Yale University Nurse Practitioner Programs

Yale School of Nursing (YSN) offers six nurse practitioner population focuses: family (FNP), psychiatric-mental health (PMHNP), adult-gerontology primary care (AGPCNP), adult-gerontology acute care (AGACNP), and pediatric primary care and acute care (PNP-PC and PNP-AC). The MSN is the main entry point. Post-master’s certificates are available in every specialty except AGPCNP.

Almost every Yale NP program is campus-based, with weekday classes at Yale West Campus. Three policies shape the decision more than any single specialty detail:

• Yale arranges clinical placements for campus students. Students in the residential programs do not search for their own preceptors.
• Non-nurses can apply. The Graduate Entry Prespecialty in Nursing (GEPN) adds a prelicensure year, then moves students into an NP specialty without a second admission review.
• One specialty offers a lower-residency option. A part-time hybrid PMHNP MSN uses live online classes and three short campus immersions.

Quick facts

Category	Information
Nursing School	Yale School of Nursing (YSN)
Location	Yale West Campus, Orange, CT (New Haven area)
NP Specialties	FNP, PMHNP, AGPCNP, AGACNP, PNP-PC, PNP-AC
Degree Options	MSN in all six; post-master’s certificate in all but AGPCNP; RN-to-DNP and GEPN-DNP newly listed for Fall 2027
Format	Campus; hybrid PMHNP MSN is Mostly Online
Clinical Placement	Arranged by YSN for campus programs; shared responsibility in the hybrid PMHNP
Entry Points	RN with a bachelor’s in any field; non-nurse with a bachelor’s (GEPN); APRN with a master’s (certificates)
Minimum GPA	3.0, or GRE at the 50th percentile in each section
RN License	Connecticut RN license by November 1 of the first term
Tuition (2026-27)	$27,168 per full-time MSN term; $2,175 per credit for certificates and the hybrid PMHNP
Accreditation	CCNE (master’s program)

Comparing Yale’s NP programs

All campus MSN specialties share a core in advanced health assessment, pathophysiology, pharmacology, statistics and research, transitions to practice, and community health. Each takes about two years full time, or three years part time where part-time study is offered. Because full-time MSN tuition is a flat term rate, credit differences between specialties do not change what a full-time student pays.

Pathway	Credits	Clinical hours	Entry
Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP)
MSN	59.5	720	RN or GEPN
Post-master’s certificate	Individualized	Set by plan of study	APRN or CNM
Psychiatric-Mental Health (PMHNP)
MSN, residential	52.5	774	RN or GEPN
MSN, hybrid (part-time)	51.5	750	BSN and RN license
Post-master’s certificate	Individualized	Set by gap analysis	Master’s in nursing
Adult-Gerontology Primary Care (AGPCNP)
MSN	52–53	780	RN or GEPN
RN-to-DNP or GEPN-DNP (Fall 2027)	Not yet published	Not yet published	RN or non-nurse with a bachelor’s
Adult-Gerontology Acute Care (AGACNP)
MSN	50.6–53.6	848–932	RN
Post-master’s certificate	Up to 50.6	Follows MSN sequence	APRN, CRNA, or CNM
Pediatric Primary Care (PNP-PC)
MSN	51.5	756	RN or GEPN
Post-master’s certificate	Individualized	Set by plan of study	Pediatric CNS or FNP
Pediatric Acute Care (PNP-AC)
MSN	50	750+	RN or GEPN
Post-master’s certificate	Up to 47	Follows MSN sequence	PNP-PC, CNS, NNP, or FNP

Clinical hours are totals from Yale’s MSN plans of study. The AGACNP range reflects an 84-hour critical care immersion for students without critical care experience. The PNP-PC total includes 518.5 structured pediatric practice hours plus simulation, observation, and assessment lab time.

GEPN students complete a 46-credit prelicensure year before the MSN specialty credits shown above. See the GEPN pathway.

