Boise State University offers a BSN-DNP Family Nurse Practitioner track.
Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| BSN-DNP | $62.7K (all states) | 3 years (8 semesters) | 70 |
Tuition estimates use Boise State’s 2026-27 DNP alternative-fee rate of $895 per credit, which replaces both resident and non-resident tuition.
Boise State charges every FNP student the same $895 per credit, whether they live in Boise or Phoenix. The DNP is billed as an alternative-fee online program, so the non-resident tuition that applies to most Boise State graduate students never appears on the bill. Campus travel is limited to two summer intensives in Boise across the whole program.
The price holds only inside a 20-state footprint, concentrated in the West. Nurses in Florida, Illinois, New York, and most of the East cannot enroll. Clinical placement is also shared work: students find their own preceptors, and Boise State’s placement team handles the contracts and site approvals.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Program Types | BSN-DNP (FNP emphasis); MSN-prepared nurses enter the same degree after transcript review |
| Format | Mostly Online: online coursework plus two summer intensives in Boise |
| Clinical Hours | 780 (three 180-hour rotations plus a 240-hour practicum) |
| Clinical Placement | Student finds preceptors; placement team completes agreements and site approvals |
| Population | Family/individual across the lifespan |
| Distinctive Coursework | Summer primary care procedures and diagnostics skills course; three-part DNP project seminar |
| Concentrations | None |
| RN License Requirements | Valid, unencumbered RN license; must practice in an approved state |
| Enrollment Restriction | RNs in 20 approved states only |
| Tuition | $895/credit for all students; about $62,650 for 70 credits |
| Accreditation | CCNE (through 2030); NWCCU institutional |
BSN to DNP, Family Nurse Practitioner
The estimated tuition for the BS to DNP, Family Nurse Practitioner Emphasis at Boise State University is approximately $62,650 (70 credits at $895/credit). The program can generally be completed in about 3 years (8 semesters) of full-time, year-round study starting in fall.
BSN-DNP Curriculum
Structure. The 70 credits combine a 30-credit DNP core with a 43-credit FNP emphasis. One course, Leadership, Role and Collaboration for the APRN, sits in both lists, which is why the two sum to 73 but the program totals 70. Courses run fall, spring, and summer, with 8 to 10 credits per term.
Sequencing. Year one is foundations: pathophysiology, pharmacology, health assessment, biostatistics, and quality and informatics. Clinical work starts in the fourth semester (Fall 2) with a lifespan diagnosis and management course. Primary Care Management I and II follow in Spring 2 and Fall 3, and the 240-hour practicum closes the program in Spring 3.
What stands out. Both summer terms carry hands-on courses: an advanced health assessment lab in Summer 1 and a primary care procedures and diagnostics course in Summer 2. The DNP project runs across three seminars from Spring 2 through Fall 3, alongside the clinical sequence rather than after it. That overlap keeps the timeline at three years but makes the second year the heaviest.
- NURS-DNP 510: Advanced Physiology and Pathology Across the Lifespan (3)
- NURS-DNP 516: Advanced Pharmacotherapeutics Across the Lifespan (3)
- NURS-DNP 518/519: Advanced Health Assessment and Lab (2 + 2)
- NURS-DNP 534/535: Diagnosis and Management Across the Lifespan, with Clinical (3 + 3)
- NURS-DNP 542/543 and 544/545: Primary Care Management I and II, with Clinicals (7 + 7)
- NURS-DNP 547: Primary Care Clinical Practicum (4)
- NURS-DNP 550: Specialized Pharmacotherapeutics II (3)
- NURS-DNP 551: Primary Care Procedures and Diagnostics/Skills Synthesis (3)
- NURS-DNP 671, 673, 675: DNP Seminars I to III (2 each)
More curriculum details are available here.
You Should Know
- The sample course plan on Boise State’s curriculum page was last updated April 2024. Its credits match the 2026-27 catalog exactly.
- Part-time students start in spring. Boise State does not publish a part-time plan or total length; clinicals begin in the sixth semester.
- The DNP core may add 0 to 6 credits of NURS-DNP 554 Seminar if a student needs extra time on the DNP project. Each added credit costs $895.
BSN-DNP Clinical Requirements
- Total: 780 clinical hours
- Rotations: three 180-hour rotations (NURS-DNP 535, 543, 545), each listed at 12 contact hours per week
- Practicum: one 240-hour practicum (NURS-DNP 547), listed at 16 contact hours per week
- Timing: clinicals start in semester 4 for fall full-time starts and semester 6 for spring part-time starts
- Placement model: students identify and contact preceptors and sites in their own area; the placement team handles site approvals, affiliation agreements, and onboarding
- Campus: two summer intensives in Boise
At 780 hours, Boise State sits well above the 500-hour certification floor and above the 600 to 700 hours common in FNP programs. The load is manageable for a working nurse: about 12 hours a week during rotations and 16 during the final practicum. The placement model is support, not a guarantee. Boise State says plainly that students should not expect a site to be secured without their own outreach, so nurses without local preceptor contacts should start networking in year one.
You Should Know
- The 780 hours cover direct clinical rotations only. The summer health assessment lab and procedures course are separate, and Boise State does not say how the program reaches the 1,000 post-baccalaureate hours expected for DNP education.
