UNC Greensboro FNP Programs

The University of North Carolina at Greensboro offers an MSN Family Nurse Practitioner Track:

Program Track Overview

ProgramEst. TuitionEst. DurationCredit Hours
MSN$26.2K 2 years
(5 semesters)		44

UNCG’s defining feature is a cost structure that prices terms instead of credits. A $1,500 FNP program fee is charged every semester you are enrolled, so the term you are admitted into, not the number of credits you take, is what moves your total: fall admits finish in five terms, while spring admits are placed on a part-time plan that runs seven and pay about $3,000 more for the same 44 credits.

Two other facts shape the decision. UNCG assigns preceptors rather than sending students to find their own, and the program is genuinely hybrid, with roughly one day per week on campus in Greensboro plus clinical days.

Quick Facts

FeatureDetails
Program TypesMSN, Family Nurse Practitioner concentration
FormatHybrid. About 1 day per week on campus, plus roughly 2 clinical days
Clinical Hours540 across three 3-credit practicums (180 hours each)
Clinical PlacementUNCG secures preceptors. Student suggestions accepted
PopulationIndividuals and families across the lifespan
Distinctive CourseworkNUR 716, a dedicated 4-credit child health course; NUR 713L assessment lab
Start TermsFall (full-time only) and spring (part-time only)
RN License RequirementsUnrestricted RN. Non-NC licensees must obtain NC licensure before starting
Enrollment RestrictionsDoes not accept international or F-1 students
Tuition$307.56/credit resident, $1,184.06/credit non-resident, plus $1,500 per semester
AccreditationCCNE (MSN); SACSCOC institutional

MSN, Family Nurse Practitioner Concentration

The estimated tuition for the MSN at UNCG is approximately $26,187 for North Carolina residents and $62,124 for non-residents (44 credits at $307.56 and $1,184.06 per credit, plus mandatory fees and a $1,500 per-semester program differential). The program can generally be completed in about 2 years (5 semesters) on the full-time plan, or 3 years (7 semesters) on the part-time plan, which is the only option available to spring admits.

The full-time sequence is available to Master of Science in Nursing, Family Nurse Practitioner concentration students admitted for fall only. Semester loads run 10, 10, 5, 9, and 10 credits, which reconciles exactly to the published 44.

MSN Curriculum

Structure. UNCG builds the degree around three paired course-and-practicum blocks rather than a long didactic runway followed by a clinical block. Advanced Primary Care Management I and II each pair a 4-credit management course with a 3-credit practicum taken in the same term, so classroom content and patient contact move together. The final term pairs a standalone practicum with the pediatrics course.

What stands out. Two design choices separate this curriculum from a generic lifespan sequence. First, child health is a dedicated 4-credit course (NUR 716) rather than a unit folded into a general primary care class, which is a heavier pediatric commitment than most FNP programs make explicit. Second, health assessment carries a separate 1-credit lab (NUR 713L), meaning hands-on assessment is graded on its own rather than absorbed into a lecture course. Both reflect the hybrid format: the weekly campus day gives the program somewhere to put lab and skills work that fully online programs must handle through simulation or intensives.

Capstone. The degree closes with NUR 718, a 2-credit capstone on complex problems in family primary care, taken alongside the second management practicum. This is a coursework capstone, not a DNP scholarly project, which keeps the credit count at 44 and the timeline short. Nurses who want the doctorate can apply to UNCG’s post-master’s DNP concentration afterward.

  • NUR 708 – Advanced Pathophysiology (3)
  • NUR 713 / 713L – Diagnostic Reasoning and Health Assessment, with lab (4)
  • NUR 810 – Interventional Strategies to Promote Population Wellbeing (3)
  • NUR 811 / 811L – Advanced Primary Care Management I, with practicum (7)
  • NUR 812 / 812L – Advanced Primary Care Management II, with practicum (7)
  • NUR 716 – Management of Child Health in Primary Care (4)
  • NUR 719L – Family Primary Care Practicum (3)
  • NUR 817 – Negotiating Role Functions in an Advanced Practice Role (2)
  • NUR 718 – Complex Problems in Family Primary Care, capstone (2)

More curriculum details are available here.

You Should Know
  • The part-time plan of study prints NUR 812 as a 2-credit course, while the full-time plan and the graduate catalog both list it at 4 credits. Summing the part-time plan as printed produces 42 credits, not the stated 44. The catalog figure is the one that reconciles.
  • The part-time plan is labeled “Spring Start” but its first listed term is fall. Confirm with the concentration coordinator which term a spring admit actually begins coursework.
  • Two course titles differ between the plan of study and the catalog. NUR 714 appears as both an informatics and computational systems course and an informatics and healthcare technologies course; NUR 719L appears as both a foundational and a family primary care practicum. The credit values are identical in each case.
  • Degree requirements must be completed within five academic years of initial enrollment, and the program requires withdrawal for a grade of B- or below in any nursing specialty course.

