Eastern Kentucky University FNP Programs

School of Nursing • Richmond, KY • Online • $748/credit

Eastern Kentucky University offers 2 Family Nurse Practitioner Tracks:

  • MSN
  • Post-MSN Certificate

Program Tracks Overview

ProgramEst. TuitionEst. DurationCredit Hours
MSN$35.2KNot clearly stated47
Certificate$17.2K–$23.9KNot clearly stated23–32

Tuition estimates use EKU’s 2026–27 online MSN rate of $748 per credit, which applies to students in every state.

Eastern Kentucky University never requires FNP students to come to campus. Coursework is fully online, core courses run in 7-week terms, there are three start dates a year, and students in every state pay the same $748 per credit. Clinical training totals 750 direct patient care hours, well above the 500-hour certification floor.

The trade-off is what EKU leaves unpublished. The school does not say who finds your preceptors, how long the program takes, or how clinical hours are spread across terms. It also does not enroll online nursing students in eight states, including neighboring Tennessee.

Quick Facts

FeatureDetails
Program TypesMSN; Post-MSN Certificate
FormatOnline; no campus visits required
Clinical Hours750 direct patient care hours; final 300 in the FNP Internship
Clinical PlacementNot clearly stated
PopulationFamily/individual across the lifespan
Start TermsFall, spring, and summer
RN License RequirementsActive, unencumbered RN license in every state where licensed; one year of RN experience
Enrollment RestrictionsNot enrolling FNP students in CO, LA, MN, MS, NY, OR, TN, WA
Tuition$748/credit for all residencies, plus about $52.67/credit in fees
AccreditationCCNE (MSN and post-graduate APRN certificate)

Master of Science in Nursing, Family Nurse Practitioner

The estimated tuition for the Master of Science in Nursing – Family Nurse Practitioner at Eastern Kentucky University is approximately $35,156 (47 credits at $748/credit). EKU does not publish a completion timeline or a sample plan of study.

MSN Curriculum

The 47-credit MSN has two parts: a 32-credit advanced practice core and a 15-credit FNP concentration. The structure is unusual in one respect. Clinical hours are not built into the FNP courses themselves. Instead, students enroll in NSC 800 Advanced Practice Role alongside FNP I, II, and III, retaking it each term until they reach 8 credits. The 6-credit FNP Internship then closes the program.

Every FNP course is a prerequisite for the next, and each requires a grade of B or higher. That creates a fixed five-step chain (the 3 Ps, FNP I, FNP II, FNP III, Internship), so the specialty sequence takes at least five terms once started.

  • NSC 830 Advanced Pharmacology (3)
  • NSC 832 Advanced Health Assessment (3)
  • NSC 834 Advanced Pathophysiology (3)
  • NSC 843 Healthcare Informatics and Resource Management (3)
  • NSC 857 Leadership, Quality, and Safety for Healthcare Systems (3)
  • NSC 855 Population Health and Policy for Advanced Practice (3)
  • NSC 870, 872, 874 FNP I, II, III (3 each)
  • NSC 800 Advanced Practice Role (8, taken concurrently with FNP I–III)
  • NSC 876 FNP Internship (6)

More curriculum details are available here.

You Should Know
  • EKU’s marketing and older program guides call this a “Rural Health FNP,” and the program URL still uses that name. The 2026–27 catalog lists a plain FNP concentration with no rural-specific courses.
  • The catalog description for the FNP Internship lists NSC 842 Advanced Nursing Practice Issues as a prerequisite or corequisite, but NSC 842 is not in the current MSN course list. Confirm with an advisor.

MSN Clinical Requirements

  • 750 direct patient care hours in total.
  • The final 300 hours fall in the 6-credit FNP Internship (50 hours per credit).
  • The remaining 450 hours are completed through 8 credits of NSC 800 alongside FNP I–III (about 56 hours per credit, derived).
  • Placement model, preceptor rules, and faculty site visits: not clearly stated.

At 750 hours, EKU sits above both the 500-hour certification floor and the 600 to 700 hours common among FNP programs. It also meets the 750-hour threshold some state boards apply. The 300-hour internship works out to roughly 20 hours a week over a 15-week semester, so plan for a reduced work schedule in the final term.

You Should Know
  • EKU’s program and catalog pages do not say whether the school arranges clinical sites or students find their own preceptors. Ask before applying.
  • The per-course split of the 450 pre-internship hours is not published.
  • Missouri does not allow multi-year site contracts with EKU, so Missouri students work under short-term contracts. Alabama and North Dakota require EKU to notify the state before placing students.

MSN Admissions

Admission is competitive and limited by space, with a one-year RN experience gate and a possible interview.

  • BSN from a nationally accredited program
  • Active, unencumbered RN license in every state where you are licensed
  • Minimum 3.0 cumulative undergraduate GPA
  • 3-credit statistics course with a C or higher
  • At least one year of RN experience at the time of application
  • Three professional references and a 500–700 word professional statement
  • Up to 12 transfer credits, subject to approval
  • Application deadlines (annual cycle): July 1 for fall, November 1 for spring, March 15 for summer
You Should Know
  • EKU is not enrolling online nursing students in Colorado, Louisiana, Tennessee, or Washington, and not enrolling FNP students in New York or Oregon. Mississippi is closed due to clinical placement restrictions, and Minnesota is listed as not meeting licensure requirements.
  • Moving out of state during the program can affect your eligibility to continue. EKU requires students to report any relocation in advance.