What stands out about Yale’s NP programs

• School-arranged clinicals. YSN’s clinical staff and faculty place every campus-based NP student. Sites are mainly in Connecticut, with acute care and pediatric rotations extending to New York, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island.
• A direct route for career changers. GEPN leads into five of the six specialties. One application covers both the prelicensure year and the NP specialty.
• No BSN required for RN entry in several specialties. The FNP, AGPCNP, and AGACNP accept a bachelor’s in any field plus graduation from a state-approved nursing program. This opens the door to ADN-prepared RNs with a non-nursing bachelor’s.
• Two acute care populations. Adult-gerontology and pediatric acute care run as separate MSN specialties, each with its own certificate.
• Connecticut licensure comes early. MSN students need a Connecticut RN license by November 1 of their first term. Out-of-state RNs should start the endorsement process before arriving.

Which Yale NP program fits your goal?

• FNP: Primary care across the lifespan, with heavy pediatric content
• PMHNP: Psychiatric assessment, psychotherapy, and psychopharmacology across the lifespan; the only specialty with a hybrid option
• AGPCNP: Primary care from adolescence through older adulthood, with a geriatrics emphasis
• AGACNP: Acute and critical care of adults and older adults in hospital settings
• PNP-PC: Pediatric primary care, including school health and adolescent care
• PNP-AC: Acute, complex, and chronic pediatric illness in hospital settings

Family Nurse Practitioner

Credits 59.5 · Clinical hours 720 · MSN · Certificate

The Family Nurse Practitioner MSN prepares students for primary care across the lifespan. Clinical training runs as three 240-hour practicums, from spring of year one through graduation. Yale advises planning for some clinical hours in the summer between the two years.

The curriculum carries more pediatric content than many FNP sequences: a four-course Primary Care of Children series (I–IV), plus adolescent and child-development coursework. Two women’s health courses, Mental Health Management for Advanced Practice Nurses, and Advanced Skills and Procedures for the Primary Care Provider round out the specialty. Weekly clinical conferences pair students with faculty to review clinical days. See the FNP curriculum.

The Post-Master’s FNP Certificate includes every required FNP specialty course except research. Graduates are eligible for FNP certification through the ANCC (FNP-BC) or AANP (FNP-C).

Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner

Credits 52.5 residential / 51.5 hybrid · Clinical hours 774 / 750 · MSN · Hybrid MSN · Certificate

The PMHNP is Yale’s only NP specialty offered in two formats. Both prepare graduates for the ANCC’s lifespan PMHNP certification. The PMHNP curriculum builds three-course sequences in psychotherapeutic interventions and psychopharmacologic interventions, alongside psychopathology and PMHNP skills courses.

• Residential MSN: 52.5 credits and 774 clinical hours over two years full time, with part-time study available. It is open to RNs and GEPN students. Clinical settings include emergency psychiatric services, community mental health centers, private practice, integrated psychiatric and primary care, and acute and long-term care.
• Hybrid MSN: 51.5 credits and 750 clinical hours, part time only, over at least three academic years. Classes are live and interactive online, plus three on-campus immersions of three to four days each. It launched in Spring 2026, requires a BSN and RN license, and is limited to residents of approved states.

Both formats expect a demonstrated interest in psychiatric-mental health nursing. Hybrid students should budget 15 to 30 hours per week and pay their own immersion travel. The placement model also differs between the two formats; see Clinical placement.

The Post-Master’s PMHNP Certificate includes all required PMHNP specialty courses except research. A gap analysis of prior coursework sets the plan of study.

Adult-Gerontology Primary Care

Credits 52–53 · Clinical hours 780 · MSN · RN-to-DNP and GEPN-DNP (Fall 2027)

The Adult-Gerontology Primary Care MSN covers adolescents through older adults. Geriatrics frames the program: an aging and policy course opens it, and a final course manages geriatric syndromes through the 4Ms (Medications, Mentation, Mobility, and What Matters Most). Required breadth courses include adolescent primary care, two women’s health courses, and mental health management.

The 780 clinical hours in the full-time plan of study include a year-long practicum, a 300-hour final practicum with billing and coding content, and 60 hours at HAVEN, Yale’s student-run free clinic, alongside medical and PA students. A part-time plan spreads the MSN over three years. The AGPCNP catalog page lists full course details.

