4 Schools • 0 Fully Online • 4 Mostly Online
Four Alabama universities offer 15 FNP program tracks, including MSN (BSN, ADN, and RN entry), BSN-to-DNP, post-master’s DNP, and post-graduate certificate pathways. Every program is delivered mostly online and includes at least one required campus visit. Estimated tuition ranges from about $14K for the lowest-cost certificate to roughly $76K for the highest-cost BSN-to-DNP, while completion times span about 18 months to more than 3.5 years depending on the pathway.
The University of Alabama charges the state’s lowest per-credit rate; South Alabama pairs the deepest clinical requirement with faculty-assisted placement; Samford posted a 100% AANP pass rate in 2024 and runs the state’s only ADN-to-MSN pathway; UAB structures its programs part-time for working nurses. Compare each school’s online format, campus commitment, cost, and degree options below.
Compare Alabama FNP Programs
| School | Online Format | Campus Commitment | Cost Per Credit | Degrees | Best For |
| Samford University | Mostly Online | 2–3 intensives in Birmingham | $1,000 cpc | MSN, DNP, Certificate | Certification outcomes and ADN-to-MSN entry |
| University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) | Mostly Online | On-campus intensives | $744 + $235/course fee | MSN, DNP, Certificate | Part-time study at an academic health science center |
| University of Alabama | Mostly Online | 2 campus visits for the MSN | $480 | MSN, Certificate | Lowest per-credit cost in the state |
| University of South Alabama | Mostly Online | One 2-day Clinical Skills Intensive | $594 | MSN, DNP, Certificate | Faculty-assisted placement and deepest DNP clinical hours |
How We Classify Program Formats
To make comparing schools easier, we classify every program based on the actual student experience, not the school’s marketing language.
- Online: No required campus attendance. Clinical rotations completed locally are not considered campus requirements.
- Mostly Online: Coursework is primarily online, but students must attend one or more required campus visits, such as orientations, skills labs, or intensives.
- Hybrid: Online coursework combined with recurring scheduled on-campus classes or labs throughout the program.
- Campus: Most coursework is completed in person.
Our classifications are based on published attendance requirements and may differ from how a university markets its program.
What’s the Best FNP Program for You?
Best Overall Value
The University of Alabama, at $480 per credit and about $25K in total MSN tuition, is the least expensive route to FNP certification in the state.
Strongest DNP
The University of South Alabama BSN-to-DNP builds 1,140 preceptor-supervised hours, including a 540-hour residency that holds its own CCNE accreditation.
Best Certification Outcomes
Samford University reported a 100% AANP FNP certification exam pass rate for 2024 graduates.
Best Part-Time Structure
UAB designs its FNP tracks as part-time from the outset, pacing coursework for nurses who keep working through the degree.
Best for ADN-Prepared Nurses
Samford’s eight-semester ADN-entry MSN is the only track in Alabama that takes RNs from an associate degree to FNP preparation without completing a separate BSN first.
Best Placement Support
South Alabama faculty actively help students identify clinical sites, and the College of Nursing works to locate a placement when a student’s local search stalls.
Alabama DNP FNP Programs
Three Alabama schools award the DNP with FNP preparation, with five distinct routes between them. Samford and South Alabama accept both BSN- and MSN-prepared nurses; UAB offers a BSN-to-DNP only. Clinical expectations vary sharply — from 750 hours in Samford’s post-master’s route to 1,140 in South Alabama’s BSN-to-DNP — and UAB does not publish its practicum hour totals.
| School | Track | Estimated Tuition | Duration | Clinical Hours |
| Samford University | BSN-DNP | $74K–$76K | 3 years | 1,050 |
| Samford University | MSN-DNP | $56K | 2.5–3 years | 750 |
| UAB | BSN-DNP | $59K | 3–3.5 years | Not clearly stated |
| University of South Alabama | BSN-DNP | $41K–$52K | ~3.5 years full-time | 1,140 |
| University of South Alabama | MSN-DNP | $21K–$41K | Not clearly stated | 540–1,140 |
- Lowest doctoral cost: University of South Alabama — ~$21K for certified FNPs earning the DNP in their existing specialty.
- Highest clinical volume: University of South Alabama — 1,140 BSN-DNP hours, 540 of them in a separately CCNE-accredited residency.
- Fastest BSN-DNP: Samford — 3 years, though at $74K–$76K it is the state’s most expensive doctorate.