Post-MSN Certificate, Family Nurse Practitioner

The estimated tuition for the Post-MSN Certificate – Family Nurse Practitioner at Eastern Kentucky University is approximately $17,204 to $23,936 (23–32 credits at $748/credit). EKU does not publish a completion timeline.

Certificate Curriculum

The certificate is the MSN’s FNP block without the 15-credit MSN core. Students take the same FNP I–III, the same 8 credits of NSC 800, and the same FNP Internship. The credit range depends on the 3 Ps: students who need Advanced Pharmacology, Health Assessment, and Pathophysiology take 32 credits, while those whose prior coursework is accepted take 23.

  • NSC 830, 832, 834 the 3 Ps (9, if required)
  • NSC 870, 872, 874 FNP I, II, III (3 each)
  • NSC 800 Advanced Practice Role (8)
  • NSC 876 FNP Internship (6)

More curriculum details are available here.

Certificate Clinical Requirements

  • Clinical courses are identical to the MSN’s (8 credits of NSC 800 plus the 6-credit internship).
  • The certificate page does not restate an hour total; the matching MSN courses carry 750 hours.
  • Placement model: not clearly stated.

Because the certificate repeats the full MSN clinical sequence, an already-certified NP adding family practice completes the same 750 hours as a first-time FNP student. That is more volume than many post-graduate gap analyses require, but it removes any question about meeting a state’s hour minimum.

Certificate Admissions

Admission requires a graduate nursing degree and the same one-year RN experience gate as the MSN.

  • MSN, DNP, or PhD in Nursing from a nationally accredited program
  • Active, unencumbered RN license, and APRN license if held, in every state where licensed
  • At least one year of RN experience
  • Three professional references and a 500–700 word professional statement
  • Up to 9 transfer credits; prerequisite transfers decided case by case by faculty
  • No application fee
You Should Know
  • The certificate page lists summer classes starting in June, while the MSN page says May. Confirm your start date with the program.
  • The state enrollment restrictions listed for the MSN also apply to the certificate.
  • State boards set their own rules for adding a second APRN population focus. Check with your board before enrolling.

Tuition

EKU charges $748 per credit for the online MSN and FNP certificate in 2026–27, with no in-state or out-of-state difference. Mandatory per-credit fees bring the effective rate to about $800.67 per credit (derived).

ComponentPer CreditNotes
Online MSN tuition$748.00All residencies
Special Use Fee$16.67Capped at $150/semester
Asset Preservation Fee$10.00Capped at $150/semester
Required textbooks (BookSmart)$26.00New for 2026–27
Effective rate$800.67Derived
  • MSN: 47 × $748 = $35,156 tuition; about $37,631 with per-credit fees (derived)
  • Certificate, 32 credits: $23,936 tuition; about $25,621 with fees (derived)
  • Certificate, 23 credits: $17,204 tuition; about $18,415 with fees (derived)

Be aware that:

  • A $255 Eastern Experience Fee applies in any semester with 6 or more credits. It is not included above because EKU publishes no term-by-term plan.
  • The fee caps lower the per-credit cost slightly in terms above 9 credits.
  • The online nursing rate rose from $733 in 2025–26 to $748 in 2026–27, and textbooks went from $0 to $26 per credit. Future increases are likely.
  • The certificate page lists its rate as “$748 per semester.” That is a labeling error; the certificate is billed per credit.
  • MSN and DNP students are not eligible for EKU’s reduced active-duty military rate.

The real all-in figure for the MSN lands near $38,000 to $39,000 once the semester fee is added. Because the rate is residency-blind, out-of-state nurses in eligible states pay exactly what Kentucky residents pay. See EKU’s tuition and fees page for current rates.

Why Choose This FNP Program?

Best suited for working RNs who cannot travel to a campus and want a flat, predictable price with a substantial clinical requirement.

Cost certainty for out-of-state nurses. EKU charges one rate regardless of residency, and all fees are published per credit. A nurse in Ohio or Indiana pays the same $748 as one in Richmond, and the MSN total stays under $40,000 with fees.

Zero travel, real clinical volume. Many online FNP programs pair remote coursework with campus intensives. EKU requires none, yet still asks for 750 clinical hours. Nurses get a strong hour count without arranging time off for travel.

What you give up. EKU publishes little about how the clinical phase works. Placement support, the per-term hour schedule, and completion time are all unstated, so a prospective student has to get those answers from an advisor. Nurses in Tennessee, the other excluded states, or anyone likely to move mid-program should look elsewhere.

Cost verdict. For a nurse in an eligible state who can line up local preceptors, EKU delivers a fully remote, 750-hour FNP at roughly $38,000 all-in. If you need a school to place you, confirm that before you count on this price.

Accreditation

The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) accredits EKU’s baccalaureate, master’s, Doctor of Nursing Practice, and post-graduate APRN certificate programs. Both FNP tracks fall within that scope.

Eastern Kentucky University is institutionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). Regional accreditation supports federal financial aid eligibility and the transfer of credits to other institutions.

Graduates of both tracks are eligible to sit for the national FNP certification exam (AANP or ANCC).

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