Graceland's state licensure disclosures, read closely
Graceland University's newest published licensure chart is dated June 2020. It says the MSN, which also covers the RN-to-MSN and the post-graduate certificates, meets licensure requirements in 32 states, does not in 5 and is unknown in 13. Because the chart is old and is not the same thing as Graceland's approved-states answer, confirm your state with the School of Nursing before you enroll, move or book a practicum.
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Tell us your Graceland program and where you live. A placement advisor replies with the preceptor and site options that fit your course.
Where the charts live and how old they are
The School of Nursing's Licensure & Disclosures page links four PDF charts, one for each program family: BSN to RN (the on-campus pre-licensure degree), RN to BSN, MSN and DNP. Each gives a row per state with the licensing board's details and a sentence on whether that Graceland program leads to licensure there.
Every chart prints June 2020 in its footer. A separate Licensure Disclosures page under Tuition & Financial Aid, marked as last updated in December 2024, says licensure information gets reviewed and updated each year, yet no newer chart has been posted. The June 2020 rows are Graceland's official word, but an old one, so quote the date whenever you rely on them.
The MSN chart has no separate rows for the FNP, AGACNP or PMHNP tracks. A note on it says it includes the RN to MSN program and the certificates within the MSN, so a single answer per state covers every nurse practitioner option.
The MSN chart at a glance
Graceland sorted the 50 states into three answers. The District of Columbia and the territories do not appear on the chart.
| Chart answer | States | Count |
|---|---|---|
| Yes: leads to licensure | Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming | 32 |
| NO: will not lead to licensure | Kentucky, Maryland, New York, North Carolina, Tennessee | 5 |
| Unknown: Graceland cannot determine | Delaware, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia | 13 |
Four of the "NO" rows (Kentucky, Maryland, New York and Tennessee) state in one line that the MSN will not lead to licensure there. North Carolina's row gives a reason instead: that board does not approve nursing programs outside its jurisdiction, online programs included.
The "Unknown" rows share one explanation. The MSN is designed to prepare students for licensure in Iowa, the board that approves it, and the other state's board has not approved it, so Graceland cannot tell whether it meets that state's educational requirements. Each of those rows sends students to the state board before enrolling.
Rows that deserve a second read
Some rows carry details that change how you should read them. They are Graceland's own words, which makes them fair to point to when you ask the School of Nursing for a current answer.
- Missouri: the row says Missouri's board required an annual report before it would recognize a program approved in Iowa, and that Graceland's MSN keeps that report up.
- Iowa: an annual report is required to keep state approval. Iowa's board is the one that approves Graceland's MSN, certificates and DNP.
- Louisiana: approval is listed "through 12/14/20", a date long past with no newer chart behind it.
- Wisconsin: the row opens by describing the Utah board's rule, an error in the source, so confirm Wisconsin directly.
- Minnesota: the board needs no separate approval because Iowa's board approves the program. Minnesota is also the one state outside Graceland's optional placement service.
- Georgia: instead of a licensure verdict, the row reminds programs based elsewhere that faculty and students in Georgia practice settings must follow Georgia's practice act.
Your own state's guide on this site walks through its row in more detail; start from the state guides.
Why the DNP and RN-BSN charts say "No" everywhere
The DNP and RN to BSN charts answer "No" for all 50 states, and that is the expected result. Both are post-licensure degrees: you arrive as a licensed RN, and neither program creates a new license. Every row says the program "does not lead to any type of licensure in this state."
Read that "No" as a description, not a warning. It does not mean Graceland is shut out of a state, and it says nothing about where DNP practice hours or RN-BSN practice experiences may take place. Those questions go to the School of Nursing.
One quirk: in the DNP chart, 49 of the 50 rows refer to Graceland's "RN-BSN program" and only Alabama's names the DNP, a likely copying slip. The BSN to RN chart, for the on-campus program, says "Yes" only for Iowa, Kansas and Missouri.
