The University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) offers 4 acute care nurse practitioner tracks:
- BSN-to-DNP AGACNP
- Post-DNP Certificate AGACNP
- BSN-to-DNP PNP-AC
- Post-DNP Certificate PNP-AC
Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| BSN-DNP AGACNP | $84.7K | 3-5 years (part-time only) | 75 |
| Certificate AGACNP | $26K | About 1 year (3 semesters) | 23 |
| BSN-DNP PNP-AC | $83.5K | 4 years (published plan) | 74 |
| Certificate PNP-AC | ~$29K (est.) | 1-1.5 years (est.) | ~26 (est.) |
Tuition and certificate duration are calculated rather than published.
UIC offers the AGACNP only as a part-time doctorate, at its Chicago, Rockford, and Urbana campuses, and the PNP-AC at Chicago, Peoria, Rockford, and Urbana. Faculty assign every clinical site in both populations, and students must live within commuting distance of their campus.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Program Types | BSN-to-DNP; post-DNP certificate (both populations) |
| Population Focus | Adult-Gerontology Acute Care (AGACNP); Pediatric Acute Care (PNP-AC) |
| Format | Hybrid: online didactic plus on-campus and blended courses |
| Campuses | AGACNP: Chicago, Rockford, Urbana; PNP-AC: Chicago, Peoria, Rockford, Urbana |
| Clinical Hours | AGACNP: 675 specialty hours, 1,000 total for the DNP; PNP-AC: 765 specialty hours, 1,035 total for the DNP |
| Clinical Placement | Faculty arrange all sites and preceptors near the student’s campus |
| RN Experience | AGACNP: 1 year in adult acute care by admission, ICU preferred; PNP-AC: 1 year full-time in pediatric acute care by admission |
| Enrollment | AGACNP: part-time only |
| Start Terms | Fall only |
| Tuition | $1,129 per credit, in-state and out-of-state |
| Certification | AGACNP: ANCC AGACNP-BC, AACN ACNPC-AG; PNP-AC: PNCB CPNP-AC |
| Accreditation | CCNE (DNP and post-graduate APRN certificate) |
| State Restrictions | Illinois or bordering states (IA, WI, IN, MO, KY) only |
Requirements Shared Across All Tracks
Clinical Requirements
- Specialty hours: 675 AGACNP or 765 PNP-AC clinical hours across three practicum courses
- AGACNP settings: hospitals (including ICU and ER) and specialized outpatient sites, covering medicine and surgery
- Placement: faculty arrange all sites and preceptors in the vicinity of the student’s campus
- Licensure: RN license required in the state where clinicals take place
- Simulation: simulation scenarios are built into the curriculum alongside rotations
Campus Requirements
- Format: online, blended, and on-campus courses; all didactic coursework is online
- Cadence: UIC does not publish the number or schedule of on-campus sessions
- Travel: students at Rockford or Urbana may need to travel to Chicago or another region for at least one course or lab
- Residence: students must live within commuting distance of their admitting campus
You Should Know: UIC’s commuting-distance rule limits enrollment to Illinois and the five bordering states (Iowa, Wisconsin, Indiana, Missouri, Kentucky). Applicants elsewhere cannot complete the program from home.
RN Experience and Licensure
- AGACNP experience: at least 1 year of RN experience in an adult acute care setting by the time of admission, ICU preferred
- PNP-AC experience: at least 1 year of full-time RN experience in a pediatric acute care setting by the time of admission, ED or ICU preferred
- License: valid RN license in Illinois or a bordering state where clinicals occur
You Should Know: UIC admits acute care students in fall only. An applicant who will not reach one year of qualifying acute care experience by admission waits a full year for the next intake.
BSN-to-DNP AGACNP
The estimated tuition for the BSN-to-DNP Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner at UIC is approximately $84,675 (75 credits at $1,129/credit).
The program can generally be completed in about 3 to 5 years of part-time study, UIC’s published range for BSN-entry DNP students.
DNP Curriculum
The 2026-2027 catalog lists 75 semester hours. The DNP requires 1,000 practicum hours, of which 675 are AGACNP specialty hours.
- APRN core: NURS 521, NURS 531, NURS 532, NURS 544
- NUSP 537: Adult Health, Diagnosis and Disease Management
- NUSP 566: AGACNP Management I
- NUSP 567: AGACNP Management II
- NUPR 560, 561, 562: AGACNP Practicum I, II, III
- DNP core: nine courses in biostatistics, health equity, policy, population health, scholarship, quality, informatics, business planning, and evidence translation
- DNP project: NURS 547, NUPR 548, NUPR 549
More curriculum details are available here.
You Should Know: UIC’s AGACNP program page lists 77 credit hours, while the 2026-2027 catalog lists 75. Tuition here uses the catalog figure; at 77 credits it would be about $86,933.
DNP Admissions
- Degree: BSN from a CCNE- or NLN-accredited program, or a non-nursing bachelor’s plus an RN license
- GPA: 3.00 for the final 60 semester hours of the first bachelor’s degree
- Letters: three, addressing academic skills
- Essays and resume: required
- Interview: required for all applicants with complete applications
- Testing: none
- Deadline: January 15; applications accepted August through March
- Visas: the DNP does not meet F-1 or J-1 visa requirements
Post-DNP Certificate AGACNP
The estimated tuition for the AG-ACNP Post-DNP Certificate at UIC is approximately $25,967 (23 credits at $1,129/credit).