- Boise State does not say which weeks the summer intensives fall on or how many days each lasts.
- Clinical health requirements (screenings, immunizations, background checks) vary by state and health system and are billed separately.
BSN-DNP Admissions
Admission includes a video interview for finalists, and eligibility depends on the state where you practice.
- BSN (or a nursing master’s) from a regionally accredited institution
- Minimum 3.00 GPA on the most recent bachelor’s degree; provisional admission possible below 3.00
- Valid, unencumbered RN license
- Personal statement (500 words max) explaining why Boise State and the APRN role you plan to fill
- Resume or CV, including RN experience and specialty certifications
- Three professional or academic recommendations
- Video interview for final candidates
- No prior statistics or research credits required; no RN experience minimum stated
- $65 Graduate College fee plus a $20 nursing application fee
- Annual deadlines: fall (full-time) July 1 priority, August 1 final; spring (part-time) September 1 priority, November 1 final
- Decisions typically within one week of a complete file
You Should Know
- Boise State’s residency and licensure pages list 20 approved states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
- The residency page also lists Maryland, and the licensure disclosure says the program meets Maryland standards, but Maryland is missing from that page’s own summary list. The 2026-27 catalog lists only 16 states. Confirm your state with NursingDNP@boisestate.edu before applying.
- Washington clinicals are approved for Washington residents only.
- Boise State has not published what happens if you move to an unapproved state mid-program.
- MSN-prepared nurses without an APRN specialty must choose the FNP emphasis and receive a transcript review that may waive some courses. Credits and cost then vary.
- Students transferring from another NP program need a letter of good standing from their current program director; transfer credit is case by case.
Tuition
The BSN-DNP costs $895 per credit for every student, regardless of state of residence. The rate is Boise State’s published 2026-27 alternative-fee rate for the online Doctor of Nursing Practice, charged in place of tuition and non-resident tuition.
| Item | Calculation | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Program tuition and fees | 70 credits × $895 | $62,650 |
| Application fees | $65 + $20 | $85 |
| Graduation fee | Flat | $20 |
| Total before clinical fees | Derived | $62,755 |
| Clinical fees | $0 to $1,100 × 4 clinical courses | $0 to $4,400 |
| Total with maximum clinical fees | Derived | $67,155 |
Confirmed costs (Boise State alternative fee programs and BS-DNP costs):
- $895 per credit, same rate in all approved states
- $65 Graduate College application fee and $20 nursing application fee
- $20 graduation fee
- Clinical fees of $0 to $1,100 per clinical course
Be aware that:
- The program’s cost page still lists “$820-$895 per credit.” The $820 figure was the 2024-25 rate. Boise State raised the DNP rate 9.1 percent to $895 for 2025-26, and the 2026-27 bursar table holds it at $895.
- Boise State’s standard graduate rates ($570 resident and $1,037 non-resident per part-time credit) do not apply to this program.
- The clinical fee range is per clinical course, and Boise State does not say which courses carry it. The $4,400 ceiling assumes the four clinical rotation and practicum courses; the two summer lab courses could add more.
- Travel, lodging, and meals for the two Boise intensives are not included.
- Boise State employee tuition waivers do not apply to this program.
- Rates are set annually, so a three-year student should expect possible increases in years two and three.
Plan on roughly $63,000 to $67,000 before travel. That price is the same for a nurse in Idaho and one in California. Under Boise State’s standard graduate rates, a non-resident would pay $1,037 per part-time credit against $570 for a resident. For an Idaho resident, the trade-off runs the other way, since the online DNP rate is above Boise State’s standard resident graduate rate.
Why Choose This FNP Program?
This program suits Western-state RNs who want a BSN-to-DNP at public-university pricing without paying an out-of-state premium or flying to campus every term.
Out-of-state nurses get resident-level treatment. A nurse in Arizona, Texas, or North Carolina pays the same $895 per credit as an Idaho nurse. Combined with only two campus trips in three years, the program keeps both tuition and travel predictable. By comparison, Idaho State University’s FNP program requires campus intensive days every semester.
The timeline is compact for a doctorate. Full-time students finish 70 credits and 780 clinical hours in three years, with the DNP project built into the clinical years instead of added after them. The 780 hours also sit above the 600 to 700 hours common in FNP programs.
The trade-offs are eligibility and placement effort. Only RNs practicing in about 20 approved states can enroll, and the lists Boise State publishes do not fully agree. Students also do the preceptor search themselves; the placement team handles paperwork, not introductions. Nurses who need a school-arranged site, or who live in the East, should look elsewhere.
Accreditation
The baccalaureate, master’s, and Doctor of Nursing Practice programs at Boise State University are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) through 2030. That covers the BSN-DNP FNP emphasis, which awards the DNP degree.
Boise State University is institutionally accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU), which completed its most recent evaluation in spring 2026. Institutional accreditation supports federal financial aid eligibility and the recognition of Boise State credits and degrees by employers and other schools.
Graduates of the BSN-DNP FNP emphasis are eligible to sit for the national FNP certification exam (AANP or ANCC).
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