Idaho State University offers 2 Family Nurse Practitioner Tracks:
- BSN-DNP
- Post-Master’s DNP
Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| BSN-DNP | $64.5K / $64.5K | 3 years (8 semesters) | 76 |
| Post-Master’s DNP | $25.8K / $25.8K | 1.3 years (4 semesters) | 22+ |
Idaho State’s defining feature is a placement model that depends on where you live. ISU arranges clinical sites inside Idaho, while students elsewhere recruit their own preceptors, and every BSN-DNP student travels to both the Pocatello and Meridian campuses for 2 to 4 days of intensives each semester.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Program Types | BSN-DNP (full or part time); Post-Master’s DNP for certified FNPs |
| Format | Mostly Online: online courses, August Pocatello orientation, 2-4 intensive days per semester |
| Clinical Hours | 1,008 (BSN-DNP, derived from plan); Post-Master’s set by individual contract |
| Clinical Placement | ISU arranges Idaho sites; out-of-state students locate their own preceptors |
| Population | Family/individual across the lifespan, with a rural and global practice course |
| Distinctive Coursework | Rural and Global Communities, Gender Health, Diagnostic Reasoning, Advanced Leadership |
| RN License Requirements | Current, unencumbered RN license by August 1 of the admission year |
| Tuition | $613/credit part-time or $5,820 flat (9+ credits), plus $3,090 professional fee per semester |
| Accreditation | CCNE (DNP) |
| Enrollment Restrictions | Residents of 16 approved states; others must complete clinicals in an approved state |
| Start Term | Fall only; rolling admission with December 1 priority date |
BSN to DNP, Family Nurse Practitioner
The estimated tuition for the BSN to DNP Family Nurse Practitioner option at Idaho State University is approximately $64,544 (76 credits at a blended $524/credit in tuition and consolidated fees, plus eight professional fees). The program can generally be completed in about 3 years (8 semesters) on the full-time plan, with summers included.
BSN-DNP Curriculum
Year 1 builds the foundation. Pathophysiology, pharmacology, and health assessment sit alongside theory, evidence, and health policy. A two-credit rural and global communities course arrives in the first semester, which ties the program to its stated outcome of advancing care for rural and diverse populations.
Years 2 and 3 run the FNP sequence. Adult I comes first, then pediatrics and Adult II together, then a lifespan synthesis course and a 6-credit FNP practicum. The DNP project runs across four semesters (6 credits total), requires continuous enrollment, and ends with an oral defense.
Two summers are light. Summer terms carry 5 and 3 credits. These fall below the 9-credit full-time threshold, so they bill per credit, which matters for the cost math below.
- NURS 6620 Advanced Human Pathophysiology (3)
- NURS 8809 Research and Practice in Rural and Global Communities (2)
- NURS 6611/6611L Advanced Health Assessment and Lab (6)
- NURS 6622 Gender Health (3)
- NURS 6623 Diagnostic Reasoning (2)
- NURS 6642/6642L Primary Care of the Adult I and Lab (6)
- NURS 6643/6643L Primary Care of Child and Adolescent and Lab (5)
- NURS 7740/7740L Primary Care Throughout the Lifespan and Lab (6)
- NURS 7780L FNP Practicum (6)
- NURS 7790 DNP Project (6, across four semesters)
More curriculum details are available here.
You Should Know
- The Fall 2026 plan of study totals 76 credits. The graduate catalog lists 74 (46 core plus 28 FNP). The 2-credit gap is NURS 6623 Diagnostic Reasoning, which appears in the plan but not the catalog list.
- A part-time plan exists, but ISU gives preference to full-time applicants and does not guarantee a part-time cohort. The school’s finance page estimates 11 semesters part time.
- ISU’s finance page lists the full-time program at 7 semesters, while the current plan of study shows 8. The plan is newer (updated March 2026).
BSN-DNP Clinical Requirements
- Total: 1,008 clinical hours (derived from the plan of study at 48 hours per clinical credit)
- Breakdown: Health Assessment Lab 144 + Adult I Lab 144 + Child and Adolescent Lab 96 + Adult II Lab 96 + Lifespan Lab 240 + FNP Practicum 288
- Peak load: about 13 hours/week in Year 2 spring, 16 in Year 3 fall, and 19 in the final spring (based on 15-week terms)
- Placement, inside Idaho: ISU’s clinical placement coordinator arranges sites. Students may not contact sites or preceptors directly.
