Saint Mary’s College FNP Programs

Department of Nursing Science • Notre Dame, IN • Mostly Online • $995/credit

Saint Mary’s College offers 2 Family Nurse Practitioner Tracks:

  • BSN-DNP
  • MSN-DNP

Program Tracks Overview

ProgramEst. TuitionEst. DurationCredit Hours
BSN-DNP$74.6K3 years (9 semesters)74
MSN-DNP$62.6K3 years (9 semesters)62

Tuition estimates use Saint Mary’s published $995/credit cohort rate (program fee included) plus the $105 per-semester testing fee.

Saint Mary’s pays your clinical preceptor. The College funds a preceptor stipend for every DNP student, guarantees each incoming student a renewable scholarship, and locks tuition and program fees for the length of the program.

The trade-off is commitment. The DNP is the only FNP credential offered, admission is fall-only, and students travel to Notre Dame twice a year for campus immersions. The BSN-DNP is closed to residents of Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, New York, North Carolina, and Tennessee.

Quick Facts

FeatureDetails
Program TypesBSN-DNP and MSN-DNP, both FNP
FormatMostly Online: online coursework plus two campus immersions per year
Clinical Hours780 direct patient care plus 400 DNP project hours
Clinical PlacementCollege pays a preceptor stipend; who secures sites is not clearly stated
PopulationFamily/individual across the lifespan, primary care
Distinctive CourseworkSocial entrepreneurship, AI and emerging technology, procedures for APRNs
ConcentrationsOptional Geriatric Neuropsychiatry emphasis (5 added courses)
RN License RequirementsUnencumbered RN license, or eligibility, in the state where clinicals occur
Tuition$995/credit, locked for the cohort; guaranteed renewable scholarship
AccreditationCCNE (DNP)
Start TermFall only
Enrollment RestrictionsBSN-DNP closed to AL, GA, LA, NY, NC, TN residents or clinicals

BSN to DNP, Family Nurse Practitioner

The estimated tuition for the Doctor of Nursing Practice, Family Nurse Practitioner track at Saint Mary’s College is approximately $74,575 (74 credits at $995/credit, plus testing fees). The program can generally be completed in about 3 years (9 semesters), including three summer terms.

BSN-DNP Curriculum

Foundation year first. The first three semesters are didactic only: role foundations, epidemiology, pathophysiology, pharmacology, health assessment, informatics, and quality. Clinical work starts in year two, after the core sciences are complete.

Parallel clinical and project tracks. From the second spring onward, each semester pairs a 6-credit primary care clinical course with a DNP Practice Innovation course. The doctoral project runs alongside clinical training rather than after it.

Business and technology coursework. Social entrepreneurship, practice management, and AI in advanced practice nursing are required. These suit nurses who plan to open or manage a practice.

  • NURS 612 Social Entrepreneurship and the Business of Healthcare (3)
  • NURS 672 Informatics, Biostatistics, and Data-Driven Decision Making (2)
  • NURS 724 Population-Based Mental Health Care Across the Lifespan (2)
  • NURS 688 Advanced Health Assessment and Diagnostic Reasoning (3)
  • NURS 682 Procedures for Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (1)
  • NURS 710, 722, 730, 770 Advanced Clinical Studies: Primary Care NP 1-4 (6 each)
  • NURS 701-704 DNP Practice Innovation I-IV (3 each)
  • NURS 715 AI and Emerging Technology in Advanced Practice Nursing (2)
  • NURS 718 Resource and Practice Management (3)

More curriculum details are available here.

You Should Know
  • The catalog course list totals 74 credits; the semester-by-semester plan totals 73. The gap is NURS 770, listed at 6 credits in the course list and 5 in the plan.
  • The Geriatric Neuropsychiatry emphasis adds five courses, taught with GuideStar Eldercare clinicians. Saint Mary’s does not publish the added credits, cost, or time.

BSN-DNP Clinical Requirements

  • 780 direct patient care clinical hours (published)
  • 400 DNP Practice Innovation Project hours across NURS 701-704
  • Main clinical sequence: four consecutive semesters, year two spring through year three spring
  • College pays a stipend to each student’s preceptor
  • Campus immersions: two per year (fall and spring) for the Fall 2027 cohort, in clinical exam rooms and simulation labs

At 780 direct hours, Saint Mary’s sits above the 600 to 700 range common among FNP programs and well past the 500-hour certification floor. Spread over the four core clinical semesters, that is roughly 12 hours a week (derived). The stipend matters most in markets where preceptors expect payment, since the College covers that cost instead of the student.

You Should Know
  • Saint Mary’s does not state whether students or the College find the preceptor, or the stipend amount.
  • Immersion frequency conflicts across Saint Mary’s pages: three times a year, once per semester, and two per year. The tuition page says two per year applies to the Fall 2027 cohort.
  • The 1,180 total sometimes quoted combines direct care and project hours. Only the 780 direct hours count as FNP clinical practice.

BSN-DNP Admissions

Admission is fall-only, requires no RN experience, and excludes six states.

