Purdue University’s School of Nursing in West Lafayette offers four nurse practitioner population foci: family (FNP), psychiatric-mental health (PMHNP), adult-gerontology primary care (AGPCNP), and pediatric primary care (PNP-PC). FNP, PMHNP, and PNP-PC are available as a master’s (MS), a BSN-to-DNP, and a post-graduate certificate. AGPCNP is now offered only as a BSN-to-DNP.
Three policies shape the decision more than any single specialty detail:
- Indiana residents pay the lowest NP tuition in the state. Purdue bills a $4,996 flat rate for a full-time semester, so a full-time MS runs about $22,500 and a BSN-to-DNP about $36,000 to $37,500. Non-residents pay roughly three times as much.
- Every track requires regular trips to West Lafayette. Purdue keeps classroom components because many Indiana facilities will not accept preceptors for students in fully online programs.
- An Indiana RN license is required before classes begin. Purdue may accept a compact license, but clinicals run through Indiana sites with Indiana-licensed preceptors.
Quick facts
| Category | Information |
|---|---|
| Nursing School | Purdue University School of Nursing |
| Location | West Lafayette, IN |
| NP Specialties | FNP, PMHNP, AGPCNP, PNP-PC |
| Degree Options | MS (FNP, PMHNP, PNP-PC); BSN to DNP (all four); post-graduate certificate (FNP, PMHNP, PNP-PC) |
| Format | Hybrid: blended or classroom courses most terms; six-day summer session in every DNP |
| Clinical Hours | 630–650 NP clinical hours in every track; DNPs add 512 residency hours |
| Clinical Placement | School-secured for PNP-PC through 100+ contracts; not published for FNP, PMHNP, or AGPCNP |
| RN Experience | No minimum published |
| Tuition | $347.85 per credit (1–7 credits) or $4,996 flat per full-time semester, Indiana residents; $948.30 or $14,397 non-residents |
| Accreditation | CCNE (reaccredited 2024 for ten years); HLC |
Comparing Purdue’s NP programs
Each specialty shares an advanced practice core of pathophysiology, pharmacology, health assessment, and health promotion. Master’s tracks run 47 to 49 credits over about two years. BSN-to-DNP tracks run about 69 to 80 credits over three years and add 512 hours of doctoral residency to the same NP clinical sequence.
| Pathway | Credits | Clinical hours | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) | |||
| MS | 49 | 645 | BSN; 3.0 GPA |
| BSN to DNP | 69+ | 1,157+ | BSN; recent upper-division statistics |
| Post-graduate certificate | 10–34 | 645 | Graduate degree; certified primary care NPs may need as few as 300 hours |
| Psychiatric-Mental Health (PMHNP) | |||
| MS | 49 | 650 | BSN; 3.0 GPA |
| BSN to DNP | 78–80 | 1,162 | BSN; recent upper-division statistics |
| Post-graduate certificate | 17 | 630 | Master’s in nursing |
| Adult-Gerontology Primary Care (AGPCNP) | |||
| BSN to DNP | 76 | 1,142+ | BSN; recent upper-division statistics |
| Pediatric Primary Care (PNP-PC) | |||
| MS | 47 | 630 | BSN; no pediatric experience required |
| BSN to DNP | About 76 | 1,000+ | BSN; recent upper-division statistics |
| Post-graduate certificate | 16–34 | 630 | Graduate degree in nursing or a health field |
DNP hour totals combine NP clinical hours with residency hours. Purdue lists a few DNP courses without credit values, so some totals are floors rather than exact figures.
What stands out about Purdue’s NP programs
- Lowest resident pricing in Indiana. Flat-rate billing caps a full-time semester at $4,996 for Indiana residents, with mandatory fees included. That produces Indiana’s lowest resident FNP doctorate and certificate.
- A master’s in three specialties. Purdue is the only Indiana school with a pediatric NP master’s, and one of three with a PMHNP master’s.
- Arranged pediatric placements. The School of Nursing maintains more than 100 clinical contracts and places every PNP student in a rural underserved clinic, a private practice, and a PNP-led setting, with at least two faculty site visits per semester.
- Systems training in every doctorate. All four BSN-to-DNP plans require Human Factors in Healthcare Engineering and Systems Approaches in Healthcare, alongside epidemiology, biostatistics, and healthcare economics.
