The study addressed the effect of admission criteria used by the School of Nursing at Florida International University and how they related to student success in completing the nursing program, passing the state licensure examination, and becoming registered nurses (RN). Attention was focused on the use of the state-instituted College Level Academic Skills Test (CLAST) as a mandatory requirement for admission to the junior year in a state university. The CLAST Examination assesses the ability of the student to read comprehensively, to write a sentence clearly and concisely, and to conceptualize and analyze at a basic level. The effect of CLAST scores on the success rate of nursing students and graduates was evaluated, along with students' grade point average, ethnicity, and whether the student was born in the United States. Further attention was directed to the level of academic skills such as reading, writing, and mathematics that students need prior to enrolling in nursing studies. The study population consisted of 55 students admitted to the program in 1983. Findings include: scoring high on CLAST was linked to scoring high on the licensure exam; grade point average and licensure exam scores were correlated; and the older the student, the higher the CLAST score, the licensure exam score, and grade point average. (SW)