- Placement, outside Idaho: students contact preceptors themselves, then work with the placement coordinator and course faculty to finalize the rotation
- Campus intensives: 2 to 4 days per semester, split between the Pocatello and Meridian campuses
At 1,008 hours, ISU sits about twice the 500-hour certification floor and well above the 600 to 700 hours common in FNP programs. That volume reflects the national 1,000-hour DNP standard. The placement model splits sharply by location: an Idaho resident gets a coordinated, school-arranged experience, while a nurse in Florida or Virginia does the recruiting work themselves and still flies to Idaho every semester.
You Should Know
- The 1,008 total includes 144 Health Assessment Lab hours. Hours in direct primary care rotations total 864.
- ISU does not publish a single program-wide clinical hour total. The figure above is summed from per-course hours in the plan of study.
- ISU’s FAQ strongly advises reducing or stopping paid work during the program. Final-year clinical loads support that advice.
BSN-DNP Admissions
Admission is Fall only, requires a Zoom interview, and depends on where you live.
- BSN from a CCNE-accredited or other nationally accredited program; a nursing master’s will be considered
- Minimum 3.0 GPA, calculated on roughly the last 60 credits
- Current, unencumbered RN license; BSN students may apply if licensed by August 1
- Two years of nursing or healthcare experience preferred, not required
- Three professional references, resume, and a 3 to 4 page essay on the DNP choice and a target patient population
- Preadmission interview by video
- Mandatory August orientation on the Pocatello campus
- No GRE
- Applications open in September; December 1 is the priority date, with rolling review until the cohort fills
You Should Know
- ISU currently accepts DNP students from 16 states: Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Maine, Michigan, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon (FNP only), South Carolina, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, and Wisconsin.
- ISU’s pages word the exception two ways. One says residents of unlisted states may attend if they complete clinicals in Idaho or another approved state. Another applies that condition to residents of listed states. Confirm with the School of Nursing before applying.
- Applicants outside Idaho and Utah should contact the School of Nursing about their state before applying. SARA participation does not waive a state board’s clinical rules.
- Each option runs only with sufficient enrollment. Interviews run November through April, and not every applicant is interviewed.
- A wrong program or year selection on the application cannot be changed after the fee is paid; it requires a new application.
Post-Master’s DNP for Certified FNPs
The estimated tuition for the Post-Master’s DNP, FNP option at Idaho State University is approximately $25,846 (22 credits at $613/credit, plus four professional fees). The program can generally be completed in about 1.3 years (4 semesters), part time, before any contracted clinical credits.
Post-Master’s DNP Curriculum
This is a degree completion track for working FNPs, not a new certification. It reuses the BSN-DNP’s doctoral core, dropping every clinical and FNP specialty course. The DNP project carries 6 credits across two semesters, and the rural and global communities course closes the plan.
- NURS 7735 Statistical Analysis in Evidence Based Practice (3)
- NURS 8826 Approaches to Scholarly Writing (2)
- NURS 7760 Professional Issues of the DNP (3)
- NURS 8840 Health Policy in Advanced Nursing Practice (3)
- NURS 6655 Advanced Leadership (3)
- NURS 8809 Research and Practice in Rural and Global Communities (2)
- NURS 7790 DNP Project (6)
More curriculum details are available here.
Post-Master’s DNP Clinical Requirements
- Total: set individually by admission contract to reach the 1,000-hour DNP standard
- Typical gap: ISU’s FAQ estimates about 500 additional hours for an FNP who completed about 500 in a master’s program
- Minimum: some clinical hours are required even for applicants who already hold 1,000
- Design: student and faculty plan the hours around the student’s interests
The 22-credit figure is a floor, not a total. Most master’s-prepared FNPs will owe several hundred hours, and those hours become added clinical credits. Anyone who finished a master’s near the 500-hour minimum should budget for both the time and the cost.
You Should Know
- ISU does not publish how many credits or dollars the contracted clinical hours add.
- Duration is derived from the published four-term plan (fall, spring, summer, fall) and excludes added clinical credits.
Post-Master’s DNP Admissions
Entry requires national FNP certification, and applicants can only enter the option matching that certification.
