Liberty University offers a BSN-DNP Family Nurse Practitioner track.
Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| BSN-DNP | $48.7K | 3 years (9 semesters) | 69 |
Tuition estimate uses Liberty’s 2026-27 doctoral rates ($630 full-time, $695 part-time) by semester load, plus the $349 per-semester technology fee, three $500 practicum course fees, and the $100 degree completion fee.
750 nurse practitioner practicum hours, 50% above the 500-hour certification floor, sit inside a 69-credit DNP with no campus travel. Liberty’s one required intensive is now virtual, and most clinical courses meet live online instead of in Lynchburg. The 750 NP hours plus 300 DNP hours bring the total to 1,050.
Liberty’s practicum team matches students to preceptors, but the match can be far from home. Students who turn down a distant site must find their own, and FNP students cannot count any telehealth hours. Nurses in California, New York, Washington, or DC must complete practicum in another state.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Program Types | BSN-DNP (MSN holders enter the same plan with transfer credit) |
| Format | Mostly Online: synchronous online courses plus one virtual intensive; no campus visits |
| Clinical Hours | 1,050 total: 750 NP hours and 300 DNP hours |
| Clinical Placement | School-matched preceptors; distant sites possible; declining means self-placement |
| Population | Family/individual across the lifespan |
| Distinctive Coursework | Separate women’s health, pediatric, acute, and chronic family nursing courses; global health seminar |
| Concentrations | Optional nurse educator electives (not in the catalog plan of study) |
| RN License Requirements | Active, unencumbered RN license in the state where practicum occurs |
| Tuition | $630/credit full-time, $695/credit part-time (2026-27); $395 military rate |
| Accreditation | CCNE (DNP); SACSCOC (institution) |
| Experience Gate | One year of RN experience required before practicum, not before admission |
| Practicum Restrictions | No practicum in CA, NY, WA, or DC |
BSN to DNP, Family Nurse Practitioner
The estimated tuition for the BSN-DNP at Liberty University is approximately $48,666 (69 credits at $630-$695/credit, plus fees). The program can generally be completed in about 3 years (9 semesters) following the catalog plan of study, with a 5-year maximum.
Liberty’s Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) – Family Nurse Practitioner is a single 69-credit plan. BSN holders take it in full. MSN holders apply to the same program and may transfer in up to 50% of the credits, subject to approval.
BSN-DNP Curriculum
DNP core first, FNP clinicals last. The first three semesters pair the advanced pathophysiology, assessment, and pharmacology courses with DNP core courses in theory, informatics, policy, and biostatistics. FNP didactic courses run in semesters 4 through 6. All three FNP practicum courses fall in semesters 7 through 9, after most DNP work is done.
Scholarly project finishes early. The project runs from planning in semester 4 to defense in semester 7. Students defend the project in the same term their first FNP practicum begins, so the final two terms are almost entirely clinical.
Specialty content is split by population. Instead of one broad primary care sequence, Liberty uses separate courses for women’s health, infant and child health, acute family care, and chronic family care, plus a 2-credit global health seminar. Three 0-credit “gate” courses and a comprehensive exam serve as checkpoints before the final practicum.
Live online sessions are frequent. The catalog marks the three advanced practice courses, every FNP didactic course, and all four DNP practicum courses as synchronous distant format. Expect scheduled login times in most terms.
- NURS 711 Advanced Physiology/Pathophysiology (3)
- NURS 712 Advanced Health Assessment for Nurse Practitioners (3)
- NURS 713 Advanced Pharmacology for Nurse Practitioners (3)
- NURS 733 Women’s Health (3)
- NURS 734 Family Nursing I: Acute Health (3)
- NURS 735 Infant and Children’s Health (3)
- NURS 737 Family Nursing II: Chronic Health (3)
- NURS 742 Nursing Seminar: Issues in Global Health (2)
- NURS 771, 772, 838 Family Nurse Practitioner Practicum I-III (3, 3, 4)
- NURS 947-950 Scholarly Project sequence (4 total)
More curriculum details are available here.
You Should Know
- Liberty’s 2024-25 plan for this program required 78 credits and 1,232 practicum hours. The current plan (fall 2026 through summer 2027 starts) requires 69 credits and 1,050 hours. Older third-party listings may still show the higher figures.
- The program page says the one intensive is virtual. Neither the page nor the catalog identifies which course carries it or how long it runs. Liberty’s virtual intensives range from one day a week across a semester to a full week of all-day sessions.
- The optional nurse educator electives appear on the program page but not in the catalog plan of study. Credits and cost for them are not clearly stated.
- The plan is listed by semester. Liberty also runs 8-week sub-terms and advertises starts in late October, January, and March, so actual course timing may differ from the catalog grid.
BSN-DNP Clinical Requirements
- Total: 1,050 practicum hours (750 nurse practitioner hours and 300 DNP hours).
- NP hours: NURS 771 (3 credits), 772 (3), and 838 (4). At 750 hours over 10 credits, that works out to 75 hours per credit, or about 225, 225, and 300 hours per course (derived; per-course hours not published).
- DNP hours: NURS 840-843, 2 credits each, about 75 hours per course (derived).
- Placement: collaborative. Liberty’s practicum team aims to match each student with a preceptor and site, and students are encouraged to suggest local options.
- Distance: students may need to travel longer distances. A student who declines a provided site because of distance must find a new site that meets course requirements.
- Telehealth: not permitted for FNP practicum hours.
- Site fees: any fees charged by a practicum facility or preceptor are paid by the student and negotiated directly with the site.
- Extensions: NURS 843 may be repeated, up to three enrollments, to finish practicum hours.