Yale does not offer an AGPCNP post-master’s certificate. YSN has newly listed an RN-to-DNP (two years, full time) and a GEPN-DNP for Fall 2027 entry, with AGPCNP among the specialties. Credits, clinical hours, and tuition for both DNP routes are not yet published, and neither is open to applicants who need an F-1 or J-1 visa. Applicants weighing the DNP against the MSN should request the plan of study and cost first.

Adult-Gerontology Acute Care

Credits 50.6–53.6 · Clinical hours 848–932 · MSN · Certificate

The Adult-Gerontology Acute Care MSN requires no prior ICU or emergency experience. RNs without a critical care background take a Critical Care Clinical Immersion in the first fall (3 credits, 84 clinical hours). Flat MSN tuition absorbs that course, so it adds no cost for MSN students.

First-year diagnostics training includes bedside ultrasound. The specialty then moves through two Pathophysiology and Management of Acute Care Health Problems courses and three clinical practice courses, including two 360-hour rotations in year two. Settings include intensive care units, inpatient services, specialty clinics, and emergency departments in Connecticut, New York, and Massachusetts. See the AGACNP curriculum.

The Post-Master’s AGACNP Certificate follows the same specialty sequence and drops only statistics and research. Certificate students without ICU experience pay for the immersion at the per-credit rate.

Pediatric Primary Care

Credits 51.5 · Clinical hours 756 · MSN · Certificate

The Pediatric Primary Care MSN starts specialty coursework in the first semester. It progresses through four levels of Primary Care of Children, plus adolescent care, chronic health conditions, and pediatric mental health in primary care.

Clinical rotations cover primary care offices and community health centers, school-based health centers for preschool through eighth grade, adolescent primary care, pediatric specialty clinics such as gastroenterology and endocrinology, and 67.5 hours in pediatric mental health. Yale reports a 100% first-time PNCB pass rate for the specialty since 2014.

Applicants should have experience shadowing or working with a practicing PNP. The Post-Master’s PNP-PC Certificate is designed for master’s-prepared pediatric clinical nurse specialists and family nurse practitioners.

Pediatric Acute Care

Credits 50 · Clinical hours 750+ · MSN · Certificate

The Pediatric Acute Care MSN shares a pediatric primary care foundation with PNP-PC in year one, then adds acute and critical care diagnostics and a specialty acute care rotation. Year two centers on Acute Care of Children I and II, ending with a clinical course of roughly 350 hours. An optional 2-credit elective covers developmental, behavioral, and mental health conditions. See the PNP-AC curriculum.

Clinical settings include pediatric intensive care units, inpatient units, specialty clinics, and emergency departments across Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. Yale’s catalog describes the specialty as designed for RNs with one to two years of acute inpatient experience, though GEPN entry is also available. Students are encouraged to work part time or per diem as RNs during the program.

The Post-Master’s PNP-AC Certificate serves APRNs prepared as PNP-PC, CNS, NNP, or FNP who want acute pediatric preparation. Both pediatric specialties lead to PNCB certification (CPNP-PC or CPNP-AC).

The GEPN pathway for non-nurses

The Graduate Entry Prespecialty in Nursing (GEPN) admits applicants with a bachelor’s degree in any field and no nursing background. It leads into the FNP, AGPCNP, residential PMHNP, PNP-PC, and PNP-AC specialties. Students choose their specialty at application, and one admission covers both stages.

• Prelicensure year: 46 credits across fall, spring, and summer, with about 500 prelicensure hours in clinical, simulation, and skills lab settings. It earns a Certificate in Nursing and NCLEX-RN eligibility. See the GEPN plan of study.
• Specialty years: Students then complete the same MSN specialty sequence as RN entrants. Total time is about three years of full-time study.
• Licensure deadlines: Students must pass the NCLEX-RN by January 1 of the first specialty year and hold a Connecticut RN license to enroll in that year’s second term.
• Prerequisites: Human anatomy and physiology I and II, general chemistry, and microbiology, each with a lab, a grade of B or better, and completion within eight years. Some may still be in progress at application. AP and IB credit are not accepted.

