The University of Central Florida (UCF) College of Nursing offers three nurse practitioner population focuses: family (FNP), adult-gerontology primary care (AGPCNP), and adult-gerontology acute care (AGACNP). All three run through a BSN to DNP at the Lake Nona campus in Orlando. AGACNP is also offered as a post-graduate certificate for APRNs, and an online post-master’s DNP completes the doctorate for practicing APRNs.
Every NP track shares the same per-credit rate, placement model, and Central Florida service area. Three policies shape the decision more than any single specialty detail:
- The doctorate is the only BSN entry. UCF offers no NP master’s. BSN-prepared nurses enter a 73- or 74-credit DNP.
- UCF assigns every clinical placement. Coordinators secure all sites and preceptors, but only within nine Central Florida counties, and DNP students must live in Florida for the whole program.
- Two of three certificates are closed. UCF suspended admission to its FNP and AGPCNP certificates effective Fall 2026. Only the AGACNP certificate is admitting.
Quick facts
| Category | Information |
|---|---|
| Nursing School | UCF College of Nursing |
| Location | Orlando, FL (Lake Nona) |
| NP Specialties | FNP, AGPCNP, AGACNP |
| Degree Options | BSN to DNP in all three; AGACNP post-graduate certificate; online post-master’s DNP for APRNs |
| Format | Hybrid: online coursework with recurring campus classes, labs, and simulation days |
| Clinical Placement | Assigned by UCF within nine Central Florida counties |
| Entry Points | RN with a BSN, or an RN with a non-nursing bachelor’s after three prerequisite courses; certified APRN (certificate, post-master’s DNP) |
| Minimum GPA | No minimum published |
| RN License | Florida or Florida multistate RN license before the program starts |
| Tuition (2026-27) | $369.65 per credit for Florida residents; $1,276.48 for nonresidents |
| Accreditation | CCNE (DNP and post-graduate APRN certificate) |
Comparing UCF’s NP programs
All three DNP tracks share a doctoral core in evidence-based practice, implementation science, epidemiology, leadership, health policy, and a three-course DNP project. Specialty coursework begins in the second year of the full-time plan. Credit totals differ by only one credit, so costs are nearly identical.
| Pathway | Credits | Clinical hours | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) | |||
| BSN to DNP | 73 | 1,260 | BSN; no experience minimum published |
| Post-graduate certificate | 22 | 720 | Admissions suspended effective Fall 2026 |
| Adult-Gerontology Primary Care (AGPCNP) | |||
| BSN to DNP | 74 | 1,320 | BSN; no experience minimum published |
| Post-graduate certificate | 22 | 600 | Admissions suspended effective Fall 2026 |
| Adult-Gerontology Acute Care (AGACNP) | |||
| BSN to DNP | 73 | 1,200 | BSN and current ACLS |
| Post-graduate certificate | 23 | 660 | Certified APRN with a Florida APRN license |
DNP totals include lab, skills, and DNP project hours. Hours in the specialty clinical courses alone are 660 for FNP, 720 for AGPCNP, and 600 for AGACNP. Certificate figures are from UCF’s program pages; the two suspended certificates are listed for reference.
What stands out about UCF’s NP programs
- Florida’s lowest-cost NP doctorates. Florida residents pay about $27,000 for any of the three BSN to DNP tracks, all fees included in the per-credit rate.
- No preceptor search. UCF’s graduate internship coordinators secure every site and preceptor, and the program director reviews each placement.
- A route for RNs without a nursing bachelor’s. Nurses with an associate degree or diploma plus a non-nursing bachelor’s can enter the DNP after three undergraduate nursing courses.
- Heavy campus contact. NP didactic courses meet on campus about every other week, so this is a commuter program, not a distance one.
- Strict Florida residency. DNP students must live in and be physically located in Florida throughout the program, and nonresidents pay about 3.5 times the resident rate.
Which UCF NP program fits your goal?
- FNP: Primary care across the lifespan, with pediatric, women’s health, and gerontology clinicals
- AGPCNP: Primary care from adolescence through end of life in clinics, offices, and long-term care
- AGACNP: Acute and critical care of adults in hospitals, with a certificate route for certified APRNs
Family Nurse Practitioner
Credits 73 · Clinical hours 1,260 · BSN to DNP
The FNP DNP runs nine semesters full-time or twelve part-time. Its five specialty clinical courses total 660 hours across adult primary care, women’s health, pediatrics, gerontology, and a final practicum. The rest of the 1,260 hours come from the assessment lab, an advanced skills lab, and the DNP project.
UCF publishes no RN experience minimum. Its FNP certificate for APRNs is not admitting; admissions were suspended effective Fall 2026. Graduates are eligible for certification through the AANPCB or ANCC.
Adult-Gerontology Primary Care
Credits 74 · Clinical hours 1,320 · BSN to DNP
The AGPCNP DNP covers patients from adolescence through end of life. Clinicals take place in clinics, provider offices, skilled nursing facilities, hospices, and private practices rather than hospitals. Its specialty clinical courses total 720 hours, including a separate 60-hour women’s health clinical, and the plan includes a chronic care, case management, or palliative care elective.
No RN experience minimum is published. The AGPCNP certificate is closed to new students, so the DNP is UCF’s only AGPCNP route. Graduates are eligible for AANPCB or ANCC certification.
Adult-Gerontology Acute Care
Credits 23–73 · Clinical hours 660–1,200 · BSN to DNP · Certificate
The AGACNP DNP prepares students for hospital and acute care practice with adults 18 and older. Its specialty clinical courses total 600 hours, and a diagnostics and skills course for the critically ill is taught live on campus. Applicants need current ACLS certification, but UCF publishes no ICU or acute care experience requirement.
