit a Credentials Evaluation Service (CES) Complete Education Report.
- The CES Education Report includes a detailed analysis of credentials earned at multiple levels of nursing education received outside of the U.S. according to a specific state’s requirements.
- The CES Education Report is not the same as the CGFNS Certification Program, which is typically completed prior to receiving the first U.S. state nursing license.
- Be a graduate of a nursing education program approved by the proper authorities in the country where the program is located.
- Meet the requirements for nursing program content employed as criteria for approval in Alabama at the time of the applicant’s graduation.
- If nursing courses and textbooks was not taught in English, provide the proof of passing English Proficiency Exam. For further information see the English Proficiency FAQ.
- Make up any educational deficiencies.
- You must submit a Credentials Evaluation Service (CES) complete education report.
- The CES Professional Report includes a detailed analysis of credentials earned at multiple levels of nursing education received outside of the U.S., according to a specific state’s requirements.
- The CES Professional Report is not the same as the CGFNS Certification Program, which is typically completed prior to receiving the first U.S. state nursing license.
- Be a graduate of a nursing education program approved by the proper authorities in the country where the program is located.
- Meet the requirements for nursing program content employed as criteria for approval in Alabama at the time of the applicant’s graduation.
- Make up any educational deficiencies.
- Pass the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX®) if you have not already done so.
Yes. You must meet all of the requirements for licensure in Alabama in order to be issued an Alabama nursing license.
| Name of Exam | Minimum Results |
|---|---|
| IELTS Academic | Band score result of 6.5 overall, with a minimum of 6.0 in any one module |
| TOEFL iBT produced by Educational Testing Service (ETS) | 84 with a minimum speaking score of 26 |
| PTE Academic | 55 overall with no sub scores lower than 50 in each scored part |
| Michigan English Test (MET) | 55 with a speaking score of 55 or higher |