Rush University’s College of Nursing offers 3 Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner pathways, all leading to the DNP:
- BSN-DNP (71 credits)
- MSN-DNP for APRNs (38 credits)
- MSN-DNP for non-APRN master’s-prepared nurses (59 credits)
Coursework is online. All three tracks share the same per-credit price, the same clinical structure, and a minimum of five required visits to the Chicago campus. Rush cannot enroll residents of Louisiana, Tennessee, or Canada in any online program, and cannot enroll New York residents in APRN specialty online programs.
Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| BSN to DNP | $106,003 | 3–3.5 years | 71 |
| MSN to DNP (APRN entry) | $56,734 | 3–3.5 years | 38 |
| MSN to DNP (non-APRN entry) | $88,087 | 3–3.5 years | 59 |
Tuition estimates multiply Rush’s 2026-2027 post-licensure graduate rate of $1,493 per credit by each track’s published credit total. The $429-per-semester DNP administrative fee is itemized separately in the Tuition section.
Three entry points converge on a single degree here. Rush offers no MSN and no post-graduate certificate in this population focus, so every applicant finishes with a doctorate, but the credits required to get there fall from 71 to 38 depending on what the applicant already holds. At $1,493 per credit, that spread is worth $49,269. Where a master’s-prepared applicant lands is decided by a gap analysis Rush performs after admission, not by a published transfer-credit formula.
The trade-off is that no one gets a shorter route to the credential. A nurse who wants only AGPCNP certification has to buy a doctorate to get it, and the final year is full-time in every track: the immersion residency runs three days a week, which closes the work-while-studying window that carries most students through the first two-thirds of the program.
Rush prices the degree by what you still need to learn, not by which door you came in. There is no door that skips the doctorate.
Quick Facts
| Program Types | Three DNP tracks: BSN entry, MSN entry for APRNs, MSN entry for non-APRNs |
| Format | Online coursework, in-person clinicals, minimum five campus visits |
| Campus Attendance | Minimum 5 visits total: 3–4 simulation days (one per term during clinical management courses), DNP project proposal, DNP project final presentation |
| Clinical Hours | 1,008 clock hours (BSN entry and non-APRN MSN entry); 756 new hours for the APRN track, with prior and new hours required to total at least 1,000 |
| Clinical Locations | Chicago and surrounding suburbs; out-of-state students may complete practicum in their home states |
| Clinical Placement | Not clearly published. Rush describes an interest survey and matching process but states no placement guarantee |
| Weekly Clinical Load | 1–2 days per week during specialty practicum; 3 days per week during residency |
| Population Focus | Adolescents through older adults in primary care and ambulatory settings |
| Licensure Required | U.S. RN license; recent graduates may submit at matriculation |
| Start Terms | Fall. Rush publishes only fall deadlines; Fall 2027 term begins September 7, 2027 |
| Class Size | 21 |
| Tuition | $1,493 per credit, 2026-2027, with no residency distinction, plus a $429 DNP administrative fee each semester |
| Accreditation | CCNE |
| Certification | AGPCNP exam through ANCC or AANP |
BSN to DNP
The BSN to DNP track requires 71 credits, an estimated $106,003 in tuition at Rush’s 2026-2027 rate of $1,493 per credit, and 3 to 3.5 years to complete. It is the entry point for nurses holding a BSN and a U.S. RN license, and the only track that includes the graduate nursing core.
A published conflict worth knowing about. Rush’s curriculum page states that the DNP program requires a minimum of 62 term hours of post-baccalaureate study, then states on the same page that the AGPCNP BSN to DNP track requires a minimum of 71. The 62-hour figure is the college-wide DNP floor across all tracks; 71 is the AGPCNP requirement and the number used throughout this page. Rush adds that additional courses or clinical hours may be required after review of an applicant’s academic portfolio, so 71 is a minimum rather than a ceiling.
BSN to DNP Curriculum
The 71 credits divide into five blocks: a 12-credit graduate nursing core, an 18-credit advanced practice nursing core, a 14-credit DNP core, 15 credits of adult-gerontology population and role cognates, and 12 credits of practicum and DNP project work.
The sequencing matters more than the course list. Rush front-loads the didactic work and concentrates clinical management courses and practica in the final year, so the heaviest clinical learning sits close to the certification exam. That design is also why most students keep working full-time through roughly the first two-thirds of the program and cannot through the last third.
