University of Hawaii at Manoa offers 2 Family Nurse Practitioner Tracks:
- BSN-DNP
- DNP (Direct Entry via GEPN)
Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| BSN-DNP | $80.5K / $149.4K | 3 years (8 semesters) | 77 |
| DNP (Direct Entry) | $132.2K / $244.9K | 4 years (11 semesters) | 126 |
Tuition estimates use UH Manoa’s published 2026-27 School of Nursing per-credit rates (in-state / out-of-state) plus mandatory student fees and required program fees.
UH Manoa coordinates clinical placements for its DNP students across Hawaii, including rural and neighbor-island sites. It also runs two doors into the same 77-credit FNP doctorate: one for working RNs and one for career changers with a non-nursing bachelor’s degree.
The trade-off is rigidity. Both tracks are full-time, August-only cohorts with no MSN exit, and the school has not determined whether the program meets licensure requirements outside Hawaii.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Program Types | BSN-DNP; direct-entry DNP for non-nurses (GEPN) |
| Format | Hybrid (DNP); GEPN pre-licensure year in person |
| Clinical Hours | 765 NP clinical hours, plus 270 DNP project hours |
| Clinical Placement | School-coordinated; includes rural and neighbor-island sites |
| Population | Family/individual across the lifespan |
| Distinctive Coursework | Mental health in primary care, clinical procedures, successful aging, informatics |
| Concentrations | None |
| RN License Requirements | Required at entry (BSN-DNP); GEPN students must be licensed by end of first DNP semester |
| Tuition | $1,001/credit in-state; $1,896/credit out-of-state |
| Accreditation | CCNE (DNP program) |
| Start Term | Fall (August) only; full-time cohort |
| Enrollment Restrictions | Out-of-state licensure requirements not determined |
BSN to DNP, Family Nurse Practitioner
The estimated tuition for the Doctor of Nursing Practice, Family Nurse Practitioner at UH Manoa is approximately $77,077 in-state or $145,992 out-of-state (77 credits at $1,001 or $1,896/credit). The program can generally be completed in about 3 years (8 semesters) of full-time cohort study.
BSN-DNP Curriculum
Clinical spine. The FNP sequence runs through four paired seminar-and-lab courses (Primary Care I to IV). It moves from health assessment, to adult acute and chronic care, to special populations (pediatrics, gerontology, women’s health), then to integration across the lifespan. The special-populations lab carries 9 credits on its own, so the middle of the program is the clinical peak.
Beyond the standard core. Several required courses go past a typical FNP plan: a dedicated mental health in primary care course, a clinical skills and procedures course, a physiologic aging course, and healthcare informatics. The doctoral layer adds biostatistics and epidemiology, program evaluation for quality improvement, health policy and economics, and a three-part DNP project.
- NURS 615 Clinical Skills and Procedures for Advanced Practice Nursing (2)
- NURS 616 Mental Health in Primary Care (3)
- NURS 621 Acute and Episodic Care Management (3)
- NURS 633 Child Health: Promotion and Maintenance (3)
- NURS 635 Women’s Health: Promotion and Maintenance (3)
- NURS 678/678L Primary Care III: Special Populations (1 + 9)
- NURS 681 Diagnosis and Management of Complex Care Across the Lifespan (2)
- NURS 695 Successful Aging: Physiologic (3)
- NURS 735 Effective Program Evaluation for Quality Improvement (3)
- NURS 755-757 DNP Scholarly Project A to C (6)
More curriculum details are available here.
You Should Know
- The published course list is a sample curriculum and may change by admission year.
- Students may take equivalent courses at other UH campuses or through NEXus to stay on schedule.
- A semester-by-semester sequence is not published in the source materials.