Alabama MSN FNP Programs
All four schools offer an online MSN FNP, and entry extends beyond the standard BSN route: Samford admits ADN-prepared RNs through an eight-semester track, while South Alabama accepts RNs whose bachelor’s degree is in another field. Credit loads range from 45 to 57, clinical requirements from 600 to 780 hours, and timelines from two years to four.
| School | Track | Estimated Tuition | Duration | Clinical Hours |
| Samford University | MSN (BSN entry) | $47K | 2 years | 750 |
| Samford University | MSN (ADN entry) | Not clearly stated | 2.5–3 years | 750 |
| UAB | MSN | $33K | 2–2.5 years | Not clearly stated |
| University of Alabama | MSN | $25K | 3–4 years | 780 |
| University of South Alabama | MSN (BSN entry) | $27K | Not clearly stated | 600 |
| University of South Alabama | MSN (RN entry) | $34K | Not clearly stated | 600 |
- Lowest MSN tuition: University of Alabama — ~$25K, offset by the longest timeline at 3–4 years.
- Only ADN pathway: Samford — eight semesters from associate degree to MSN FNP, starting each August.
- Non-nursing bachelor’s entry: University of South Alabama — 12 bridge credits added ahead of the standard 45-credit sequence.
- Highest clinical hours: University of Alabama — 780 across four courses, ending in a 240-hour immersion.
Alabama Post-Graduate Certificate FNP Programs
All four schools offer a post-graduate FNP certificate for master’s-prepared nurses. Costs diverge more than in any other pathway — from roughly $14K at Alabama and South Alabama to $36K at Samford — and two programs adjust credit loads individually after reviewing prior graduate coursework, so the final price at UAB and South Alabama varies by student.
| School | Estimated Tuition | Duration | Clinical Hours |
| Samford University | $36K | Not clearly stated | 750 |
| UAB | $20K | ~18 months | Not clearly stated |
| University of Alabama | $14K | ~2 years | 780 |
| University of South Alabama | $14K–$20K | Not clearly stated | 600 |
- Lowest certificate cost: University of Alabama — ~$14K over five sequential semesters.
- Shortest stated timeline: UAB — ~18 months, though a post-admission GAP analysis can add courses and cost .
- No federal aid: Samford — certificate-only enrollment is ineligible for federal financial aid.
- Placement guarantee required: University of South Alabama — certificate applicants must show a confirmed site and preceptor for full admission.
Alabama FNP School Summaries
Samford University Family Nurse Practitioner Programs
Birmingham | $1,000 cpc | Certificate / MSN / BSN-DNP / MSN-DNP / DNP | Mostly Online
Samford is Alabama's outcomes leader — the only school in this comparison with a published 100% AANP pass rate (2024) — and its widest on-ramp, with the state's sole ADN-to-MSN pathway. Coursework runs primarily asynchronously online, anchored by two to three required intensives in Birmingham. Five tracks span ADN entry through a BSN-to-DNP that layers diagnostics, clinical reasoning, and business courses onto the shared FNP sequence. Placement leans on hundreds of Southeast affiliation agreements, but students are expected to work their professional networks and may need to travel. The application is the heaviest here — video response, three letters, personal statement — and residents of 16 states cannot enroll. A strong fit for outcome-focused nurses — especially ADN-prepared RNs willing to pay the state's highest per-credit rate...read more.
UAB Family Nurse Practitioner Programs
Birmingham | $744 cpc | Certificate / MSN / BSN-DNP / DNP | Mostly Online
UAB is Alabama's institutional heavyweight, built for working nurses who want an academic health center credential without pausing their careers. Part-time pacing is the curriculum itself rather than an option, spreading the MSN across six or seven semesters and the BSN-to-DNP across nine or ten. Coursework is distance-accessible with required on-campus intensives; DNP students add an orientation and an annual intensive each year, plus roughly $800 in yearly travel costs. It is the state's only Academic Health Science Center, with a #8-ranked MSN (U.S. News). The gap is transparency: total clinical hours are unpublished for every track, and students contract directly with their own NP or physician preceptor. Ideal for nurses who want a research-university credential at a deliberate, work-friendly pace and will verify clinical details directly...read more.
University of Alabama Family Nurse Practitioner Programs
Tuscaloosa | $480 cpc | Certificate / BSN-MSN / MSN | Online
The University of Alabama is the state's price leader for self-directed nurses willing to trade speed for savings. Its Capstone College of Nursing charges a flat $480 per credit, putting the 53-credit MSN near $25K and the certificate near $14K. Coursework is primarily online with two required campus visits for the MSN — a Skills Day and a comprehensive exam. Both tracks require 780 clinical hours, the highest master's-level total in the state, capped by a 240-hour immersion. Students find their own sites and preceptors before the college formalizes affiliation agreements, and enrollment is limited to residents of 30 approved states. The trade-off for price is time: the MSN runs three to four years. Most appropriate for budget-driven, self-directed nurses who can accept a longer timeline...read more.
