Nursing

DNP Program Admissions

The following admission requirements apply to all Doctor of Nursing Practice programs, except Nurse Anesthesia. For admission requirements and instructions on how to apply for the Nurse Anesthesia program, visit the Nurse Anesthesia Admissions page.

Deadlines

UC College of Nursing uses a rolling admissions process and closes the application window when the program reaches capacity. Individuals who submit their application by the priority deadline have the best chance of acceptance.

Part 1 deadlines reflect the date when all NursingCAS application materials, except transcripts and references, must be submitted. Transcripts and references are due a month after the posted part 1 deadline. More details are provided in the Apply to UC section of this page.

Doctor of Nursing Practice Deadlines by Semester Start
  Spring '25 Summer '25 Fall '25
BSN to DNP
N/A N/A

June 1 (Submission deadline)

July 1 (Verification deadline)

Post-Master's DNP

Oct. 15 (Submission deadline)

Nov. 15 (Verification deadline)

N/A

June 1 (Submission deadline)

July 1 (Verification deadline)

Nurse Anesthesia Nov. 1 (Priority)
Dec. 1 (Final)
N/A N/A

Online Programs: Adult-Gerontology Primary Care, Family Nurse Practitioner, Occupational Health Nursing, Psychiatric-Mental Health, Public Health Nursing, Systems Leadership, Post-MSN DNP

Hybrid Programs: Adult-Gerontology Acute Care*, Pediatric Acute Care*

On-campus Program: Nurse Anesthesia

*These programs are limited to residents of Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana and include on-campus requirements. See program pages for details and frequency.

State Restrictions

Online and Hybrid Programs

Because of individual state regulations, the college cannot accept applications for online or hybrid DNP programs from individuals who plan to live in the following states while a student. (These restrictions do not apply to the college's on-site programs.)

  • Arizona
  • Louisiana
  • Massachusetts
  • New York
  • Oregon
  • Rhode Island
  • Tennessee
  • Washington

State-Specific Requirements

Kansas: Effective March 1, 2025, the Kansas State Board of Nursing made a change to their licensure education requirements for Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs). Additional information can be found on the organization's website

  • Applicants who are admitted to an APRN program that leads to licensure will be provided a revised plan to include an additional variable credit course (NURS8098: Clinical Elective) to complete the difference in clinical hours required by the University of Cincinnati and the Kansas State Board of Nursing (if applicable). The number of credit hours for this course will vary based on the number of clinical hours needed to meet licensure education requirements. Further guidance, including an individualized plan of study, will be provided for admitted students.

  • This change doesn't apply to non-APRN specialties: Systems Leadership, Public Health Nursing, Occupational Health Nursing and Nursing Education.

Washington: The University of Cincinnati is approved by the Washington State Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission to provide practice experiences in the state of Washington for the following programs:

  • Adult-Gerontology Primary Care
  • Family Nurse Practitioner
  • Nurse Midwifery
  • Systems Leadership
  • Women's Health

Admission Requirements

For all DNP programs, except Nurse Anesthesia, the following admission requirements apply. For requirements specific to the Nurse Anesthesia program, visit Nurse Anesthesia Admissions.

  • Current, active, unrestricted RN license
  • A Bachelor of Science in Nursing from an ACEN (formerly NLNAC) or CCNE accredited school of nursing
  • For Post-MSN DNP applicants only: an MSN or MS in Nursing from an ACEN or CCNE accredited school of nursing
  • For most programs, at least one year of RN experience at the time of application submission
  • Recommended BSN GPA of 3.25 or higher
  • Science GPA of 3.0 or higher on 4.0 scale (not required for Nursing Administration applicants)
  • Statistics course with a 2.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale
  • GRE scores (optional):
    • 150 or higher for Verbal Reasoning preferred
    • 150 or higher on Quantitative Reasoning preferred
    • 4.0 or higher on Writing preferred

Final admission decisions are based on the applicant's experience, references, test scores (if applicable), GPA and the recommendation of the interviewers. Applicants who do not meet all of the requirements, but whose credentials reveal potential ability for doctoral-level study, are reviewed on an individual basis.

Apply to UC

The college’s DNP application includes four parts: 1. a NursingCAS application, 2. transcripts and recommendations submission, 3. a UC Graduate School application, and 4. an interview. If you have questions throughout the process, contact our Office of Student Recruitment at 513-558-8400 or nursingbearcats@uc.edu.

Part 1: NursingCAS Application

All application materials, including transcripts, must be submitted to NursingCAS, not the University of Cincinnati. The NursingCAS application includes instructions for ordering electronic transcripts for submission, which most institutions allow. If your institution does not allow this, request the issuing institution mail your transcripts directly to NursingCAS, P.O. Box 9201, Watertown, MA 02471. Materials must be received by the posted deadline.

Enter the following information:

  • Resume or CV
  • State verification of a current, active, unrestricted Registered Nurse (RN) licensure with no disciplinary action
  • Personal statement
  • Completed coursework from your previous institution
    • Enter your courses, or use the Professional Transcript Entry (PTE) service (recommended for applicants applying close to the deadline). More information is included below under Coursework Entry.

