University of North Carolina Wilmington FNP Programs

School of Nursing • Wilmington, NC • Mostly Online • $435.34/credit

UNCW offers 1 Family Nurse Practitioner Track:

  • BSN-DNP

Program Track Overview

ProgramEst. TuitionEst. DurationCredit Hours
BSN-DNP$32.4K–$34.8K3 years (8 semesters) full-time;
4.7 years (14 semesters) part-time		74

UNCW’s defining advantage is that it publishes the exact clinical breadth it will require of you before you apply. Alongside the hour requirement, the School of Nursing posts a 15-category minimum patient encounter table totaling 490 documented visits, which lets you judge whether the sites available to you can actually satisfy the program.

Quick Facts

FeatureDetails
Program TypesBSN-DNP, Family Nurse Practitioner concentration. No MSN and no post-master’s FNP certificate.
FormatAsynchronous online coursework with on-campus intensives for BSN-DNP students. Frequency not published.
Clinical Hours780 patient contact hours across four practicums. Program states 1,000 total including 250 non-patient-care hours.
Clinical PlacementStudent-led. UNCW assists but expects students to secure their own preceptors.
PopulationPrimary care across the lifespan, with a stated emphasis on underserved rural and urban populations.
Distinctive CourseworkRequired 3-credit genomics course; four population-partitioned Advanced Family Nursing courses.
Patient Encounter Minimums490 documented encounters across 15 categories, including 20 antepartum visits and 10 newborn exams.
Preceptor RestrictionPreceptors must practice in North Carolina.
RN Experience600 hours of RN work experience before clinical rotations begin.
Application CycleOne intake per year. Opens mid-September, closes February 15, fall start.
Tuition$435.34/credit resident, $1,411.01/credit non-resident, before fees.
AccreditationCCNE-accredited DNP program; UNCW is SACSCOC-accredited.

BSN-DNP Family Nurse Practitioner Concentration

The estimated tuition for the BSN-DNP at UNCW is approximately $32,430 for North Carolina residents studying full-time and $34,781 for residents studying part-time (74 credits at $470.02 per credit all-in, with a flat rate above 9 credits per term). The program can generally be completed in about 3 years across 8 semesters full-time, or 4.7 years across 14 semesters part-time.

Full details are on the BSN-DNP Family Nurse Practitioner Concentration page.

BSN-DNP Curriculum

The 74-credit program runs 23 courses and splits roughly in half: a doctoral core covering evidence translation, systems leadership, policy, informatics, and statistics, and an FNP specialty sequence that carries the clinical preparation. Both halves run concurrently rather than sequentially, so DNP project work overlaps with the heaviest clinical semesters.

Population-partitioned specialty sequence. Rather than teaching primary care as one continuous block, UNCW divides it into four 4-credit courses: Advanced Family Nursing I (Adult Health), II (Infant, Child and Adolescent Health), III (Women’s Health), and IV (Management of Complex Health Problems Across the Lifespan). Each one pairs with a practicum taken alongside or immediately after it, so the population you are studying is the population you are seeing in clinic that term. This is a deliberate design choice, and it explains why the encounter minimums are itemized by age band rather than left to a single lifespan total.

Coursework that goes beyond the standard core. Two required courses stand out. NSG 682 Genomics for Advanced Practice Nursing is a full 3-credit requirement, where many FNP programs fold genomics into a pathophysiology unit or skip it. NSG 692 Health Care Information Systems and Technology is likewise a standalone requirement rather than a module. Both reflect the doctoral scope of the degree, and both add credits a master’s-level FNP program would not carry.

