University of North Dakota DNP: Admissions, Cost & Outcomes Guide

Is the University of North Dakota's fully online DNP a realistic route for a working nurse who cannot relocate for a campus-based doctorate? UND, one of the best nursing schools in North Dakota, is a public research university whose nursing education roots reach back more than a century, and its College of Nursing and Professional Disciplines now administers a practice-focused Doctor of Nursing Practice with online delivery. For nurses weighing what to expect from a DNP program, current options span advanced nursing practice and leadership, though specific nurse practitioner pathways can shift by application cycle.

For prospective students, the central tension is not just degree completion but whether clinical placements and state authorization requirements line up with their home-state licensure and employment. That logistical constraint, not the coursework itself, often determines how quickly a distance DNP becomes usable in practice.

University of North Dakota DNP Program Overview

The Doctor of Nursing Practice at the University of North Dakota (UND) is a terminal, practice-focused degree offered through the College of Nursing and Professional Disciplines. Unlike a research-oriented PhD, the DNP prepares advanced practice nurses and nurse leaders to translate evidence into clinical and organizational improvements. The program is currently accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), a widely recognized nursing accreditation body.¹ UND's nursing programs also hold approval from the North Dakota Board of Nursing, with current approval running from April 2026 through April 2031.² That recent state approval period reflects an up-to-date review of the program.

Delivery Format and Campus Requirements

UND's DNP is delivered primarily online, but it is not fully remote. According to the official Family Nurse Practitioner DNP page, the program consists of "100% online coursework with one campus visit."³ That single on-campus component is required, so prospective students should plan for at least one trip to Grand Forks, North Dakota, even though the majority of learning happens online. In registerednursing.org's best dnp programs in north dakota directory, the UND Doctor of Nursing Practice appears as a single online program listing, reflecting this primarily distance-based format. The degree typically totals around 37 credit hours, though exact requirements vary by concentration.³

What the Online Format Means for You

Because the coursework is online, many students can continue working while completing the DNP. The one required campus visit provides an opportunity for in-person activities that cannot be replicated remotely, such as intensive skill assessment, simulation, or defense components. This design combines the flexibility of distance education with a focused on-campus experience, which may appeal to nurses who need geographic flexibility but still value face-to-face interaction at key points. If you are considering the und nurse practitioner program at the University of North Dakota, verify the specific campus visit requirements for your intended specialization, as they can vary by concentration. CCNE accreditation is important because it signals that the program meets national standards for nursing education and can affect eligibility for certification and licensure.¹

UND DNP Tracks and Specializations

The University of North Dakota’s Doctor of Nursing Practice is delivered fully online and currently lists two concentration options, including a leadership concentration. The current program listing does not break out separate BSN-to-DNP, MSN-to-DNP, or post-master’s nurse practitioner tracks; it is reported as a single DNP with two concentration options. Admissions criteria and tuition details are covered later in this guide.

Admissions Requirements for Each UND DNP Track

UND does not publish a single consolidated DNP admissions grid for 2026, and some NP track pages are incomplete. The requirements below reflect what is currently stated on UND nursing admissions pages; where a requirement or date is not published, that is noted rather than assumed. Only the Nurse Anesthesia DNP publishes a firm fall deadline in retrieved materials; fall, spring, and summer deadlines or start terms for other tracks are not listed.

1. Post-Master's DNP (MSN-entry)

   Requires a master's degree or higher in nursing from an accredited program, a current unencumbered U.S. RN license with Nursys verification, and a minimum 3.0 graduate GPA. Submit three letters of recommendation, a current resume/CV, and a two-page APA-formatted professional statement. The Advanced Practice track requires current APRN certification; the Leadership track does not. A background check and drug screen are required, and English proficiency must meet School of Graduate Studies standards. No GRE/GMAT is required. The timing of the background check and drug screen is not fully reconciled in published sources.
2. Nurse Anesthesia DNP (BSN-entry)

   Requires a BSN or BAN. Applicants may apply before degree completion if the degree will be finished before the program start. One year of critical care experience in U.S., U.S. territory, or U.S. military hospitals is required. Prerequisite coursework includes upper-division biochemistry or organic chemistry. CCRN certification is not required. The application deadline is July 15 for a fall start. No GRE or standardized test is listed among the published admission requirements.
3. Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner DNP

   The published material states no GRE or additional tests are required for admission, but other requirements such as degree level, RN licensure, GPA, and clinical experience are not spelled out in retrieved sources. Confirm current BSN or MSN entry requirements directly with the program before applying.
4. Family Nurse Practitioner and Other NP Tracks

   The FNP DNP page is partial; degree prerequisites and GPA are not fully visible. RN licensure is standard but not explicitly stated on the retrieved page, and clinical experience and prerequisites are absent. The Adult-Gerontology Acute Care NP DNP appears in the program index but lacks detailed admissions criteria in available sources. Deadlines and start terms for these tracks are not published in retrieved materials.

