Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN)

Nursing Students

Application Deadline: November 1
Application Available: September 1
Program Start: Fall, once a year only
Length of Program: 1.5 - 2 years full-time (Post-MSN Certificate awarded upon completion)
Part-Time Study Available? YES
Distance Learning Available? Not at this time

About the APRN Certificate Programs

The Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) certificate programs are designed for those nurses who have a master’s in nursing and wish to complete the course work necessary to sit for national certification as an APRN. Students choose a certificate track as a 1) Family Nurse Practitioner, 2) Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, 3) Family Psych/Mental Health Nurse Practitioner or 4) Adult Gerontology - Clinical Nurse Specialist. Students in the APRN Certificate Programs will complete the didactic and clinical hours necessary to take the national exam in their specialty area. They will not, however, earn a second MSN degree.

Advanced Practice Nursing (APN): Visit Advance Practice Nursing to learn about APN programs.

APRN Resources

Program Plans

All Advanced Practice Certificate Program plans are in PDF Format.

Admission Requirements

All students interested in applying for graduate study in Nursing at the University of Texas at Austin must meet the admission requirements established by the University’s Graduate School and the School of Nursing. Applicants are expected to be graduates of accredited colleges or universities. Below are the minimum requirements for admission.

  1. Degree: Master of Science in Nursing degree from an accredited institution
  2. GPA: 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) or comparable GPA in upper-division work (junior- and senior- level courses) and in any graduate work completed
  3. Recommendations: 3 required
  4. Statement of Purpose
  5. Curriculum Vitae/resume
  6. Nursing License: Current Texas RN licensure or a license from "Nurse Licensure Compact" state, if admitted.
  7. RN Experience: Applicants to the FNP and PNP program must have two-years and one-year full-time RN experience, respectively, by the application deadline. Graduate Record Exam (GRE) is not required.
Application Procedures

All students applying for admission to the Advanced Practice Certificate programs must complete the online application and submit the following application materials by the November 1 deadline.

Application for Admission

Complete online application for admissions and pay application fee at ApplyTexas.org. The application is only open between September 1st and November 1st. The online application is data entry only. All supporting application documents are uploaded on the My Status page after the application is paid and submitted.

*Recommendation: Complete online application, at minimum, 2 weeks prior to the November 1 deadline. This allows time for all required documents to be completed and uploaded by the deadline.

Supporting Documents

  1. Official transcripts, dated one year or less, from all four-year institutions attended.
  2. Official transcripts, dated one year or less, for Associates Degree in Nursing (ADN), if applicable. See Post-MSN Certificate Application Checklist for transcript upload procedures.
  3. Curriculum Vitae: Readable font, 12-point, double spaced, 1-inch margins
  4. Personal Statement: Maximum two (2) pages. Readable font, 12-point, double spaced, 1-inch margins
  5. Recommendations: 3 required / 3 maximum
    1. Using our secure, personalized form, three (3) professional recommendations that attest to the applicant's academic ability, professional competency and personal character must be submitted electronically by each recommender. 
    2. Written recommendations are not accepted.
  6. Official TOEFL scores taken within the past two years (for International Applicants only).
     

For additional details on how to prepare your graduate application materials and personal statement instructions, please view Post-MSN Certificate Application Checklist (PDF).

All materials are to be submitted electronically to the My Status Check (available approximately two days after online application submission) after completion of the application on ApplyTexas.org.

Note: Current or returning UT Austin graduate students who wish to be considered for admission to a different graduate program must apply using the change of major application found on the Graduate School website.

Acceptance to Graduate Programs in Nursing

The School of Nursing Graduate Admissions and Progression Committee (GAPC) begin preliminary admission reviews after the November 1st deadline. All application materials are required to be submitted by the program’s application deadline; files that remain incomplete will not be reviewed or acted upon by GAPC.

If admitted, applicants will be notified of the admission decision by early March. Decisions are communicated in the following ways:

  1. Offers of admission are sent via email by the School of Nursing.
  2. Official e-letters from the Graduate and International Admission Center notifying you of the admission decision of the Office of Graduate Studies are available on the application Status Check page.
     

Acceptance by both the School of Nursing and the Office of Graduate Studies are necessary before enrollment is permitted. Please be aware, if admitted, completion of all compliance requirements are required at least one month prior to the first day of class.

NOTE: Email is the official means of communication for all university business.

If not admitted, applicants will be notified by the GIAC only.

Please feel free to email Graduate Student Services Office if you have questions about the admission process.

Gainful Employment

The U.S. Department of Education requires colleges and universities to disclose certain information for any Title IV eligible program that prepares students for "gainful employment in a recognized occupation." All certificate (non-degree) programs offered by the School of Nursing are subject to the gainful employment regulations.

For additional details on gainful employment for the advanced practice programs, please view the following documents.

Financial Support

Certificate program students needing financial assistance are eligible for federal financial aid and may be eligible for private education loans. Private loans are available from various lending institutions (e.g. banks, credit unions, etc.). The university is prohibited by federal law from recommending any particular private loans to certificate program students, but we encourage you to shop competitively before choosing a particular private loan to help meet educational expenses. The interest rates on these loans vary, as do other terms and conditions. Also, most private lenders require loan certification from the school in order to verify enrollment and Cost of Attendance amounts. Click here to download the Office of Student Financial Services Private Loan Lender Form.

The median amount of debt for students completing the program is shown below:

  • Private education loans*
  • Institutional financing plan*
     

Note: There were fewer than 10 graduate students in each certificate program. Median amounts are withheld to preserve the confidentiality of graduates

For more details about the University of Texas at Austin tuition, please visit the UT Tuition.

School of Nursing
1710 Red River St.
Austin, TX 78712
Phone: 512-471-7913
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