La Salle University FNP Programs

School of Nursing and Health Sciences • Philadelphia, PA • Online • $1,075/credit

La Salle University offers 2 Family Nurse Practitioner Tracks:

  • MSN
  • Post-Master’s Certificate

Program Tracks Overview

ProgramEst. TuitionEst. DurationCredit Hours
MSN$48.4K2.7 yrs (full-time) 45
Post-MSN Cert.$22.6K+ Not stated21+

La Salle’s defining feature is a published clinical reduction for nurses who are already adult nurse practitioners: 308 clinical hours instead of 692. The reduction is structural rather than discretionary — La Salle’s FNP curriculum is its adult-gerontology program with the second adult field study swapped out for a women’s and pediatric sequence, so an adult NP has already completed the part being waived.

One caveat belongs up front. La Salle’s institutional accreditor reaffirmed the university on May 28, 2026 after a warning issued in June 2025 over financial resources, and still requires a monitoring report by February 15, 2027 plus a follow-up team visit. Details are in the Accreditation section below.

Quick Facts

FeatureDetails
Program TypesMSN and post-master’s certificate
FormatOnline; didactic courses asynchronous, clinicals in person
Course LengthSeven-week blocks or full semester, depending on the course
Clinical Hours692; reduced to 308 for certificate students already credentialed as adult NPs
Clinical PlacementProgram assists with placement; students may also source preceptors, subject to approval
PopulationIndividuals and families across the lifespan
Distinctive CourseworkNUR 615 Family System Concepts for Primary Care
RN License RequirementsCurrent unencumbered U.S. RN license
RN Experience GateOne year of current clinical experience as a registered nurse
Test Score GateGRE, MAT, or GMAT required if entry-level nursing GPA is below 2.67
Start TermsFall and Spring; rolling review, no summer entry
Enrollment RestrictionsMust reside in a state where La Salle is authorized; state list not published ⚠
Tuition$1,075 per credit for both tracks
AccreditationCCNE (nursing); MSCHE (institutional, under monitoring through February 2027)

MSN — Family Nurse Practitioner

The estimated tuition for the Family Nurse Practitioner (MSN) at La Salle University is approximately $48,375 (45 credits at $1,075 per credit). The program can generally be completed in about 2.7 years full-time or 3.3 years part-time, based on the eight-semester and ten-semester plans of study La Salle publishes.

The program page separately states that most students finish in about two years, which the school’s own full-time grid does not support.

MSN Curriculum

The most useful thing to understand about this curriculum is that it is not designed from scratch for family practice. La Salle builds the FNP on the same eleven-course spine as its adult-gerontology primary care track, then substitutes the second adult field study for a women’s and pediatric sequence. The arithmetic is exact: the adult-gero track totals 35 credits, and removing NUR 666 (4 credits) and adding the five family courses (11 credits) produces the FNP’s 42-credit subtotal.

Foundation courses. Seven core courses totaling 21 credits cover advanced practice roles, population-based care, research, family systems, and the assessment-pharmacology-pathophysiology sequence. NUR 615 Family System Concepts for Primary Care is shared across all three of La Salle’s NP tracks, which means family-systems theory arrives early rather than as an FNP-only add-on.

Specialty and field study sequence. Ten credits of didactic specialty coursework are paired with 11 credits of field study. Three elective credits round the program to 45. The scheduling detail worth noting: didactic courses run in seven-week blocks with two start points inside a single semester, while every field study runs a full semester. Part-time students therefore take specialty courses one at a time rather than concurrently.

  • NUR 615 Family System Concepts for Primary Care (3)
  • NUR 660 Adult-Gerontology Primary Care I (3)
  • NUR 661 Adult-Gerontology Primary Care II (3)
  • NUR 663 Primary Care of Women (2)
  • NUR 664 Primary Care of Children (2)
  • NUR 665 Field Study: Adult-Gerontology Primary Care I (4) — 256 clinical hours
  • NUR 667 Field Study: Adult-Gerontology Primary Care II for the FNP Student (2) — 128 clinical hours
  • NUR 668 Field Study in Primary Care of Women (2) — 128 clinical hours
  • NUR 669 FNP Field Study II (3) — 180 clinical hours

More curriculum details are available here.