BSN-DNP Clinical Requirements
- 765 supervised NP clinical hours (published), matching 17 clinical lab credits at 45 hours per credit (derived): NURS 676L (2), 677L (3), 678L (9), 679L (3)
- 270 DNP Scholarly Project practicum hours across 6 credits (NURS 755-757)
- Combined supervised total: 1,035 hours, above the 1,000 post-baccalaureate hours required for the DNP degree
- Placements are school-coordinated, including rural, neighbor-island, and underserved settings
- Mandatory orientation during the first week of instruction each semester
At 765 hours, NP clinical volume sits above the 600 to 700 hours common among FNP programs and well above the 500-hour certification floor. The load is uneven: NURS 678L alone carries 405 hours, roughly 27 hours a week over a 15-week semester. That is hard to pair with full-time RN work. School-coordinated placement removes the preceptor search most online programs leave to students.
You Should Know
- The program page says “in-person fieldwork in your own community” while the DNP overview says placements are school-coordinated. Confirm how much input students have on site location.
- Neighbor-island rotations may involve inter-island travel. Travel cost and frequency are not clearly stated.
BSN-DNP Admissions
Admission is once a year, for a full-time fall cohort only.
- Active RN license
- Bachelor’s degree or higher
- Applications typically open September 1 and close May 1 for the following August start
- Free online information sessions available
You Should Know
- GPA, prerequisite, reference, interview, and RN experience requirements are not clearly stated in the source materials.
- Whether a Hawaii RN license is required before clinicals is not clearly stated.
- UH Manoa has not determined whether the curriculum meets licensure requirements in any state other than Hawaii. Applicants planning to practice elsewhere should check with that state’s board of nursing first.
Graduate Entry Program in Nursing (GEPN) to DNP, Family Nurse Practitioner
The estimated tuition for the GEPN to DNP-FNP at UH Manoa is approximately $126,126 in-state or $238,896 out-of-state (126 credits at $1,001 or $1,896/credit). The program can generally be completed in about 4 years: a 3-semester pre-licensure year, then the 8-semester FNP DNP (11 semesters derived).
GEPN-DNP Curriculum
Year 1 is a 49-credit, full-time pre-licensure curriculum that prepares students for the NCLEX-RN. It covers foundations, health assessment, pathophysiology, pharmacology, childbearing and pediatric nursing, acute care, behavioral health, community health, and a clinical immersion. Students then move directly into the same 77-credit FNP DNP curriculum as RN entrants. GEPN is not an accelerated BSN, and no bachelor’s or master’s degree is awarded along the way.
- NURS 505/505L Foundations of Nursing Science and Lab (2 + 4)
- NURS 508/508L Nursing Care of Childbearing Families and Lab (2 + 2)
- NURS 509/509L Nursing Care of Children and Families and Lab (2 + 2)
- NURS 513/513L Acute Care Nursing and Lab (4 + 6)
- NURS 517/517L Clinical Immersion to Nursing Practice and Lab (3 + 4)
- NURS 518 Introduction to Community and Public Health Nursing (2)
GEPN-DNP Clinical Requirements
- Pre-licensure year: faculty-supervised clinical practicums in community and hospital settings
- FNP phase: the same 765 NP clinical hours and 270 DNP project hours as the BSN-DNP
Direct-entry students reach 765 NP hours with only a year of RN-level clinical exposure behind them. That compresses the bedside experience many FNP students bring, so the Primary Care lab sequence carries more of the clinical judgment load.
You Should Know
- Pre-licensure clinical hour totals are not clearly stated.
GEPN-DNP Admissions
This track is for applicants with a non-nursing bachelor’s degree and no RN license, and it has a much earlier deadline than the BSN-DNP.
- Bachelor’s degree in a field other than nursing
- No prior RN education required
- Applications typically open September 1 and close October 30
- Must pass the NCLEX-RN and hold an RN license by the end of the first DNP semester
You Should Know
- The GEPN start term and prerequisite courses are not clearly stated in the source materials.
- The GEPN page lists courses as in-person, while the FNP DNP page lists Hybrid delivery. The pre-licensure year appears fully on campus; confirm format for the DNP years.
- Failing to earn the RN license by the end of the first DNP semester blocks progression.