Two courses set this sequence apart from a standard AGPCNP curriculum. NSG 521 Antiracism in Organizational Leadership sits in the graduate core rather than appearing as an elective, and NSG 572 Quality and Safety for the Aging Adult adds a geriatric systems course beyond the two adult-gerontology management courses most programs stop at.
Graduate nursing core (12 credits)
- NSG 521 Antiracism in Organizational Leadership (3)
- NSG 522 Applied Epidemiology Biostats Nursing (3)
- NSG 523 Research for Evidence Based Practice (3)
- NSG 524 Health Promotion in Individuals and Clinical Populations (3)
Advanced practice nursing core (18 credits)
- NSG 531 Advanced Pharmacology (3)
- NSG 532 Advanced Physiology (3)
- NSG 533 Advanced Pathophysiology (3)
- NSG 535 Diagnostics for the APRN (3)
- NSG 537 Transition to the APRN Role (3)
- NSG 625 Advanced Health Assessment Across the Life Span (2)
- NSG 625L Advanced Health Assessment Lab (1)
DNP core (14 credits)
- NSG 600 Leadership in Evolving Healthcare Environments (3)
- NSG 602 Healthcare Economics, Policy and Finance (3)
- NSG 608 Program Evaluation (3)
- NSG 610 DNP Project Planning and Implementation (3)
- NSG 615 DNP Project Proposal Seminar (2)
Population and role cognates (15 credits)
- NSG 534 Major Psychopathological Disorders (3)
- NSG 570B Pharmacotherapeutics Primary Care (3)
- NSG 571A Management: Adult/Gerontology I (3)
- NSG 571B Management: Adult/Gerontology II (3)
- NSG 572 Quality and Safety for the Aging Adult (3)
DNP practica and project (12 credits)
- NSG 606 DNP Specialty Practicum (5 credits / 420 clock hours)
- NSG 607 DNP Immersion Residency (4 credits / 336 clock hours)
- NSG 609A, 609B, and 609C DNP Project Practicum (1 credit / 84 clock hours each)
View the full BSN to DNP requirements in the Rush course catalog.
BSN to DNP Clinical Requirements
- Total clinical hours: 1,008 clock hours
- Distribution: NSG 606 specialty practicum 420 hours, NSG 607 immersion residency 336 hours, NSG 609A/B/C project practicum 84 hours each
- Rotations: three semesters of clinical rotation; one is expected in primary care or internal medicine, the other two are matched to student interests through a survey sent before rotations begin
- Weekly load: one to two days per week during specialty practicum, three days per week during the residency
- Geography: clinical sites are located in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs; students from out of state may complete practicum in their home states
- Placement responsibility: not clearly published. Rush describes matching students to interest-based rotations but does not state who locates sites and preceptors, and publishes no placement guarantee
- Specialty residency: NSG 607 can be completed in a specialty area such as cardiology for students with a defined post-graduation goal
- Campus visits: minimum of five, covering three to four simulation days plus the DNP project proposal and final presentation
1,008 hours is roughly double the 500 supervised clinical hours national certification boards set as a minimum, and the volume shows up in where graduates land: Rush states that about half of its graduates take primary care positions and the other half move into specialty practice. The ability to spend the 336-hour residency in one specialty is the mechanism behind that.
Placement is the unresolved question, and it is the one worth pressing before applying. The survey-and-match language reads as program-arranged placement for Chicago-area rotations, but Rush does not publish who secures sites and preceptors for students completing practicum in their home states. The three-day-a-week residency compounds it: a distance student needs a site that can absorb them for three days a week across a full term, within commuting range, for an entire term. That is a harder ask than a one-day-a-week placement, and it is the part of this program most likely to derail a plan of study.