MSN Clinical Requirements

  • 540 total clinical hours, verified against the plan of study: three practicums at 180 hours each.
  • Nine practicum credits at a uniform 60 clock hours per clinical credit.
  • NUR 811L, NUR 812L, and NUR 719L each carry 180 hours, taken in three separate terms.
  • UNCG secures preceptors. Students may suggest preceptors and may pursue their own for a specialized experience.
  • Clinical rotations run roughly two days per week and may fall on days, nights, or weekends.
  • Current AHA BLS certification, immunizations, and a criminal background check are required before clinical placement.

At 540 hours, UNCG sits 40 hours above the 500-hour national certification floor and below the 600 to 700 range that is common among FNP programs. That is a real difference in patient contact, and it is the clearest trade-off on this page. What partly offsets it is the placement model. Most FNP programs, including several online options, make preceptor recruitment the student’s problem, and a failed search delays graduation by a full term. UNCG assigning preceptors removes that risk entirely, which matters more to some applicants than an extra 100 clinical hours would. The pairing also means UNCG can enforce a stricter rule than most: once rotations begin, students are not permitted to decline an assigned rotation because of a work schedule conflict.

You Should Know
  • The program FAQ states that clinical training amounts to 16 to 24 hours per week, but 180 hours across a standard 15- or 16-week term works out to roughly 11 to 12 hours per week. The two figures do not reconcile. The 180-hour per-course total is the one published in the plan of study and used throughout this page.
  • Because preceptor availability determines the rotation schedule, the number of campus and clinical days in any given week is not fixed in advance.
  • The program states that declining an assigned rotation for work reasons is not permitted, which is a meaningful constraint for nurses planning to keep a full-time job through the clinical terms.

MSN Admissions

UNCG uses a holistic review that weighs prior nursing experience and professional or community involvement alongside academic record, and there is no published GRE requirement or minimum RN experience gate. The structural constraint is the calendar: the admission term determines whether you are full-time or part-time, and that decision is not the applicant’s to make.

  • Bachelor’s degree or higher in nursing from an accredited U.S. institution, or an equivalent international degree.
  • Current unrestricted RN license. Compact and out-of-state licensees must obtain NC licensure before the program starts.
  • Three professional recommendations, at least one from a healthcare provider (RN, DO, MD, NP, or PA).
  • Official transcripts from every institution attended, a current CV or resume, and a personal statement on career goals.
  • Completion of the UNC System Community Standards and Campus Safety Questionnaire.
  • TOEFL (minimum 100 internet-based) or IELTS 7.0 for applicants who have never studied at a U.S. institution.
  • Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, and acceptance must be acknowledged within two weeks of the offer.

Fall applicants should treat the cycle as opening in mid-September with a priority deadline in early March and a final deadline in early April. Spring applicants face a priority deadline around September 1 and a final deadline around October 1 of the preceding year. Applying by the priority date matters more here than at rolling-admission programs, because the fall cohort is the only route to the five-semester full-time plan.

You Should Know
  • The program page publishes both fall and spring deadlines, while the FAQ describes admissions as happening once a year and running until May 1. The two-intake structure on the program page is the more specific and more current statement, but the closing date should be confirmed directly.
  • The FNP program does not accept international or F-1 students, even though the Graduate School’s general requirements list TOEFL and IELTS thresholds. Those language requirements apply to applicants educated outside the U.S. who are otherwise eligible.
  • Health insurance is required for all students enrolled in 6 or more credits per semester, which covers every term of the full-time plan.
  • Because the required NC license must be in hand before the start date, out-of-state applicants should begin licensure by endorsement well ahead of the admission decision.

Tuition

UNCG publishes graduate tuition at $307.56 per credit for North Carolina residents and $1,184.06 per credit for non-residents on its main campus schedule. That figure alone understates the real cost substantially, because two other charges sit on top of it: a per-semester mandatory fee stack, and a $1,500 per-semester tuition differential that applies specifically to the MS Nursing, FNP concentration.

Base tuition also caps once a student reaches 9 credits in a term. Nine credits at $307.56 equals $2,768.04, which matches the published 12-or-more-credit resident charge of $2,768.00. Credits 10 through 12 are effectively free of tuition, though fees continue to accrue per credit.

SemesterCreditsResident (tuition + fees)Non-Resident (tuition + fees)
Fall 110$4,148.20$12,036.70
Spring 110$4,148.20$12,036.70
Summer 15$2,231.90$6,614.40
Fall 29$4,010.98$11,899.48
Spring 210$4,148.20$12,036.70
Subtotal44$18,687.48$54,623.98
FNP differential5 terms$7,500.00$7,500.00
Program total44$26,187.48$62,123.98

These totals are derived. Each semester figure is reconstructed from the published per-credit tuition rate plus the nine mandatory fees on UNCG’s main campus schedule (associate student government, athletic, student activity, student facilities, educational and technology, transportation, security, health service, and a flat $8.00 registration fee), then confirmed against the published semester totals in the same schedule. The $1,500 differential is applied once per enrolled term.

