Most Affordable Online DNP Programs

Otterbein University offers three online options for students seeking their DNP degrees, two for current BSN holders, and one for students with an MSN degree. The Family Nurse Practitioner BSN to DNP program prepares students to sit for both the American Academy of Nurse Practitioner Certification Program (AANPCP) and American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) exams to become certified FNPs. The 66-credit hour curriculum combines online, hybrid, and on-campus courses and labs with 600 in-person clinical hours overseen by a physician or nurse practitioner typically in the student’s local community. The 77-credit hour Psychiatric & Mental Health Nurse Practitioner BSN to DNP program prepares graduates to work as advanced practice nurses and qualifies them to sit for the ANCC exam to become psychiatric/mental health nurse practitioners. All didactic coursework in the PMHNP program is completed entirely online with in-person clinical hours at program-approved practice facilities.

Both the FNP and PMHNP programs start each summer semester and require four years of study. Students are awarded an MSN degree upon completion of all certification eligibility requirements and can then take their certification exams and begin working as APNs. Following certification, students begin their fourth year of studies to complete a scholarly project before being awarded their DNPs.

Otterbein additionally offers an MSN to DNP program that can be completed in as little as two years (six semesters). A three-year, part-time study plan is also available. Core and project coursework is completed synchronously online, and three brief face-to-face visits to the school’s Westerville, Ohio campus are required. Students must complete in-person clinical hours and scholarly projects in the state in which they hold their RN licensure.

Program Highlights:

FNP BSN to DNP; PMHNP BSN to DNP; MSN to DNP

• Credits: 66 (FNP BSN to DNP); 77 (PMHNP BSN to DNP); 32 (MSN to DNP)
• Length: Four years (BSN to DNP programs); Two to three years (MSN to DNP)
• Cost (estimated total): $75,180 (FNP BSN to DNP); $91,086 (PMHNP BSN to DNP); $23,136 (MSN to DNP)
• Mode: Partially-Online
• Accreditation: Higher Learning Commission (school); Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (program)

Fort Hays State University, a public school located in Hays, Kansas, offers both BSN to DNP and MSN to DNP programs that feature online didactic coursework. The BSN to DNP prepares graduates for DNP practice as Family Nurse Practitioners providing primary care across patients’ lifespans. The four-year program is presented in a hybrid format with most coursework completed online. Minimal campus visits are required during a few semesters, and students must complete substantial in-person clinical experiences attended at program-approved clinical sites in Kansas.

FHSU’s MSN to DNP program is open to current MSN degree holders in advanced practice positions as Nurse Practitioners, Clinical Nurse Specialists, Nurse Midwives, and Nurse Anesthetists. The 30-credit hour program (33 credits for those who haven’t completed graduate statistics) requires two years of full-time study. Both programs start annually with the summer semester.

Admission into FHSU’s DNP programsHHn requires a BSN with a 3.0 or higher GPA (BSN to DNP) or MSN with a minimum of 2.75 GPA (MSN to DNP). Other application requirements include a current RN license (APRN for MSN to DNP students), personal statement, three letters of recommendation, and completion of a virtual or in-person faculty interview. FHSU does not accept nursing program applications from residents of Alabama, Tennessee, Utah, or Washington, and the BSN to DNP program accepts applications from Kansas, Nebraska, and Oklahoma residents only.

Program Highlights:

BSN to DNP; MSN to DNP

• Credits: 75 (BSN to DNP); 30 to 33 (MSN to DNP)
• Length: Four years (BSN to DNP); Two years (MSN to DNP)
• Cost: $400/credit
• Mode: Fully-online coursework / In-person clinicals
• Accreditation: Higher Learning Commission (school); Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (program)

Ashland University, a private Christian institution in Northcentral Ohio, offers DNP degree programs to both BSN and MSN degree holders and features convenient asynchronous online coursework. Students with a previously-earned bachelor’s degree can choose between the BSN to DNP Family Nurse Practitioner and BSN to DNP Health Systems Leadership specializations. MSN students also choose between two specialization options: MSN to DNP Advanced Practice and MSN to DNP Health Systems Leadership. Both BSN and MSN Health Systems Leadership students complete specialized coursework preparing them for careers in executive and leadership roles at healthcare facilities, pharmaceutical and insurance companies, and government and community agencies.

