Updated
NP School Requirements: RN License, GPA and Experience (2026)
Nurse practitioner programs ask for a BSN, an unencumbered RN license, a GPA of about 3.0 and usually a statistics course. Acute care tracks add a minimum of acute or critical care experience, often 1 year, while family NP tracks often set none. Most programs, like Penn, no longer require the GRE.
Below is what every MSN and DNP program shares, how experience rules split by specialty, a table of ten programs from their own admissions pages, our counts across them, and a checklist. Everything was read November 3, 2026.
What does every NP program ask for?
- A BSN from an accredited program (Duke and Johns Hopkins name ACEN or CCNE).
- An unencumbered RN license, often in the state where you will practice or do clinicals.
- A GPA of about 3.0, statistics, three references, a personal statement and a resume.
- Often an interview, live or recorded.
Check that a program is accredited before you apply, using AACN's CCNE directory. AACN says 452 schools are enrolling DNP students. Not a nurse yet? Some schools run direct-entry master's programs for non-nurses, such as Columbia's 15-month Masters Direct Entry program, which prepares you to enter nursing as a master's-prepared RN, the first step before an NP program.
How much RN experience do you need for NP school?
The specialty decides it. In our table, 5 of 10 programs name a minimum for their acute care track, from 6 months at Rush to 12 months full-time at Duke. Family NP tracks are looser. Rush prefers RN experience for its FNP but sets no length, and Michigan suggests shadowing if you have little or none.
| Track | Experience rule |
|---|---|
| Family (FNP) | Experience rule: Usually no set minimum. Rush prefers RN experience, Michigan suggests shadowing if you have little, and Frontier asks 1 year of any RN work. |
| Adult-gerontology acute care (AGACNP) | Experience rule: Usually a minimum: 6 months at Rush, 1 year at Johns Hopkins, Columbia and Ohio State, 12 months full-time at Duke, in acute or critical care. |
| Psychiatric mental health (PMHNP) | Experience rule: Programs vary. Duke recommends the ANCC psychiatric nurse generalist certification before you apply. |
Timing matters too. Duke counts experience by its priority deadline, while Columbia counts it by the June start. If you are close, apply to programs that count to the start date.
What GPA and prerequisites do NP programs want?
Usually a 3.0, with some room. Ohio State lets you apply under 3.0, Frontier takes 2.80 to 2.99 with a supporting statement, UAB reads your last 60 hours, and Columbia sets no minimum at all. Our NursingCAS GPA calculator works out the cumulative GPA most programs see.
Statistics is the one common prerequisite. Duke wants 3 credits with a C or better, Johns Hopkins a B or better (a B- is not accepted), and UAB lets you finish it before you start. Frontier no longer requires it, and Yale only recommends it.
Do NP programs require the GRE?
Rarely. In our table, 6 programs say they do not require it, 2 ask for it only below a GPA, and none require it from everyone. UAB wants a GRE of 297 (or a GMAT of 480) if your GPA is under 3.2, and Yale wants one if your GPA is under 3.0.
NP school requirements at ten programs
Each row comes from the program's own admissions page, read November 3, 2026. Rules can differ by track, so open the page for your specialty before you apply.
| Program | GPA | RN experience | GRE | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duke (MSN) | GPA: 3.0 preferred | RN experience: Acute care: 12 months full-time acute care by the priority deadline | GRE: Not required | Statistics: 3 credits, C or better |
| Penn (MSN) | GPA: 3.0 in the BSN | RN experience: Not listed | GRE: Not required | Statistics: Required |
| Columbia (DNP) | GPA: No minimum | RN experience: Acute care: 1 year in an acute setting by the June start | GRE: Not required | Statistics: Refresher advised if over 5 years old |
| Johns Hopkins (DNP) | GPA: 3.0 | RN experience: Acute care: 1 year full-time with unstable adults | GRE: Accepted, not required | Statistics: B or better (B- not accepted) |
| Ohio State (MSN) | GPA: 3.0, lower may still apply | RN experience: Acute care: 1 year full-time adult acute care | GRE: Not listed | Statistics: Not listed |
| UAB (MSN) | GPA: 3.0 cumulative or last 60 hours | RN experience: Not listed | GRE: Under a 3.2 GPA: GRE 297 or GMAT 480 | Statistics: Descriptive statistics before you start |
| Rush (DNP) | GPA: 3.0 | RN experience: Acute care: 6 months recent acute or critical care. FNP: preferred, no set length | GRE: Not required | Statistics: Not listed |
| Michigan (MSN) | GPA: 3.0 in nursing degree credits | RN experience: None set (shadow if you have little) | GRE: Not required | Statistics: Not listed |
| Frontier (MSN) | GPA: 3.0 (2.80 to 2.99 with a statement) | RN experience: 1 year as an RN | GRE: Not listed | Statistics: No longer required |
| Yale (MSN) | GPA: 3.0, or a GRE | RN experience: 1 year highly recommended | GRE: Only if your GPA is under 3.0 | Statistics: Recommended, not required |
References, essays and interviews
Expect three references. Duke wants three professional recommendations on your academic ability, competence and character, and Rush wants them from people in leadership roles, not friends, relatives or co-workers. Programs also ask for a personal statement, and our NP personal statement guide has programs' own prompts.