- No RN experience minimum. Purdue publishes no experience requirement for any track, so new BSN graduates can apply directly.
Which Purdue NP program fits your goal?
Family Nurse Practitioner
The 49-credit MS takes about two years and includes 645 clinical hours. Primary care is split by life stage, with separate young-family and aging-family courses, each paired with its own preceptorship. The BSN-to-DNP keeps the same 645 NP clinical hours and adds 512 residency hours across three years. The post-graduate certificate runs 10 to 34 credits by transcript review, and NPs already certified in another primary care specialty may complete as few as 300 clinical hours.
Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
The lifespan PMHNP is available at all three levels. The 49-credit MS includes 650 clinical hours, and students must demonstrate competency in two psychotherapeutic modalities, such as individual, group, family, or play therapy. The BSN-to-DNP pairs the same 650 clinical hours with 512 residency hours. The 17-credit certificate, with 630 clinical hours, is open to master’s-prepared nurses and can finish in about eight months for NPs whose prior training overlaps.
Adult-Gerontology Primary Care
AGPCNP is offered only as a 76-credit BSN-to-DNP, with 630 NP clinical hours split between acute and chronic preceptorships, plus 512 residency hours. Purdue no longer lists its AGPCNP master’s or certificate among programs accepting applications. In Indiana, the University of Indianapolis is the only school still offering an AGPCNP master’s or certificate.
Pediatric Primary Care
Purdue offers the only pediatric NP master’s in Indiana, a 47-credit MS with 630 clinical hours and no pediatric experience requirement. A BSN-to-DNP and a 16- to 34-credit certificate are also available. The certificate accepts graduate degrees in health-related fields such as an MPH or MHA, but applicants without APRN training should expect a plan near 34 credits. All tracks prepare graduates for the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board’s CPNP-PC exam. Purdue offers no pediatric acute care track.
Master of Science (MS)
Purdue awards an MS rather than an MSN in FNP, PMHNP, and PNP-PC. Each master’s runs about two years full-time across five terms, including one summer, and combines a 14-credit graduate nursing core with a 17-credit advanced practice core and a 16- to 18-credit specialty block.
Clinical hours begin in the second term and build toward the final two terms, which hold most of the preceptorship hours. Advanced health assessment is taught in the classroom only, and most other courses are online or hybrid.
Doctor of Nursing Practice
All four BSN-to-DNP plans run nine consecutive terms over three years, starting in fall. Doctoral coursework comes first: epidemiology, applied biostatistics, health policy, healthcare economics, human factors engineering, and systems approaches. Advanced health assessment arrives in year two, and the specialty preceptorships fall in year three.
Every DNP requires a six-day campus session in the first week of the first summer, when two doctoral courses meet in person before moving online. Residency hours total 512 across health policy and two practice inquiry courses, and a cognate residency adds more. Applicants need an upper-division statistics course with a 3.0 or better in the past five years, or must complete one in the first semester.
Post-graduate certificates
Purdue offers post-graduate certificates in FNP, PMHNP, and PNP-PC. The AGPCNP certificate is no longer listed among programs accepting applications.
Credits for the FNP and PNP certificates are set by transcript review, so cost and length are known only after admission review. The PMHNP certificate is a fixed 17 credits. Eligibility differs: the PNP certificate accepts graduate degrees in health-related fields, while the PMHNP certificate requires a master’s in nursing. For the FNP certificate, the catalog limits eligibility to nursing master’s holders, but the admissions page also lists health-related graduate degrees, so confirm with the program.
Clinical placement
Placement policy differs by specialty. For pediatrics, the School of Nursing secures every placement through more than 100 contracts in Tippecanoe and surrounding counties, and every PNP student rotates through a rural underserved clinic, a private clinic, and a PNP-led setting. Preceptors must be Indiana-licensed, nationally certified, and experienced in pediatrics.
Purdue does not publish who secures placements in FNP, PMHNP, or AGPCNP. Two nurse-managed clinics, including the Nursing Center for Family Health, are available for student practice. Applicants in those specialties should ask whether the pediatric contract model applies before enrolling.
