- 5 schools: 2 Online, 2 Mostly Online, 1 Hybrid
Five Georgia schools offer eleven AGPCNP tracks across MSN, RN-to-MSN, BSN-DNP, and post-graduate certificate pathways, including one MSN exit built into a doctorate. Two are fully online, two are mostly online, and one is hybrid, with campus requirements running from none stated to recurring Atlanta labs. Resident tuition spans roughly $5K to $111K, completion times run from about sixteen months to four years, and all five hold CCNE accreditation.
Highlights include:
- Georgia Southern charges one residency-neutral rate, putting an 80-credit doctorate near $33K
- Emory builds 780 practicum hours into its MSN and places them through its own Atlanta health system partners
- Mercer faculty oversee every clinical placement rather than leaving the preceptor hunt to students
- South University opens a new quarter roughly every five weeks, about ten entry points a year
Compare Georgia AGPCNP Programs
| School | Online Format | Campus Commitment | Cost Per Credit | Degrees | Best For |
| Emory University | Mostly Online | Required intensives | $2,152–$2,320 | MSN, certificate | Fastest MSN finish |
| Georgia Southern University | Online | Not clearly stated | $411 | BSN-DNP, MSN exit, certificate | Lowest cost statewide |
| Georgia State University | Mostly Online | Course sessions; one week (certificate) | $464 | MSN, certificate | Best MSN value |
| Mercer University | Hybrid | Recurring in-person labs | $1,199 MSN; $7,983/semester DNP | MSN, BSN-DNP, certificate | Faculty-managed placement |
| South University | Online | Not clearly stated | $680 | MSN, RN-to-MSN | Frequent start dates |
Cost per credit is rounded to the nearest dollar and inclusive of mandatory per-credit fees; South University bills per quarter credit while the other four bill per semester credit, no program here charges a nonresident rate, and full rate breakdowns sit on each school profile.
What’s the Best AGPCNP Program for You?
Best MSN Value
Georgia State pairs a $22K, 48-credit MSN with a residency-neutral rate and two entry terms a year, the lowest-priced full master’s in the state outside Georgia Southern’s exit point.
Lowest Doctoral Cost
Georgia Southern’s 80-credit BSN-DNP estimates to roughly $33K at a rate that does not change for nonresidents, about half of Mercer’s $64K doctorate.
Best Clinical Placement Support
Mercer is the only Georgia school stating that faculty oversee every placement; Georgia Southern makes preceptor recruitment the student’s job and Georgia State publishes no policy at all.
Most Clinical Hours, Fastest Finish
Emory’s MSN carries 780 practicum hours across four consecutive semesters, about 16 months, placed through Emory’s own Atlanta health system partners.
Easiest Entry
South opens a new quarter roughly every five weeks and admits at a 2.5 GPA with no GRE, references, or interview, though every graduate nursing course then requires a B to progress.
Best Certificate for Non-APRN Master’s Holders
Georgia State asks for a nursing master’s and a Georgia RN license rather than existing APRN certification, keeping it open to nurses whose graduate degree was in education, administration, or informatics.
Georgia DNP AGPCNP Programs
Two Georgia schools run BSN-to-DNP AGPCNP tracks, and they sit at opposite ends of the price scale. Georgia Southern’s 80-credit doctorate bills at one residency-neutral rate and carries an MSN exit partway through. Mercer’s 73-credit program is private and front-loads three semesters of doctoral core before any nurse practitioner content appears. South’s doctorate is post-master’s only, with no NP population focus.
| School | Estimated Tuition (resident) | Duration | Clinical Hours |
| Georgia Southern (BSN-DNP) | $33K | Not clearly stated | Not clearly stated |
| Mercer (BSN-DNP) | $64K | 3 years | 1,020 hrs |
Mercer’s 1,020 figure combines 780 AGPCNP practicum hours with 240 leadership immersion hours tied to the DNP project, while Georgia Southern publishes 630 applied clinical hours for the doctoral portion only and no total for the AGPCNP specialty sequence.
- Lowest doctoral cost: Georgia Southern — $33K, at $411 per credit across 80 credits
- Built-in MSN exit: Georgia Southern — 43 credits qualifies a student to sit for certification, with four years to return and finish
- Managed placements: Mercer — faculty oversee clinical sites; Georgia Southern students recruit their own preceptors
- Doctoral premium: Mercer — about $22K more than its own MSN for the same 780 practicum hours
Georgia MSN AGPCNP Programs
Six master’s-level routes exist in Georgia, counting Georgia Southern’s 43-credit exit and South’s ADN-entry bridge. The spread is wide: roughly $18K at Georgia Southern against $109K at Emory for the same certification eligibility. Emory and Mercer build 780 practicum hours into the degree and Georgia State sits at the 500-hour national minimum, while Georgia Southern and South publish no specialty hour total at all.
