Minnesota residents and EKU: MSN closed, DNP open
EKU's licensure tables put Minnesota under Does Not Meet Requirements for the MSN, a result that also governs the FNP, the PMHNP and the two post-MSN certificates, and for the RN to BSN. Under the federal rule EKU cites, students located in Minnesota may not be permitted to enroll in those programs. The post-master's DNP carries no Minnesota restriction on EKU's page.
Ask about Minnesota
Tell us your EKU program and your plans: a DNP from Minnesota, or a move to another state. Your placement advisor starts from EKU's current status.
EKU's Minnesota results, program by program
EKU lists Minnesota among SARA states with special restrictions, but the restriction it describes has nothing to do with nursing.
| Program | EKU status for Minnesota | Licensure table result |
|---|---|---|
| MSN Family Nurse Practitioner | No | Does Not Meet Requirements |
| MSN Psychiatric Mental Health NP | No | Does Not Meet Requirements |
| Post-MSN FNP and PMHNP certificates | No | Does Not Meet Requirements |
| Doctor of Nursing Practice | Yes (no restriction published) | No table (non-licensure degree) |
| RN to BSN | No | Does Not Meet Requirements |
The Minnesota note concerns undergraduate general education: EKU's standards for its associate and bachelor's of arts degrees differ from Minnesota's, so some students there may need extra courses. The nursing results come from the licensure tables alone, together with EKU's explanation that federal regulation limits enrollment in licensure-track distance programs for students who live in a Does Not Meet state.
What this means if you live in Minnesota
For a Minnesota RN hoping to become an FNP or PMHNP through EKU, the page as it stands does not support enrolling from Minnesota. EKU mentions an attestation process for students in such states who plan to be licensed somewhere the program does meet requirements, but it publishes no steps, so only EKU's online advisors can say whether it applies to you.
A planned move changes things only once you are living somewhere else. If you are relocating to a state marked Meets Requirements, ask EKU how it treats applicants who are mid-move and at what point your new address counts. After admission, EKU wants any relocation cleared in advance, since relocating could result in removal. The state authorization guide shows every state's result.
The DNP: the program Minnesota nurses can still choose
EKU's post-master's DNP in Organizational Leadership leads to no license, so it has no licensure table, and EKU lists no Minnesota restriction for it. Nurses holding a master's or doctorate in nursing can apply from Minnesota. EKU's catalog wants proof of 1,000-plus clinical hours accumulated after the BSN and sets the portion still owed at EKU when you are admitted, while the DNP page pitches projects rooted in your own workplace or community.
Under the most recent DNP handbook available (revised 2020), you submit EKU's site approval request (the Request for DNP Experience Site Approval Form) course by course, and hours start only once the Clinical Placement Coordinator emails approval. Confirm the current process with your faculty; the DNP guide has the full program.
Minnesota licensing and sites, for reference
Minnesota stays out of the Nurse Licensure Compact, and no bill to change that is pending, which means practice in the state runs on a Minnesota RN license. A registered nurse licensed elsewhere who is studying in Minnesota in a formal program, such as one leading to a higher degree, is exempted by Minn. Stat. 148.271(6) for practice within that course. AANP rates Minnesota full practice once an NP logs 2,080 hours under a collaborative agreement with an APRN or physician. EKU's standing rule covers every license you hold: it must be unencumbered (license guide).
Major systems include Mayo Clinic, Essentia Health, Allina Health, HealthPartners and M Health Fairview, around the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington metro plus Rochester, St. Cloud and Duluth. Individual sites can ask for more than state law does: Mayo Clinic's NP clinical program, for one, requires the student's school to hold an affiliation agreement with Mayo and the student to complete a Minnesota DHS background study.
Who we can help in Minnesota
We work with two groups of Minnesota nurses. For an EKU DNP student, your placement advisor helps you shape a practice site in your organization or community and prepares the details EKU's site approval asks for. For a nurse relocating to a state that EKU accepts NP students from, we begin the preceptor search in the new state once EKU confirms your enrollment; Kentucky's rule, which makes EKU responsible for securing NP preceptors while you have input, applies wherever EKU places you (the rule). Enrollment for Minnesota FNP, PMHNP and RN to BSN applicants is EKU's decision, so start with EKU. Reach the placement desk.
Questions EKU students ask
Can I take EKU's online FNP while living in Minneapolis?
Not on EKU's current terms. The MSN licensure table that governs the FNP marks Minnesota Does Not Meet Requirements, and EKU notes that federal regulation may keep students located there from enrolling. Ask EKU's online advisors about the attestation process or about a planned move before you apply; the decision is theirs.
Is there a Minnesota exception for EKU's post-MSN PMHNP certificate?
No. EKU publishes a single MSN licensure table and states that it includes the MSN along with both post-MSN certificates, FNP and PMHNP. That table marks Minnesota Does Not Meet, so the certificates share the MSN's result, and EKU does not split it by specialty. See the post-MSN PMHNP certificate.
If I move from Minnesota to Wisconsin, can I enroll in EKU's FNP?
Wisconsin is not a simple swap. EKU's MSN table marks Wisconsin Meets Requirements, but Wisconsin is missing from EKU's SARA lists and EKU was not on Wisconsin's approved out-of-state school roster dated August 3, 2026. Confirm with EKU before building a move around enrollment; the Wisconsin guide explains the gaps.
Is EKU's RN to BSN open to Minnesota nurses?
No, for now. The RN to BSN licensure table gives Minnesota the same Does Not Meet result as the MSN, so the federal limit EKU cites applies to it too. Of EKU's online nursing programs, the post-master's DNP is the only one with no Minnesota restriction published.
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.
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