Mercer University Nurse Practitioner Programs

Mercer University’s Georgia Baptist College of Nursing in Atlanta offers four nurse practitioner population focuses: family (FNP), psychiatric-mental health (PMHNP), adult-gerontology primary care (AGPCNP), and adult-gerontology acute care (AGACNP). Every specialty is available as an MSN, a BSN to DNP, and a post-graduate certificate, and the post-master’s DNP can add PMHNP or AGACNP.

Mercer is a private university, but its flat-rate tuition narrows the gap with public schools for full-time students. Three policies shape the decision more than any single specialty detail:

• Flat-rate pricing rewards full-time study. For 2026–27, MSN students taking 9 or more credits pay $10,795 per semester, and DNP students pay a flat $7,983 per semester.
• No experience minimum for the BSN to DNP. The doctorate admits new BSN graduates, while the MSN requires a year of RN experience.
• Faculty oversee every placement. Students are encouraged to suggest preceptors, but faculty manage and approve all clinical placements.

Quick facts

Category	Information
Nursing School	Georgia Baptist College of Nursing
Location	Atlanta, GA
NP Specialties	FNP, PMHNP, AGPCNP, AGACNP
Degree Options	MSN, BSN to DNP, and post-graduate certificate (all four); post-master’s DNP adding PMHNP or AGACNP
Format	Hybrid: online and synchronous classes with in-person learning in Atlanta
Clinical Placement	Faculty oversee all placements; students may suggest preceptors
Entry Points	BSN (MSN, DNP); certified APRN (certificates, post-master’s DNP)
Minimum GPA	3.0 (MSN); 3.2 (BSN to DNP)
RN License	Unencumbered Georgia RN license
Tuition	$1,199 per credit or $10,795 flat per semester (MSN); $7,983 flat per semester (DNP), 2026–27
Accreditation	CCNE; reaccreditation review October 5–7, 2026

Comparing Mercer’s NP programs

The MSN takes four semesters full-time or seven part-time, with 780 clinical hours in every track. The BSN to DNP takes eight full-time semesters and adds a 240-hour immersion, for 1,020 practice hours.

Pathway	Credits	Clinical hours	Entry
Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP)
MSN	48	780	BSN and a year of RN experience
BSN to DNP	76	1,020	BSN; fall start
Post-graduate certificate	25	780	Certified APRN
Psychiatric-Mental Health (PMHNP)
MSN	49	780	BSN and a year of RN experience
BSN to DNP	77	1,020	BSN; fall start
Post-master’s DNP	58	960	Certified APRN; fall start
Post-graduate certificate	26	780	Certified APRN
Adult-Gerontology Primary Care (AGPCNP)
MSN	45	780	BSN and a year of RN experience
BSN to DNP	73	1,020	BSN; fall start
Post-graduate certificate	22	780	Certified APRN
Adult-Gerontology Acute Care (AGACNP)
MSN	49	780	BSN and a year of RN experience
BSN to DNP	77	1,020	BSN; fall start
Post-master’s DNP	58	780	Certified APRN; Georgia license; fall start
Post-graduate certificate	26	780	Certified APRN

Figures come from Mercer’s program and curriculum-plan pages. Mercer has a second, older certificate page listing only FNP, AGACNP, and AGPCNP certificates with 19 to 23 credits and 600 to 660 clinical hours. The table uses the current post-graduate certificate page. Certificate practicum hours can be reduced through a gap analysis of prior clinical experience.

What stands out about Mercer’s NP programs

• Every specialty at every level. Mercer is the only Georgia school in our research offering MSN, BSN to DNP, and certificate entry in all four of its NP specialties.
• A post-master’s DNP that adds a specialty. Certified APRNs can earn a DNP while adding PMHNP or AGACNP preparation.
• High clinical volume. Every MSN track schedules 780 clinical hours, and every BSN to DNP track schedules 1,020.
• Year-round MSN starts. Mercer lists January, May, and August starts for the MSN tracks.
• Flat-rate tuition. Full-time students pay a fixed semester rate, which lowers the per-credit cost of heavier loads.

Which Mercer NP program fits your goal?

• FNP: Primary care across the lifespan, through an MSN, a DNP, or a certificate
• PMHNP: Psychiatric care through any of four pathways, including a post-master’s DNP
• AGPCNP: Primary care for adults and older adults, with the shortest MSN at 45 credits
• AGACNP: Acute care of adults, with an MSN option and a BSN to DNP that requires no experience minimum

Family Nurse Practitioner

Credits 25–76 · Clinical hours 780–1,020 · MSN · BSN to DNP · Certificate

The FNP MSN runs 48 credits with 780 clinical hours, including in-person labs in Atlanta. The 76-credit BSN to DNP adds a 240-hour immersion. The certificate runs 25 credits.

Mercer states that preceptors must meet program qualifications shared with students in advance. Graduates can sit for ANCC or AANPCB certification.

Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner

Credits 26–77 · Clinical hours 780–1,020 · MSN · BSN to DNP · Post-master’s DNP · Certificate

PMHNP has the most entry points at Mercer. The 49-credit MSN can be finished in 17 months full-time across four consecutive semesters. The 77-credit BSN to DNP runs eight semesters with 1,020 practice hours.

