The University of Colorado College of Nursing (CU Nursing at CU Anschutz) offers three Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Tracks:
- BS-DNP
- MSN
- Post-Graduate Certificate (PGC)
The program maintains a 100% board certification exam pass rate and provides the critical support of coordinating clinical placements for students in the Denver metro area.
Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition (CO) | Est. Tuition (Non-Res) | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MS AG-ACNP | $40.2K | $65.2K | 2.5 years (8 semesters) | 49 |
| BS-DNP AG-ACNP | $60.7K | $98.4K | 4 years (13 semesters) | 74 |
| Certificate | $13.1K | $21.3K | 1 year (3 semesters) | 16 |
Tuition figures are calculated at 2026-27 rates rather than published. Colorado rates also apply to residents of eligible WICHE states.
Eligibility is set by where you live: the MS is closed to applicants seeking licensure in four states, the certificate to applicants in eight. CU arranges clinical placements only for students in the Denver metro area.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Program Types | MS, BS to DNP, post-graduate certificate |
| Population Focus | AGACNP on all three tracks |
| Format | Mostly Online |
| Campus Visits | Count not published; Advanced Assessment carries an on-campus requirement |
| Clinical Hours | 675 MS; 1,215 BS-DNP (675 AGACNP plus 540 DNP project); 360 certificate |
| Clinical Placement | Arranged for Denver metro residents only; sites occur anywhere in Colorado |
| RN Experience | None required or preferred on any published admissions page |
| Distinctive Coursework | Four AG-ACNP practicums plus AG-ACNP Diagnostics and Therapeutics |
| License Requirements | Active, unrestricted US registered nurse license |
| Start Terms | Fall for the MS and BS-DNP; spring for the certificate |
| Tuition | $820 per credit for Colorado residents, $1,330 non-resident, 2026-27 |
| Certification | ANCC AGACNP-BC or AACN ACNPC-AG |
| Accreditation | CCNE, including the post-graduate APRN certificate program |
| State Restrictions | MS closed to KS, MI, NY, OH; certificate adds AR, AZ, MD, TX |
You Should Know
- State eligibility: CU’s attestation policy states that applicants planning to seek licensure in a “does not meet” state cannot be admitted to a distance program, so these are admission bars rather than disclosures
- Pathway difference: the MS is barred in Kansas, Michigan, New York, and Ohio; the certificate adds Arkansas, Arizona, Maryland, and Texas
Requirements Shared Across All Tracks
Clinical Requirements
- Credit conversion: one clinical credit equals 45 face-to-face direct patient care hours
- Total hours: 675 for the MS, 1,215 for the BS-DNP, 360 for the certificate
- Placement model: CU arranges sites and preceptors for students living in the Denver metro area
- Everyone else: students outside the Denver metro or outside Colorado find their own placements, subject to program or specialty director approval
- Placement geography: arranged placements occur anywhere in Colorado, including rural assignments
- Scheduling: placements may involve overnight shifts and travel, may span several sites in one semester, and may be finalized shortly before the start date
- Partner sites: UCHealth, Children’s Hospital Colorado, and the CU Healthcare Partners nurse-led clinics
- Preceptor standard: not published
You Should Know
- What CU commits to: the arrangement applies to Denver metro residents only, and CU commits to placement anywhere in Colorado rather than near where a student lives
- Out-of-state students: the clinical placement team and specialty director assist, but the student is responsible for locating the site and preceptor
Campus Requirements
- Number of visits: not published for any track
- Named requirement: NURS 6761 Advanced Assessment carries an on-campus requirement, taken in the first summer of both the MS and the BS-DNP
- BS-DNP addition: NURS 8020 DNP Project Prep also carries an on-campus requirement, in spring of year two
- Certificate: the plan of study flags no on-campus course, though the program page lists limited on-campus requirements
- Location: CU Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado
- International applicants: an F1 visa is required for campus visits and clinical courses, and CU does not issue student visas for these programs
RN Experience and Licensure
- RN experience: none required, preferred, or recommended on the master’s or certificate admissions pages
- Acute or critical care experience: not required and not screened for
- Licensure: an active, unrestricted US nursing license is required for admission
- Interview: selected candidates are invited to a Zoom interview
- Pre-enrollment: drug screening, background check, and immunizations after an offer is made
You Should Know
- Marijuana screening: CU’s drug screen includes marijuana, which is legal for recreational use in Colorado
- Entry terms are annual: the MS and BS-DNP admit in fall only and the certificate in spring only, so a missed cycle costs a full year
MS Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner
The estimated tuition for the MS AG-ACNP is approximately $40,180 for Colorado residents, or 49 credits at $820 per credit. The program can generally be completed in about 2.5 years across eight semesters.