MSN Clinical Requirements

  • 692 total clinical hours, itemized across four field study courses
  • NUR 665 (256) + NUR 667 (128) + NUR 668 (128) + NUR 669 (180) = 692, which matches the stated total exactly
  • Field study courses convert at roughly 64 clinical hours per credit, except NUR 669 at 60
  • The program assists with securing placements, and students may also identify their own preceptors
  • All placements require program approval
  • A $250 Nursing Clinical Site Fee is charged per site location
  • Criminal background checks are required in Pennsylvania and the student’s home state, renewed annually until graduation
  • Preceptor credential requirements and faculty site-visit policy are not stated

At 692 hours, La Salle sits comfortably above the 500-hour national certification floor and within the 600 to 700 band common among FNP programs. The distribution is more interesting than the total. Adult-gerontology field study accounts for 384 hours, or 55 percent of the program. Women’s health takes 128.

Pediatrics has no dedicated field study at all — NUR 664 Primary Care of Children is didactic only, which means pediatric clinical hours must fall inside NUR 669 FNP Field Study II.

La Salle does not state how many of those 180 hours are pediatric, so applicants who want substantial well-child and adolescent exposure should ask directly before enrolling.

On placement, La Salle occupies useful middle ground. It does not guarantee sites, but it does actively place students rather than leaving preceptor hunting entirely to them. The practical consequence of the per-site fee is that a student rotating through adult, women’s, and pediatric settings should expect several $250 charges rather than one.

MSN Admissions

Two requirements screen more aggressively than most FNP programs: a one-year RN clinical experience minimum, and a GPA threshold that triggers standardized testing.

  • Completed application, resume or CV, and official transcripts
  • BSN from an NLNAC- or CCNE-accredited program
  • Current unencumbered U.S. RN license
  • One year of current clinical experience as a registered nurse
  • Undergraduate coursework must include introductory statistics (descriptive and inferential) and a nursing research course
  • Entry-level nursing GPA below 2.67 requires GRE, MAT, or GMAT scores, with above the 50th percentile advised
  • Two letters of recommendation, one academic and one from a supervisor; family and friends are not accepted
  • Personal statement on professional values, career aspirations, and track selection
  • Criminal background check in Pennsylvania and the state of residence, repeated annually
  • Rolling review with Fall (August 10) and Spring (January 10) deadlines, reviewed after the posted date as space allows
  • NOTE: The catalog describes 3.0 as the threshold for formal acceptance, while the program FAQ says applicants below 3.0 are considered case by case

Post-Master’s Certificate — Family Nurse Practitioner

The estimated tuition for the Family Nurse Practitioner Certificate at La Salle University is approximately $22,575 for the 21 track-specific credits (at $1,075 per credit), though a gap analysis may add core coursework on top.

La Salle does not publish an estimated duration for this track.

Certificate Curriculum

The certificate is built around a gap analysis: La Salle reviews prior graduate nursing coursework and determines which core and advanced core courses still need completing. What is fixed is the track-specific block of eight courses totaling 21 credits, identical in content to the FNP portion of the MSN.

⚠ This makes the certificate’s real cost unknowable until after admission. The catalog lists both required courses and required credits as dependent upon gap analysis, so 21 credits is a floor rather than a total. An MSN-prepared nurse whose degree predates current advanced pharmacology or assessment requirements could be assigned several additional core courses at $1,075 each.