Format and campus requirements
Every Purdue NP track is hybrid. Courses are offered online, blended, or in the classroom in West Lafayette, and advanced health assessment is classroom-only. Each DNP adds a six-day campus session at the start of the first summer. Purdue does not publish a full count of campus days per term.
Purdue states that it keeps classroom components because many Indiana facilities will not accept preceptors for students in fully online programs. In practice, that makes Purdue a realistic option mainly for nurses who can commute to West Lafayette.
Admissions
- Degree and GPA: BSN from a CCNE- or NLN-accredited program with a 3.0 GPA; conditional admission is possible below 3.0.
- License: Indiana RN license by the first day of class; a compact license may be accepted.
- Experience: no RN experience minimum is published for any track.
- DNP addition: upper-division statistics with a 3.0 or better in the past five years, or completed in the first semester, and a B or better in any prior master’s coursework.
- Documents: a 300- to 500-word essay, academic history statement, CV or résumé, three recommendations (one from a nursing professor), and official transcripts. An interview may be requested.
- Timing: April 1 priority deadline, with rolling review until each specialty fills. Offers must be accepted within 14 days.
- Pace: full-time applicants get priority. Part-time study is space-available, needs program director approval, and course sequencing is not guaranteed.
Tuition
Purdue bills graduate tuition by load. In fall and spring, Indiana residents pay $347.85 per credit for 1 to 7 credits or a $4,996 flat rate for 8 or more. Summer carries a $2,498 flat rate for 6 to 9 credits. Non-residents pay $948.30 per credit, $14,397 per full-time semester, and $7,198.50 for a summer. Flat rates include mandatory fees, and Purdue’s 2026–27 schedule lists no nursing differential.
| Pathway | Credits | Resident | Non-resident |
|---|---|---|---|
| MS (FNP, PMHNP, PNP-PC), full-time | 47–49 | $22,482 | $64,787 |
| BSN to DNP (any specialty) | 69–80 | $36,016–$37,470 | $103,624–$107,978 |
| FNP certificate | 10–34 | $3,479–$11,827 | $9,483–$32,242 |
| PMHNP certificate | 17 | About $5,900 | About $16,100 |
| PNP-PC certificate | 16–34 | $5,566–$11,827 | $15,173–$32,242 |
Totals are derived from Purdue’s 2026–27 rates and published plans of study; Purdue publishes no program totals. Full-time degree estimates assume flat-rate fall and spring terms and summer flat rates where summer loads reach 6 credits. Certificate figures use the per-credit rate and rise if any term reaches 8 credits. Books and materials, estimated at about $375 per semester, and travel to West Lafayette are extra.
Accreditation and certification
The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education accredits Purdue’s graduate nursing programs, which were reaccredited in 2024 for ten years. Purdue University is institutionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, with its next evaluation scheduled for 2029–30.
Graduates are prepared for national certification through the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board or the American Nurses Credentialing Center for FNP, the ANCC for PMHNP, and the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board for CPNP-PC. Purdue’s current AGPCNP pages do not name a certifying board, so applicants should confirm exam eligibility during advising. Purdue does not publish certification pass rates on its program pages.
State authorization
Purdue requires an Indiana RN license before classes begin, and DNP admission is subject to authorization in the state where the applicant lives and practices. Combined with Indiana-licensed preceptors and recurring campus sessions, this makes Purdue a regional program. Non-residents can enroll but pay roughly three times the resident rate.
Who is Purdue best for?
May be a strong fit for
- Indiana residents who want the lowest in-state NP tuition
- Nurses who want an MS rather than a doctorate in FNP, PMHNP, or pediatrics
- Pediatric nurses who want school-secured clinical placements
- New BSN graduates, since no RN experience minimum is published
- DNP students interested in systems, quality, and healthcare engineering
Compare other options if
- You live outside Indiana and would pay non-resident rates
- You cannot commute to West Lafayette for recurring classes
- You want an AGPCNP master’s or certificate
- You need adult-gerontology acute care or pediatric acute care
- You want published certification pass rates before applying
Compare more NP programs in Indiana
- Indiana State University - Terre Haute
- Indiana University - Indianapolis
- Indiana Wesleyan University - Marion
- University of Indianapolis - Indianapolis
- University of Southern Indiana - Evansville