7 Schools • 1 Fully Online • 5 Mostly Online • 1 Hybrid
Seven Georgia schools run 14 acute care pathways across BSN-to-DNP, MSN, post-master’s DNP, and post-graduate certificate. Every track carries an adult-gerontology acute care population focus; no pediatric acute care option exists in-state. Delivery ranges from fully online at Georgia Southern to hybrid at Mercer, with five schools in between. Estimated tuition runs from roughly $5K for a certificate to $177K for a doctorate, over two semesters to about four years.
Compare each school’s online format, campus commitment, cost, and degree options below.
Compare Georgia AG-ACNP Programs
| chool | Online Format | Campus Commitment | Cost Per Credit | Degrees | Best For |
| Augusta University | Mostly Online | Orientation, MEGAI skills intensive, in-person DNP project defense; | $441 DNP, $401 certificate | BSN-to-DNP, post-master’s certificate | Nurses who want faculty physically present at the clinical site |
| Brenau University Norcross | Mostly Online | One in-person weekend per semester | $918 all in | Post-master’s certificate | Certified APRNs who want the shortest route into acute care |
| Emory University | Mostly Online | Mandatory Atlanta intensives | $2,320 MSN, $2,110 DNP, $2,152 certificate | MSN, post-BSN DNP, post-graduate certificate | Full-time critical care nurses who can reach Atlanta on short notice |
| Georgia Southern University | Online | None published | $287 CPC | BSN-to-DNP with MSN exit, post-master’s certificate | Critical care RNs who want a certification-eligible master’s exit inside a doctoral plan |
| Georgia State University | Mostly Online | One week-long Atlanta experience at start, plus recurring in-person skills testing | $464 CPC | Post-master’s certificate | Practicing FNPs and adult-gerontology NPs moving from clinic to inpatient work |
| Mercer University Atlanta | Hybrid | In-person labs and clinical experiences | $1,159 MSN, $1,285.50 DNP | MSN, BSN-to-DNP, post-master’s DNP | Nurses with no critical care background who want a direct doctoral route |
| Middle Georgia State University | Mostly Online | About two immersion days per semester | $269 CPC | MSN, post-master’s certificate | Georgia-licensed nurses who want the lowest-cost master’s in the state |
What’s the Best ACNP Program for You?
Best Overall Value
Georgia Southern University delivers an 80-credit doctorate for about $23K at a per-credit rate that never changes with residency, and builds a certification-eligible master’s exit into the middle of it.
Lowest-Cost MSN
Middle Georgia State University puts a 45-credit master’s with 855 documented clinical hours near $13K including the online learning fee.
Fastest Route for Certified APRNs
Brenau University compresses the certificate into five courses across two semesters and arranges placements for students rather than sending them out to find preceptors.
Best Clinical Placement Support
Augusta University sends faculty to meet each student and preceptor at the clinical site in person, and states that commitment as the reason enrollment is capped at two states.
Best for Nurses Without Critical Care Experience
Mercer University requires no minimum work experience at all on the BSN-to-DNP track, substituting a 3.2 GPA bar for the bedside years most acute care programs demand.
Best Documented Clinical Load
Emory University maps 840 master’s clinical hours to three named practica of 240, 240, and 360, so the per-term workload is visible before enrolling.
Georgia DNP ACNP Programs
Four Georgia schools award the AG-ACNP at the doctoral level, and the cost spread between them is the widest in the state. Georgia Southern and Augusta price the doctorate below $35K in state, while Emory and Mercer sit between $75K and $177K. Clinical hour reporting is uneven: two schools publish a post-baccalaureate total, one publishes nothing, and one contradicts itself.
| School | Track | Estimated Tuition | Duration | Clinical Hours |
| Augusta University | AG-ACNP (BSN-to-DNP) | $34K in state; $92K out of state | 3 years (8 semesters) | Hrs not published |
| Emory University | AG-ACNP (post-BSN DNP) | Up to $177K | 2.3 years (7 semesters) | Hrs not published |
| Georgia Southern University | AG-ACNP (BSN-to-DNP) | $23K | About 4 years (12 semesters) | 1,350 hrs post-BSN |
| Mercer University | AG-ACNP (BSN-to-DNP) | $99K | 2.7 years (8 semesters) | 1,020 practice hrs |
| Mercer University | AG-ACNP (post-master’s DNP) | $75K | 2 years (6 semesters) | 780 – 960 hrs |
- Lowest doctoral cost: Georgia Southern — $23K, on a rate that does not rise for non-residents.
- Only doctorate with no experience gate: Mercer’s BSN-to-DNP — no minimum work experience of any kind, offset by a higher GPA threshold.