  • NUR 660 Adult-Gerontology Primary Care I (3)
  • NUR 661 Adult-Gerontology Primary Care II (3)
  • NUR 663 Primary Care of Women (2)
  • NUR 664 Primary Care of Children (2)
  • NUR 665 Field Study: Adult-Gerontology Primary Care I (4)
  • NUR 667 Field Study: Adult-Gerontology Primary Care II for the FNP Student (2)
  • NUR 668 Field Study in Primary Care of Women (2)
  • NUR 669 FNP Field Study II (3)

More curriculum details are available here.

Certificate Clinical Requirements

  • 692 clinical hours for certificate students generally
  • 308 clinical hours for certificate students who are already credentialed adult nurse practitioners
  • The 384-hour difference matches NUR 665 (256) plus NUR 667 (128) exactly, and the remaining 308 matches NUR 668 (128) plus NUR 669 (180) exactly
  • ⚠ La Salle states the reduced hour figure but does not state whether the corresponding six credits are also waived
  • Same placement model as the MSN, with a $250 per-site fee

This is the strongest reason to look at La Salle specifically. Adult NPs adding family scope elsewhere often repeat adult primary care hours they have already logged and are actively practicing.

La Salle publishes a concrete alternative and the number reconciles cleanly against its own course table. The unresolved question is financial rather than clinical: if NUR 665 and NUR 667 are dropped along with their hours, that is 6 credits and $6,450 off the bill, bringing the track-specific portion to roughly $16,125. La Salle does not say, and the difference is large enough to be worth a written answer before you apply.

Certificate Admissions

Entry requires a completed MSN, and applicants who already hold a CRNP license face an additional experience requirement.

  • Master of Science in Nursing from an accredited program
  • 3.0 GPA
  • Current unencumbered U.S. RN license
  • One year of current clinical experience as a registered nurse
  • Post-MSN applicants holding a CRNP license need one year of NP experience in their certified area
  • Two professional references, one from a former professor or supervisor
  • Statement addressing professional values, career aspirations, and track selection
  • Criminal background check in Pennsylvania and the state of residence, repeated annually
  • Fall and Spring entry on the same August 10 and January 10 deadlines as the MSN

Tuition

La Salle publishes its per-credit rate directly rather than leaving it to be derived: $1,075 per credit for the online MSN Family Nurse Practitioner, and the same $1,075 per credit for the Family Nurse Practitioner graduate certificate.

Total estimated tuition is $48,375 for the MSN (45 credits) and $22,575 for the certificate’s 21 track-specific credits.

  • MSN Family Nurse Practitioner (online): $1,075 per credit
  • Graduate Certificate, Family Nurse Practitioner: $1,075 per credit
  • MSN estimated tuition: 45 × $1,075 = $48,375
  • Certificate estimated tuition: 21 × $1,075 = $22,575
  • General University Fee: $285 per semester
  • Graduation Fee: $100, one time
  • Nursing Clinical Site Fee: $250 per site location

Be aware that:

  • The General University Fee scales with how long you enroll, not how many credits you take. The published full-time plan runs eight semesters ($2,280); the part-time plan runs ten ($2,850). Finishing slower costs more in fees even at identical tuition.
  • The clinical site fee is charged per location, not per program. An FNP student rotating through adult, women’s, and pediatric settings could reasonably see three or four charges, so budget $750 to $1,000 rather than $250.
  • A realistic all-in MSN estimate is therefore about $51,755 full-time or $52,325 part-time, assuming four clinical sites. These are derived estimates, not published totals.
  • The certificate’s published 21 credits covers only track-specific coursework. Gap analysis can add core courses at $1,075 each, and the resulting total is not knowable before admission.
  • If the 308-hour reduction for practicing adult NPs also waives NUR 665 and NUR 667, the certificate’s track-specific tuition would drop to roughly $16,125. La Salle does not confirm whether credits are waived alongside the hours.
  • The $215 Tevera Access Fee listed on the university fee schedule applies to Education, Marriage and Family Therapy, Clinical Counseling, and Social Work students, not nursing.
  • These figures reflect the currently posted rate schedule. La Salle does not publish a multi-year rate lock, so credits taken in later years may be billed higher.
  • Students continuing into La Salle’s post-master’s DNP are billed on a separate schedule, and the university lists three different DNP rates without clarifying which applies to a post-MSN FNP graduate.

