45 Best Online Nurse Practitioner Programs with No GRE Required [2024 Guide]
By Joy Miller
Edited by Briana Sukert
Published on September 7, 2024
Explore 45 online nurse practitioner programs with no GRE required for admission. Want to finish faster? Accelerated nursing programs are also available.
As a nurse, you probably already understand the importance of delivering compassionate patient care of the highest quality. Now, consider taking your healthcare skills to the next level with an advanced nursing degree.
Earning a graduate degree in nursing can help prepare you for licensure as a nurse practitioner (NP) who serves as a leader in the field.
Editorial Listing ShortCode:
Methodology: The following school list is in alphabetical order. To be included, a college or university must be regionally accredited and offer course or degree programs online or in a hybrid format. In addition, the universities either do not require GRE test scores as part of the admission requirements or offer GRE waivers for qualified students.
Ball State‘s continuing institutional accreditation by the Higher Learning Commission was reaffirmed on January 14, 2014, following a two-year self-study process. The university is now accredited through 2023–24.
BSU is accredited by Higher Learning Commission.
Baylor University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
Bellarmine University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
Bradley University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
Capella University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
Chamberlain University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
Drexel University is accredited by MSCHE (Middle States Commission on Higher Education).
Duke University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
Duquesne University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE).
Georgetown University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
Georgia College & State University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission.
Graceland University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC).
Indiana State is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
IWU is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.
Maryville University of Saint Louis is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.
MUSC is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).
MSU is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
Monmouth University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
NIU is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
OSU is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
ODU is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
Purdue University Global is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission (HLC).
Regis College is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education.
Rivier University is fully accredited by the New England Commission on Higher Education, Inc (NECHE).
Sacred Heart University is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE).
SLU is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.
Seton Hall is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.
Simmons University is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education.
South University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
All degrees offered by SAU are accredited by The Higher Learning Commission.
Saint Joseph’s College is accredited by the New England Commission on Higher Education, Inc.
TAMU-Corpus Christi is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
UC and all regional campuses are accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC).
UCCS is accredited through the North Central Association of the Higher Learning Commission.
UL Lafayette is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
UMKC is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
USF is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).
USA is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
USC is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.
UTA is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
UTEP is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
Walden is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission.
WCU is a university accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission.
WVU is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
Wilkes University is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.
Typically, when people need medical care, they go see a doctor. However, doctors aren’t the only professionals who can provide thorough exams and helpful treatment. Nurse practitioners can provide this type of care as well.
A bachelor’s degree in nursing can help prepare you to practice as a registered nurse (RN). However, a job as an NP requires further education. Like nurse midwives and nurse anesthetists, NPs are advanced practice registered nurses (APRN). Therefore, becoming licensed as an advanced practice registered nurse requires holding a master’s or doctoral degree. This additional schooling can help equip you to carry out responsibilities that are not entrusted to other nurses.
For example, an NP can:
In some states, NPs can carry out their duties independently. However, other states require them to work under the supervision of a doctor who can sign off on some prescriptions, treatments and other decisions.
Nurse practitioners typically focus their studies on a particular branch of medicine so that they can provide high-quality care for patients in that demographic.
Common specialties include:
In addition, subspecialties are also available to advanced practice registered nurse students. Subspecialties often focus on particular systems of the body, such as:
Other nurse practitioners choose subspecialties like emergency medicine, sports health or immunology.
Your choice of specialty and subspecialty can help you gain in-depth knowledge about particular branches of medicine. The specialized training that you receive can help set you apart from your colleagues.
Keep in mind that switching specialties in the middle of a program can be challenging, so it’s important to make a careful choice from the outset.
Currently, you can become a nurse practitioner through master’s or doctoral studies.
Master of Science in Nursing – Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP Program)
A master’s degree is sufficient education for licensure in all states.
However, more and more schools are offering Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degrees. Some nursing organizations, such as the American Association of Critical-care Nurses (AACN), support the move toward increased education beyond a master’s degree for all advanced nurses.
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
Many experts believe that DNP degrees are important because they provide more education and practical experience for nursing students. This, in turn, may contribute to better patient care.
As you decide whether to pursue a master’s degree or a doctorate in nursing, keep in mind that the regulations may eventually become more strict.
By going ahead and getting your DNP now, you can be prepared if your state later increases the educational requirements for all APRNs.
Otherwise, you may someday need to earn yet another degree.
Earning a doctoral degree in nursing can also help prepare you to become licensed as a nurse practitioner, including specialized roles, like psychiatric nurse practitioner.
A growing number of universities offer accredited online nursing programs in addition to their on-campus options. During your studies, you’ll likely learn about topics like epidemiology, healthcare technology, pathophysiology, health policy and ethical practice. You may take classes with names like Health Science Statistics, Evidence-based Practice, Health Advocacy and Delivering Quality Care.
Because nurse practitioners often serve as leaders among nursing teams, your coursework may also focus on leadership and management skills.
Even in online nursing programs, though, you will likely need to complete a practicum or a clinical experience before completing your doctoral education. In some cases, a dissertation is a requirement. However, some schools don’t require a doctor dissertation, but allow you to complete a final doctoral project instead.
Keep in mind that becoming an NP is not the only thing that you can do with a DNP. You might also work in health policy, teach in higher education or lead a healthcare organization. To prepare for NP licensure, you may have to take additional classes or enroll in a specific doctoral track.
