NAU's professional licensure table for NP students
NAU's licensure table marks the MS FNP, the MS PMHNP and the FNP certificate as Does Not Meet in seven states: Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas and Wisconsin. The PMHNP certificate adds Kansas. Every other state reads Meets, and a student located in a Does Not Meet state can still enroll by attesting that they intend to work somewhere else.
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What the table is answering
The table asks one narrow question: does an NAU program satisfy the education requirements a state sets for professional licensure? NAU answers with only two words, Meets or Does Not Meet. There is no undetermined column, so every program and jurisdiction pair has a firm answer.
The data behind the page spans 54 programs and 56 jurisdictions, meaning the 50 states, Washington, D.C. and five territories. You can filter it by degree and by state, and each row links the licensing board for that state. The Vice Provost for NAU Online keeps the table, and the policy behind it asks program leaders to research every state again each year.
The live page prints no date. A late-2024 version said its disclosures were current as of February 2024, and archived copies from August 2025 through May 2026 show the rows shifting, so read the live table yourself before relying on a row.
The NP rows at a glance
| NAU row | Does Not Meet | Meets |
|---|---|---|
| Nursing - Advanced Practice, Family Nurse Practitioner (MS) | KY, MD, MI, NY, PA, TX, WI | All other states, D.C. and territories |
| Nursing - Advanced Practice, Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (MS) | KY, MD, MI, NY, PA, TX, WI | All other states, D.C. and territories |
| Family Nurse Practitioner (GCERT) | KY, MD, MI, NY, PA, TX, WI | All other states, D.C. and territories |
| Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (GCERT) | KS, KY, MD, MI, NY, PA, TX, WI | All other states, D.C. and territories |
Arizona and every state on its border read Meets for all four rows. For context, NAU's four BSN formats list five Does Not Meet states: Kentucky, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania and Texas. The table carries no rows for the DNP, the RN to BSN, the non-NP MS or the Clinical Nurse Specialist prescribing bundle. Our state guides, such as Texas and New York, cover each state in more depth.
Kansas and the PMHNP certificate
Kansas is the one state where two NAU rows for the same specialty disagree. The MS PMHNP emphasis reads Meets there, while the PMHNP graduate certificate reads Does Not Meet. Archived copies date the split: the certificate row said Meets in March 2026 and Does Not Meet by May 2026.
NAU publishes no explanation, and the table is the only public record of the change. The two routes also differ in size: the certificate runs 23 units for nurses who are already NPs and 36 for other MSN holders, while the MS emphasis is 51 units. If you live in Kansas and are weighing the certificate, raise it with the program before you apply, and look at the PMHNP certificate guide and our Kansas page for the board side.
What changed in 2026
NAU's Professional Licensure Disclosure Statements policy took effect on April 1, 2026, although the web version still shows a July 1, 2020 revision date. The table moved in the same months.
| Row | Earlier | Later |
|---|---|---|
| PMHNP certificate, Kansas | Meets (March 2026) | Does Not Meet (May 2026) |
| MS PMHNP and PMHNP certificate, Utah | Does Not Meet (March 2026) | Meets (May 2026) |
| FNP certificate label | Post-Master's Family Nurse Practitioner (GCERT), August 2025 | Family Nurse Practitioner (GCERT), from December 2025 |
| BSN rows | Does Not Meet everywhere (August 2025), then one blank-state row (December 2025 to March 2026) | State-by-state rows plus a new Accelerated BSN row (May 2026) |
The Utah change is good news for PMHNP students there. The Kansas change runs the other way and arrived partway through spring 2026, which is why the notification rule below matters.
The attestation and the automatic emails
NAU's policy sets two conditions for a program that leads to licensure. It must meet Arizona's education requirements, and it must either meet the requirements of the state where the student is located at initial enrollment or obtain the student's attestation that they intend to seek employment in another state. That attestation is how a nurse in Texas or Maryland can still enroll.
Disclosures go out automatically from PeopleSoft, based on the location you give NAU. Prospective distance students receive one when a program does not meet, or has no determination, in their state. Enrolled distance students receive one within 14 calendar days of a new Does Not Meet determination. Keeping your location current in LOUIE, covered in the state authorization guide, is what points those emails at the right state.
What Meets leaves unanswered
Meets speaks to licensure education only. It says nothing about whether a host state lets an out-of-state program run clinicals there. California is the clearest gap: NAU lists every nursing row as Meets, yet California's board, in its NCSBN entry, lets only students of programs it approves train there. Nevada also reads Meets, yet its board requires APRN students training there to hold a Nevada RN license and their preceptors to be Nevada-licensed.
Your own license is a separate question as well. Arizona rule R4-19-502 has NAU verify an unencumbered RN license in the state of clinical practice, which the RN license guide unpacks. Read the licensure row, the host-state rule and your license together, then confirm the plan with your program coordinator.
Placements planned around your state
Where you live shapes who can precept you, and we build the search around it. Your placement advisor checks your state's row on NAU's table, the host-state rule for clinicals and the license a preceptor there must hold, then finds preceptors who meet Arizona rule R4-19-502 as NAU applies it and practice close to home.
If you are in a Meets state, that means a preceptor packet ready for the Green Form early, with the CV, license and certification NAU asks for already collected so the FNP Program Coordinator reviews a complete file. Near a state line, we weigh preceptors on both sides against each state's rules before suggesting one. If you are weighing a move, we map the new state's rules before you commit. Send your state and program through the contact form.
Questions NAU students ask
Does NAU's FNP program meet licensure requirements in Texas?
No. NAU's live table marks the MS FNP, the FNP certificate and both PMHNP options as Does Not Meet for Texas, and the same holds for Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Texas residents can still enroll by attesting they plan to work elsewhere, but should talk with the program first.
Can I enroll in an NAU NP program if my state is Does Not Meet?
NAU publishes no state-by-state enrollment ban. Its policy asks students located in a Does Not Meet state at initial enrollment to attest that they intend to seek employment in another state, and PeopleSoft sends a direct disclosure before enrollment. Read that disclosure carefully and ask the graduate nursing advisors how it applies to you.
How often does NAU update its licensure table?
The policy asks program leaders to research their program's status each year, and dated copies show rows changing between March and May 2026. The live page carries no date, so check it close to when you apply and again before you move, rather than relying on an older screenshot.
Does Meets mean I can do clinicals in my state?
Not by itself. Meets answers the licensure education question only. Host-state boards set their own clinical rules; California, for example, limits clinicals to programs its board has approved, and Nevada requires a Nevada RN license for APRN students. Your program coordinator confirms whether NAU can place you where you live.
What happens if my state changes to Does Not Meet while I'm enrolled?
NAU's policy says enrolled distance students in that state get a direct disclosure within 14 calendar days of the new determination. The email comes from PeopleSoft based on the location on your record, so keep your location current and contact your program right away to talk through your options.
Related pages
Last checked 2026-09-27
We check these pages against Northern Arizona University's own catalog, program pages and published nursing documents. Your program coordinator and course faculty have the final word.
NAU welcomes a preceptor you arrange. We arrange one close to home.
Tell us your NAU track, your town and your next practicum. We line up preceptors who fit the course and Arizona's preceptor rule, confirm the site's approval, and gather the CV, license and certification the Green Form needs, well before NAU's cutoff.
- Preceptors matched to the course: all-ages family primary care for FNP, psychiatric settings for PMHNP
- License, experience and certification checked against the rule NAU applies, before the Green Form goes in
- All three FNP practicums planned together, near home instead of a long drive away
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