MS Curriculum
The MS totals 49 credits: 34 didactic and 15 clinical. The specialty sequence below is identical in the BS-DNP.
- NURS 6590: Introduction to AG-ACNP, fall of year two (2 didactic and 1 clinical credit, 45 clinical hours)
- NURS 5981: AG-ACNP Advanced Practicum I (3 credits, 135 clinical hours)
- NURS 6600: AG-ACNP I (3 credits)
- NURS 5982: AG-ACNP Advanced Practicum II (3 credits, 135 clinical hours)
- NURS 6620: AG-ACNP Diagnostics and Therapeutics (2 credits)
- NURS 5983: AG-ACNP Advanced Practicum III (4 credits, 180 clinical hours)
- NURS 6610: AG-ACNP II (3 credits)
- NURS 5984: AG-ACNP Advanced Practicum IV (4 credits, 180 clinical hours)
- NURS 6630: Advanced Practice Synthesis in Adult Gerontology Acute Care (1 credit)
The advanced practice core runs across the first four semesters and covers pathophysiology, pharmacology, advanced assessment, informatics, health policy, nursing theory, evidence-based practice, and the APRN role. Acute care content does not begin until the fourth semester.
More curriculum details are available in the graduate catalog.
MS Admissions
- Degree: BSN from a regionally accredited institution and a CCNE- or AACN-accredited program
- GPA: minimum degree GPA of 3.0
- Below 3.0: official GRE scores and/or at least 12 credits of graduate coursework, received by the deadline
- Prerequisites: a nursing research course and a statistics course, minimum grade of C
- Application: NursingCAS, three references, essay, CV, official transcripts
- Fees: $85 to NursingCAS plus a $50 supplemental fee to CU
- Cycle: fall entry, applications open in mid-August with a January 15 priority deadline
BS to Doctor of Nursing Practice AG-ACNP
The estimated tuition for the BS to DNP AG-ACNP is approximately $60,680 for Colorado residents, or 74 credits at $820 per credit. CU lists the average time to complete as four years across 13 semesters, while the published plan of study sequences the coursework over eight semesters.
BS-DNP Curriculum
The BS-DNP totals 74 credits: 47 didactic and 27 clinical. One application covers both degrees. It carries the same AG-ACNP specialty sequence as the MS and adds a doctoral tier.
- NURS 6108: Inferential Statistics and Quality Improvement (3 credits)
- NURS 6303: Epidemiology (3 credits)
- NURS 6107: Research Methods (3 credits)
- NURS 6800: Innovative Leadership (3 credits)
- NURS 8020: DNP Project Prep, on campus (1 didactic and 1 clinical credit, 45 hours)
- NURS 8030: DNP Project I (4 credits, 180 hours)
- NURS 8040: DNP Project II (1 didactic and 3 clinical credits, 135 hours)
- NURS 8050: DNP Project III (4 credits, 180 hours)
The doctoral tier adds project hours, not patient contact. Of the 1,215 clinical hours, 675 sit in the AG-ACNP specialty sequence and 540 in the four DNP project courses. The 675 figure is the same acute care patient contact an MS student gets.
More curriculum details are available in the graduate catalog.
BS-DNP Admissions
- Entry point: BSN holders apply once and progress to the DNP without a second application
- Cycle: fall entry, applications open in mid-August with a January 15 priority deadline
- Requirements: CU publishes a separate BS to DNP requirements page
- State eligibility: the doctoral tier does not lead to a new license, so the MS AG-ACNP state determinations govern
Post-Graduate Certificate AG-ACNP
The estimated tuition for the post-graduate certificate is approximately $13,120 for Colorado residents, or 16 credits at $820 per credit. The program can generally be completed in one year across three semesters.
Certificate Curriculum
The certificate totals 16 credits: 8 didactic and 8 clinical. It uses the same three AG-ACNP didactic courses as the MS, NURS 6600, 6620, and 6610, paired with three sections of NURS 5899 AG-ACNP Advanced Practicum worth 90, 135, and 135 clinical hours. It omits the introductory and synthesis courses that bracket the MS specialty sequence.
