Valparaiso University FNP Programs

College of Nursing and Health Professions • Valparaiso, IN • Mostly Online • $715/credit

Valparaiso University offers a BSN-DNP Family Nurse Practitioner track.

Program Tracks Overview

ProgramEst. TuitionEst. DurationCredit Hours
BSN-DNP$50.1K3 years (6–9 semesters)70

Tuition estimates use Valpo’s published $715/credit Doctor of Nursing Practice rate across the 70-credit catalog program.

Valpo gives procedural skills their own course. NUR 610, Procedural Techniques for Advanced Nursing Practice, is a full 3-credit course, and the first of only two campus visits is built around it. The rest of the 70-credit doctorate is asynchronous online, with 1,000 published clinical hours.

The trade-off is limited transparency. Valpo does not publish how many of those hours are direct patient care, who arranges clinical sites, or the graduate lab fee amount. There is also no MSN exit: the FNP is offered only as a doctorate.

Quick Facts

FeatureDetails
Program TypesBSN-DNP with a Family Nurse Practitioner major
FormatMostly Online: asynchronous coursework plus two campus intensives
Clinical Hours1,000 (published); direct patient-care share not stated
Clinical PlacementNot clearly stated
PopulationFamily/individual across the lifespan
Distinctive Coursework3-credit procedural techniques course; business and legal aspects of advanced practice
ConcentrationsNone
RN License RequirementsUnencumbered RN license in the clinical state before any clinical course
Tuition$715/credit; no application fee
AccreditationCCNE (DNP), through December 31, 2030
Admission CycleRolling review; non-refundable seat deposit

BSN to DNP, Family Nurse Practitioner

The estimated tuition for the Doctor of Nursing Practice (BSN to DNP) at Valparaiso University is approximately $50,050 (70 credits at $715/credit). The program can generally be completed in about 3 years, per Valpo’s published figure.

BSN-DNP Curriculum

Structure. The 70 credits fall into three blocks. Advanced practice foundations come first, then a four-course clinical spine (NUR 722, 732, 742, 752) paired with common and complex condition management. The program ends with a three-part DNP project (development, implementation, evaluation), with a 3-credit continuation course if needed.

What stands out. NUR 610 gives procedures a dedicated 3-credit course rather than folding them into assessment. Valpo ties it to an on-campus simulated patient and procedures workshop taken alongside Advanced Health Assessment. A separate course on business and legal aspects of advanced practice suits nurses who expect to run or join a private practice.

Doctoral load. Sixteen credits (about 23%) cover quality, safety, ethics, systems leadership, business, and implementation science. That is typical of a DNP, but it is coursework an MSN-prepared FNP would not take.

  • NUR 502 Pathophysiology for Advanced Practice Nursing (3)
  • NUR 605 Advanced Health Assessment (3)
  • NUR 610 Procedural Techniques for Advanced Nursing Practice (3)
  • NUR 731 Managing Common Health Conditions (3)
  • NUR 741 Managing Complex Health Conditions (3)
  • NUR 722, 732, 742, 752 Application of the APRN Role I–IV (2 each)
  • NUR 713 Business and Legal Aspects of Advanced Practice Nursing (3)
  • NUR 771 Improvement and Implementation Science for the APRN (3)
  • NUR 799A–C DNP Project: Development, Implementation, Evaluation (11 total)

More curriculum details are available here.

You Should Know
  • Valpo’s program page lists an older course set that sums to 76 credits (79 with the continuation course), not 70. It includes Family Theories, Middle Range Theories, and different credit values for several courses. The catalog list sums to exactly 70 and is used here.
  • NUR 799D (3 credits) is required only if the DNP project is not finished on schedule. It raises the program to 73 credits.
  • Students who receive two grades below B-, or a grade below B- in NUR 771, cannot start the DNP project series until the issue is resolved.

BSN-DNP Clinical Requirements

  • 1,000 clinical hours (published on Valpo’s BSN to DNP page)
  • Per-course hours are not published
  • Clinical courses: NUR 605, 722, 732, 742, 752, and the 799 project series
  • Campus intensive 1: simulated patient experience during NUR 605 and NUR 610
  • Campus intensive 2: poster and oral presentation at program completion
  • Clinical clearance: license, health insurance, CPR, TB test, immunizations, background check, and drug screen, uploaded to a purchased tracker and renewed annually
  • University-provided professional liability insurance required from NUR 605 onward

At 1,000 hours, Valpo’s published total sits well above the 500-hour certification floor and the 600 to 700 hours common among FNP programs. The number needs context. The four role-application courses carry only 8 credits, which works out to 125 hours per credit if all 1,000 hours sat there. That is unusually high, so the total likely includes project or lab hours. Ask Valpo for the direct patient-care figure before comparing it with other programs.