750 NP hours is above the 600-700 range common among FNP programs, and the 1,050 total clears the 1,000 post-BSN hours expected of DNP graduates. The load is concentrated: the final three semesters carry about 300, 225, and 300 hours, or roughly 15-20 hours a week on a 15-week term. Liberty does more placement work than a self-placement program, but it is a matching service, not a local guarantee. Nurses in rural areas or crowded preceptor markets should plan for travel.
You Should Know
- Liberty is not approved for practicum in California, New York, Washington, or the District of Columbia. Students living there must hold an RN license in an approved state and complete practicum in that state.
- Liberty says the FNP DNP is “limited in certain states” but does not publish a single list. Check your state on Liberty’s licensure lookup before applying, and file a state change notice if you move.
- The weekly-hour estimate assumes a 15-week semester and even distribution. Liberty does not publish per-week clinical expectations.
BSN-DNP Admissions
Admission includes a department review and, for selected applicants, an interview. The RN experience requirement applies before practicum, not before admission.
- BSN or MSN from an ACEN- or CCNE-accredited program, with a 3.0 GPA or higher.
- Active, unencumbered RN license in the state where practicum will be held.
- One year of professional nursing experience before practicum enrollment, verified with employers.
- Three recommenders (academic, professional, personal), submitted through APEX.
- Curriculum vitae.
- Writing sample of 1,500-3,000 words covering introduction and worldview, professional goals, and a vision for practice, including a scholarly project.
- Current AHA BLS for Healthcare Providers.
- Graduate biostatistics course before NURS 832 (may be completed after acceptance).
- Interview for selected applicants (remote available); accepted students then purchase a background check and submit immunizations.
- No application fee. Upcoming starts: October 26, 2026; January 18, 2027; March 22, 2027.
You Should Know
- The writing sample asks applicants to address their worldview. Liberty is a private Christian university, and its program materials reference biblical principles.
- There is no separate post-MSN FNP track or FNP certificate. MSN holders and current NPs enter the same 69-credit plan, and transfer credit is approved case by case.
- Applicants in their final BSN or MSN term can be accepted on a preliminary transcript with a self-certification form.
Tuition
Liberty charges $630 per credit for full-time doctoral students (6 or more credits a semester) and $695 per credit part-time, for 2026-27. Following the catalog plan, seven semesters meet the full-time threshold and the final two (3 and 4 credits) bill at the part-time rate. The blended tuition rate is about $637 per credit, and the all-in cost works out to about $705 per credit (derived).
| Component | Calculation | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Full-time tuition | 62 credits × $630 | $39,060 |
| Part-time tuition | 7 credits × $695 | $4,865 |
| Technology fee | 9 semesters × $349 | $3,141 |
| Practicum course fees | NURS 771, 772, 838 × $500 | $1,500 |
| Degree completion fee | One time | $100 |
| Estimated total | $48,666 |
Confirmed costs:
- Doctoral tuition: $630/credit full-time, $695/credit part-time (2026-27).
- Technology fee: $349 per semester.
- Course fees of $500 each on NURS 771, 772, and 838, listed as “Teacher Stipend” on Liberty’s fall 2026 and spring 2027 fee schedules.
- Degree completion application fee: $100.
- No application fee.
Be aware that:
- NURS 838 appears twice on the fee schedule at $500. If both rows apply, the total rises to about $49,166.
- Students who take fewer than 6 credits in other semesters pay $695 per credit for those terms. A slower pace raises tuition and adds technology fees.
- Rates are set annually and are not locked for the program.
- Practicum site or preceptor fees, travel to distant sites, and the background check are extra and not included.
- Liberty estimates graduate books and online content at $716 a year, which is not included above.
- Eligible military members, veterans, and spouses pay $395 per credit (about $27,255 in tuition for 69 credits), and the technology fee is waived for actively serving members and spouses.
- MSN holders who transfer credits pay for fewer credits; the amount depends on what transfers.
For a DNP with 1,050 practicum hours, about $48,700 all-in is moderate. The published $630 rate understates the true per-credit cost by about $75 once fees and the part-time final terms are counted. The practicum course fees matter less than the travel and site costs the placement policy can create.
See Liberty’s online tuition and fees and course fees pages.
Why Choose This FNP Program?
Best suited for BSN-prepared nurses who want a doctorate and a high clinical hour count without traveling to campus, and who can handle scheduled live classes and possible practicum travel.
A doctorate without relocation. Liberty replaced its residential intensive with a virtual one, so the degree requires no trips to Lynchburg. The trade-off is time-bound flexibility: most clinical and advanced practice courses meet live online, so this is not a fully self-paced program.
Clinical volume that holds up. 750 NP hours gives more direct FNP practice than many master’s programs, and the DNP hours add project and systems work on top. The final three terms are clinical-heavy, so working nurses should plan reduced hours for the last year.
Know the placement and credential limits. The practicum team helps find preceptors, but declining a distant site shifts the search to you. Residents of California, New York, Washington, and DC face practicum outside their state. MSN holders and current NPs have no shorter FNP route here, since Liberty offers no FNP certificate.
Accreditation
Liberty University School of Nursing’s Doctor of Nursing Practice program is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). CCNE accreditation also covers Liberty’s baccalaureate, master’s, and postgraduate APRN certificate programs. The FNP concentration falls under the accredited DNP.
Liberty University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). Institutional accreditation supports federal financial aid eligibility and credit transfer.
The DNP programs are designed to lead to advanced licensure under Virginia Board of Nursing requirements. Liberty states the program meets eligibility requirements for national certification exams, so graduates can sit for the national FNP certification exam (AANP or ANCC).
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