University of Connecticut School of Nursing offers 3 Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner tracks:
- BSN-DNP
- MSN
- MSN-DNP
- Post-Graduate APRN Certificate
All programs are delivered entirely online with didactic coursework taught by highly experienced UConn faculty practitioners, though two mandatory on-campus intensive sessions are required in the spring prior to clinical rotations.
Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| MSN AGACNP | $54,000 | 1.75 years (5 semesters) full-time; 2.75 years (7) part-time | 45 |
| BSN-DNP AGACNP | $76.8K–$84K | Not published | 64–70 |
| MSN-DNP AGACNP | $30K+ | Not published | 25 minimum |
| Certificate | Not published | Not published | Not published |
Tuition and duration are both calculated rather than published.
UConn closes the AGACNP pathway to residents of 17 U.S. jurisdictions, and students who do qualify locate their own preceptors and clinical sites. Every student pays the same $1,200 per credit, with no Connecticut resident discount.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Program Types | MS, BS-DNP, MS-DNP, Post-Graduate APRN Certificate |
| Population Focus | Adult-Gerontology Acute Care (AGACNP) |
| Format | Mostly Online: asynchronous coursework plus a required on-campus intensive |
| Campus Visits | Immersive intensive at Storrs; number of sessions and days not published |
| Clinical Hours | No total published for MS or certificate; 1,000 supervised hours for DNP pathways |
| Clinical Placement | Student identifies sites and preceptors; graduate track director vets and approves |
| RN Experience | 2,080 acute care hours within the past two years, before the first practicum |
| Distinctive Coursework | Cadaver lab and high-fidelity simulation during the on-campus intensive |
| Start Terms | Fall only, one intake per year |
| Tuition | $1,200 per credit comprehensive; identical for residents and non-residents |
| Certification | ANCC AGACNP-BC or AACN ACNPC-AG |
| Accreditation | CCNE, covering the MS, DNP, and post-graduate APRN certificate |
| State Restrictions | Closed in 17 jurisdictions; Utah requires consultation before applying |
Requirements Shared Across All Tracks
Clinical Requirements
- Practicum sequence: three courses, NURS 5559, NURS 5569, and NURS 5579, at three credits each
- Clock hours: UConn publishes no clinical hour total for the MS or the certificate
- DNP practice hours: minimum 1,000 supervised post-baccalaureate hours for both doctoral pathways, per the graduate catalog
- Site and preceptor sourcing: students identify their own sites and preceptors, then submit credentials to the graduate track director for vetting and approval
- Placement reach: students may apply for a UConn Community Partner site in Connecticut, may be assigned a site outside their home state, and in rare cases must relocate to Connecticut to finish rotations
- Progression rule: the three role courses must be passed before clinical courses begin, and NURS 5500 requires a B (83%) or higher to advance
- Pre-clinical clearance: health records, criminal background check, and drug screen, all at student expense
- Transportation: reliable personal transportation required; carpooling and rideshare do not satisfy the policy
You Should Know
- No published hour total: no clinical hour figure appears on UConn’s program pages, course catalog, plans of study, or MS student handbook. ANCC requires 500 faculty-supervised hours for AGACNP-BC eligibility, and UConn publishes no number to check against it.
- The DNP figure is not a substitute: the 1,000-hour doctoral requirement counts total post-baccalaureate practice, not AGACNP specialty patient-care hours.
Campus Requirements
- Location: Storrs campus
- Facilities used: Clinical Simulation Learning Center and the Human Anatomy Learning Laboratory cadaver lab
- Procedures practiced: intubation, suturing, needle decompression, and chest compression
- Schedule: UConn describes an immersive session but publishes no session count, day count, or placement in the sequence
You Should Know
- The “100% online” label is qualified: UConn markets the AGACNP coursework as fully online and asynchronous while separately requiring in-person attendance at Storrs.
- Budget for travel blind: with no published day count, out-of-state students cannot estimate lodging or time off before enrolling.
RN Experience and Licensure
- Amount and recency: 2,080 hours, two years full-time, completed within the past two years
- Setting: acute care, caring for acutely ill patients
- Timing: required before the first clinical practicum course, not at matriculation
- Documentation: a verification of RN direct patient care hours form is submitted with the application
- Certificate applicants: submit verification of the hours completed during the initial APRN program instead
- Licensure: current RN license required
Be aware that:
- Sixteen jurisdictions are closed outright: UConn Nursing cannot accept applications from or enroll students located in Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, or Washington, D.C.
- New York is a seventeenth: UConn can enroll New York students in all tracks but cannot place AGACNP students in clinical experiences there, which closes the pathway in practice.