You Should Know
  • Valpo does not state whether it arranges preceptors or students find their own. Ask before applying, especially if you live outside northwest Indiana.
  • Clinical sites set their own vaccine rules, including COVID-19. A university exemption does not carry over, and Valpo warns there may not be enough exempt-friendly sites to finish the program.

BSN-DNP Admissions

Admission is rolling, the application is free, and no RN experience minimum is published.

  • BSN from a regionally accredited institution
  • Cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher
  • Unencumbered RN license, or eligibility, in the state where clinicals will occur; licensure required before any clinical course
  • Two-page statement of purpose tied to FNP career goals
  • CV or resume describing current and past clinical practice
  • Copies of all RN licenses
  • Recommendation letters (count varies by source; see below)
  • Non-refundable seat deposit, applied to first-semester tuition
You Should Know
  • Recommendation requirements conflict. The program page asks for two letters from professors or employers. The catalog asks for three from clinical peers or supervisors, or two for Valpo alumni.
  • The program page requires an active RN license. The catalog accepts licensure eligibility, with the license due before the first clinical course.
  • Students may start on conditional status for up to two semesters. Clinical courses require unconditional admission.
  • No more than 9 transfer credits apply to the program.
  • Valpo’s December 2025 licensure disclosure says the DNP meets nurse practitioner educational requirements in all 50 states and D.C. It does not meet them in Puerto Rico.
  • The seat deposit amount is not published.

Tuition

Valparaiso University charges $715 per credit for the Doctor of Nursing Practice (published). The same rate applies to all students, with no residency differential.

ItemAmount
Tuition, 70 credits × $715$50,050
Graduate general fee, 6–9 terms (derived)$390–$1,305
Estimated total (derived)$50,440–$51,355
With NUR 799D (73 credits)$52,585–$53,500

Confirmed costs:

  • $715 per credit for the DNP, 2026-27 graduate rate
  • No application fee
  • Graduate general fee, 2026-27: $65 per semester for online programs, $145 part-time, $293 full-time (9+ credits)
  • Nursing lab fee on NUR 605, NUR 752, and the NUR 799 series
  • University-provided liability insurance and a clinical clearance tracker

Be aware that:

  • Valpo does not publish the graduate nursing lab fee. Its fee page lists the 2025-26 nursing lab fee as “TBD.”
  • Valpo does not say whether the DNP bills at the $65 online rate or the $145 part-time rate. The fee range above covers both.
  • The semester count is not published. The 6–9 range assumes 3 years with or without summer terms.
  • The liability insurance, tracker, and seat deposit amounts are not published.
  • Travel for two campus intensives is extra.
  • Merit scholarships and the Back to Valpo Scholarship for Valpo alumni can lower the cost. Amounts are not published.

Expect roughly $51,000 to $54,000 all-in, depending on fee classification and whether the project runs long. Fees add little; the variable that matters most is the 3-credit continuation course, which adds $2,145. Valpo alumni should apply for the Back to Valpo Scholarship before committing.

Official rates: Valparaiso University Graduate Tuition

Why Choose This FNP Program?

Valpo fits BSN nurses who want the doctorate from day one, hands-on procedural training, and coursework they can do on their own schedule.

Procedures as a core skill. A dedicated 3-credit procedures course and an in-person procedures workshop give students more structured hands-on practice than an assessment course alone. That matters for nurses headed to urgent care, occupational health, or practices that do in-office procedures.

Low travel, flexible pace. Coursework is fully asynchronous, and the BSN-DNP requires two campus trips in three years. Small classes and one-on-one faculty advising come with that format. Valpo reports a 100% nurse practitioner exam pass rate.

How it compares with Indiana University. Indiana University also offers FNP preparation only as a BSN-DNP. Valpo’s rate is $20 lower per credit ($715 vs. $735) but its program runs 4 credits longer (70 vs. 66). IU publishes 750 direct patient-care hours and outcome rates; Valpo publishes a 1,000-hour total without that split. Valpo’s two campus trips are defined, while IU’s Indianapolis lab schedule is not published. Choose Valpo for asynchronous study and procedures training. Choose IU if published clinical and outcome detail matters more.

Accreditation

The Doctor of Nursing Practice program at Valparaiso University is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). This covers the BSN-DNP with its Family Nurse Practitioner major.

CCNE first accredited the DNP on February 24, 2010. The current term runs through December 31, 2030, with the next on-site evaluation scheduled for spring 2030.

Valparaiso University is institutionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Institutional accreditation supports federal financial aid eligibility and the transfer of credits.

Graduates of a CCNE-accredited FNP program meet the educational requirement to sit for the national FNP certification exam (AANP or ANCC).

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