Tuition
UH Manoa charges $1,001 per credit for in-state students and $1,896 per credit for out-of-state students in School of Nursing courses numbered 500 and above (2026-27, published). Nursing courses are billed per credit through the UH Manoa Outreach College. Summer nursing courses are billed at $1,001 per credit for all students.
| Cost Item | BSN-DNP | GEPN-DNP |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition, in-state | $77,077 | $126,126 |
| Tuition, out-of-state | $145,992 | $238,896 |
| Mandatory student fees ($467 x fall/spring terms) | $2,802 (6 terms) | $3,736 (8 terms) |
| Sentinel U fee (one-time, FNP) | $579 | $579 |
| ATI package ($862.13 x 2 semesters) | None | $1,724.26 |
| Estimated total, in-state | $80,458 | $132,165 |
| Estimated total, out-of-state | $149,373 | $244,935 |
All totals are derived from published rates. UH Manoa does not publish a program total.
- $1,001/credit in-state; $1,896/credit out-of-state (fall and spring)
- $1,001/credit for all students in summer
- $467 mandatory student fees per fall or spring semester (School of Nursing, 2026-27)
- $579 one-time Sentinel U fee for new FNP DNP students
- CPR certification: about $120 to $150, valid two years
- Medical records and immunization tracking: about $80 per year
Official rates: UH Manoa graduate tuition and fees and DNP financial aid, tuition and fees.
Be aware that:
- Out-of-state estimates are an upper bound. Summer courses bill at $1,001 for everyone, but the credits taken in summer are not published.
- Residents of WICHE member states may qualify for the Western Regional Graduate Program rate of 150% of resident tuition ($1,501.50/credit, derived), about $115,616 for the BSN-DNP. Students must apply before enrolling and cannot establish Hawaii residency while enrolled.
- Students from the Freely Associated States enrolled since Spring 2024 are charged the in-state rate.
- Outreach College lists a separate mandatory fee schedule effective Fall 2027 (about $479 per fall or spring term and $40 per summer for on-campus graduate students). Which schedule applies to DNP students is not clearly stated.
- Lab and professional fees vary by course and are not itemized.
- Rates are subject to change by the Board of Regents.
For Hawaii residents, the BSN-DNP runs about $80,500 all-in for a doctorate with coordinated placements. Non-residents pay nearly $69,000 more in tuition alone. WRGP eligibility closes much of that gap for western-state applicants, so check it before applying. Full-time study also means limited work income for three years, which matters more than the fee line items.
Why Choose This FNP Program?
Best suited for nurses, or future nurses, who plan to practice in Hawaii and want a doctorate with placements arranged for them.
Placement and local practice. School-coordinated rotations across the islands, including rural and neighbor-island sites, remove the preceptor search. They also build clinical relationships inside the state’s own health systems. For a nurse committed to Hawaii, that is a practical advantage over a remote program with self-found preceptors.
Two routes, one doctorate. RNs enter directly into the 77-credit DNP. Career changers can start through GEPN, become licensed in year 1, and continue straight into the same FNP curriculum. Both routes end in the same DNP, with no MSN step.
The honest drawbacks. There is one intake a year, no part-time option, and no shorter MSN alternative for FNP. A 9-credit clinical semester makes full-time employment difficult. Licensure portability outside Hawaii has not been determined, so mainland-bound applicants carry real risk.
Accreditation
UH Manoa’s Doctor of Nursing Practice program is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). CCNE accreditation covers the DNP degree program, which includes both FNP routes. The school reports a 10-year reaccreditation of its BS, MS, and DNP programs.
The baccalaureate, master’s, GEPN, DNP, and PhD programs are also recognized by the Hawaii Board of Nursing.
The University of Hawaii at Manoa is institutionally accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC). Institutional accreditation supports federal financial aid eligibility and credit recognition by other institutions and employers.
Graduates are eligible to sit for the national FNP certification exam (AANP or ANCC), then apply for APRN licensure through the Hawaii Board of Nursing.
More FNP Programs in Hawaii
- Hawaii Pacific University - Honolulu