The NursingCAS application includes an $80 processing fee. (This does not include the PTE fee, if applicable.)

More Details

Send all transcripts to NursingCAS. Do not send to the University of Cincinnati. For instructions, visit NursingCAS Transcript Assistance.

  • We strongly recommended you order transcripts at least one month prior to the application deadline.
  • Transcripts must verify a Bachelor of Science in Nursing conferred from a regionally and ACEN (formerly NLNAC) or CCNE accredited institution.
  • The Transcript Matching Form in the NursingCAS application is not required. This form helps ensure transcripts are matched to the correct application. If your previous institution allows you to use the form, we encourage you to do so.
  • List any former names in the "Biographic Information" portion of your NursingCAS application to ensure your transcript uploads properly.
  • International transcripts must be evaluated by World Education Services (WES) (preferred), or another NACES member.
  • You may use an official or unofficial transcript to complete your coursework entry in the NursingCAS system. You must enter all courses from every higher education institution attended.
  • Professional Transcript Entry (PTE) is an optional, paid service whereby a NursingCAS specialist enters coursework on an applicant's behalf.
    • PTE will not begin until all transcripts are received.
    • After PTE is complete, applicants receive an email prompting them to log in and approve the entry. The application verification process will not begin without approval of transcript entry.
  • Upload English Proficiency Scores to your NursingCAS application. Do not send scores to the University of Cincinnati. (This requirement is waived, if you have a U.S. higher education degree or were born in a country where English is the first language.)
    • TOEFL
      • Internet-based TOEFL – 100 or higher
      • Computer-based TOEFL – 250 or higher
      • Paper-based TOEFL – 600-603
    • IELTS – 7.0 overall minimum
    • Duolingo - 120 or higher

International applicants are responsible for ensuring that their visa status meets program requirements and that online course requirements adhere to sponsored funding requirements. For additional information, visit the UC Graduate School International Student Admissions website.

Please note: Our Adult-Gerontology Acute Care DNP program does not provide enough on-campus courses to support an F-1 visa. For more information, contact UC International Services. The College of Nursing cannot advise on international student matters.

How to submit your IELTS Test Scores through NursingCAS

The University of Cincinnati is registered to receive IELTS scores electronically through NursingCAS. We do not accept unofficial copies of IELTS Test Report Forms from applicants. An institution code is not required.

IELTS Taken in a Test Center

Inform your IELTS test center that you wish to send your results to us. You can do this during the test booking process by selecting NursingCAS or asking your test center to select NursingCAS after you receive your results. IELTS results are sent to us electronically. If you take your IELTS test in the USA and want to send your result to us after your test date, submit this online form.

If your test center has closed, you can submit a request to send your IELTS to additional organizations by filling out the Application for Additional TRFs (from Closed Test Centers) Form. This service is available for up to two years after your test date.

IELTS Online

Send your results to NursingCAS using the IELTS test-taker portal. You can send your IELTS results to as many organizations as you wish with no additional fee. IELTS Online results are provided in an electronic format.

Part 2: Transcripts & Recommendations

Submit the following information in NursingCAS:

  • Official transcripts from all schools previously attended, including community colleges and two- and four-year colleges and universities (High school transcripts are not required.)
  • Contact information for a minimum of three individuals who will provide recommendations
  • English proficiency scores (required for some international applicants)

Part 3: UC Graduate School Application

Once your NursingCAS application reaches verified status, you will receive an email with a link to apply to the UC Graduate School. This application includes a separate $65 submission fee ($70 for international applicants).

Part 4: Interview

If selected to move forward in the admission process, you will receive an invitation to a web-based interview, facilitated through Kira Talent, an online interview service. The process includes a series of prompts to which you will respond via recorded video and written uploads.

Requirements upon Acceptance

  • $500 non-refundable matriculation fee submitted within 15 business days of the release of the applicant's acceptance letter
  • Current immunizations (required the semester before clinicals begin; applies to all students)
  • Computer with Internet access
  • Admitted students are expected to network within their community to secure acceptable preceptors and clinical sites. Considering clinical activity in additional states where the University of Cincinnati is authorized offers more opportunities to secure acceptable preceptors and clinical sites. 
  • Admitted students must hold a current, active, unrestricted Registered Nurse (RN) licensure with no disciplinary action. If admitting program requires clinical experiences (practica and internships), RN licensure must be in the state where clinical experiences are completed.
  • Admitted students who plan on changing their state of residency must notify their faculty advisors immediately via email, to ensure that the University of Cincinnati holds state authorization in the destination state and clinical experiences are not affected by the move. Students agree to make appropriate and timely updates to their address information in Catalyst (University of Cincinnati’s student information system), as soon as a decision to relocate is made.

Federal regulations require the University of Cincinnati to publicly disclose whether completion of certain programs that lead or may lead to professional licensure or certification would meet a given state’s educational requirements for a specific professional license or certification required for employment in an occupation (regardless of whether the program is on-ground, online, or hybrid).   To learn whether a University program meets a given state’s educational requirements, please visit the University of Cincinnati State Authorization webpage.