Certified APRNs can add PMHNP through a 58-credit post-master’s DNP with 960 practice hours, or a 26-credit certificate. Graduates can sit for ANCC or AANPCB certification.

Adult-Gerontology Primary Care

Credits 22–73 · Clinical hours 780–1,020 · MSN · BSN to DNP · Certificate

The AGPCNP MSN is Mercer’s shortest at 45 credits, and the BSN to DNP runs 73 credits. Mercer says faculty guide students and assist in securing clinical placements. Graduates can sit for ANCC or AANPCB certification.

Adult-Gerontology Acute Care

Credits 26–77 · Clinical hours 780–1,020 · MSN · BSN to DNP · Post-master’s DNP · Certificate

AGACNP is offered as a 49-credit MSN, a 77-credit BSN to DNP, a 58-credit post-master’s DNP, and a 26-credit certificate. The BSN to DNP requires no minimum work experience, unusual for acute care. The post-master’s AGACNP DNP requires a Georgia RN license.

MSN graduates sit for the ANCC exam; DNP graduates can choose ANCC or AACN certification.

Doctor of Nursing Practice

Mercer’s DNP has three entry points.

• BSN to DNP: all four specialties, eight full-time semesters (two years), fall start only; a 3.2 GPA and no work-experience minimum; an interview and a scholarly writing sample
• Post-master’s DNP with a new specialty: PMHNP (58 credits, 960 hours) or AGACNP (58 credits, 780 hours), six full-time semesters, for certified APRNs
• Post-master’s DNP, generalist: a doctorate without a new population focus

The post-master’s DNP is delivered online with synchronous and asynchronous classes. BSN to DNP applications open August 15, with an April 1 priority deadline and a July 1 final deadline.

Post-graduate certificates

Mercer’s post-graduate certificates cover all four specialties.

• Eligibility: a graduate nursing degree, APRN certification, and an unencumbered Georgia APRN license
• Length: three semesters, starting in fall
• Clinical hours: up to 780, with required hours set through a gap analysis
• Financial aid: Mercer states that certificates do not qualify for financial assistance

Clinical placement

Mercer describes faculty as overseeing all clinical placements. Students are encouraged to take an active role by identifying potential preceptors through colleagues, community contacts, or professional organizations, and all preceptors must meet program qualifications.

Mercer does not publish geographic limits on clinical sites. Its admission requirement of a Georgia RN license effectively ties most students to Georgia.

The practical trade-off: students get faculty-managed placements, but should still expect to help identify preceptors.

Format and campus requirements

Program	Format	Attendance
MSN (all four tracks)	Hybrid	Online and in-person learning in Atlanta, including labs
BSN to DNP	Hybrid	Synchronous online classes plus in-person campus learning
Post-master’s DNP	Online	Synchronous and asynchronous online classes
Post-graduate certificates	Not stated	Mercer does not publish certificate format

Mercer does not state how often students must be on campus. Fall and spring terms run 16 weeks, and summer runs 10 weeks.

Admissions

• MSN: a BSN, a 3.0 GPA (conditional admission from 2.75), an unencumbered Georgia RN license, and a year of RN experience
• BSN to DNP: a BSN, a 3.2 GPA (conditional admission from 3.0), a Georgia RN license, and no minimum experience
• Materials: three references, including one from a nurse with a master’s degree or higher, a cover letter, and an interview
• MSN deadlines: April 1 priority and July 1 final for fall; October 1 and November 1 for spring; March 1 and April 1 for summer

Mercer’s admission pages do not mention the GRE.

Tuition

Mercer charges flat semester rates for full-time loads, so heavier semesters cost less per credit.

Pathway	Basis	Estimated Tuition
MSN, full-time	4 semesters, mostly at the flat rate	About $42,000–$43,200
MSN, part-time	45–49 credits at $1,199	About $54,000–$58,800
BSN to DNP, full-time	8 semesters at $7,983	About $63,900
Post-master’s DNP	6 semesters at $7,983	About $47,900
Post-graduate certificate	22–26 credits at $1,159	About $25,500–$30,100

• Full-time saves money: the flat rate covers 9 or more MSN credits, so a full-time MSN costs thousands less than the same credits part-time.
• Fees add up: the $500 certification prep fee each semester adds about $2,000 to a four-semester MSN.
• Certificates likely bill at the non-degree rate, and they do not qualify for financial aid.

These are NPPrograms.com estimates built from Mercer’s 2026–27 rates. Mercer does not publish program totals, and its cost-of-attendance pages still show some 2025–26 figures. See Mercer’s tuition rates page for current figures.

Accreditation and certification

The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) accredits Mercer’s BSN, MSN, and DNP programs. Mercer’s BSN, MSN, DNP, and post-graduate certificate programs have a CCNE review scheduled for October 5–7, 2026. Mercer University is institutionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.

Certification follows the population focus: ANCC or AANPCB for FNP, PMHNP, and AGPCNP, and ANCC or AACN for AGACNP. Mercer does not publish certification pass rates.

State authorization

Mercer’s licensure disclosure, updated July 2026, states that its NP programs meet educational requirements for licensure in all 50 states and DC. New York requires an additional prescribing-law course. In practice, the Georgia RN license required for admission is the bigger limit for out-of-state applicants.

Who is Mercer best for?

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