NKU's state tables list Kansas as not authorized for the MSN tracks, the post-master's DNP and the RN-to-BSN, and Kansas is not among the 11 states NKU's NP programs accept. Kansas nurses can't enroll with NKU from home or train with Kansas preceptors. Colorado, Kansas's western neighbor, is open to every NKU online program.
Tell us the open state you're heading to and the NKU program you want.
| Program group | Kansas |
|---|---|
| NP tracks (FNP, AGACNP, PMHNP) and NP certificates | Kansas residents not accepted |
| MSN Nursing Education and Nurse Executive Leadership | Not authorized |
| Post-master's DNP | Not authorized |
| RN-to-BSN | Not authorized |
Kansas reads the same on both of NKU's tables. The state authorization page shows the full lists and the states where NKU's copies conflict.
Every NKU preceptor must practice in a state NKU approves. Kansas isn't one, so Wichita, Topeka, Manhattan and the Kansas half of the Kansas City metro are closed to NKU practicums, whether the site is Ascension Via Christi, Wesley Healthcare, the University of Kansas Health System, Stormont Vail or a small clinic.
Kansas City is a special case because both halves sit outside NKU's list. Missouri is not authorized for NKU's MSN tracks or DNP and isn't on the NP list, so crossing into Missouri changes nothing for an NKU practicum.
KSBN, the Kansas nursing board, lets Kansas residents enroll in online APRN programs from other states without clearing those programs first; its review comes later, once a graduate seeks Kansas APRN licensure. While training in Kansas, the APRN student works under an RN license that Kansas recognizes, and under K.A.R. 60-17-104 the preceptor ideally holds Kansas APRN licensure matching the student's role.
Kansas has been in the compact since July 1, 2019, and AANP rates it full practice. None of this changes NKU's tables, which are what decide whether NKU offers a program to Kansas residents.
Colorado admits NKU NP applicants, carries authorization on every other NKU row and belongs to the compact; its largest metros include Denver-Aurora-Centennial and Colorado Springs. Kansas's other neighbors, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Missouri, are not open to NKU's graduate programs. Farther east, NKU's home region of Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana is open to everything.
If a move is coming, get NKU admissions to confirm your new address qualifies, and check that your license will cover practice in the new state. NKU's clinical courses run one at a time in 7-week sessions, so the first rotation can be timed around your moving date. See Colorado, Kentucky and NP admission states.
Kansas nurses moving to an NKU state can count on an early start from us. As soon as NKU confirms eligibility, a placement advisor sources preceptors in your destination city who suit your NKU track, gathers each preceptor's CV, license and signed Preceptor Responsibilities form, and arranges a site contact so NKU can complete its affiliation agreement before the term. Begin on the contact page.
No. NKU accepts AGACNP, FNP and PMHNP applications, along with applications to its NP certificates, only from 11 listed states. Kansas isn't on that list, and none of NKU's non-NP online programs is authorized there either.
Because the deciding list is NKU's, not the Kansas Board's. The Board reviews out-of-state APRN programs when graduates apply for Kansas licensure rather than beforehand, but NKU's own state tables put Kansas in the not-authorized column across the board, and NKU requires preceptors in approved states.
No. Missouri is not authorized for NKU's MSN tracks or post-master's DNP and is not on the NP application list, so a Missouri preceptor won't meet NKU's approved-state rule. The whole Kansas City metro is outside NKU's map.
NKU doesn't say. Its NP admissions note invites applicants to check back for updates, and its lists do change: Florida, Virginia and West Virginia joined the NP list between October 2025 and January 2026, and the DNP row changed after May 2026. Check NKU's state authorization and graduate admission pages before planning around a change.
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.