NAU nursing accreditation: HLC, CCNE and the DNP question
Northern Arizona University is accredited as an institution by the Higher Learning Commission, with its next reaffirmation due in 2027-28. Its nursing programs answer to CCNE, which NAU's accreditation table lists for the BSN, the RN option, the MS Advanced Practice, the MS and both NP certificates, next reviewed in 2028. NAU's own pages disagree on only one point: whether the DNP belongs on that list.
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Two layers, two different questions
Accreditation at NAU works in layers. The Higher Learning Commission accredits Northern Arizona University as an institution, so its review takes in the whole university rather than any one college. CCNE works at the program level: its listing attaches to named nursing programs, one by one, which is why a single college can have programs on the list and one whose status is described two ways.
A third layer sits with the state. NAU's MS Advanced Practice page says graduates are eligible for state certification in Arizona, for application for prescribing and dispensing privileges in Arizona and for application for national certification. Those three steps are how an NAU degree becomes authority to practice and prescribe.
State approval matters in a quieter way too. Arizona's Board, in an opinion revised in 2019 and 2020, requires out-of-state APRN programs to apply for approval before their students train in Arizona. NAU is an Arizona-approved program, so an Arizona site hosting an NAU student faces no such extra step. NAU's compliance page adds that ABOR, HLC and NC-SARA have opened no adverse actions against it.
HLC and the 2027-28 review
NAU's last comprehensive HLC review took place in 2017-2018, and its next reaffirmation of accreditation falls in 2027-2028. HLC's on-site visit is scheduled for Sept. 13-14, 2027, and HLC's student opinion survey runs in spring 2027. The review covers NAU's branch campuses as well, NAU-Yuma among them.
For an NP student, spring 2027 is a NUR 665 term on the usual FNP sequence (the semester calendar has the dates), so the survey may reach you in the middle of a practicum. It is a chance to describe the online and clinical experience from the inside, including what it takes to line up preceptors from a distance.
The HLC visit lands a year before the CCNE review listed for 2028, so both fall inside the two and a half years of an MS that starts in fall 2026. NAU's accreditation pages carry both review dates.
What CCNE covers at NAU
NAU's program accreditation table lists CCNE for six nursing programs, each last reviewed in 2018 and due for its next review in 2028.
| Program as NAU lists it | CCNE in the table | Last and next review |
|---|---|---|
| Nursing BSN | Listed | 2018 / 2028 |
| Nursing - Option for Registered Nurses | Listed | 2018 / 2028 |
| Nursing - Advanced Practice MS | Listed | 2018 / 2028 |
| Nursing MS | Listed | 2018 / 2028 |
| Post-Master's FNP Graduate Certificate | Listed | 2018 / 2028 |
| Post-Graduate PMHNP Graduate Certificate | Listed | 2018 / 2028 |
| Doctor of Nursing Practice | Absent from the table; named on college pages | See below |
The MS Advanced Practice row covers both the FNP and PMHNP emphases, since NAU combined them into one degree from fall 2023. The RN option row is the program behind NAU's online RN to BSN.
The DNP wording conflict
The college's in.nau.edu pages describe CCNE accreditation of "The baccalaureate degree program in nursing, master's degree programs in nursing, Doctor of Nursing Practice program, and postgraduate APRN certificate program". The college page on nau.edu and the university's program accreditation table leave the DNP out.
NAU publishes no note explaining the gap. The DNP is also closed to new applicants in the 2026-27 catalog. Current DNP students who need a firm answer, for an employer or a certification board, should ask the college for written confirmation of the program's status. If an employer's credentialing office or a site asks for proof, a copy of each NAU statement plus the college's written reply gives them the whole picture. The DNP guide covers the program itself.
Why accreditation reaches your clinical site
Accreditation is not just a line on a diploma; it comes up during placement. Mayo Clinic in Arizona, for example, publishes that its NP clinical rotations are for students in a master's-level accredited nurse practitioner program at an affiliated school, with inquiries coming only from the program's clinical rotation coordinator. That is Mayo's own published rule, and other sites' education offices may ask the same question.
Host states ask too. Utah, as reported to NCSBN, expects out-of-state programs placing students there to show recognized nursing accreditation, so a Utah-based NAU student's placement leans on the CCNE listing.
Then there is certification. Arizona rule R4-19-505 requires completion of an APRN program in the role and population focus plus national certification, and the Board's recognized certifying programs include the AANP and ANCC FNP credentials and ANCC's family psychiatric-mental health NP credential. The Arizona practice guide takes it from there.
How we present your program to a site
A site decides more easily when the facts arrive together. With every request we make, your placement advisor gives the site a clear picture of your NAU program, its CCNE and HLC standing as NAU publishes it, the course and hours you need, and the documents NAU will ask the preceptor to provide.
That groundwork means fewer back-and-forth emails and a site approval in hand when your Green Form goes in. Where a health system accepts requests only from a school's coordinator, as several Arizona systems publish, we flag it early so the request can move through NAU's Clinical Placement Coordinator in time, and we widen your search to community practices that can agree directly. It is one part of a placement process built around NAU's own rules; how it works shows the rest, and the form below starts your search.
Questions NAU students ask
Is NAU's FNP program CCNE accredited?
Yes. NAU's program accreditation table lists CCNE for the Nursing - Advanced Practice MS, which includes the FNP emphasis, and for the Post-Master's FNP Graduate Certificate. Both were last reviewed in 2018, with the next review listed for 2028. The same table lists the Post-Graduate PMHNP Graduate Certificate, and the MS row covers the PMHNP emphasis as well.
Is the NAU DNP accredited?
NAU's pages disagree. The college's in.nau.edu pages include the Doctor of Nursing Practice program in their CCNE statement, while nau.edu's college page and program accreditation table leave it out. The DNP is not accepting applications, so current students who need proof should ask the college for written confirmation.
When is NAU's next accreditation review?
HLC's reaffirmation of NAU falls in 2027-2028, with an on-site visit scheduled for Sept. 13-14, 2027 and a student opinion survey in spring 2027. The nursing programs' next CCNE review is listed for 2028, ten years after the last one in 2018. NAU's institutional and program accreditation pages are the places to watch.
Can NAU NP graduates get Arizona certification?
NAU's MS Advanced Practice page says graduates are eligible for state certification in Arizona and to apply for prescribing and dispensing privileges and national certification. Arizona's Board certifies registered nurse practitioners who hold national certification, an Arizona or multistate RN license and a graduate nursing degree from an APRN program.
What is the difference between HLC and CCNE at NAU?
HLC accredits Northern Arizona University as an institution; its last comprehensive review was in 2017-2018, and its review takes in branch campuses such as NAU-Yuma. CCNE accredits specific nursing programs against nursing education standards. You want both: HLC for the university and CCNE for your nursing program.
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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