- Proof of national FNP certification
- Official letter or transcript documenting total clinical hours from the prior master’s program
- GPA calculated on master’s coursework, then BSN coursework, until 60 credits are reached
- Same interview, references, essay, resume, and Pocatello orientation as the BSN-DNP
- Applications reviewed independently of the BSN-DNP pool
Tuition
Idaho State charges $613 per credit for part-time graduate study (fewer than 9 credits), or a flat $5,820 per semester at 9 or more credits. Both figures already include the mandatory consolidated fee. A $3,090 nursing professional fee is added each semester.
| Component | Resident | Non-Resident (no waiver) |
|---|---|---|
| Part-time tuition per credit | $514.12 | $1,425.12 |
| Consolidated fee per credit | $98.88 | $98.88 |
| Part-time total per credit | $613.00 | $1,524.00 |
| Full-time tuition per semester (9+ credits) | $4,409.62 | $14,064.12 |
| Consolidated fees per semester | $1,410.38 | $1,410.38 |
| Full-time total per semester | $5,820.00 | $15,474.50 |
| DNP professional fee per semester | $3,090.00 | $3,090.00 |
BSN-DNP (derived): six semesters at 9+ credits bill the flat rate (6 × $5,820 = $34,920). Two summers totaling 8 credits bill per credit (8 × $613 = $4,904). Tuition and consolidated fees total $39,824. Eight professional fees add $24,720, for about $64,544.
Post-Master’s DNP (derived): every semester is under 9 credits (5, 8, 3, 6), so all 22 credits bill per credit ($13,486). Four professional fees add $12,360, for about $25,846.
Official rates: ISU tuition and professional fees.
- BSN-DNP tuition and consolidated fees: $39,824
- BSN-DNP professional fees (8 semesters): $24,720
- BSN-DNP total: about $64,544
- Post-Master’s DNP tuition and consolidated fees: $13,486
- Post-Master’s DNP professional fees (4 semesters): $12,360
- Post-Master’s DNP total: about $25,846
Be aware that:
- The professional fee is 38% of the BSN-DNP total. ISU’s own finance page charges it at the same amount for full- and part-time semesters, so light semesters carry it in full.
- Whether the professional fee applies in summer terms is not clearly stated. Without the two summers, the BSN-DNP total is about $58,364.
- ISU’s DNP finance page still shows 2023-24 figures: a $2,571 professional fee and $5,634 full-time tuition. The figures above use the current bursar pages.
- Non-residents in approved online (eISU) programs taking all online courses receive a non-resident tuition waiver, so they pay the resident rates shown. Without it, the BSN-DNP would run about $129,759.
- The waiver requires all-online enrollment. Confirm eligibility with Student Financial Services, given the program’s campus intensives.
- Year 3 fall carries exactly 9 credits, so the flat rate ($5,820) costs $303 more than 9 credits at the part-time rate.
- Not included: contracted clinical credits for Post-Master’s students, books, background checks, and travel to Pocatello and Meridian every semester.
The per-credit rate looks low, but the professional fee changes the picture. The BSN-DNP’s all-in cost works out to about $849 per credit, not $613. For out-of-state students, recurring flights and lodging for intensives can add several thousand dollars more over three years.
Why Choose This FNP Program?
This program fits nurses in Idaho or a neighboring state who want a doctorate-level FNP with high clinical volume and school-arranged sites, at resident-level tuition.
Idaho residents get the full model. ISU’s placement coordinator handles site agreements, and the two campuses sit within driving distance for most of the state. The 1,008-hour sequence and the rural communities coursework line up with practice in rural Idaho.
Out-of-state nurses get the price, not the placement. The eISU waiver puts eligible non-residents at resident rates. In return, they recruit their own preceptors, must live in one of 16 approved states, and travel to two Idaho campuses every semester. That trade works for a nurse with strong local preceptor contacts and a flexible travel budget.
Certified FNPs can finish a DNP in about four semesters. The Post-Master’s track drops every specialty course. The open question is clinical hours: the contract can add enough credits to change both cost and length.
Accreditation
The Doctor of Nursing Practice, master’s, and baccalaureate programs at Idaho State University’s School of Nursing are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). This covers both FNP tracks, since each awards the DNP degree.
Idaho State University is institutionally accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU). Regional institutional accreditation supports federal financial aid eligibility and credit recognition by other schools.
Graduates of the BSN-DNP FNP option are eligible to sit for the national FNP certification exam (AANP or ANCC).
More FNP Programs in Idaho
- Boise State University - Boise
- Northwest Nazarene University - Nampa