The program can generally be completed in about 1 year (3 semesters), derived from its three sequential practicum courses.
Certificate Curriculum
The certificate carries the same 675 AGACNP clinical hours as the DNP.
- NURS 533: Applied Pharmacotherapeutics in Advanced Practice Nursing (2 credits)
- NUSP 534: Management of Health and Illness I: Adult-Gerontology Acute or Primary Care NP (3 credits)
- NUSP 536: Management of Health and Illness II: Adult-Gerontology Acute Care NP (3 credits)
- NUPR 539, 540, 541: NP Practicum I, II, III (5 credits and 225 clinical hours each)
The certificate page still lists these course numbers, while the 2026-2027 catalog has renumbered the DNP specialty sequence (NUSP 566-567, NUPR 560-562).
Certificate Admissions
- Degree: DNP required
- Applications: accepted August through March; deadline January 15; fall admission only
- Gap analysis: UIC requires at least 500 hours in the new focus area and sets each student’s total between 500 and 675
- Prior hours: clinical hours from an existing APRN certification do not count
You Should Know: DNP holders without current APRN certification and licensure may need four more courses (NURS 531, 532, 535, 540; 13 credits), raising estimated tuition to about $40,644. Certificate students are not eligible for financial aid.
BSN-to-DNP PNP-AC
The estimated tuition for the BSN-to-DNP Pediatric Nurse Practitioner – Acute Care at UIC is approximately $83,546 (74 credits at $1,129/credit).
UIC’s published plan of study runs four years across 11 terms.
DNP Curriculum
The 2026-2027 catalog lists 74 semester hours. The plan includes 1,035 practicum hours: 765 pediatric acute care hours and 270 DNP project hours.
- APRN core: NURS 521, NURS 531, NURS 532, NURS 544
- NUSP 522, 523, 524: Pediatric Acute Care Management I, II, III
- NUPR 545, 546, 547: Pediatric Acute Care Practicum I, II, III
- DNP core and project: the same nine core courses and three project courses as the AGACNP track
Pediatric acute care content begins in the spring of Year 2. UIC’s plan of study marks these courses as pending final university approval. More curriculum details are available here.
DNP Admissions
Admission requirements match the AGACNP DNP except for experience: one year of full-time RN experience in a pediatric acute care setting by the time of admission, with emergency department or ICU experience preferred.
Post-DNP Certificate PNP-AC
UIC does not list courses for the PNP-AC Post-DNP Certificate. Based on the DNP’s 26-credit pediatric acute care sequence, estimated tuition is about $29,354 over 1 to 1.5 years.
Certificate Admissions
- Degree: DNP required
- Certification: current APRN certification in a different focus area
- Clinical hours: at least 750 hours in pediatric acute care, set by gap analysis
- Before applying: notify the specialty director of intent to apply
- Applications: accepted August through March; not eligible for financial aid
Tuition
UIC lists DNP tuition at $1,129 per credit hour, the same for in-state and out-of-state students. The post-DNP certificate uses the same professional tuition.
| Program | Credits | Estimated Tuition |
|---|---|---|
| BSN-DNP AGACNP | 75 | $84,675 |
| Post-DNP Certificate AGACNP | 23 | $25,967 |
| BSN-DNP PNP-AC | 74 | $83,546 |
| Post-DNP Certificate PNP-AC (est.) | ~26 | ~$29,354 |
Be aware: totals are tuition only. UIC assesses mandatory per-semester fees on top, and posted rates apply to the Chicago campus; Rockford and Urbana rates may differ. See the registrar’s professional tuition tables.
DNP students can apply for UIC Nursing scholarships each spring and for graduate assistantships, which may waive base tuition but not always the nursing differential. See UIC Nursing cost and financial aid.
Why Choose This ACNP Program?
Assigned clinical placements. UIC faculty arrange every AGACNP site and preceptor. Chamberlain’s Practicum Commitment is a conditional backstop rather than school-assigned placement.
Two acute care populations. UIC offers both AGACNP and PNP-AC from the BSN level, with the PNP-AC also at Peoria. Clinicals are placed near each campus.
Experienced cohort. Every admitted DNP student has at least a year of adult or pediatric acute care RN experience.
Residency-neutral rate. Out-of-state students in the bordering states pay the same $1,129 per credit as Illinois residents.
The program suits acute care nurses living in northern or central Illinois, or just across the border, who want a doctorate without hunting for their own preceptors.
Accreditation and Certification
The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) accredits UIC’s Doctor of Nursing Practice program and its post-graduate APRN certificate program, which includes the AGACNP post-DNP certificate.
The Higher Learning Commission accredits the University of Illinois Chicago.
AGACNP graduates are eligible for the ANCC AGACNP-BC and AACN ACNPC-AG exams, and UIC reports a 100% certification pass rate for them. PNP-AC graduates are eligible for the PNCB CPNP-AC exam.
Compare UIC to More Illinois ACNP
- Bradley University - Peoria
- Chamberlain University - Chicago
- Loyola University Chicago - Chicago
- Rosalind Franklin University - North Chicago
- Rush University - Chicago