NKU lists Iowa as not authorized for its online MSN tracks, post-master's DNP and RN-to-BSN, and Iowa is outside the 11 states its NP programs take applications from. Iowa nurses can't enroll with NKU from home, and Iowa clinicians can't precept NKU students. Illinois, Wisconsin and South Dakota, on Iowa's borders, are open to some or all of NKU's programs.
Tell us the NKU program you want and the open state you're moving to.
| Program group | Iowa |
|---|---|
| NP concentrations (FNP, AGACNP, PMHNP) and NP certificates | Iowa applicants not accepted |
| MSN Nursing Education or Nurse Executive Leadership | Not authorized |
| Post-master's DNP | Not authorized |
| RN-to-BSN | Not authorized |
Both copies of NKU's state table list Iowa the same way. The state authorization page explains where the two copies differ for other states.
Preceptors for NKU must practice in approved states, and Iowa isn't one. That settles a border puzzle. The Davenport-Moline-Rock Island metro straddles the Mississippi, and Illinois, on the Moline side, is an NKU NP state. Even so, an NKU student living in Illinois can't count hours with a Davenport preceptor, and Iowa residents stay outside the NP application list.
Across the rest of Iowa, from Des Moines-West Des Moines and Cedar Rapids to Iowa City, big employers like University of Iowa Health Care, MercyOne and UnityPoint Health sit outside NKU's approved map.
Iowa's Board has no approval process for other states' nursing programs, yet its criteria page still assigns them work: clearance to operate from the Bureau of Iowa College Aid, adherence to Iowa law alongside home-state rules, data when the Board asks, Iowa or multistate licensure for any faculty and preceptors in Iowa, and clinical contracts with defined terms. A licensed student in a post-licensure program who trains in Iowa must hold either an Iowa license or a multistate one.
Iowa joined the compact on January 19, 2018. AANP rates Iowa full practice.
Illinois accepts NKU NP applicants and holds authorized status on every other NKU row, though as a non-compact state it requires an Illinois RN license for practice. Wisconsin and South Dakota open NKU's graduate education, leadership and doctoral options plus BSN completion, while keeping NP study closed. Nebraska and Minnesota are not authorized, and Missouri is not authorized for the MSN or DNP, with its RN-to-BSN status left unlisted.
Before a move, confirm with NKU admissions that the new address qualifies and sort out licensing in the new state. The Illinois, Wisconsin and NP admission states pages go further.
When you're moving to an NKU-approved state, we keep your clinicals in step with your move. After NKU confirms eligibility, a placement advisor identifies preceptors near your new home who fit your track, gathers the license, CV and Preceptor Responsibilities form each one must provide, and hands NKU a site contact for its agreement. Your first Medatrax request can go in with room to spare. Start at the contact page.
No. NKU's PMHNP, FNP and AGACNP concentrations, plus its NP certificates, accept applications only from 11 listed states, and Iowa is not one. Every other online NKU nursing program, from BSN completion up through the DNP, is likewise unavailable to Iowa residents.
No. Of the two states in the Quad Cities, only Illinois counts as NKU-approved for preceptors, so an Illinois-based NKU student there should look for preceptors on the Illinois side, remembering that Illinois practice requires an Illinois RN license.
Not while living in Iowa, which NKU lists as not authorized for the RN-to-BSN. Three of Iowa's neighbors, Illinois, Wisconsin and South Dakota, are authorized for it. The program closes with NRP 478P, a leadership practicum built on a quality-improvement project, and that practicum needs a preceptor in an approved state.
Three things: that NKU admissions accepts your new address for the program you want, that your RN license will be good where you're going, and that your preceptors will practice in an NKU-approved state. If you're already enrolled, tell your advisor and concentration coordinator, because NKU says relocating may affect program status.
Last checked 2026-09-24
We check these pages against NKU's own published sources. NKU's School of Nursing and your Canvas clinical shells have the final word.
Tell us your NKU track, where you live and which 7-week session your clinical starts. We find a preceptor and site that fit NKU's rules for your track and have your self-placement request ready well inside the 90-day window.
A placement advisor replies with the preceptor and site that fit NKU's rules for you.