The AGACNP certificate is UCF’s only NP certificate still admitting. It runs 23 credits and 660 clinical hours over four part-time semesters, starts in spring (September 1 deadline), and is open to board-certified APRNs with a Florida APRN license. Graduates are eligible for ANCC or AACN certification.
Post-master’s DNP for practicing APRNs
UCF’s Advanced Practice Nurse DNP completes the doctorate for nurses who already hold an APRN master’s or post-master’s certificate. It does not add a population focus.
- Eligibility: APRN master’s or certificate, Florida RN and APRN licenses, national certification, and Florida residence
- Length: 42 credits over seven part-time semesters, with at least 360 practice hours during the program
- Format: online, with two required one-day virtual intensives a year
- Starts: fall (May 1 deadline) or spring (September 1 deadline)
- Estimated tuition: about $15,500 for Florida residents
Clinical placement
UCF’s graduate internship experience coordinators secure every clinical site and preceptor, and the program director reviews each assignment. Students are not required to find their own.
- Service area: Orange, Seminole, Volusia, Lake, Brevard, Osceola, Flagler, northern Indian River, and Marion counties only.
- Residency: DNP students must reside in and be physically located in Florida for the duration of the program.
- Clinical credit: each clinical credit equals 60 patient-contact hours, so a three-credit course is a 180-hour rotation.
- Simulation: each clinical course adds one or two on-campus simulation days per semester.
The practical trade-off: students never search for a preceptor, but they don’t choose their site, setting, or commute within the nine-county region.
Format and campus requirements
| Program | Format | Attendance |
|---|---|---|
| FNP and AGPCNP DNP | Hybrid | NP didactic courses on campus about every other week, plus live labs and simulation days |
| AGACNP DNP | Hybrid | Live lab courses on campus plus one or more simulation days per clinical course each semester |
| AGACNP certificate | Hybrid | Lab courses one day a week; one simulation day per clinical course each semester |
| Post-master’s DNP | Online | Two one-day virtual intensives a year |
BSN to DNP students also attend a one-day virtual intensive each fall and spring. UCF advises full-time DNP students to work part-time at most.
Admissions
All three BSN to DNP tracks admit once a year for a fall start, with a February 1 deadline. Full-time and part-time plans are available.
- Degree: a BSN from a regionally accredited institution with a CCNE- or ACEN-accredited nursing program
- Non-nursing bachelor’s: RNs with an associate degree or diploma plus a bachelor’s in another field may apply after completing three nursing courses (9 credits) the semester before graduate study
- GPA: no minimum published; UCF reviews overall GPA and the GPA of the last 60 undergraduate credits
- Licensure: an unencumbered Florida or Florida multistate RN license before the program begins
- Prerequisite: an undergraduate statistics course; AGACNP also requires current ACLS
- Materials: transcripts, a CV, three professional recommendations, and a 500-word essay that includes a proposed DNP project area
- Testing and interview: no GRE; a faculty interview may be required
Tuition
UCF’s graduate rate already includes mandatory per-credit fees, and nursing has no differential rate.
| Florida resident, per credit (2026-27) | $369.65 |
| Nonresident, per credit (2026-27) | $1,276.48 |
| Distance learning course fee, per credit (select courses) | $18 |
Rates are from UCF’s 2026-27 graduate tuition and fee schedule. Course-specific material, equipment, and proctoring fees are extra.
| Pathway | Credits | Florida Resident | Nonresident |
|---|---|---|---|
| FNP DNP | 73 | $26,984 | $93,183 |
| AGPCNP DNP | 74 | $27,354 | $94,460 |
| AGACNP DNP | 73 | $26,984 | $93,183 |
| AGACNP certificate | 23 | $8,502 | $29,359 |
| Post-master’s DNP | 42 | $15,525 | $53,612 |
- Specialty doesn’t change the price: the three DNP tracks fall within $370 of each other.
- Residency does: nonresidents pay about $66,000 more for the same doctorate.
- Non-nursing bachelor’s route: the three prerequisite courses add about $3,300 at the resident rate.
These are NPPrograms.com estimates, not UCF-published program costs. They apply 2026-27 rates to every credit and exclude course fees and living costs. Aid is listed on the College of Nursing scholarships and aid page.
Accreditation and certification
The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) accredits UCF’s master’s, Doctor of Nursing Practice, and post-graduate APRN certificate programs. UCF is institutionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
Certification follows the population focus: AANPCB or ANCC for FNP and AGPCNP, and ANCC or AACN for AGACNP.
State authorization
DNP students must live in Florida for the entire program, and clinicals stay inside UCF’s Central Florida service area. Nurses outside the state cannot enroll remotely. UCF is an NC-SARA institution but states it cannot confirm other states’ licensure requirements, so graduates planning to practice elsewhere should check with that state’s board.
Who is UCF best for?
May be a strong fit for
- Central Florida RNs who want a DNP at the state’s lowest resident price
- Students who want every clinical site and preceptor assigned
- RNs with an associate degree and a non-nursing bachelor’s
- Newer nurses aiming for FNP or AGPCNP without an experience requirement
- Certified APRNs in Florida adding AGACNP through a certificate
Compare other options if
- You want an NP master’s or a faster route to certification
- You can’t reach Orlando about every other week
- You live outside Central Florida or outside the state
- You want PMHNP or pediatric preparation
- You are an APRN adding FNP or AGPCNP through a certificate
Compare more NP programs in Florida
- Florida Atlantic University - Boca Raton
- Florida Southern College - Lakeland
- University of Florida - Gainesville
- University of Miami - Coral Gables
- University of South Florida - Tampa