Wisconsin nurses can apply to four NKU online programs: the RN-to-BSN, the DNP for master's-prepared nurses, and MSN tracks in Nurse Executive Leadership and Nursing Education. NKU's NP tracks are open only to residents of its 11 admission states, which include Wisconsin's neighbors Illinois and Michigan.
Tell us your NKU track and where you live. A placement advisor replies with the preceptor and site that fit NKU's rules for you.
| Program group | Wisconsin residents |
|---|---|
| NP tracks: FNP, AGACNP, PMHNP, their certificates, NP-to-PMHNP | Not accepted |
| MSN Nursing Education; MSN Nurse Executive Leadership | Authorized |
| Post-master's DNP | Authorized |
| Online RN-to-BSN | Authorized |
Both copies of NKU's table agree on Wisconsin. The catch sits on the state's side: Wisconsin approves out-of-state nursing schools itself, and that approval reaches the post-licensure and graduate programs NKU offers here.
DSPS Form 3067-OEE (Rev. 04/13/2026) explains that Wis. Admin. Code N 1.06 governs out-of-state schools of nursing, which need Wisconsin Board of Nursing approval. The form covers practical nurse and RN education at associate, bachelor's and graduate level, and it names post-licensure bachelor's programs, so the RN-to-BSN is in scope along with the MSN and DNP. Approved schools later submit a self-evaluation for continued approval on Form 3069OEE.
The state keeps a public PDF of approved out-of-state schools. Before you commit to a Wisconsin site, ask NKU's Contracts & Compliance team or studentclinicalinfo@nku.edu whether NKU holds that approval. The same form says faculty and preceptors for Wisconsin clinicals must be cleared to practice in Wisconsin, whether by Wisconsin license or by practice privilege.
AANP files Wisconsin under reduced practice because NPs there must collaborate with a physician. The state's new APRN law, 2025 Wisconsin Act 17, became effective September 1, 2026. Since then DSPS has issued APRN licenses for four roles (NP, CNM, CNS and CRNA), moved existing APNP holders onto APRN licenses, and treated independent practice as a separate application the Board must approve.
Aspirus Health, Ascension Wisconsin, UW Health, Froedtert ThedaCare Health and Aurora Health Care, now part of Advocate Health, are the big systems. Milwaukee-Waukesha, Madison, Green Bay and Appleton are the main metros. Hospital education departments suit Nursing Education, and nurse managers or directors suit the MSN 631L capstone.
Wisconsin licenses have been multistate since January 19, 2018. Two border states, Illinois and Michigan, are on NKU's NP admission list, but neither belongs to the compact, so moving to either means applying for that state's own RN license. Moving mid-program can also affect your NKU standing. Check the live admission list before planning around it.
For Wisconsin students, we start with the approval question and then go straight to the search. A placement advisor finds nurse educators and nurse leaders with Wisconsin licenses or practice privileges, checks them against NKU's rules, and collects each preceptor's resume, license and signed responsibilities form along with a site contact, so your Medatrax self-placement request is complete when it lands with NKU.
The DSPS list changes, so check the current PDF on the DSPS site and ask NKU directly before you commit a site. Wisconsin's approval rule reaches graduate programs and post-licensure bachelor's programs, which means it applies to every NKU program open to Wisconsin residents.
Illinois is an NKU-approved state, so an Illinois preceptor can meet NKU's location rule. Licensing is the hurdle: Illinois is outside the compact, so a Wisconsin multistate license does not extend there. Check the Illinois license rules before planning any hands-on hours across the line.
Look for a nurse manager, director or executive with an MSN, in a hospital or another setting NKU's NEL coordinator approves. The MSN 631L capstone totals 100 hours, and your preceptor must be cleared to practice in Wisconsin, by license or privilege.
Yes, NKU's table authorizes it. Practicum work sits in DNP 881 through DNP 884, with DNP 897 available if you need more time, and verifiable MSN hours count toward the 1,000-hour post-baccalaureate total. Because Wisconsin's school approval rule covers graduate programs, settle that question with NKU before choosing a project site.
Your NRP 478P Nursing Leadership Practicum is a quality-improvement project carried out at a healthcare site, and NKU says it needs a preceptor, though it counts assignments rather than hours. A nurse leader at your own hospital, outside your unit and chain of command, could suit, provided Wisconsin's school approval question is settled first.
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.