Tuition, Fees, and Financial Aid at UND

UND structures DNP tuition on a per-credit basis, and the university's tuition model treats online courses as a flat per-credit rate without a residency differential. That means a student in North Dakota and a student in another state generally pay the same per-credit price for courses delivered online, which matters for the online DNP tracks. At the same time, UND had not consolidated a single official 2026-2027 DNP program cost table into the pages reviewed, so prospective students should treat any published per-credit figure as a planning estimate rather than a firm quote.

Per-Credit Tuition and Total Program Cost

Official UND pages for the DNP tracks, including Family Nurse Practitioner, Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, Nurse Anesthesia, and Post-Master's DNP, do not currently display a uniform per-credit rate for every track in the captured versions. For general graduate-level planning, external aggregators have shown approximate rates around $498 per credit for in-state students and $748 per credit for out-of-state students during the 2025 cycle, but those are not UND-official DNP-specific figures. Another third-party listing has suggested a higher rate near $862 per credit plus fees with no year attached, so it is not authoritative.

Because total cost depends on the number of credits required for each track and any program-specific fees, you should request a current cost sheet from the College of Nursing & Professional Disciplines. As a rough method, multiply your track's required credits by the current per-credit rate and add any clinical, lab, or course fees.

Online Tuition Considerations

UND's tuition model is most straightforward for online programs. Online tuition is charged per credit regardless of residency, and the Post-Master's DNP is delivered online. The Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner handbook indicates that those courses are online, suggesting a similar flat per-credit structure. On-campus students who take a limited number of online courses within a 12-credit cap are billed at their residency rate, but that arrangement does not define the fully online DNP tracks.

Scholarships and Financial Aid

Several aid sources are specific to UND nursing students or available to DNP learners, and broader financial aid for nursing students can supplement these UND-specific options.

• RAIN Section 112 Scholarship: Covers full tuition and fees plus a 12-month stipend for American Indian nursing students, including those in graduate and DNP programs. Recipients commit to Indian Health Service service after finishing. Apply early in January.
• DNP Nurse Anesthesia Scholarship: For second-year Nurse Anesthesia DNP students with a GPA of 3.8 or higher. Preference goes to North Dakota residents or North Dakota high school graduates, with a commitment to work in North Dakota or a rural site as a CRNA. The award amount is not fixed.
• VA-Linked Nursing Scholarship: Covers 100% of tuition, provides a $1,200 monthly living stipend (tax-free), and includes a $1,200 annual book stipend. Recipients agree to two years of VA employment after graduation and licensure. Confirm whether your DNP level qualifies.
• Nursing Education Loan Program: Administered by the North Dakota Board of Nursing, this option is available to North Dakota students in undergraduate and graduate nursing programs, with terms determined by the board.

The College of Nursing & Professional Disciplines scholarship page currently lists an application window of October 1 through March 1. An earlier nursing handbook listed November 1 through March 1, so double-check the deadline with the college before applying.

Clinical Hours, Practicum, and DNP Project

Clinical hours and the DNP project are the core practice requirements in University of North Dakota nursing programs, and the hour expectations vary significantly by entry track.

UND's public materials are most specific for the post-master's DNP, somewhat less detailed for the BSN-to-DNP/FNP pathway, and focused on accreditation minimums for nurse anesthesia. Students should treat the post-master's handbook as the clearest written requirement and confirm all other track-specific totals with the graduate nursing office before planning clinical placements.