University of South Alabama FNP Programs
Mobile | $594 cpc | Certificate / MSN / BSN-DNP / MSN-DNP / DNP | Mostly Online
South Alabama is the state's clinical-depth pick, backing the heaviest DNP hour count with the most structured placement support at a predictable flat rate. Faculty actively assist with site identification — the only such support in this set — though full admission requires a confirmed placement by the first semester's end, and the $594 per-credit rate applies in every state. Campus obligation is a single two-day Clinical Skills Intensive, with possible semester-end returns for exams. Four MSN core courses are taught at the doctoral level, so MSN graduates enter the DNP with 12 credits already banked, and the BSN-to-DNP culminates in 1,140 hours including a residency holding its own CCNE accreditation. An RN-entry track serves nurses with non-nursing bachelor's degrees, and no GRE or reference letters are required — though nurses need one year of experience to enroll and two before clinicals. Especially well suited to DNP-bound nurses who want placement help and predictable pricing...read more.
Other Online FNP Options
Chamberlain University Family Nurse Practitioner Programs
Addison | $760 cpc | Certificate / BSN-MSN | Mostly Online
Chamberlain University offers flexible online FNP tracks tailored for registered nurses residing in Alabama who are ready to advance into primary care. While students complete 625 direct patient care hours in their local communities, Chamberlain provides comprehensive clinical support through its Practicum Commitment® to help secure a backup preceptor if needed. This blended format pairs convenient, local clinical rotations with two mandatory in-person skills and board prep intensives in the Chicago area.
Maryville University Family Nurse Practitioner Programs
St. Louis | $900 cpc | Certificate / BSN-MSN / BSN-DNP | Online
Maryville University offers CCNE-accredited FNP programs that are 100% online with zero required campus visits for registered nurses residing in Alabama. Regarding clinical support, the university places the responsibility on the student to independently search for, identify, and secure their own local preceptors and clinical settings. This arrangement enables Alabama students to complete all 750 required direct patient care hours completely within their immediate home communities.
Purdue Global Family Nurse Practitioner Programs
West Lafayette | $420 cpc | Certificate / BSN-MSN / BSN-DNP | Online
Purdue Global offers affordable FNP pathways tailored for working registered nurses in Alabama, with coursework priced at $420 per quarter credit. To assist students throughout their training, the university provides robust faculty-supported clinical coordination to help guide local community clinical placements. Furthermore, Alabama students can complete all of their required lifespan, pediatric, and women’s health rotations locally, though they should verify if the state's board of nursing requires any additional clinical hours.
Walden University Family Nurse Practitioner Programs
Minneapolis | $785 - $960 cpc | Certificate / BSN-MSN / BSN-DNP / MSN-DNP | Online
Walden University provides multiple entry pathways for registered nurses in Alabama, offering custom FNP tracks for those holding an RN diploma, BSN, MSN, or an existing APRN credential. A standout feature of this fully online program is the premium clinical support provided by Walden's Practicum Pledge®, which promises that the Field Placement Team will partner with you to secure a site if you struggle to find one independently. This allows Alabama students to complete their comprehensive 640-hour lifespan training locally without ever needing to travel for mandatory in-person campus residencies.
FAQ
How many online FNP programs are there in Alabama?
Four universities — Samford, UAB, the University of Alabama, and the University of South Alabama — offer 15 FNP tracks across MSN, DNP, and post-graduate certificate pathways.
Are any Alabama FNP programs 100% online?
No. Every school requires at least one campus visit. South Alabama has the lightest requirement (one two-day intensive); Samford requires two to three Birmingham intensives; UAB requires intensives plus an annual DNP visit; Alabama requires two MSN visits.
Which Alabama FNP program has the lowest tuition?
The University of Alabama, at $480 per credit — about $25K for the MSN and $14K for the certificate. South Alabama’s certificate can also start near $14K if no support courses are needed.
Which Alabama schools offer a DNP FNP?
Samford, UAB, and South Alabama. Samford and South Alabama accept both BSN- and MSN-prepared applicants; UAB’s DNP is BSN-entry only.
Can I complete my clinical hours locally?
Yes, at all four schools. South Alabama’s faculty assist with site identification; Samford, UAB, and Alabama expect students to secure their own preceptors, with Samford noting that travel may be required.
Can I enroll from outside Alabama?
It depends on your state. Samford does not accept residents licensed only in 16 states, Alabama enrolls from 30 approved states, South Alabama is unavailable in New York and South Dakota, and UAB requires out-of-state applicants to verify state authorization before applying.
Can I start an Alabama FNP program with an ADN?
Only at Samford, whose eight-semester ADN-entry MSN begins each August. South Alabama accepts RNs with a non-nursing bachelor’s degree; UAB and Alabama require a BSN.