- Conditional states: Arizona admits AGACNP and NNP students only, Washington approval covers the MS AGACNP track, and Utah applicants must confer with the track director about placement before applying.
- Territories: UConn is not authorized to deliver distance learning to residents of Guam, American Samoa, or the Northern Mariana Islands.
- Check first: UConn advises confirming it has clinical connections near you before enrolling.
Master of Science in Nursing – AGACNP
The estimated tuition for the MS AGACNP program at UConn is approximately $54,000 (45 credits at $1,200/credit). The program can generally be completed in about 1.75 years full-time across five semesters, or 2.75 years part-time across seven.
MSN Curriculum
The 45 credits split into 15 credits of nursing core and 30 credits of role and AGACNP specialty coursework.
- NURS 5060: Advanced Pathophysiology Across the Lifespan (3 credits, fall)
- NURS 5590: Advanced Pharmacodynamics, Acute Care Population (3 credits, spring)
- NURS 5562: Advanced Health Assessment, AGACNP Population (3 credits, spring)
- NURS 5500: Advanced Diagnosis for APN Practice (3 credits, summer)
- NURS 5550: Common and Chronic Health Problems I (3 credits, summer)
- NURS 5559: AGNP Acute Care Clinical Practicum I (3 credits, summer)
- NURS 5560: Complex and Comorbid Health Problems II (3 credits, fall)
- NURS 5569: AGNP Acute Care Clinical Practicum II (3 credits, fall)
- NURS 5570: Complex and Comorbid Health Problems III (3 credits, spring)
- NURS 5579: AGNP Acute Care Clinical Practicum III (3 credits, spring)
- Nursing core (15 credits): NURS 5012, NURS 5020, NURS 5030, NURS 5035, and NURS 5870
Acute care content starts in the third semester. A full-time student takes core and role courses through fall and spring, then begins the specialty sequence and first practicum together the following summer.
More curriculum details are available here.
MSN Admissions
- Degree: BSN from a regionally accredited college or university
- GPA: minimum 3.0 undergraduate
- Experience: 2,080 acute care hours, documented on the verification of hours form
- References: one academic letter, plus one from a clinical supervisor or nurse manager and one from a practicing APRN or physician mentor; a nurse educator or clinical nurse specialist does not satisfy the academic reference
- Essay: written response to the School of Nursing application prompts
- English proficiency: TOEFL 550 paper or 79 internet, or Duolingo 100
- Not required: GRE and residence affidavit
- Deposit: $1,000 non-refundable, due before course registration
- Visa sponsorship: UConn cannot sponsor F-1 or J-1 visas for this program
You Should Know
- Two deadlines are published: UConn’s application instructions state April 15, 2026, while the sidebar on the same pages states June 1, 2026. The earlier date is the safer assumption.
- One intake per year: entry is fall only, so a missed cycle costs a full year rather than a term.
- Rolling review: applications are read in the order completed until the cohort fills, and late submissions are considered only on a space-available basis.
Bachelor of Science to Doctor of Nursing Practice – AGACNP
The estimated tuition for the BS-DNP AGACNP program at UConn is approximately $76,800 to $84,000 (64 to 70 credits at $1,200/credit). UConn does not publish a duration, because BS-DNP plans of study are built individually with the track director.
BSN-DNP Curriculum
Students complete the 45-credit MS AGACNP sequence above, then add the doctoral tier. The MS is conferred as part of the BS-DNP, letting students begin advanced practice while continuing doctoral study.
- NURS 5845: Health Services Statistics and Research Methods (3 credits)
- NURS 5850: Scientific and Theoretical Underpinnings (3 credits)
- NURS 5855: Evidence-Based Practice (3 credits)
- NURS 5860: Quality and Organizational Systems Leadership (3 credits)
- NURS 5865: Information Systems (3 credits)
- NURS 5885: Leadership and Management (3 credits)
- NURS 5895: DNP Topic Identification Seminar (1 credit)
- NURS 5869, 5879, 5889: DNP Residency and Seminar I to III (1 to 6 credits each)
The doctoral tier is systems work, not added patient contact. The residency and seminar sequence carries variable credit, which is what produces the 64 to 70 credit range in the graduate catalog.
BSN-DNP Admissions
- Entry requirements: identical to the MS track, applied through the doctoral application path
- Graduation requirements: a DNP project, a scholarly portfolio, and a general exam
- Practice hours: evidence of a minimum 1,000 supervised clinical hours
- Academic standing: cumulative 3.0 GPA and a B or better in every NURS course
Master of Science to Doctor of Nursing Practice – AGACNP
The estimated tuition for the MS-DNP AGACNP program at UConn starts at approximately $30,000 (25-credit minimum at $1,200/credit). UConn does not publish a duration for this pathway.
