EKU state authorization: where online NP students can enroll and train
EKU's state authorization page decides whether you can enroll from where you live. Its MSN licensure table, which also covers both post-MSN certificates, lists 42 states and DC as meeting requirements. Eight states are closed to online MSN enrollment (Colorado, Louisiana, Washington, Tennessee, New York, Oregon, Minnesota and Mississippi), and EKU attaches conditions in five more, so check yours before you apply and again before you plan clinicals anywhere outside your home state.
Check your state and start your search
Tell us where you live, where you would like to train and your EKU program. Your placement advisor confirms EKU's status for that state first.
What EKU's state authorization page covers
EKU keeps one page, State Authorization & Professional Licensing Information, for all of its online programs. It says EKU has participated in SARA, the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement, since 2017, lists SARA states with and without special restrictions, adds notes for individual states and publishes licensure tables by degree.
Three features matter for nursing. The Master of Science in Nursing table covers the MSN and both post-MSN certificates, FNP and PMHNP, without splitting them. The RN to BSN has its own table. The post-master's DNP has no table, since it is not a licensure program, so DNP students rely on the state notes. Each table sorts states into Meets Requirements, Does Not Meet Requirements and Unable to Determine.
The page itself cautions that SARA membership does not bind state licensure boards, which is why the licensure tables carry as much weight as SARA membership. EKU's program pages simply ask you to check your state.
The eight states closed to online MSN students
| State | What EKU's page says |
|---|---|
| Colorado | Not accepting nursing students into online programs; not authorized to conduct clinical practicum in Colorado |
| Louisiana | Not accepting nursing students into online programs |
| Washington | Not accepting nursing students into online programs |
| Tennessee | Not accepting nursing students in Tennessee at this time |
| New York | Exempt only for the DNP and MSN Nursing Administration; not accepting FNP or PMHNP students; no field placements for licensure programs without New York Board approval |
| Oregon | Not accepting RN to BSN, FNP or PMHNP online students |
| Minnesota | MSN table says Does Not Meet Requirements; EKU's Minnesota note covers only undergraduate general education |
| Mississippi | MSN table says Unable to Determine; EKU is currently not authorized to enroll students living there because of clinical placement restrictions |
The reasons differ. Six rest on an explicit EKU statement, Minnesota rests on the licensure table alone and Mississippi on a footnote. Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands are also Unable to Determine for the MSN. For the DNP, EKU's notes close Colorado, Louisiana, Tennessee and Washington, while New York is open to it. Each state guide gives the full picture for one state.
Mississippi's 2026 change
Archived copies of EKU's page show Mississippi under Meets Requirements in the MSN table in January, March and May 2026. By June 17, 2026 it had moved to Unable to Determine, with a footnote saying graduates may qualify for licensure there but that EKU is currently not authorized to enroll students living in Mississippi because of clinical placement restrictions.
The change is narrow. Mississippi still sits on EKU's list of SARA states without restrictions, and the RN to BSN table still says Meets. EKU does not say whether the same clinical placement restrictions reach DNP practicum hours, so a DNP student should ask EKU before counting on a Mississippi site. An admitted MSN student already living in Mississippi should talk to an advisor now, since the page gives no rule for current students. The Mississippi guide has the state detail.
Five states with conditions
| State | EKU's condition | What it means in practice |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | The program must notify the state and pay a fee by January 1 each year it plans to place students in clinicals | Alabama placements are planned by calendar year, so raise an Alabama site early |
| North Dakota | The program must notify the state and pay an annual fee to place students in clinicals | EKU was not on the North Dakota Board of Nursing's 2026-27 recognized distance programs list when checked; confirm before planning a site |
| Maryland | Unpaid or low-paying placements of any kind must be approved before admission | Raise Maryland clinical plans with EKU while you are applying |
| Missouri | No multi-year contracts between sites and EKU; short-term contracts allowed; sites subject to EKU program approval | Expect a site agreement sized to your course period |
| Massachusetts | Accepting only FNP, PMHNP and DNP students; exempt for fully online programs only | NP and DNP students can enroll; the RN to BSN table says Does Not Meet |
None of these closes the door, but each adds a step on EKU's side before you can train there, so put a preferred site forward early.
Gaps and conflicts on EKU's page
- North Carolina and Wisconsin are missing from both of EKU's SARA lists, although both states belong to SARA. EKU's MSN and RN to BSN tables still say Meets for both, and the DNP status is not published. Wisconsin's own list of approved out-of-state nursing schools, dated August 3, 2026, did not include EKU either. Confirm with EKU before planning North Carolina or Wisconsin clinicals.