  • NSG 601 Pathophysiology for Advanced Practice Nurses (3)
  • NSG 602 Advanced Health Assessment and Diagnostic Reasoning (3)
  • NSG 603 Advanced Pharmacotherapeutics (3)
  • NSG 611 Family-Centered Health Care Across the Lifespan (3)
  • NSG 612, 613, 614, 615 Advanced Family Nursing I–IV (4 each)
  • NSG 682 Genomics for Advanced Practice Nursing (3)
  • NSG 692 Health Care Information Systems and Technology (3)
  • NSGL 650, 651, 652, 653 Advanced Family Nursing Practicum I–IV (3, 3, 3, 4)
  • NSGL 696, NSG 697, NSG 698 DNP Project I–III (3 each)

More curriculum details are available here, and both plans of study are posted on the Plans of Study page.

You Should Know
  • The published full-time plan of study lists Spring of the third year as 10 credits, but the three courses in that term add to 11. The 74-credit grand total is correct; the semester subtotal is not. Budget for an 11-credit final term.
  • The part-time plan spreads 74 credits over 14 semesters, including four summers. That is five consecutive calendar years of continuous enrollment with no full term off.
  • UNCW states plainly that it does not recommend working full-time during the program, and estimates 27 to 36 hours per week of coursework for a three-course term before clinical hours are added.

BSN-DNP Clinical Requirements

  • Four practicum courses: NSGL 650 (180 hours), NSGL 651 (180), NSGL 652 (180), NSGL 653 (240). Published patient contact hours total 780, at a uniform 60 hours per clinical credit across all 13 practicum credits.
  • The program states a total of 1,000 clinical hours, described as 750 direct patient care hours plus 250 non-patient-care hours tied to the DNP project.
  • Minimum documented patient encounters total 490 across 15 categories, verified through clinical logs and reviewed with faculty throughout training.
  • Encounter minimums by population: 130 pediatric and newborn, 150 adult under 65, 120 geriatric, 40 women’s health, 40 mental health, 10 men’s health.
  • Specific sub-requirements include 20 antepartum visits, 10 newborn exams for infants up to two weeks, and 20 gynecologic visits of which at least 10 must involve speculum and bimanual exams.
  • Preceptors may be an NP, CNM, physician, or PA, must hold current unrestricted North Carolina licensure and board certification, and must have at least one year of experience as a provider.
  • Placement is student-led. UNCW offers assistance but states it places importance on students securing their own sites, and encourages applicants to begin building relationships with primary care providers before the program starts.
  • Students may return to a previous preceptor with approval from the Graduate Clinical Coordinator.

At 780 published patient contact hours, UNCW sits well above the 500-hour national certification floor and above the 600 to 700 range common in FNP programs. But the hour count is the less demanding half of the requirement. The 490-encounter table is what actually shapes where you can train: a nurse precepting only in adult family practice cannot produce 20 antepartum visits, 10 newborn exams, or 10 speculum and bimanual exams. Meeting the table realistically requires rotating through at least three distinct settings, most likely a primary care practice, a pediatric or family site with well-child volume, and a women’s health or OB practice. Because UNCW expects you to arrange those sites yourself and requires every preceptor to practice in North Carolina, the practical question for any applicant is not whether 780 hours is achievable but whether the North Carolina sites within driving distance can collectively cover all 15 categories.

You Should Know
  • The four practicum courses publish 780 patient contact hours, while the program elsewhere states 750 direct patient care hours. The 30-hour gap is unreconciled in UNCW’s own materials. Plan to the higher figure.
  • The School of Nursing states that its previous and current curricula share the same patient contact hour requirements, but the previous curriculum used three practicum courses at 180 hours each, totaling 540. The current four-course sequence totals 780. Students admitted for fall 2025 and later follow the four-course version.
  • The 250 non-patient-care hours are attributed to DNP project work, but UNCW does not publish how they are distributed across NSGL 696, NSG 697, and NSG 698.
  • UNCW does not publish how many students are placed with faculty assistance versus how many secure sites entirely on their own, nor what happens if a student cannot find a qualifying site in time for a scheduled practicum.
  • Faculty site visit policy is not clearly stated.

BSN-DNP Admissions

Admission runs on a single annual cycle with a required recorded video component, and the review is explicitly holistic rather than score-driven.