A "Yes" is not the approved-states answer
The licensure chart answers one question: whether a degree meets a state's educational requirements for licensure. Whether Graceland can enroll you and approve practicums where you live is a second question. The School of Nursing says it accepts students from states in which it is approved to offer practicum experiences and asks prospective students to contact it to check their state. No list is published.
Graceland's other documents lean the same way. The BSN-to-DNP admission text says students must reside in approved states and plan to do their practicums there, and the Graduate Student Handbook requires an unencumbered RN license in the approved state where each practicum site sits. The MSN-FNP page is broader, saying practicum work may be done anywhere in the U.S., the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Where the wording differs, rely on the School of Nursing's answer for your state.
Two approvals are in print. Graceland has been an NC-SARA member since February 2016, renewing each February, which concerns offering online programs across state lines. Washington's Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission approves Graceland practice experiences there for the RN to BSN, MSN/FNP, MSN/AGACNP, the post-graduate FNP certificate and the DNP. PMHNP is not named, and the list still includes a retired MSN Nurse Educator track, so Washington PMHNP students should ask before planning.
A "Yes" on the June 2020 chart does not by itself approve practicums in that state. Get the School of Nursing's answer for your state in writing and keep it.
Confirming your state, step by step
- Read your rowsOpen the chart for your program on the Licensure & Disclosures page and note the June 2020 answer and exact sentence for the state where you live and any state where you might train.
- Ask about approvalUse the contact on the School of Nursing page to ask whether Graceland is currently approved to accept students and offer practicum experiences in your state. Save the reply.
- Check with the boardGraceland's rows send you to the state board for anything they leave open, such as licensure in the NP role you are studying.
- Line up your RN licensePracticum hours need an unencumbered RN license in your home state and in each approved state where you train, verified by the board. The RN license page covers the details.
- Recheck before any moveA new address can change every answer above. Read relocating during the program before you sign a lease.
When a board later asks Graceland to verify your education, those forms (letters to state boards, ANCC or AANP verifications) go to the Graduate Programs office mailbox, songraduateprograms@graceland.edu.
Why Graceland students choose us for state-aware placement
Every search we run starts from the state Graceland has confirmed for you. Your placement advisor checks which RN license each practicum state requires, looks for preceptors licensed where the site is, and collects the site address, contract contact and preceptor credentials the contract coordinators need for Appendix A and Appendix B.
Live near a state line? We compare clinics on both sides so you can pick the one that fits your license and your drive, then aim the whole package at Graceland's next paperwork deadline. Tell us your state and track with the form below.
Questions Graceland students ask
Is Graceland's licensure chart current?
It is the newest one Graceland publishes, but every chart carries a June 2020 footer. Graceland's financial aid disclosure page, marked updated in December 2024, says licensure information is reviewed yearly, yet no newer chart has appeared. Use the chart as a starting point and ask the School of Nursing to confirm your state in writing.
Does "Unknown" mean I cannot enroll from that state?
Not necessarily. It only means Graceland cannot determine whether the MSN meets that state's educational requirements, because the program is approved in Iowa and not by that state's board. Whether Graceland accepts students there is the approved-states question, which the School of Nursing answers on request; the state board answers the licensure side.
Does the PMHNP track have its own row on the chart?
No. The MSN chart covers every track together, plus the RN to MSN and the post-graduate certificates. PMHNP practicums add a telehealth rule: you need a license in the state where each telehealth patient is located, and a multistate compact license can meet it. See the PMHNP telehealth page.
Why does the DNP chart say No for every state?
Because the DNP is a post-licensure degree. Every row says it does not lead to any type of licensure, which is the normal answer for a program you enter as a licensed nurse. It is not a ruling on where you may study or complete practice hours; the School of Nursing answers that for your state.
Is Graceland a member of NC-SARA?
Yes. Graceland's accreditation page says the State of Iowa approved its online programs to take part in NC-SARA, with membership since February 2016 and renewal every February. SARA concerns offering distance education across state lines, so it sits alongside the licensure chart and the School of Nursing's approved-states answer rather than replacing either.
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
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