  • BSN from a CCNE- or ACEN-accredited program
  • 3.0 cumulative GPA for the most competitive candidates
  • Recent statistics course (100 level or higher, 3 credits)
  • Unencumbered RN license, or eligibility, in the clinical state
  • Personal statement, resume or CV, and official transcripts
  • Three supervisory recommendation letters, at least one from faculty
  • Applications open September 1; rolling review after the priority deadline while seats remain
  • Applicants living outside the U.S. are not accepted
You Should Know
  • The BSN-DNP is closed to students living in, or planning clinicals in, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, New York, North Carolina, and Tennessee.
  • Saint Mary’s is approved by Washington’s Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission to run DNP-FNP practice experiences in Washington.
  • The priority deadline conflicts: April 15 on the program page, May 1 in the catalog. Apply by April 15 to be safe.
  • International applicants must live and work in the U.S., hold a visa allowing full-time study, and complete CGFNS review.

MSN to DNP, Family Nurse Practitioner

The estimated tuition for the MSN to DNP, Family Nurse Practitioner track at Saint Mary’s College is approximately $62,635 (62 credits at $995/credit, plus testing fees). The program can generally be completed in about 3 years (9 semesters).

MSN-DNP Curriculum

This track is for nurses with a non-NP master’s degree. It drops four BSN-DNP courses (informatics, quality, evidence-based practice, and leadership and policy) but keeps the full FNP sequence. Saving 12 credits does not shorten the program: both tracks run nine semesters, with lighter loads in the MSN-DNP.

  • NURS 644 Advanced Physiology and Pathophysiology (3)
  • NURS 651 Advanced Pharmacology (3)
  • NURS 688 Advanced Health Assessment and Diagnostic Reasoning (3)
  • NURS 710, 722, 730, 770 Advanced Clinical Studies: Primary Care NP 1-4 (6 each)
  • NURS 701-704 DNP Practice Innovation I-IV (3 each)
  • NURS 612 Social Entrepreneurship and the Business of Healthcare (3)
  • NURS 715 AI and Emerging Technology in Advanced Practice Nursing (2)
You Should Know
  • The course list totals 62 credits; the degree plan totals 61, again because of NURS 770’s credit value.
  • Up to half of DNP credits may transfer from a clinical master’s degree, at faculty discretion. Actual credits may fall below 62.
  • Practicing APRNs use a separate 35-credit APRN-to-DNP track that does not add FNP certification eligibility.

MSN-DNP Clinical Requirements

  • Same four primary care clinical courses and DNP project sequence as the BSN-DNP
  • Same preceptor stipend and twice-yearly campus immersions

The clinical load matches the BSN-DNP, so MSN-prepared nurses get no clinical shortcut. The savings come entirely from doctoral core courses.

You Should Know
  • Saint Mary’s publishes the 780-hour total for the DNP-FNP generally, not for the MSN-DNP separately.

MSN-DNP Admissions

Requirements match the BSN-DNP, with an MSN from a CCNE- or ACEN-accredited program in place of the BSN.

You Should Know
  • The six-state exclusion is stated for the BSN-DNP. Saint Mary’s asks MSN applicants from those states to contact the program director; eligibility is not clearly stated.

Tuition

Saint Mary’s charges $995 per credit for the Fall 2027 DNP cohort. This published rate includes the per-credit program fee. A $105 testing fee applies each semester.

Cost ItemBSN-DNPMSN-DNP
Tuition ($995/credit)$73,630$61,690
Testing fee ($105 x 9 semesters)$945$945
Estimated total (derived)$74,575$62,635
  • Tuition: $995 per credit, program fee included
  • Testing fee: $105 per semester
  • Rate locked for the cohort while continuously enrolled or on approved leave
  • Guaranteed scholarship for every incoming DNP student
  • College-paid preceptor stipend

Be aware that:

  • Students who leave and return pay the rate of the new cohort they join.
  • Immersion lodging is estimated at $750 per aid year, about $2,250 over three years (derived), plus travel.
  • Scholarship amounts are not published. One line names Fall 2026 admits, another Fall 2027.
  • Saint Mary’s general tuition page lists undergraduate rates ($55,552 a year); they do not apply to the DNP.
  • Totals assume the plan’s credit counts. The 1-credit plan discrepancy would lower each total by $995.

The sticker price is high for an FNP credential, but the locked rate removes year-to-year tuition increases over the three years. The scholarship and preceptor stipend reduce real cost further. Without published scholarship amounts, budget from the full $74,575 or $62,635 and treat aid as upside. See the program page for cohort pricing.

Why Choose This FNP Program?

A strong fit for BSN nurses who want a doctorate from the start, with predictable costs and no preceptor fees.

Costs that stay put. A locked cohort rate, guaranteed scholarship, and College-paid preceptor stipend address three costs that often grow during an FNP program: tuition increases, preceptor fees, and unplanned borrowing.

Clinical depth for newer nurses. No RN experience is required. A didactic first year and 780 direct hours give new graduates more supervised practice before certification. The Geriatric Neuropsychiatry emphasis adds a dementia-care niche.

Is the doctorate worth it for you? The DNP is the only FNP route here. Nurses who want clinical practice alone will pay for about 74 credits and three years, including practice-management and project coursework they may not use. Nurses aiming for leadership, faculty roles, or practice ownership get the most from that extra credential. Add fall-only entry, twice-yearly travel to Indiana, and six excluded states before deciding.

Accreditation

The Doctor of Nursing Practice at Saint Mary’s College is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). Both FNP tracks fall under this DNP accreditation.

Saint Mary’s College is institutionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Institutional accreditation supports federal financial aid eligibility and recognition of credits by employers and other schools.

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

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