  • BSN from a regionally accredited institution, completed no later than the spring before the fall start.
  • Cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher. A GPA as low as 2.75 is considered case by case.
  • Undergraduate coursework in community health, health and physical assessment, nursing research, and statistics.
  • Valid unrestricted North Carolina RN license or a compact state license, required to complete clinical hours in North Carolina.
  • Three professional references, submitted by recommenders through a survey in the application system.
  • Resume documenting 600 hours of RN work experience, plus a one-page clinical work history.
  • A professional video, maximum four minutes total, addressing four set prompts on the doctoral FNP role, professional motivation, care of diverse patients, and a past long-term goal.
  • Applications open around mid-September and close February 15. Decisions are released by April 1 or May 1 depending on concentration.
  • International applicants must show evidence of professional standing in their home country. This does not apply to U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents.
You Should Know
  • The 600-hour RN experience requirement is described two ways. The admissions page asks all applicants to document it on the resume before beginning clinical courses; the program FAQ frames it as applying to recent graduate applicants who must complete it before starting clinical rotations. Either reading allows a new graduate to be admitted and accrue the hours during the didactic year, which is more permissive than programs requiring one to two years of experience at application.
  • The four-minute video cap is strictly enforced. UNCW states that content beyond four minutes will not be viewed, and four prompts must be addressed within it.
  • The catalog notes that an interview, video, or personal statement may be required per the application, while the FAQ confirms the video is required for FNP applicants. Treat the video as mandatory.
  • UNCW states that its licensure programs meet North Carolina requirements and directs prospective students to its State Authorization page for any other state. Combined with the North Carolina preceptor rule and the compact license requirement, this program is built around practicing in North Carolina.
  • Application deadlines shift year to year. February 15 is the published BSN-DNP close date for the annual cycle; confirm the current date before the September opening.

Tuition

UNCW bills the DNP by the credit hour. Tuition is $435.34 per credit for North Carolina residents and $1,411.01 per credit for non-residents. Both figures are derived by adding the two published components in UNCW’s rate table: base graduate tuition of $320.17 resident or $1,295.84 non-resident, plus DNP differential tuition of $115.17, which is charged identically regardless of residency.

UNCW publishes the full fee stack rather than a single blended rate, so the all-in per-credit cost can be reconstructed exactly:

ComponentResidentNon-Resident
Base graduate tuition$320.17$1,295.84
DNP differential tuition$115.17$115.17
Education & Technology fee$31.28$31.28
Security fee$3.34$3.34
Associated Student Government fee$0.06$0.06
Total per credit$470.02$1,445.69

Fees stop scaling at 9 credit hours. A term of 9 or more credits is billed at a flat $4,230.00 for residents and $13,011.00 for non-residents, which is exactly the 9-credit amount, so every credit above 9 in a term carries no charge. The full-time plan of study schedules three terms above that line, at 10, 10, and 11 credits, meaning 69 of the 74 credits are actually billed. The part-time plan never exceeds 7 credits in a term, so part-time students pay for all 74.

Confirmed costs:

  • Resident, full-time: $32,430.12 across 8 semesters
  • Resident, part-time: $34,781.48 across 14 semesters
  • Non-resident, full-time: $99,751.14 across 8 semesters
  • Non-resident, part-time: $106,981.06 across 14 semesters
  • Per-credit rates and fee components are published for 2026-2027 and reconcile exactly against UNCW’s own 1-credit totals

Be aware that:

  • Program totals are derived, not published. UNCW publishes per-credit rates and a plan of study but no total program cost. The four figures above are calculated by applying the published rate schedule to each semester’s credit load, with the flat rate applied where the load reaches 9.
  • The FAQ’s cost figure is badly out of date. The DNP FAQ, dated January 2021, states in-state BSN students pay around $18,000. Current published rates put the resident full-time figure near $32,400, roughly 1.8 times that estimate. Use the rate table, not the FAQ.
  • Summer rates are not yet published. UNCW lists summer 2027 rates as available in March 2027. The full-time plan includes two summers and the part-time plan four, so those terms are estimated here at the fall and spring rates and may differ.
  • Part-time study costs more, not less. Because the flat rate only applies at 9 credits and up, the part-time route pays $2,351 more in resident tuition than the full-time route for the identical 74 credits. Non-residents pay roughly $7,230 more.
  • Differential tuition is residency-blind. The $115.17 DNP premium is charged to residents and non-residents alike, so it represents 26 percent of a resident’s per-credit tuition but only 8 percent of a non-resident’s.
  • Several real costs sit outside these figures. Rates are subject to change pending legislative approval, and the totals exclude books, background checks, immunization and health clearance, liability coverage, certification exam fees, and travel to on-campus intensives and to clinical sites, which can be substantial given the geographic spread required to meet the encounter table.

For a North Carolina resident, this is one of the more accessible routes to a doctorate in advanced practice, and the residency-blind differential means the resident rate stays low in absolute terms. For a non-resident, the picture reverses sharply: the same degree costs roughly three times as much, and because preceptors must practice in North Carolina, the out-of-state student pays the higher rate while also carrying the travel burden. Current rates are on UNCW’s Graduate Tuition page.

Why Choose This FNP Program?

Best suited for North Carolina nurses who want a doctorate rather than a master’s, who already have working relationships with primary care providers across several specialties, and who value knowing the clinical requirement in detail before they commit.

Transparency about what clinical training will actually demand. Most FNP programs publish an hour count and leave the rest to be discovered after enrollment. UNCW publishes the full encounter table on a public page, itemized to the level of speculum exams and newborn visits, along with per-course hour requirements and complete preceptor qualifications. That level of disclosure is unusual and genuinely useful: it lets you map your own available sites against the requirement before you apply rather than after you have paid for two years of coursework.

Cost that works for residents and works against everyone else. At roughly $32,400 all-in for a full-time resident, the BSN-DNP works out to about $438 per credit for a terminal practice degree, and the flat rate above 9 credits rewards full-time study specifically. Out-of-state applicants face a very different calculation, and the North Carolina preceptor requirement means the cost premium is not offset by the flexibility online delivery usually implies.

The honest trade-off is placement. UNCW is direct that it expects students to find their own clinical sites, and it pairs that expectation with an encounter requirement itemized across 15 separate categories. Those two facts pull against each other. A nurse with a decade in a multi-specialty system and standing relationships with an OB practice and a pediatric clinic is well positioned. A nurse relocating to North Carolina, or working in a narrow specialty, should treat site availability as the deciding question rather than a detail to sort out later.

Accreditation

The Doctor of Nursing Practice program at the University of North Carolina Wilmington is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, 655 K Street NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20001. CCNE accreditation covers the DNP as a whole, which includes the Family Nurse Practitioner concentration alongside the Psychiatric Mental Health NP and Adult-Gerontology Primary Care NP concentrations and the post-master’s pathways. UNCW’s baccalaureate and master’s nursing programs carry the same accreditation.

CCNE accreditation is what employers, state boards, and certification bodies look for, and it is also what drives several of the program’s administrative requirements. UNCW’s preceptor documentation rules, including the requirement that preceptors submit a current CV listing the clinical site, are described on its own preceptor page as necessary for CCNE accreditation.

At the institutional level, UNCW is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. Institutional accreditation is what makes federal financial aid available and what allows credits to transfer to other institutions, and it is a separate review from the nursing-specific one.

Graduates of the BSN-DNP Family Nurse Practitioner concentration are eligible to sit for the national FNP certification exam through either the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners or the American Nurses Credentialing Center. UNCW states that graduates are then positioned to seek approval to practice as an FNP in North Carolina or in another state of their choosing.

More FNP Programs in North Carolina