Interviews are increasingly recorded. Michigan and Yale use a one-way Kira video assessment, and Ohio State uses HireVue before the deadline. Johns Hopkins and Rush hold faculty interviews, and Penn interviews applicants who qualify for that step. Our one-way video interview tips cover the recorded format, and our NP interview questions cover what gets asked.
Clinical hours, and MSN vs DNP
Under the 2022 national NP education standards, each population-focused track includes at least 750 direct patient care clinical hours, and simulation does not count toward them. By our math that is about 63 twelve-hour clinical days, or 47 weeks at two 8-hour days a week. Johns Hopkins's DNP requires at least 1,000 practice hours. After you graduate comes national certification in your population focus, which AANP lists as part of becoming an NP.
Should you choose an MSN or a DNP?
AACN says the DNP builds on the master's with evidence-based practice, quality improvement and systems leadership, and that post-baccalaureate DNP programs were offered at 322 schools in 2025. Admission asks for the same kinds of things: the three DNP programs in our table (Columbia, Johns Hopkins, Rush) want a license, track experience for acute care and references, like the MSN programs.
Checklist before you apply
We wrote these from the program pages above.
- Hold an unencumbered RN license, or know the date you must have it. Ohio State lets you apply before you are licensed but needs the license by August 9.
- Check the license state. Duke and UAB want a license where you will practice or do clinicals.
- Match your experience to the track. Acute care tracks count only acute or critical care time.
- Take statistics if a program needs it, with the grade it asks for (a C at Duke, a B at Johns Hopkins).
- Read each program's GRE rule. Most dropped it, but UAB and Yale still ask below a GPA.
- Line up three references in leadership roles. Rush will not accept friends, relatives or co-workers.
- Prepare for a recorded video interview. Michigan and Yale use Kira, and Ohio State uses HireVue.
Practice the question every NP program asks
Programs want to hear why you are leaving the bedside role for this one, and why this specialty. Try it out loud, then work through the rest of our NP interview questions.
“Why do you want to become a nurse practitioner, and why this specialty?”
Every NP program asks some version of this. Tie it to patients you have cared for as an RN and to what the NP role lets you do that your current role does not.
Example answer written by Confetto (the applicant is invented)
I have worked four years on a cardiac step-down unit. Over and over I discharge patients who come back within a month because nobody followed up on their medications or their blood pressure once they went home.
As an FNP I want to be the clinician who sees them in the weeks after, adjusts the plan and catches the problem before it becomes a readmission. Your program's rural clinic rotations are why I applied, because my hometown has one primary care office for the whole county.
Sources: the NTF 2022 standards, AACN, AANP and each program's admissions page, linked throughout. All checked November 3, 2026. Requirements differ by track and change each cycle, so confirm on the program's site.
Frequently asked questions
What are the requirements for nurse practitioner school?
Most MSN and DNP programs ask for a BSN, an unencumbered RN license, a GPA of about 3.0, a statistics course, references and a personal statement, and many add an interview. Acute care tracks also require RN experience in acute or critical care. See Duke's MSN admission requirements.
How many years of RN experience do you need for NP school?
It depends on the track. Family NP tracks often set no minimum, though some prefer experience. Adult-gerontology acute care tracks usually want 6 months to 1 year of acute or critical care: 6 months at Rush, 1 year at Johns Hopkins, Columbia and Ohio State. See Rush's acute care NP requirements.
What GPA do you need for NP school?
Usually 3.0. Some programs give room below it: Ohio State lets you apply under 3.0, Frontier takes 2.80 to 2.99 with a statement, and Yale takes a GRE in place of the 3.0. Columbia sets no minimum at all. See Frontier's MSN admission criteria.
Do NP programs require the GRE?
Rarely now. Of the 10 programs in our table, 6 say they do not require it and 2 ask for it only below a GPA (UAB under 3.2, Yale under 3.0). None require it from everyone. See Penn's GRE policy.
How many clinical hours are in an NP program?
At least 750 direct patient care hours per population-focused track under the 2022 national NP education standards, and simulation does not count toward them. Johns Hopkins's DNP requires at least 1,000 practice hours. Read the NTF 2022 standards.
Can you apply to NP school before you have your RN license?
At some programs. Ohio State lets you apply before you are licensed but needs a current, unencumbered RN license by August 9. Others, like Duke, want the license when you apply, in the state where you plan to practice. See Ohio State's MSN requirements.