5 Schools • 3 Mostly Online • 2 Hybrid
Five Indiana schools offer accredited FNP preparation across 14 tracks: master’s, ASN-to-MSN, post-graduate certificate, and BSN-to-DNP. Three are mostly online and two are hybrid, so no Indiana program avoids campus attendance entirely. Resident tuition spans $3K to $65K, and completion takes anywhere from eight months to five years depending on entry credential.
Highlights include:
- Purdue charges residents the least and non-residents the most of any Indiana school.
- The University of Southern Indiana bills out-of-state nurses at barely above its resident rate.
- Indiana Wesleyan verifies clinical readiness through documented patient encounters rather than hours alone.
- The University of Indianapolis admits only residents of five states.
Compare each school’s online format, campus commitment, cost, and degree options below.
Compare Indiana FNP Schools
| School | Online Format | Campus Commitment | Cost Per Credit | Degrees | Best For |
| Indiana Wesleyan University Marion | Mostly Online | One residency weekend for master’s tracks; 3 or 4 residencies for the BSN-DNP | $675 graduate; $859 doctoral; | MSN, ASN-to-MSN, Post-Graduate Certificate, BSN-to-DNP | Nurses who want clinical readiness verified by patient encounters, not logged hours alone |
| Marian University Indianapolis | Hybrid | Face-to-face, online, and blended courses | $805 CPC | BSN-to-DNP | Central Indiana nurses who want administrator-arranged placement and a doctorate |
| Purdue University West Lafayette | Hybrid | Blended courses in nearly every term plus classroom-only health assessment | $347.85 CPC | MS, BSN-to-DNP, Post-Graduate Certificate | Indiana residents who can commute to West Lafayette and want the widest in-state preceptor pool |
| University of Indianapolis | Mostly Online | Periodic campus checkoffs during assessment and diagnostics labs | $828 CPC | MSN, BSN-to-DNP, Post-Master’s APRN Certificate | Nurses in Indiana or a bordering state who need a genuinely part-time schedule |
| University of Southern Indiana | Mostly Online | Campus visits possible to demonstrate clinical competency | $446.94 CPC | MSN, BSN-to-DNP Post-Master’s Certificate | Out-of-state nurses seeking public pricing without a non-resident premium |
What’s the Best FNP Program for You?
Best Overall Value
The University of Southern Indiana MSN costs $24K in-state and $26K on the out-of-state online rate, both including the program fee and 750 direct clinical hours.
Best for Indiana Residents
Purdue University prices its master’s at $22K and opens its certificate at roughly $3K for residents, the lowest figures in the state, though non-residents pay close to three times as much.
Strongest Clinical Standard
Indiana Wesleyan requires 850 practicum hours plus 800 documented patient encounters with a mandated mix of 350 adult and 150 pediatric visits, which no other Indiana program attempts.
Best Placement Support
Marian University administrators assist in securing both clinical sites and preceptors, the strongest placement language among the two Indiana schools that offer any help at all.
Best for Working Nurses
The University of Indianapolis runs its MSN part-time only and averages under seven credits per term in both degree tracks, a cadence built around keeping a full nursing schedule.
Best for ADN-Prepared Nurses
Indiana Wesleyan’s ASN-to-MSN is the state’s only associate-degree entry point, adding 17 bridge credits billed at the lower undergraduate rate before the standard FNP sequence.
Indiana DNP FNP Programs
All five schools offer a BSN-entry doctorate, and none offers an MSN-to-DNP or post-master’s DNP bridge, so master’s-prepared nurses seeking a doctorate must look out of state. Resident cost spans $28K between the cheapest and most expensive option. Clinical hour disclosure is the real differentiator: two schools publish direct patient care hours separately, two publish blended totals, and one publishes no hour figure at all.
| School | Track | Estimated Tuition | Duration | Clinical Hours |
| Purdue University | BSN-to-DNP | $37K | 3 years (9 semesters) | 1,157 total hrs |
| University of Southern Indiana | BSN-to-DNP | $43K | 4-5 years (12-15 semesters) | 750 direct hours |
| University of Indianapolis | BSN-to-DNP | $51K | About 3.3 years (10 semesters) | 1,250 combined hrs |
| Marian University | BSN-to-DNP | $57K | 3 years ( 8 semesters) | Not clearly stated |
| Indiana Wesleyan University | BSN-to-DNP | $65K | About 4 years (48 months) | 1,000 hrs |
- Indiana’s lowest resident doctoral cost: Purdue University — $37K for residents against $108K for non-residents, the widest residency gap in the state.
- Least clinical transparency: Marian University — 14 clinical credits with no published hour conversion, so the total could fall anywhere from below the 500-hour certification floor to 1,000 .
- No doctorate buys extra patient contact: Purdue and the University of Southern Indiana hold direct hours identical to their master’s tracks, at 645 and 750, with the increment going to project and residency work.
Indiana MSN FNP Programs
Four schools offer master’s-level FNP preparation, and Indiana Wesleyan splits its into BSN-entry and associate-degree-entry versions. Entry gates diverge more than curricula. Indiana Wesleyan screens on 500 hours of recent direct RN practice and the University of Indianapolis expects a year of full-time work, while Purdue and the University of Southern Indiana set no experience minimum at all.
| School | Track | Estimated Tuition | Duration | Clinical Hours |
| Purdue University | MS (BSN entry) | $22K | 2 years (5 semesters) | 645 hrs |
| University of Southern Indiana | MSN (BSN entry) | $24K | 2 years (6 semesters) | 750 hrs |
| Indiana Wesleyan University | MSN (BSN entry) | $33K | About 2.3 years (28+ months) | 850 hrs |
| University of Indianapolis | MSN (BSN entry) | $38K | About 2.5 years (7-8 semesters) | 750 hrs |
| Indiana Wesleyan University | ASN-to-MSN | $41K | About 3.4 years (41+ months) | 850 hrs |
- Indiana’s lowest master’s tuition: Purdue University — $22K on the resident full-time plan, or near $17K part-time, though Purdue discourages part-time study and will not guarantee course sequencing.