| School | Estimated Tuition (resident) | Duration | Clinical Hours |
| Emory (MSN) | $109K–$111K | 1.3–2.3 years | 780 hrs |
| Georgia Southern (MSN exit) | $18K | Not clearly stated | Not clearly stated |
| Georgia State (MSN) | $22K | 2–4 years | 500+ hrs |
| Mercer (MSN) | $42K–$54K | 1.4–2.3 years | 780+ hrs |
| South University (MSN) | $37K–$38K | 1.5 years | Not clearly stated |
| South University (RN-to-MSN) | $49K | 2.5 years | Not clearly stated |
- Lowest MSN cost: Georgia Southern — $18K at the 43-credit exit point, the cheapest certification-eligible route in the state
- Most clinical hours: Emory — 780 practicum hours against Georgia State’s 500-hour minimum
- Part-time penalty: Mercer — about $12K more than full-time, because the flat rate starts at 9 credits
- Only ADN-to-MSN continuum: South — 123 transfer credits toward a $49K bridge, with a 3.0 GPA gate before graduate courses
Georgia Post-Graduate Certificate AGPCNP Programs
Four of the five Georgia schools offer a post-graduate AGPCNP certificate; South’s online certificates cover nurse educator and informatics only. Eligibility matters more than price here. Emory, Georgia Southern, and Mercer each require current APRN credentials, while Georgia State asks only for a nursing master’s and a Georgia RN license. Credit totals at three of the four are set by a gap analysis after admission, so published costs read as ceilings.
| School | Estimated Tuition (resident) | Duration | Clinical Hours |
| Emory (certificate) | Not clearly stated | 1 year | Not clearly stated |
| Georgia Southern (certificate) | $5K | Not clearly stated | Not clearly stated |
| Georgia State (certificate) | $11K–$18K | Not clearly stated | 500+ hrs |
| Mercer (certificate) | $25K | 1 year | 780+ hrs |
- Lowest certificate cost: Georgia Southern — about $5K for up to 19 credits, trimmed further by gap analysis
- Broadest eligibility: Georgia State — no existing APRN certification required, unlike the other three
- No financial aid: Mercer — states plainly that the certificate does not qualify for financial assistance
- Unpublished totals: Emory — no credit count, clinical hour requirement, or program cost is published
More Online AGPCNP Options
- Walden University: $785 per quarter credit ($960 for DNP courses); MSN, RN-to-MSN, BSN-DNP, MSN-DNP, post-master's certificate
- Chamberlain University: $760 per credit plus per-course APRN fees; MSN, RN-BSN-to-MSN, graduate certificate
- Purdue Global: $420 per quarter credit; post-master's certificate only
FAQ
How many AGPCNP programs are in Georgia?
Five Georgia-based schools: Emory, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, Mercer, and South University. Between them they run eleven CCNE-accredited tracks spanning MSN, RN-to-MSN, BSN-DNP, and post-graduate certificate pathways.
Can I complete a Georgia AGPCNP program fully online?
Georgia Southern and South University are the two classified as fully online, and neither publishes a campus visit requirement. Emory and Georgia State are mostly online with required Atlanta sessions, and Mercer is hybrid with recurring in-person labs. Clinical hours are completed in person at every school.
Which Georgia AGPCNP program has the lowest tuition?
Georgia Southern, at roughly $5K for the certificate, $18K at the MSN exit, and $33K for the full doctorate, with rates unchanged for nonresidents. Georgia State’s $22K MSN is the next lowest.
Which Georgia schools offer a DNP AGPCNP?
Georgia Southern and Mercer. Georgia Southern runs an 80-credit BSN-DNP with an MSN exit at 43 credits, and Mercer runs a 73-credit BSN-DNP over eight semesters with 1,020 total practice hours. South’s doctorate is post-master’s and focused on leadership rather than any NP population.
Do Georgia AGPCNP programs require campus visits?
Three of the five do. Emory holds mandatory intensives at its Atlanta campus, Georgia State attaches face-to-face sessions to certain courses and opens its certificate with a week on campus, and Mercer runs labs in person. Georgia Southern and South state no campus requirement.
Can I complete clinicals near home?
South is the only school describing practicums precepted in the student’s own local area, and states that on its RN-to-MSN page rather than its MSN page. Emory names sites in metro Atlanta, Georgia Southern supervises placements in Georgia and South Carolina only, Mercer publishes no travel radius, and Georgia State publishes no policy at all.
Can I enter with an ADN?
Yes, at two schools. South’s RN-to-MSN accepts an ADN, a foreign equivalent, or a diploma plus a bachelor’s degree, and requires a 3.0 GPA to reach graduate courses. Georgia State’s bridge accepts associate and diploma RNs but adds a full undergraduate prerequisite core first.