North Dakota Nurse Practitioner Licensure Steps - 2025

Nurse Practitioner Licensure Requirements in North Dakota (2025)

North Dakota’s wide-open prairies hide a stark reality: large health-care voids where primary-care physicians are scarce and nurse practitioners often serve as the first—and only—point of access. The state’s licensing pathway makes sure every NP is fully prepared to step into that role. Follow the roadmap below to move from RN to APRN-NP quickly, confidently, and—most important—correctly.

Secure a North Dakota Registered Nurse (RN) License

Why this step exists: State law treats an RN license as the legal foundation for every advanced credential. Without it, the North Dakota Board of Nursing (NDBON) cannot even open an APRN file.

1A — RN by Examination

• Apply online in the NDBON portal (fee $145).
• Arrange a BCI/FBI fingerprint background check—forms and instructions arrive by mail from the Board.
• Have your nursing school send official transcripts directly to ndbon@nd.gov.
• Register for the NCLEX-RN ($200). Once NDBON deems you eligible, Pearson VUE emails a 90-day Authorization to Test (ATT). Tip: Book your exam slot the moment that ATT lands—rural test centers fill quickly post-graduation.

1B — RN by Endorsement

• Apply online (endorsement fee $170).
• Verify your original license via Nursys. Non-participating states must email verification directly to NDBON.
• Prove recent practice: ≥ 400 RN hours in the past four years or complete an NDBON-approved refresher course.
• Complete the same BCI/FBI fingerprint check.

Compact rule: North Dakota is an Nurse Licensure Compact state; nurses with unencumbered multi-state licenses can skip this entire step unless they move to North Dakota and declare it their primary residence.

Finish a Board-Recognized Graduate NP Program

Why this step exists: Graduate coursework transforms bedside know-how into diagnostic and prescriptive authority. NDBON follows the APRN Consensus Model, requiring population-focused education plus robust clinical training.

• Earn an accredited MSN, DNP, or post-master’s NP certificate.
• Program must include ≥ 500 supervised clinical hours and graduate-level pharmacology, pathophysiology, and health assessment.
• Planning to prescribe? Ensure the curriculum contains 45 pharmacology contact hours within the past five years—NDBON checks.

Earn National Certification

Why this step exists: Certification provides objective proof—via exam—that you’re competent to practice at an advanced level in your chosen population focus.

• American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC)
• American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP)
• American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN)
• Pediatric Nursing Certification Board (PNCB)
• National Certification Corporation (NCC)

Tip: Schedule your certification exam within 30 days of finishing clinicals—momentum boosts pass rates and speeds licensure.

Apply for the North Dakota APRN-NP License

Why this step exists: Practicing without an APRN license is illegal, voids malpractice coverage, and triggers Board discipline.

• Apply online through the NDBON APRN portal (application fee $100 + $20 processing).
• Direct your university to email official transcripts showing degree, date, and pharmacology hours.
• Instruct your certifying body to send electronic verification of current certification.
• Complete the Criminal History Record Check (prints less than 180 days old).

Prescriptive Authority Option

• Provide evidence of 45 recent pharmacology hours or national certifier confirmation.
• No extra state fee; authority is built into the APRN license.

Maintain & Renew

• Renew RN and APRN licenses every two years via NDBON’s portal.
• Log 12 contact hours of CE for RN and meet your certifier’s CE requirements for APRN.
• Record ≥ 400 APRN practice hours every renewal cycle to avoid a refresher course mandate.