Nurse practitioners are advanced practice registered nurses. This may be a rewarding career for those interested in working with patients in the health professions and helping them manage their health. In addition to being personally fulfilling, becoming an advanced practice nurse usually offers a comfortable salary range and promising job growth.
As an advanced practice nurse, you may have a full load of patients for whose medical care you are responsible. Often, people rely on nurse practitioners instead of physicians for their primary care. Therefore, your role may include many responsibilities in a primary care setting that have traditionally belonged to doctors.
These tasks may include:
Each state sets its own rules about nurse practitioners, so your allowed responsibilities may vary. In addition, depending on where you live, you may need to practice under the supervision of a doctor.
Options may include:
You will probably work in a medical office setting and focus on a particular type of care in the health professions.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, advanced practice registered nurses make an average of $117,670 annually. This category includes nurse practitioners, nurse midwives and nurse anesthetists.
Employment opportunities in advanced practice nursing are expected to grow quite quickly over the next several years. According to BLS projections, the job outlook is expected to increase 45 percent for the next 10 years, there were 263,400 positions in this field. About 117,700 jobs are expected to be added.
The growing demand for professionals in this field is, in large part, due to the increasing shortfall of doctors. Particularly among rural populations, nurse practitioners can help to provide essential healthcare in communities where there aren’t enough doctors to adequately carry the patient load.
However, the choice to see an NP isn’t always a matter of convenience alone. Other reasons that patients would make this choice may include:
Thanks to these common advanced practice nurse characteristics, more and more people may start opting for non-physician healthcare. In that case, the job outlook will only continue to grow over the next several years.
The requirements for getting into a DNP program can vary among universities. However, the following list provides a general overview of the admissions requirements for many graduate nursing students.
Graduate-level nursing classes typically build upon the skills and knowledge gained during RN training. Therefore, universities typically require all applicant graduate nursing students to be licensed as RNs before beginning their advanced programs.
Although there are several methods of gaining the education necessary for RN certification, not all of them will prepare you for NP studies.
Nursing programs can be demanding. Most universities require you to submit transcripts from your bachelor’s degree with grades at or above their minimum GPA requirements. 3.0 is a common standard for advanced nursing programs. Some schools may allow exceptions on a case-by-case basis.
Why do you want to earn an advanced nursing degree? Your personal essay provides an opportunity to share this information with the admissions committee. You can also include information about your:
You will need to submit several letters from references who believe you would be a good candidate for a graduate nursing program. Your letters should be from a mix of professional and academic sources.
For any degree program, it is essential that you select a university with regional accreditation. Acceptable regional accreditors include:
This is not an exhaustive list, and other regional accrediting agencies are acceptable as well.
In addition, there are organizations that provide accreditation specifically for nursing programs:
Such accreditation may be important for qualifying for board examinations, such as the nurse practitioners certification board exam, and for transferring credits to another school or finding a good job.
The GRE is a test that is used for determining students’ readiness for success at the graduate degree level. Its full name is the Graduate Record Examination. In particular, the test evaluates your math, writing and reasoning skills.
Graduate nursing programs have high standards for admission. However, that does not mean that they always require GRE scores as part of the application process. Many schools base their admissions decisions on other criteria instead.
Some advanced nursing programs never ask for GRE scores. The universities just don’t require them. Instead, they consider GPA, work experience, letters of recommendation and other factors when admitting students.
There are other schools that do ask for test scores, but they frequently make exceptions. These exceptions are called waivers and may be granted for:
No, accredited universities have the right to decide whether they require applicants to submit GRE scores. Many schools base their admissions process on other criteria and do not rely on test results as a measure of readiness for grad school.
There is not one program that is the best fit for every nursing student. Instead of looking for the very best of all schools, look for the one that best aligns with your goals, learning style and schedule.
It’s important to select a school with proper accreditation. Regional accreditation is a sign that the university delivers a quality education throughout all of its programs. Nursing-specific accreditation from ACEN or CCNE can assure you that the school’s advanced nursing program meets commonly accepted standards.
Other things to look for when exploring online NP programs or courses include:
Yes, if you are already licensed as an RN, there are MSN and DNP online programs available. The best candidates for admission to these online programs are nurses who already hold a BSN.
Just as you can earn a bachelor’s degree online, many universities offer online programs through which you can earn an MSN. These nursing practitioner online programs may be ideal for working professionals because they often feature flexible scheduling.
Although classes are frequently delivered in an online format, you will probably have to earn clinical hours in person. You may be able to complete these hours in a medical setting in your local area as part of your online program.
Nurse practitioners who specialize in family medicine are commonly known as family nurse practitioners (FNPs). As an FNP, you might work with patients across all ages, from children to senior citizens.
Graduates of an FNP program often work in family practice medical clinics and may perform their duties under the supervision of a family practice physician. Responsibilities of family nurse practitioners may include diagnosing illnesses, prescribing medications, performing annual checkups, and providing care to families in a primary care setting. FNPs may also treat minor injuries, suggest diagnostic procedures and provide tips for healthy living.
FNP may serve as the point of contact for many of the patients in a medical practice. You might want to start exploring online family nurse practitioner programs no gre required with accredited institutions today.
If you’re ready to advance your nursing skills and become a leader in your field, then you may be an excellent candidate for an MSN, DNP, or even a doctorate in nursing education online program. For a quicker route to specialization, you might also explore the shortest online PMHNP certificate programs.
Through study in nursing practitioner online programs, you can prepare to pursue a nursing career that’s fulfilling, profitable and likely to offer many job opportunities.
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