- California: EKU says its MSN programs, including the FNP and PMHNP certificates, are approved and compliant with California Code of Regulations Section 1486, and the California Board of Registered Nursing lists EKU among the out-of-state NP programs it has approved. The page does not address the DNP there.
- New York: the RN to BSN table says Meets, but EKU's New York note says it is not accepting RN to BSN students. The same note names an MSN Nursing Administration option that the 2026-27 catalog no longer lists.
- Oregon: the note bars the online RN to BSN, FNP and PMHNP programs and says nothing about the DNP.
Attestation, relocation and the federal rule
EKU says students located in a Does Not Meet or Unable to Determine state are restricted by federal regulation and may not be permitted to enroll in distance programs that lead to licensure. It offers an attestation process for students there who intend to seek licensure in a state where the program does meet requirements. The steps are not on the public page, and whether attestation helps in a state where EKU has also stopped accepting nursing students is a question only EKU can answer, so ask its online advisors directly.
Moving mid-program is the other trap. EKU warns that relocating after you apply or are admitted could result in removal from the program. The graduate catalog asks you to report your address and any change of location, and to tell the university and your advisor before moving out of state. If a job or family move is coming, raise it before you pack.
What your state means for clinicals
Where you train matters as much as where you live. The graduate catalog requires you to tell EKU where any supervised field placement outside Kentucky will physically take place. EKU states plainly that it is not authorized to run clinical practicum in Colorado, and that licensure-program field placements in New York need the New York Board's approval first.
Your RN license has to be valid where you train, and EKU expects it to be unencumbered in each state that has issued you one; the RN license and Nursys guide explains both. EKU's public pages set no rule on training in a different state from the one you live in, so ask your faculty before planning a site across a border. Kentucky's rule travels with you: EKU secures its NP students' preceptors wherever it places them, and your input can point to a site in any state where EKU can place you.
Your placement advisor checks EKU's current status for your training state before the search begins, so the option you bring to EKU arrives with the state question answered and the license and site details ready for review.
Questions EKU students ask
Can I apply to EKU's online FNP if I live in Tennessee?
Not at present. EKU's page says it is not accepting nursing students in Tennessee at this time and suggests talking to its online advisors about alternatives, and both the MSN and RN to BSN tables say Does Not Meet for Tennessee. If you plan to move to another state, speak with EKU before applying, since the rule follows where you are located. See the Tennessee guide.
Is EKU's state list the same for the FNP and the PMHNP?
Yes. EKU publishes one MSN licensure table for both concentrations and both post-MSN certificates, so the eight closed states and five conditional ones apply to FNP and PMHNP students alike. The one wrinkle is Massachusetts, where EKU's note names FNP and PMHNP without saying MSN or certificate; the table that covers both says Meets.
What happens if I move to another state during EKU's NP program?
Tell your advisor before the move. EKU warns that a move after admission can cost you your place, so the answer depends on your new state's status. If it is on the Meets list, your clinical site and RN license still need to work for the new state; if it is closed, ask EKU about options before you commit to the move.
Does EKU enroll RN to BSN students from the same states as the MSN?
Mostly, with three differences. The RN to BSN table says Does Not Meet for Massachusetts, where the MSN is open, and Meets for Mississippi, where the MSN is closed. New York is a conflict: its RN to BSN table entry says Meets while EKU's New York note says it is not accepting RN to BSN students. Confirm with EKU.
How often does EKU update its state authorization page?
EKU publishes no schedule. The page showed a September 23, 2026 modification date when last checked, and archived copies show it changing during 2026, most visibly for Mississippi in June. Check it when you apply, again before each clinical course, and whenever you consider a clinical site outside your home state.
Related pages
Last checked 2026-09-25
We check these pages against EKU's own catalog, program pages and handbooks, and Kentucky's regulations. The current MSN Student Handbook, your course and your faculty have the final word.
EKU secures your preceptor. Your input decides how well it fits your life.
Tell us your EKU program, where you live and when your next clinical course starts. We find preceptors in your community who fit the course and prepare everything EKU reviews, so the option you put forward is ready to approve.
- Preceptors matched to the course: family primary care for
NSC 800andNSC 876, psychiatric care forNSC 886 - Preceptor, license and site details organized for EKU's preceptor information form
- In your own community, wherever EKU enrolls students and you hold your RN license
Start your placement plan
Program, city and start date is all we need to begin.