BSN to DNP Admissions
- BSN from a regionally accredited institution
- Minimum 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale, evaluated both cumulatively and on prelicensure nursing coursework; NursingCAS calculates both figures
- U.S. RN licensure; recent BSN graduates may submit the license upon matriculation
- Preference for applicants with recent RN experience or who will be working as an RN when the program begins
- Three professional letters of recommendation from people in leadership positions who can speak to clinical ability; a letter from the current manager is strongly preferred, and one academic faculty letter is permitted if the coursework was completed within the past two years
- Resume or CV covering work experience, community service, leadership and professional organization activity, and scholarly work
- Personal essay questions, completed in the Program Materials section of NursingCAS
- Personal interview with faculty
- TOEFL scores if required
- Application through NursingCAS plus a Rush supplemental application with a $40 fee
- Fall 2027 cycle: applications open August 6, 2026, early decision deadline March 1, 2027, term begins September 7, 2027
- Not open to residents of Louisiana, Tennessee, or Canada; New York residents cannot enroll in APRN specialty online programs
Two rules deserve attention. Applicants may apply to only one Rush program and one admission term per cycle, so hedging across the AGPCNP and FNP tracks is not possible. And the only date Rush publishes for Fall 2027 is the March 1, 2027 early decision deadline; no final deadline appears on the admissions page, which makes March the date to plan around rather than a date to beat.
The GPA rule is stricter than it first appears. Rush evaluates prelicensure nursing GPA separately from cumulative GPA, so a strong record in later coursework does not offset weak grades in the original nursing major.
See Rush’s full admissions guidelines and current deadlines.
MSN to DNP for APRNs
The MSN to DNP track for APRNs requires 38 credits and an estimated $56,734 in tuition, making it the least expensive route to an AGPCNP credential at Rush by about $31,000. It omits both the graduate nursing core and the advanced practice nursing core, which Rush treats as satisfied by prior APRN preparation. It is built for nurses who already hold an APRN role and want to add adult-gerontology primary care.
A published conflict worth knowing about. Rush’s program page states that the program takes about three and a half years for all students, while its own fast facts give a range of 3 to 3.5 years and its FAQ says length varies for master’s-prepared students based on the gap analysis. A 38-credit plan is roughly half the size of the 71-credit plan, yet Rush publishes no shorter completion estimate for it. This page reports Rush’s stated range rather than inferring a faster finish.
MSN to DNP (APRN) Curriculum
The plan is the BSN to DNP with both foundational cores removed: 14 credits of DNP core, 15 credits of adult-gerontology cognates, and 9 credits of practicum and project work. The practicum block is the only place the clinical requirement differs from the other two tracks, and the difference sits entirely in NSG 606.
Rush builds an individualized plan of study from a gap analysis performed after admission. It expects prior graduate coursework in advanced health assessment, advanced pathophysiology, advanced pharmacology, APRN role transition, research, and biostatistics or epidemiology. Any gap is added to the plan, so 38 credits is the floor for this track rather than a fixed total.
- DNP core (14 credits): NSG 600 (3), NSG 602 (3), NSG 608 (3), NSG 610 (3), NSG 615 (2)
- Population and role cognates (15 credits): NSG 534 (3), NSG 570B (3), NSG 571A (3), NSG 571B (3), NSG 572 (3)
- DNP practica and project (9 credits): NSG 606 (2 credits / 168 hours), NSG 607 (4 credits / 336 hours), NSG 609A/B/C (1 credit / 84 hours each)
View the full MSN to DNP (APRN) requirements in the Rush course catalog.
MSN to DNP (APRN) Clinical Requirements
- New clinical hours: 756 clock hours
- Distribution: NSG 606 specialty practicum 168 hours, down from 420 in the other tracks; NSG 607 residency 336 hours; NSG 609A/B/C 84 hours each
- Combined floor: previous clinical hours plus new DNP hours must total at least 1,000 clock hours
- Sites, geography, and campus visits: identical to the BSN to DNP, including the three-day-a-week residency and the minimum five campus visits
The 1,000-hour combined floor is what decides whether 756 new hours is enough. An APRN whose master’s program logged 600 or more clinical hours clears it comfortably. One who logged fewer may be assigned additional hours during the portfolio review Rush reserves the right to conduct, and added practicum credits bill at the same $1,493 per credit. Ask for that arithmetic in writing before accepting a seat, because it is the difference between a $56,734 program and a materially more expensive one.