Course selection is set by a transcript evaluation of prior graduate coursework, and CU states that its published cost excludes core courses that evaluation may add.
You Should Know
- Hours and certification: ANCC requires at least 500 faculty-supervised clinical hours in the AGACNP program, and both ANCC and AACN apply that floor to certificate holders; CU’s certificate publishes 360
- Gap analysis: transcript evaluation can add courses and hours above the published 16 credits, so confirm the final plan before enrolling
Certificate Admissions
- Degree: a master’s degree in nursing from a CCNE- or AACN-accredited program
- GPA: graduate GPA of 3.0 or higher
- Below 3.0: official GRE scores and/or documentation of at least 12 graduate credit hours
- Application: NursingCAS, three references, essay, CV, official transcripts
- Cycle: spring entry, applications open in mid-January with a July 1 priority deadline
Tuition
Graduate nursing tuition for 2026-27 is $820 per credit for Colorado residents and $1,330 for non-residents, the same rate across the MS, DNP, and post-graduate certificate. A mandatory master’s program fee of $26.57 per credit brings the resident all-in rate to roughly $847.
| Program | Credits | Estimated Tuition |
|---|---|---|
| MS AG-ACNP | 49 | $40,180 |
| BS to DNP AG-ACNP | 74 | $60,680 |
| Post-Graduate Certificate | 16 | $13,120 |
Figures use Colorado resident rates. Non-resident totals run about 62 percent higher. Beyond tuition, CU publishes a one-time $140 matriculation charge, per-term fees of roughly $180 to $392, and per-course fees of $100 for online courses and $50 for hybrid courses. Required health insurance can be waived with comparable coverage.
Be aware that:
- CU’s BS-DNP total is a year behind: the $60,075 figure on the program page reconstructs to 75 credits at the superseded 2025-26 rate, while the MS and certificate figures already use 2026-27 rates
- Credit totals conflict: the BS-DNP plan of study states 74 total credits, but its course list sums to 75
Financial Aid
Residents of the 15 WICHE states can receive the Colorado resident rate through the Western Graduate Regional Program, which cuts the MS from $65,170 to $40,180. Eligible students apply through the WUE/WRGP form issued after admission.
CU’s reduced-tuition page lists the MS AG-ACNP and the DNP as participating, but not post-graduate certificates. The certificate program page states the in-state rate is available to eligible western residents. See CU’s scholarships and financial aid page.
Why Choose This ACNP Program?
No RN experience requirement. Neither the master’s nor the certificate admissions page names a required, preferred, or recommended amount of RN, acute care, or ICU experience. The entry gate is academic.
Placement arranged inside the Denver metro. Students living in the metro area have sites and preceptors assigned to them through partnerships with UCHealth, Children’s Hospital Colorado, and CU’s own nurse-led clinics. Students elsewhere source their own.
Three entry points to one specialty sequence. A BSN holder can take the 49-credit MS or the 74-credit integrated doctorate on a single application, and a master’s-prepared nurse can add the population focus in 16 credits.
State eligibility splits by pathway. Twelve jurisdictions are affected in total, and which ones apply depends on whether you enter through the master’s or the certificate. Check your state before choosing a track.
The MS suits a Denver-area BSN nurse who wants assigned placements and has no acute care background to show an admissions committee. The certificate suits a master’s-prepared NP in an eligible state who has already confirmed how CU’s 360 hours will be counted toward certification.
Accreditation and Certification
The University of Colorado Denver, the accredited entity that includes the Anschutz Medical Campus, is institutionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
The baccalaureate program, the master’s program, the Doctor of Nursing Practice program, and the post-graduate APRN certificate program at the University of Colorado College of Nursing are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. The certificate’s separate accreditation matters, because ANCC accepts post-graduate certificate applicants only on the accreditation of the certificate program itself.
All three tracks carry an Adult-Gerontology Acute Care population focus. Graduates are eligible for the ANCC Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner certification, AGACNP-BC, or the AACN Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Certification, ACNPC-AG. Both require at least 500 faculty-supervised clinical hours in the AGACNP program, along with graduate-level advanced pathophysiology, advanced pharmacology, and advanced health assessment.
More ACNP Programs for Colorado Residents
- Colorado State University Pueblo - Pueblo