Graceland nursing accreditation and state approvals
Graceland University's baccalaureate, master's, DNP and post-graduate APRN certificate programs are accredited by CCNE, and the Iowa Board of Nursing gives the master's and doctoral degrees full approval. Missouri approvals, HLC accreditation of the university and NC-SARA membership sit around those two. Each credential answers a different question about your practicums, your state and your certification exam.
Get your placement plan
Tell us your Graceland program and where you live. A placement advisor replies with the preceptor and site options that fit your course.
CCNE accredits the nursing programs
The 2026-27 Graduate Catalog names the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) as the accreditor of four Graceland nursing programs: the baccalaureate degree, the master's degree, the Doctor of Nursing Practice and the post-graduate APRN certificates. The Graduate Student Handbook repeats it for the MSN, post-graduate APRN and DNP programs. Every NP track sits under that master's or certificate accreditation.
Graceland's pages do not give the date CCNE first accredited the programs, the current term or the next on-site review. Graceland's accreditation page links to CCNE's own directory, which is where those dates live.
CCNE shows up in your practicum rules too. The handbook explains the move to 750 practicum hours by saying that as of August 2023, CCNE required 750, and it asks NP preceptors to hold an MSN from an NLNAC- or CCNE-accredited program. The 750-hour rule page covers who is on which total.
The Iowa Board of Nursing approves Graceland's graduate degrees
Graceland's main residential campus is in Lamoni, Iowa, and Iowa is the state board of record. The catalog says the master's and doctoral degrees in nursing hold full approval from the Iowa Board of Nursing, and the baccalaureate degrees hold full approval from both the Iowa and Missouri boards. Graceland's MSN chart row for Iowa adds that an annual report keeps that approval in place.
The board's own list of approved programs shows Graceland for the BSN and RN-BSN and, at the graduate level, the MSN, the post-graduate certificate and the DNP. Its note on the RN-BSN reads "Interm Approval Launch fall 2026", in the board's own spelling; if you are starting the RN-BSN, ask Graceland what that note means for your term.
Iowa's rules reach you wherever you live. The handbook cites the Iowa board when it requires students to report potential criminal charges, which is why each Appendix A carries an attestation, and it cites an Iowa rule that bars clinical courses for anyone denied licensure or holding a suspended, surrendered or revoked license. Iowa moved its nursing rules from 655 IAC to 481 IAC in June 2025, so the handbook's old "2.5(5)" citation now sits at 481-616.10(6).
Missouri approvals and the Independence campus
The School of Nursing works from Graceland's Independence, Missouri campus, and Missouri recognizes Graceland in two ways. The Missouri Department of Higher Education approves Graceland to operate in the state, and the Missouri State Board of Nursing fully approves the baccalaureate nursing degrees.
For the MSN, Graceland's June 2020 chart row for Missouri says the board required an annual report before recognizing a program approved in Iowa, and that Graceland maintains that report. Missouri NP preceptors work under collaborative practice arrangements with physicians, a rule set explained on the Missouri collaborative practice page.
HLC accredits the university as a whole
The Higher Learning Commission has accredited Graceland University since 1920. Its most recent reaffirmation came in 2017, and the next is scheduled for 2027.
HLC looks at the institution, while CCNE looks at the nursing programs inside it. Both matter, but for NP students the program-level accreditation is the one tied to practicum hours and preceptor standards. Some state rows lean on it directly: Alabama's row notes that its board accepts licensure from a program whose accreditor is recognized by the US Department of Education, and that CCNE is.
A little history frames these credentials. Graceland's MSN was approved in 1994 as its first graduate program, distance learning began in 1987, the baccalaureate and graduate distance programs moved fully online in June 2007, and the first DNP class was admitted in August 2011.
NC-SARA and Washington: studying from another state
Graceland's online programs were approved by the State of Iowa to take part in NC-SARA, the reciprocity agreement that governs distance education across member states. Graceland has belonged since February 2016, renews every February, and is registered with the Iowa College Student Aid Commission to operate in Iowa and participate.
Washington adds a program-specific approval. Its Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission approves Graceland to provide practice experiences in Washington for the RN to BSN, MSN/FNP, MSN/AGACNP, the post-graduate FNP certificate and the DNP. PMHNP is not on the list, and it still names an MSN Nurse Educator track Graceland no longer offers.