Confirmed costs:

  • Resident graduate tuition: $307.56 per credit, capped at $2,768.00 per semester.
  • Non-resident graduate tuition: $1,184.06 per credit, capped at $10,656.50 per semester.
  • MS Nursing, FNP concentration differential: $1,500 per semester.
  • Mandatory fees: $137.22 per credit plus an $8.00 registration fee per term on the main campus schedule.
  • Published 12-or-more-credit total including fees: $4,422.50 resident, $12,311.00 non-resident.

Be aware that:

  • The differential is billed by term, not by credit. Five terms cost $7,500; the seven-term part-time plan costs $10,500. Two extra terms add $3,000 for an identical 44 credits, and spring admits do not get to choose.
  • UNCG’s own affordability figure omits it. The program materials describe a heaviest semester of about 10 credits or roughly $4,000. Tuition and fees at 10 resident credits do come to $4,148.20, but with the differential the actual bill is $5,648.20.
  • Summer rates are not on this schedule. The published table covers fall 2026 and spring 2027 only, and whether the $1,500 differential applies in summer is unstated. The summer figures above assume the same rates and one differential charge.
  • Non-residents cannot use the discounted online rate. UNCG’s $615.12 per credit “Outside NC” rate requires exclusive enrollment in a designated online program. This FNP is hybrid, so non-residents pay the full $1,184.06 per credit.
  • Several charges fall outside the per-credit rate. Course materials bill at $21 per credit through First Day Complete, about $924 across the degree, alongside a $125 master’s graduation fee and a $7.50 student liability insurance charge.
  • Rates are not final and health coverage is mandatory. The schedule states rates require NC General Assembly approval, and students at 6 or more credits must carry health insurance; UNCG’s graduate plan is listed at $2,366.50.

The practical reading is that the published $307.56 resident rate roughly doubles by the time a student actually pays. Divide the $26,187 resident total by 44 credits and the effective rate is about $595 per credit; for non-residents, $62,124 works out to roughly $1,412. Even so, $26,187 for a resident is a modest all-in figure for an FNP degree, and the reason the headline rate looks so low is structural rather than promotional: North Carolina sets a low base graduate rate and lets individual programs layer differentials on top, so the sticker price and the bill are simply different numbers at every UNC-system school.

Why Choose This FNP Program?

Best suited for nurses who live within commuting distance of Greensboro, want the school to handle preceptor placement, and can secure a fall admission.

Placement is handled for you. This is the single strongest reason to pick UNCG over an online FNP program. The school secures preceptors and treats student suggestions as input rather than as the primary mechanism. Nurses who have watched classmates at other programs lose a semester hunting for a family practice site will understand what that is worth. The corresponding obligation is real: once a rotation is assigned, you cannot decline it because of your work schedule, and rotations may land on nights or weekends.

The fall cohort is the version of this program worth applying to. Five semesters is fast for a 44-credit FNP degree, and it is available only to full-time fall admits. A spring start moves you to a seven-term part-time plan, adds a year, and adds $3,000 in differential charges for the same credits. If you can wait for a fall cycle, wait. If your circumstances require part-time pacing anyway, the spring route is not a penalty so much as the honest price of that pacing.

The trade-off is clinical volume and geography. At 540 hours, this program sits close to the certification minimum, and applicants comparing it against programs in the 600 to 700 range should weigh whether the additional supervised time matters for the job they want. The weekly campus day also rules out anyone who cannot reach Greensboro reliably, and non-residents pay a rate that no distance discount reduces. UNCG publishes a three-year first-time AANP pass rate of 94% against a national average of 79%, which suggests the lower hour count is not translating into weaker exam outcomes, though pass rates reflect cohort selection as well as curriculum.

Accreditation

The Master of Science in Nursing at UNC Greensboro, including the Family Nurse Practitioner concentration, is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). CCNE accreditation also covers UNCG’s BSN and Doctor of Nursing Practice programs, so a graduate who later enters the post-master’s DNP concentration remains inside an accredited pathway throughout.

UNCG has a separate CCNE review underway for a post-graduate Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner certificate, with an on-site evaluation scheduled for September 2026. That review concerns the PMHNP certificate only and does not affect the accreditation status of the MSN or its FNP concentration.

The university itself is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). Institutional accreditation is what makes credits transferable to other universities and what qualifies students for federal financial aid, so it matters independently of the nursing accreditor.

Graduates are eligible to sit for the national FNP certification exam through either the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board (AANPCB) or the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), and may then apply for state licensure as an advanced practice registered nurse.

Compare More Family NP Programs