All DNP programs combine asynchronous online courses with short on-campus residencies (one per semester) and in-person clinical practice hours in hospitals, clinics, physician’s offices, and other healthcare facilities in the school’s or students’ local communities. Admission requirements for all Ashland DNP programs include a BSN or MSN degree with a 3.0 or higher GPA, an RN license with one year of clinical experience, and completion of an undergraduate or graduate statistics course.

Program Highlights:

BSN to DNP FNP; BSN to DNP HSL; MSN to DNP AP; MSN to DNP HSL

• Credits: 77 (BSN to DNP FNP); 57 (BSN to DNP HSL); 32-38 (MSN to DNP AP); 46-54 (MSN to DNP HSL)
• Length: Four years (BSN to DNP FNP); Three years (BSN to DNP HSL); Two years (MSN to DNP AP); Three years (MSN to DNP HSL)
• Cost: $710/credit
• Mode: Partially-Online
• Accreditation: Higher Learning Commission (school); Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (program)

Northwest Oklahoma State University’s BSN to DNP program is unique in that it emphasizes preparing students for advanced practice as Family Nurse Practitioners in underserved rural communities. The program employs a hybrid format combining online didactic coursework with 1,020 clinical practicum hours alongside preceptors selected by the program. Students must attend an in-person six-day residency on the school’s Alva campus before starting their clinical coursework to validate their physical assessment skills, learn office procedures, discuss legal issues related to FNP practice, and more. Students return to the Alva campus again during the last semester for oral presentations and defense of culminating DNP scholarly projects.

Admission into the NOSU DNP program requires a BNP degree earned with a 2.5 or higher overall GPA (3.0 or higher on last 60 hours of coursework), a current unencumbered RN license, and direct or indirect patient care experience as an RN or FNP within the previous three years. NOSU does not offer a separate MSN to DNP program. However, RNs with MSN FNP degrees and current certification in advanced practice specialties will be considered for admission through the program’s Advanced Placement DNP Option.

Program Highlights:

BSN to DNP

• Credits: 73 (37-39 for Advance Placement DNP Option students)
• Length: Three years (full-time) or four years (part-time)
• Cost: $389/credit (in-state); $643/credit (out-of-state)
• Mode: Partially-Online
• Accreditation: Higher Learning Commission (school); Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (program)

The curriculum of the University of Utah’s Post-MS to DNP program emphasizes methods of practice that drive innovation in healthcare systems and organizations. The program has two pathway options. The Direct Care Pathway is for APRNs interested in providing direct advanced care to patients, and the Organizational Leadership Pathway is for APRNs and non-APRNs alike seeking administration and leadership careers in a range of practice, business, regulatory, and government settings. Curriculums combine fully online and hybrid courses attended on the school’s Salt Lake City campus with in-person, clinical practice hours at program-approved facilities. Both full-time and part-time study formats are available, and full-time students can complete their programs in as few as five semesters.

Admission requirements for the Post-MS to DNP program include an MSN degree with a 3.0 or better GPA, current RN or APRN licensure, and completion of upper-division courses in physiology/pathophysiology and statistics. Other application requirements include a current resume, personal goal statement, and three letters of recommendation from academic and/or professional sources. Admission into the program is highly competitive and meeting eligibility requirements does not guarantee acceptance.

Program Highlights:

Post-MS to DNP

• Credits: 35 to 38.5 (depending on pathway and full-time or part-time study)
• Length: Two years (full-time); three years (part-time)
• Cost: $285/credit (Utah resident); $1,003(non-resident)
• Mode: Partially-Online
• Accreditation: Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (school); Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (program)