Nichols College regards each prospective student as an individual, considering each application as it is submitted throughout the academic year. The admissions process is a joint partnership between the applicant and the College. We want to ensure each admitted student is the "right fit", both for the student and for Nichols. Admission candidacy requires that every applicant is either a high school graduate or has earned a high school equivalency diploma (GED). Our typical applicants’ credentials vary greatly and many factors go into the admissions decision. We look at the areas of strength and weakness in each candidate and assess the student’s ability to succeed at Nichols. Our typical admitted student has a GPA above 2.4, an average SAT score of 1,400 (combined verbal, math and essay scores), and a strong desire to succeed.

Proficiency in certain academic areas is a basic requirement for entrance to the College. Successful candidates for admission will follow a college preparatory course of study prior to applying to Nichols. We encourage students to challenge themselves with a rigorous secondary school curriculum. Though there is no specific schedule of courses required, an ideal four-year program includes the following coursework:

English - 4 units , Social Science - 2 units, Laboratory Science - 2 units, Academic Electives - 5 units, Foreign Language - 2 units and College Preparatory Mathematics - 3 units (Recommended courses include: Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, and Advanced Mathematics)