GEPN is full time only. The trade-off is that applicants commit to an NP specialty before working as a nurse.

Clinical placement

For every campus-based NP program, YSN arranges clinical placements. The Clinical Support Unit, specialty preceptor liaisons, and faculty select sites and preceptors, and students are not required to find their own. Preceptors include nurse practitioners, physicians, and physician associates, many of them YSN alumni. Students may suggest contacts from their own networks.

• Geography: Sites are mainly in Connecticut. AGACNP rotations extend to New York and Massachusetts, and pediatric rotations add Rhode Island.
• Out-of-region options: Several specialties allow a final-semester or summer rotation outside the region on request, subject to site availability.
• Costs: Students provide their own transportation, including to out-of-state sites, and pay for parking. YSN budgets $2,750 per year for transportation.
• Certificates: The FNP, AGACNP, and pediatric certificates follow the same placement model as the MSN.

The hybrid PMHNP works differently. The Clinical Support Unit supports placement, but students are expected to take an active role in securing sites in their home state, including through their own employers. YSN provides Connecticut placements or telehealth-based clinical training for all hybrid students. In-person placements elsewhere depend on availability and state rules, and may require travel to a nearby approved state.

The practical difference: campus students trade relocation and commuting for a placement they do not have to find. Hybrid PMHNP students avoid relocating but share responsibility for their own sites.

Format and campus requirements

Program	Format	Attendance
FNP, AGPCNP, AGACNP, and residential PMHNP MSN	Campus	Weekday classes at Yale West Campus each term, plus separate clinical days
PNP-PC and PNP-AC MSN	Campus	Generally two class days per week in year one and Thursdays in year two
Hybrid PMHNP MSN	Mostly Online	Live online classes; three campus immersions of three to four days, including weekends
GEPN prelicensure year	Campus	Full time across fall, spring, and summer

Yale markets the PMHNP option as hybrid. NPPrograms.com classifies it as Mostly Online because instruction is online and campus attendance is limited to three immersions. Part-time study extends the campus MSN to about three years. It is not available for GEPN or the new DNP routes.

Post-master’s certificates

Yale’s post-master’s APRN certificates are for nurses who already hold a master’s degree in nursing. The FNP, AGACNP, and pediatric certificates require a current advanced practice license (APRN or CNM; the acute care certificates also accept CRNA) and Connecticut RN licensure at the time of application. They are campus-based. The PMHNP certificate requires a master’s degree in nursing, with the plan of study set by gap analysis.

• Individualized plans: Each plan includes the specialty’s required courses except research and statistics. Courses can be waived by transcript review or challenge exam, and waived courses are not billed.
• Coursework at Yale: Every required course that is not waived must be taken at YSN for certification eligibility.
• Length: Most students finish within about two years, full or part time. Enrollment intent is declared at application.
• Cost ceilings: Before waivers, the AGACNP certificate can reach 50.6 credits (up to $110,055) and the PNP-AC certificate 47 credits (up to $102,225). An unwaived plan can cost as much as the full-time MSN, so the gap analysis matters.
• Financial aid: Certificate students are not eligible for YSN scholarships but may use graduate loans.

The pediatric certificates have narrower entry routes. PNP-PC expects a master’s in pediatric, family, or parent-child nursing. PNP-AC expects prior preparation as a PNP-PC, CNS, NNP, or FNP.