Clinical Hour Requirements by Track

• Post-master's DNP: Requires a minimum of 520 total practice-experience hours, earned in designated courses and logged throughout the program. A DNP project and paper are also required.
• BSN to DNP/FNP: Official UND pages describe a clinical practicum but do not publish a full hour total in current public materials. Independent 2026 summaries cite 2,640 direct advanced practice hours plus 520 DNP project hours, or 3,160 total, but those figures are not confirmed on official UND pages and should be verified directly.
• Nurse Anesthesia DNP: This track aligns with the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs requirement of at least 2,000 clinical hours. UND's program references that standard, but track-specific hour totals beyond it are not detailed in available public materials.

Transfer Policies for Prior Clinical Hours

UND does not currently publish a universal transfer or waiver policy for previous graduate clinical hours across DNP tracks. The 2025-2026 post-master's handbook and catalog confirm that students must complete required clinical hours in the designated curriculum and maintain a practice-experience log, but they do not describe how prior hours may be applied. The BSN-DNP/FNP and nurse anesthesia pages are similarly quiet on this point. For example, the post-master's DNP handbook lists 520 hours but does not say that hours from a previous nurse practitioner or clinical nurse specialist program can be credited toward that total. Prospective students with previous graduate clinical hours should request a transcript review or speak with the program directly before applying.

DNP Project and Preceptor Expectations

Completion of a DNP project and an accompanying paper is mandatory across UND DNP tracks. Current public materials do not provide a step-by-step project timeline for proposal, implementation, and final defense, so students should use the program handbook for the complete sequence. Practice-experience logging is also required, meaning students must record hours as they are completed. Preceptor requirements are not detailed in current public pages for the post-master's or FNP tracks, and nurse anesthesia preceptor details are also absent. Because these criteria can change, contact the college for current preceptor qualification requirements before arranging any clinical practicum.

Online Learning, Campus Visits, and Residency Restrictions

Distance nursing education is moving toward more structured online delivery, and UND’s DNP tracks reflect that shift by combining largely online coursework with selective in-person requirements.

What the Online Format Looks Like

UND’s Post-Master’s DNP is delivered 100% online, which allows working nurses to complete coursework without relocating.¹ The Family Nurse Practitioner DNP track, by contrast, includes one required campus visit, a detail worth comparing with other best online FNP programs. Contact the program to confirm what that visit covers before enrolling. Online courses are structured through UND’s learning management system, but online here does not mean unregulated: you must reside in a state where UND is approved to deliver the program.

Campus Visits and In-Person Requirements

For the Post-Master’s DNP, UND’s program materials do not establish additional campus visits beyond the online format statement. The FNP DNP requirements page lists one campus visit as part of its requirements. If you are considering the FNP track, plan that visit into your schedule early, especially if you are traveling from out of state.

State Residency and Licensure Restrictions

Federal regulations prohibit UND from enrolling distance students in a program whose curriculum does not meet licensure requirements in the student’s home state. UND’s online DNP options are authorized only in some states, and authorization varies by program and by state. The Post-Master’s DNP Student Handbook requires students to reside in a state where UND is approved to deliver the program.¹

If your home state is not approved for your intended track, you may not be able to enroll directly. UND’s licensure information includes an Attestation Form that allows you to enroll by agreeing to seek licensure in a selected state where the program does meet requirements. Read that form carefully before signing, because it changes the state where you intend to practice.

Minnesota residents do not receive a special tuition rate. UND’s Post-Master’s DNP cost page states online students pay the same tuition rate regardless of residency, including Minnesota residents. That means your state of residence affects authorization and licensure planning, not the per-credit price.

Technology Requirements

Distance learners need reliable internet, a computer that can run proctoring software, a webcam, a microphone, and the ability to record or upload video for skills demonstrations if required. UND recommends checking system requirements before the first course starts.

Career Outcomes and Certification Pass Rates

Program-level median earnings at one, two, and four years after completion, median debt, and completion counts for University of North Dakota DNP completers are not currently published in the federal outcomes data used for this profile, so those program-specific figures are not presented as part of this table. Certification data that could be verified appears below: UND's published nurse anesthesia DNP pass rates for the August 2025 cohort and 2026 first-time pass rates from a reported NCSBN sample for two NP certification exams. DNP-prepared nurse practitioners commonly work in primary care clinics, hospital specialty departments, urgent care, community health centers, and academic or leadership roles, with titles such as family nurse practitioner, adult-gerontology primary care NP, psychiatric-mental health NP, and nurse anesthesia provider depending on the track.

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