The graduate catalog sets the post-MS program of study at a minimum of 25 credits, a DNP project, a scholarly portfolio, a general exam, and evidence of a minimum 1,000 supervised post-baccalaureate clinical hours.
How the specialty sequence attaches is not published. UConn does not state whether a master’s-prepared nurse who is not already AGACNP-certified adds the specialty courses to the doctoral core, or completes the certificate separately.
Post-Graduate APRN Certificate – AGACNP
UConn does not publish a credit total or a tuition estimate for the post-graduate AGACNP certificate. Plans of study are designed individually with the track director after transcript review, so the cost equals the assigned credits at $1,200 each.
Certificate Curriculum
Certificate students complete the AGACNP specialty and practicum courses they did not take in their initial APRN program. The shared clinical, campus, and experience requirements apply without modification.
Certificate Admissions
- Degree: master’s in nursing or higher from a regionally accredited institution
- Licensure: current RN license, plus current or previous APRN licensure and certification
- GPA: minimum 3.0
- Hours verification: documentation of the clinical hours completed during the initial APRN program
- Supporting materials: essay, resume, three references, and transcripts for all graduate coursework
You Should Know
- Cost is unknowable at application: credits are assigned after gap analysis, so two applicants with different APRN backgrounds can face very different totals.
- Washington approval is narrower: UConn’s authorization footnote names the MS AGACNP track for Washington practice experiences, while naming both the MS and the post-graduate certificate for the FNP and NNP tracks.
Tuition
Online AGACNP students pay a comprehensive fee of $1,200 per credit, or $3,600 for a three-credit course, under a 2024 Board of Trustees decision effective Fall 2024. The rate is the same for Connecticut residents, non-Connecticut residents, and international students.
| Program | Credits | Estimated Tuition |
|---|---|---|
| MSN AGACNP | 45 | $54,000 |
| BSN-DNP AGACNP | 64–70 | $76,800–$84,000 |
| MSN-DNP AGACNP | 25 minimum | $30,000 minimum |
| Certificate | Not published | Not published |
The comprehensive rate carries no separate fee stack. UConn’s bursar states that the per-credit rate in comprehensive-fee programs has no further breakdown, so the general university, health and wellness, infrastructure, and technology fees billed to campus graduate students do not apply.
Two costs sit outside the rate: NURS 5500 adds a clinical tracking fee to the fee bill, and health clearance, the background check, and the drug screen are billed to the student. See the official program fees page.
Financial aid
UConn states that MS, certificate, and BS-DNP students may be eligible for financial aid or unsubsidized loans. Scholarships are listed on the School of Nursing financial assistance page. One exclusion matters: graduate assistants do not receive fee waivers in comprehensive-fee programs, and tuition waivers are capped at the graduate in-state rate.
Why Choose This ACNP Program?
Flat comprehensive pricing. One rate of $1,200 per credit covers everyone, with no separate fee stack to reconstruct. Connecticut residents pay what out-of-state students pay, which is worth weighing against other in-state options.
Cadaver lab and simulation intensive. The on-campus session runs in the Human Anatomy Learning Laboratory and the simulation center, covering intubation, suturing, needle decompression, and chest compression.
MS conferred inside the BS-DNP. Doctoral students earn the master’s en route and can begin advanced practice while finishing the DNP project and residency sequence.
Four credentials run through one AGACNP specialty core, so a nurse can enter at the master’s, doctoral, or certificate level without changing the clinical sequence. The experience gate is firm: 2,080 acute care hours within the past two years, enforced before the first practicum rather than at admission.
This program suits an experienced acute care RN living in Connecticut or another state UConn can place in, who can travel to Storrs and already has a preceptor relationship in view. Anyone in the 17 closed jurisdictions should check the authorization table before doing anything else.
Accreditation and Certification
The baccalaureate, master’s, DNP, and post-graduate APRN certificate programs at UConn’s Elisabeth DeLuca School of Nursing are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. Naming the certificate matters: ANCC requires a certificate program to hold accreditation for its graduates to sit the exam.
UConn is licensed as an institution of higher learning by the Connecticut Office of Higher Education and institutionally accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education, a U.S. Department of Education recognized accreditor.
All four tracks carry one population focus: adult-gerontology acute care, adolescent through older adult. Graduates may apply for eligibility to sit either the ANCC exam (AGACNP-BC) or the AACN exam (ACNPC-AG).
Licensure eligibility varies by state. UConn publishes a program-by-state disclosure lookup at statelicensure.uconn.edu indicating whether the curriculum meets a given state’s educational requirements for licensure.
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