Admissions

RN-entry MSN applicants apply through NursingCAS and select one specialty. Shared requirements include:

• Degree: A bachelor’s degree plus graduation from a state-approved nursing program. The FNP, AGPCNP, and AGACNP accept a bachelor’s in any field. The pediatric and residential PMHNP materials list a BSN or equivalent, and the hybrid PMHNP requires a BSN.
• GPA: 3.0 cumulative undergraduate GPA, or GRE scores at or above the 50th percentile in each section within five years.
• Licensure: An RN license in any U.S. state before first-term registration, then a Connecticut RN license by November 1 of the first term. Nursing students may apply before licensure, with admission conditional on passing the NCLEX before fall registration.
• Experience: At least one year of nursing experience is highly recommended but not required.
• Materials: Résumé, personal statement, three letters of recommendation, and transcripts from all colleges.
• Assessment: An asynchronous Kira Talent video and timed writing assessment replaces a live interview.
• Other: TOEFL or IELTS where applicable, and a background check before enrollment.

Campus programs start in the fall. For Fall 2027, YSN lists a November 1 priority deadline and an April 1 regular deadline. Applicants may apply to the same program no more than three times without an offer, so apply when your file is strongest.

Specialty differences:

• AGACNP: No acute or critical care experience required.
• PNP-AC: Designed for RNs with one to two years of acute inpatient experience; healthcare experience is strongly preferred.
• PNP-PC: Experience shadowing or working with a PNP is expected.
• PMHNP: A demonstrated interest in psychiatric-mental health nursing is required, and psychiatric experience is strongly recommended.
• DNP routes: Application materials may differ from the MSN. Confirm requirements with YSN admissions.

Tuition

Yale bills full-time and part-time MSN students a flat rate per term, not per credit. Certificates, the hybrid PMHNP, and concentration fees use a per-credit rate. Yale publishes one rate for all students, with no in-state discount.

2026-27 rates. Fees cover equipment and technology, lab, and student activities. Optional concentrations in oncology, diabetes care, research, or gender and sexuality health justice add a fee equal to four credits ($8,700). A $600 nonrefundable deposit is due on acceptance, with $300 credited to fall tuition. See YSN’s tuition and fees page.

Full-time MSN example at 2026-27 rates:

Tuition example	Amount
Year one: tuition ($54,336) plus new-student fees	$57,370
Year two: tuition ($54,336) plus continuing fees	$55,821
Estimated two-year total	$113,191

The same flat rate applies to every campus specialty, so the estimate holds whether the MSN runs 50 or 59.5 credits. Other estimates at 2026-27 rates:

• Part-time MSN: about $114,202 including fees, over six terms. Part-time study spreads payments but does not lower the total.
• GEPN-to-MSN: about $184,560 in tuition, combining the prelicensure year with two full-time specialty years.
• Hybrid PMHNP: about $112,013 in tuition for 51.5 credits, before fees and immersion travel.

These are NPPrograms.com estimates, not Yale-published program costs. They apply 2026-27 rates to every year and exclude insurance and future increases. For budgeting, YSN estimates first-year cost of attendance for a new full-time MSN student at $94,019, including housing, food, and transportation.

MSN students are considered automatically for need- and merit-based scholarships at admission, and YSN reports that more than 85% of students receive scholarship support. Hybrid PMHNP applicants are also considered for scholarships. Compare Yale’s net cost only after receiving an aid offer.

Accreditation and certification

The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) accredits Yale School of Nursing’s master’s degree program, which covers the MSN specialties. The post-master’s certificates use the same accredited master’s curriculum. Yale University is institutionally accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education. Applicants to the new DNP routes should confirm accreditation status with YSN.

Certification follows the population focus. Named options are ANCC or AANP for FNP and AGPCNP, ANCC (AGACNP-BC) or AACN (ACNPC-AG) for AGACNP, PNCB for both pediatric specialties, and ANCC lifespan certification for PMHNP.

State authorization

For the campus MSN, state authorization matters mainly for where graduates plan to practice. Yale’s licensure disclosures have listed Oregon as the exception to meeting APRN educational requirements, and the GEPN disclosures also flag Colorado. Students planning to practice in either state should check YSN’s professional licensure disclosures before enrolling.

The hybrid PMHNP has enrollment restrictions. Students must live in, or relocate to, an approved state. Ineligible locations have included Alabama, California, the District of Columbia, Iowa, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, South Dakota, and Tennessee. Confirm the current list with YSN before applying.

Who is Yale University best for?

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