None of these is a list of practicum states. The School of Nursing confirms approved states on request, and the licensure chart speaks to licensure; the state licensure disclosures page explains both.
SARA membership is not the approved-states answer. Ask the School of Nursing about your state before you plan a practicum there.
What each credential means for you
| Credential | Granted by | Covers | Why it matters to a practicum student |
|---|---|---|---|
| CCNE accreditation | Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education | BSN, MSN, DNP and post-graduate APRN certificates | Graceland ties its 750-hour NP standard to CCNE and asks NP preceptors for an accredited MSN |
| Full approval | Iowa Board of Nursing | MSN, post-graduate certificate, DNP; BSN programs | Iowa rules on criminal charges, licenses and ARNP preceptorships flow into Graceland policy |
| Approval to operate; board approval | Missouri Department of Higher Education; Missouri State Board of Nursing | Graceland in Missouri; the baccalaureate degrees | Home of the School of Nursing; the MSN keeps an annual report to Missouri |
| Institutional accreditation | Higher Learning Commission | The whole university, since 1920 | Institutional standing; next reaffirmation in 2027 |
| NC-SARA membership | Through the State of Iowa | Online programs in member states | Separate from licensure and from approved practicum states |
| Practice-experience approval | Washington Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission | Listed programs in Washington | PMHNP not named; ask before planning practicums there |
Why Graceland students choose us
We build every placement around the rules these credentials create. Your placement advisor looks for NP preceptors whose own MSN comes from an accredited program, checks the license the practicum state expects, and follows Iowa's preceptorship standard of matching role and population focus.
Then we assemble what the contract coordinators need for Appendix A and Appendix B and aim it at Graceland's next deadline, with a second preceptor planned from the start. Tell us your track and state with the form below.
Questions Graceland students ask
Is Graceland's online nurse practitioner program accredited?
Yes. CCNE accredits Graceland's master's degree in nursing, which includes the FNP, AGACNP and PMHNP tracks, and its post-graduate APRN certificates. The DNP and the baccalaureate programs are CCNE-accredited as well, according to the 2026-27 catalog.
When is Graceland's next CCNE review?
Graceland's own pages do not say. They list CCNE accreditation for the nursing programs but give no grant date, term or next visit, and the accreditation page points to CCNE's directory for those details. The next HLC reaffirmation for the university, a separate process, is scheduled for 2027.
Why does a school with a Missouri nursing campus answer to the Iowa board?
Graceland University's main campus is in Lamoni, Iowa, and the Iowa Board of Nursing gives its master's and doctoral nursing degrees full approval. The School of Nursing runs from Independence, Missouri, where the Missouri Department of Higher Education approves Graceland to operate and the Missouri board approves the baccalaureate degrees.
Does NC-SARA membership let me do practicums in any state?
No. NC-SARA concerns offering distance education across member states. Where you may complete practicums depends on the School of Nursing's approved-states answer for your state, and whether the MSN leads to licensure there is what Graceland's June 2020 chart addresses. Ask the School of Nursing before you plan.
Do Iowa's rules apply if I live in another state?
Many of them shape Graceland policy for everyone. The criminal-charge attestation on each Appendix A and the bar on clinical courses for denied or suspended licenses come from Iowa, and Graceland's MSN chart rows describe the program as designed for Iowa licensure. Your practicum state's own license rules apply on top.
Related pages
Last checked 2026-09-25
We check these pages against Graceland's own catalog, program pages and Graduate Student Handbook. Your handbook, your track coordinator and the contract coordinators have the final word.
Graceland's practicums are arranged by you, with Graceland's help. We do the searching.
Tell us your Graceland track, your city and your next practicum. We find preceptors who fit the course, line up what Appendix A and Appendix B ask for, and aim everything at Graceland's paperwork deadline for your term.
- Preceptors matched to the course: primary care for FNP, hospital and ICU clinicians for AGACNP, psychiatrists and PMHNPs for PMHNP
- Site address, contract contact and preceptor details ready before the June 15, October 15 or February 15 deadline
- Close to home in your approved state, with a second preceptor planned for Graceland's two-preceptor rule
Start your placement plan
Track, city and practicum start is all we need to begin.