- Only associate-degree entry point in the state: Indiana Wesleyan University — 17 bridge credits at $455 each, but no BSN is awarded along the way.
- Highest verified clinical standard: Indiana Wesleyan University — 850 hours plus a mandated 150 pediatric encounters.
- Only part-time-by-design track: University of Indianapolis — no full-time MSN option exists, and 46 credits across seven or eight terms stays under the school’s own full-time threshold in every configuration.
Indiana Post-Graduate Certificate FNP Programs
Four schools award a post-graduate FNP certificate, and pricing models split cleanly. Purdue and the University of Southern Indiana publish credit ranges you can price in advance. Indiana Wesleyan publishes a fixed 26 credits but excludes three prerequisite courses that many applicants still need. The University of Indianapolis sets credits, cost, and duration individually through a gap analysis of your prior graduate coursework.
| School | Track | Estimated Tuition | Duration | Clinical Hours |
| Purdue University | Post-Graduate Certificate | $3K-$12K | From 8 months | 645 hrs |
| University of Southern Indiana | Post-Master’s Certificate | $15K | 1.3-2 years (4-6 semesters) | 750 hrs |
| Indiana Wesleyan University | Post-Graduate FNP Certificate | $18K | 1.3-2.3 years (16-28 months) | 850 hrs |
| University of Indianapolis | Post-Master’s APRN Certificate | Set by gap analysis | Set by gap analysis | Set by gap analysis |
- Indiana’s lowest certificate cost: Purdue University — from roughly $3K for residents at the 10-credit floor, though the published 34-credit ceiling exceeds the named coursework by 12 credits and would push the total near $12K
- Clinical load rarely shrinks with the credential: Indiana Wesleyan, the University of Southern Indiana, and Purdue require the same hours as their parent degrees, and only Purdue reduces them, for nurses already certified in another primary care specialty.
- Tightest admission standard: University of Indianapolis — a 3.5 graduate GPA, half a point above what it asks of MSN applicants and above most post-master’s certificates.
National Online FNP Options
Indiana leaves three gaps worth pricing against national programs. No in-state school offers an MSN-to-DNP or post-master’s DNP, so master’s-prepared nurses wanting a doctorate have no local route. No in-state program is free of campus attendance. And geography constrains four of the five through five-state admission limits, approved-state enrollment lists, Indiana-only licensure determinations, and an Indiana RN license requirement.
Walden University lists BSN-to-DNP, BSN-to-MSN, MSN-to-DNP, and RN-to-MSN FNP tracks online. Purdue Global, a separate institution from Purdue University’s West Lafayette School of Nursing, lists BSN-to-MSN, MSN-to-DNP, and post-master’s certificate tracks in FNP primary care. Both are CCNE-accredited per their program listings and cover the MSN-to-DNP pathway Indiana schools do not.
FAQ
How many FNP programs are there in Indiana?
Five Indiana schools offer accredited FNP preparation across 14 tracks: Indiana Wesleyan University with four, and Purdue University, the University of Indianapolis, and the University of Southern Indiana with three each. Marian University offers one.
Are there fully online FNP programs in Indiana?
No. Indiana Wesleyan, the University of Indianapolis, and the University of Southern Indiana classify as Mostly Online; Marian and Purdue are hybrid. Purdue states plainly that many Indiana facilities will not accept students from fully online programs, which is why it retains classroom components.
Which Indiana FNP program has the lowest tuition?
Purdue University’s post-graduate certificate starts near $3K for Indiana residents at the 10-credit floor. Among degree programs, Purdue’s master’s is Indiana’s least expensive for residents at $22K. Out-of-state nurses do better at the University of Southern Indiana, where the MSN runs $26K on the online rate.
Which Indiana schools offer a DNP FNP program?
All five: Purdue at $37K for residents, the University of Southern Indiana at $43K in-state, the University of Indianapolis at $51K, Marian at $57K, and Indiana Wesleyan at $65K. Every one is BSN-entry. Indiana has no MSN-to-DNP or post-master’s DNP option.
Do Indiana FNP programs require campus visits?
Yes, in every case. Indiana Wesleyan requires residency weekends at Marion, Purdue runs blended courses plus classroom-only health assessment, and Marian teaches on the Indianapolis campus. The University of Indianapolis requires periodic skills checkoffs and the University of Southern Indiana may require competency visits, but neither publishes a count ⚠️.
Can I complete clinical hours near where I live?
It depends on the school. Indiana Wesleyan and the University of Southern Indiana require you to locate your own preceptors and sites subject to approval. Marian and the University of Indianapolis provide staff assistance. Purdue does not state who secures placements ⚠️, which matters given its stated concern about facility acceptance of online students.
Can out-of-state nurses enroll in Indiana FNP programs?
Only in some cases. The University of Indianapolis restricts its clinical NP tracks to five states ⚠️, and the University of Southern Indiana limits enrollment to approved states, ending enrollment if you relocate ⚠️. Marian has determined licensure adequacy for Indiana alone ⚠️. Purdue accepts non-residents but requires an Indiana RN license and charges roughly three times the resident rate. Indiana Wesleyan applies one flat rate nationwide.