Official rates are published on La Salle’s tuition and fees page. The practical takeaway: tuition is straightforward and honestly posted, but roughly $3,400 to $4,000 in fees sits above the per-credit rate, and the certificate’s true price depends on a gap analysis you cannot see until you are admitted.

Why Choose This FNP Program?

Best suited for practicing adult-gerontology nurse practitioners who want to add family scope without re-logging clinical hours they already perform daily, and for BSN nurses who prefer to take one course at a time rather than juggle several.

The adult NP case is the clearest. La Salle’s 308-hour pathway is a specific, published number rather than a vague promise of individualized review, and it maps precisely onto the two adult field studies an experienced adult NP would be repeating. Combined with a gap analysis that also removes redundant core coursework, this is a meaningfully shorter route to FNP certification for that one credential. No other feature of the program is as decisive.

For BSN-entry students, the draw is scheduling rather than economics. Seven-week didactic blocks with two start points per semester mean a part-time student carrying six credits takes two courses sequentially, not simultaneously — a real advantage for a nurse working full-time shifts. La Salle also places students rather than leaving them to cold-call practices, which the program’s own student testimonial identifies as the deciding factor. Against that: at $48,375 plus roughly $3,400 in fees, this is mid-to-upper-range private tuition, and the eight-semester full-time plan is longer than the “about two years” the marketing page suggests.

The honest trade-offs are three. Pediatric clinical hours are not separately allocated, which matters if you want strong well-child preparation. The certificate’s final cost is not knowable before admission. And the university itself spent roughly eleven months under an accreditation warning tied to financial stability, resolved in May 2026 but not fully closed.

That last point suggests a simple test: map your enrollment against the accreditation calendar. La Salle owes its accreditor a monitoring report on February 15, 2027, followed by a team visit. If you start in Fall 2026 and finish full-time, you will graduate well after that cycle concludes, and you can watch the outcome before your final year. If you are weighing a four-year part-time plan, ask the admissions office directly what the February 2027 report will contain and how the school is addressing the underlying finding. A reaffirmed accreditation is a genuine clearing of the bar; a monitoring requirement still open is a reason to ask questions rather than a reason to walk away.

Accreditation

La Salle’s nursing programs are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), and the university states that the accreditation covers the baccalaureate, master’s, DNP, and post-graduate APRN certificate programs — so both FNP tracks fall within scope. Graduates are eligible to sit for national FNP certification through either the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board (AANP) or the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC); La Salle states this dual eligibility explicitly, which is standard for FNP graduates but worth confirming since not every school says so.

Institutional accreditation warrants closer attention than usual. La Salle is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), which reaffirmed the university’s accreditation on May 28, 2026 after finding it back in compliance with Standard VI. The same action requested a monitoring report due February 15, 2027, showing sustained compliance on financial resources, funding base, and financial stability, and directed a follow-up team visit after that report is submitted. The warning that preceded this was issued on June 26, 2025, when the Commission found insufficient evidence of compliance with Standard VI covering planning, resources, and institutional improvement; the university remained accredited throughout. MSCHE’s scope includes post-master’s certificates and distance education, and the next full self-study evaluation is scheduled for 2032-2033.

In plain terms: La Salle’s accreditation is intact, its degrees are valid, and federal financial aid is unaffected. But the accreditor has not yet closed the file on the university’s finances, and it has scheduled another look. This is an institutional matter rather than a nursing-program one, and CCNE accreditation of the FNP tracks is separate and unaffected. Applicants who want certainty should request written confirmation of current status from La Salle and check the MSCHE public record before committing.

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