Georgia MSN ACNP Programs
Four master’s routes exist, and one of them is an exit point rather than a standalone degree. Georgia Southern’s MSN sits at credit 43 of an 80-credit doctoral plan and carries certification eligibility on its own, with four years to return for the doctoral courses. Emory and Mercer both bill part-time students more than full-time students for identical credits.
| School | Track | Estimated Tuition | Duration | Clinical Hours |
| Emory University | AG-ACNP | $110K | 1.3 years (4 semesters) full-time | 840 hrs |
| Georgia Southern University | AG-ACNP (MSN exit) | $12K | About 2 years (6 semesters) | 720 hrs |
| Mercer University | AG-ACNP | $41K | 1.4 to 2.3 years (4 to 7 semesters) | 780 hrs |
| Middle Georgia State University | AG-ACNP | $13K | 2 years (5 semesters) | 855 hrs |
- Lowest master’s cost: Georgia Southern — $12K at the 43-credit exit, though reaching it means entering a doctoral program.
- Most clinical hours per dollar: Middle Georgia State — 855 hours near $13K, the highest documented count among Georgia master’s tracks.
Georgia Post-Graduate Certificate ACNP Programs
Six of the seven schools offer a post-master’s certificate, making this the most crowded tier in Georgia and the one with the weakest published data. Only Georgia State states a clinical hour total. Two schools set hours through an individual gap analysis, and two publish nothing at all, which leaves certificate applicants unable to confirm against the 500-hour ANCC minimum before enrolling.
| School | Estimated Tuition | Duration | Clinical Hours |
| Augusta University | $8K in state | 1 year (3 semesters) | Not published |
| Brenau University | $14K, | Under 1 year (2 semesters) | Not published |
| Emory University | Not published | 1 year (3 semesters) | Not published |
| Georgia Southern University | $5K | 1 year (3 semesters) | Set by gap analysis |
| Georgia State University | $11K to $17K, | 1 to 2 years (3 to 5 semesters) | 500 |
| Middle Georgia State University | $7K | 3 semesters | Set by gap analysis |
- Cheapest certificate: Georgia Southern — $5K, but 19 credits is a floor a gap analysis can raise.
- Only published hour total: Georgia State — 500 hours, exactly the ANCC minimum, with 135 of them sitting in a transfer-eligible course
- Shortest completion: Brenau — five courses across two semesters, with faculty-arranged placements and a 100-mile distance guarantee for Georgia residents.
- Narrowest entry gate: Georgia State — admission is closed to anyone not already prepared as an FNP or adult-gerontology NP.
Common Requirements Across Programs:
- Active, unencumbered RN license (Georgia or multistate for most programs)
- Official transcripts from all institutions
- Professional references (typically 2-3)
- Resume/CV
- Personal statement or statement of purpose
- Background check and drug screening
- BLS certification (ACLS required for some acute care programs)
- Professional liability insurance
FAQ
How many online ACNP programs are available in Georgia?
Seven schools offer 14 acute care pathways. Augusta University, Emory University, Georgia Southern University, Mercer University, and Middle Georgia State University run multiple tracks each; Brenau University and Georgia State University run one apiece.
Which Georgia ACNP programs are fully online?
Georgia Southern is the only school publishing no campus requirement, though selected courses schedule live remote sessions. Five schools qualify as mostly online with countable campus events, and Mercer is hybrid because in-person Atlanta labs recur without a published limit.
Which Georgia ACNP program has the lowest tuition?
Georgia Southern’s post-master’s certificate is the cheapest at roughly $5K for the published 19-credit minimum, and its $23K doctorate is the lowest at that level. Middle Georgia State has the lowest complete master’s at about $13K. All three figures are calculated from per-credit rates rather than published as totals.
Can I earn a pediatric acute care NP credential in Georgia?
No. All 14 Georgia pathways carry an adult-gerontology acute care population focus. Nurses seeking PNP-AC preparation and the PNCB CPNP-AC credential need to look outside the state, and the confirmed national online AG-ACNP providers do not fill that gap either.
Which Georgia schools award the ACNP as a DNP?
Augusta, Emory, Georgia Southern, and Mercer. Mercer is the only one with two doctoral entry points, admitting both BSN-prepared nurses and certified APRNs. Georgia Southern’s doctorate includes a certification-eligible master’s exit that the others do not offer.
Do Georgia ACNP programs require campus visits, and can clinicals be completed locally?
Campus obligations range from none published at Georgia Southern to unquantified recurring labs at Mercer. Clinical geography is more restrictive than delivery format suggests: Augusta and Georgia Southern confine placements to Georgia or South Carolina, Middle Georgia State requires every hour in Georgia, and Brenau guarantees a 100-mile radius only for Georgia residents. Georgia State publishes no geographic rule and no statement on who locates sites.
Do Georgia ACNP programs require ICU or critical care experience?
It varies more than in most states. Georgia Southern requires a documented year of critical care employment on both pathways, and the certificate requires that year to fall within the last three. Emory requires a year of RN experience with acute or critical care specified on the program page and merely preferred in the catalog, plus ACLS for master’s applicants. Augusta publishes no acute care minimum at all, and Mercer’s BSN-to-DNP requires no work experience of any kind.