MSN to DNP (APRN) Admissions
- MSN from a regionally accredited institution
- Gap analysis performed after admission, producing an individualized plan of study
- Expected prior coursework: advanced health assessment across the life span, advanced pathophysiology, advanced pharmacology, transition to the APRN role, research, and biostatistics or epidemiology
- Minimum 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale
- U.S. RN licensure
- NursingCAS application plus the $40 Rush supplemental application
- Three professional letters of recommendation, resume or CV, personal essay questions, and a faculty interview
- Fall 2027 cycle: applications open August 6, 2026, early decision deadline March 1, 2027, term begins September 7, 2027
- Not open to residents of Louisiana, Tennessee, or Canada; New York residents cannot enroll in APRN specialty online programs
Rush names this track “for APRNs,” but its published admissions guidelines set a BSN as the minimum degree and state no separate APRN certification requirement. Track assignment follows from the gap analysis rather than from a published certification rule, which means a master’s-prepared nurse without an advanced practice role should expect to be routed to the 59-credit non-APRN plan and should price the program accordingly.
MSN to DNP for non-APRNs
The MSN to DNP track for non-APRNs requires 59 credits, an estimated $88,087 in tuition, and the same 3 to 3.5 year window. It serves nurses who hold a master’s in nursing but no advanced practice role. It keeps the full 18-credit advanced practice nursing core and drops only the 12-credit graduate nursing core, which Rush treats as covered by prior master’s work.
MSN to DNP (non-APRN) Curriculum
Measured against the BSN entry, the saving is 12 credits, about $17,916 at the current rate. Everything else is the same, including all 12 credits of practicum and project work. A master’s degree shortens the classroom sequence here and nothing else.
Rush expects prior equivalent coursework in research and biostatistics or epidemiology. Where that work is missing, it is added to the plan of study, which eats into the 12-credit saving. Applicants whose master’s was in a non-clinical field such as nursing education or administration are the most likely to find gaps.
- Advanced practice nursing core (18 credits): NSG 531 (3), NSG 532 (3), NSG 533 (3), NSG 535 (3), NSG 537 (3), NSG 625 (2), NSG 625L (1)
- DNP core (14 credits): NSG 600 (3), NSG 602 (3), NSG 608 (3), NSG 610 (3), NSG 615 (2)
- Population and role cognates (15 credits): NSG 534 (3), NSG 570B (3), NSG 571A (3), NSG 571B (3), NSG 572 (3)
- DNP practica and project (12 credits): NSG 606 (5 credits / 420 hours), NSG 607 (4 credits / 336 hours), NSG 609A/B/C (1 credit / 84 hours each)
View the full MSN to DNP (non-APRN) requirements in the Rush course catalog.
MSN to DNP (non-APRN) Clinical Requirements
- Total clinical hours: 1,008 clock hours, identical to the BSN entry
- Distribution: NSG 606 420 hours, NSG 607 336 hours, NSG 609A/B/C 84 hours each
- Rotations, geography, weekly load, and campus visits: the same three-semester rotation structure, Chicago-area sites with an out-of-state option, three-day-a-week residency, and minimum five campus visits
A master’s degree buys no clinical reduction on this track. Carrying the full 1,008 hours is the consequence of entering an advanced practice role for the first time, and it means the realistic completion time is the same as the BSN entry despite the 12 fewer credits. Anyone choosing between this track and a standalone AGPCNP program elsewhere is comparing a full clinical load either way.
MSN to DNP (non-APRN) Admissions
- MSN from a regionally accredited institution
- Prior equivalent coursework in research and biostatistics or epidemiology expected; gaps are added to the plan of study
- Gap analysis performed after admission
- Minimum 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale
- U.S. RN licensure
- NursingCAS application plus the $40 Rush supplemental application
- Three professional letters of recommendation, resume or CV, personal essay questions, and a faculty interview
- Fall 2027 cycle: applications open August 6, 2026, early decision deadline March 1, 2027, term begins September 7, 2027
- Not open to residents of Louisiana, Tennessee, or Canada; New York residents cannot enroll in APRN specialty online programs
The gap analysis is the entire decision for this group, and it happens after admission. Two applicants with identical MSN credentials can end up with different plans of study and different totals depending on what their master’s program covered. That means committing to Rush without a final price, which is a meaningful difference from programs that publish a fixed post-master’s credit count.
Tuition
Rush charges $1,493 per credit for post-licensure MSN, DNP, and PhD programs in the 2026-2027 academic year. There is no resident or non-resident distinction, so an out-of-state student pays exactly what an Illinois student pays.
That rate replaces the $1,436 Rush published for the prior year, a $57-per-credit increase that adds roughly $4,000 to the BSN to DNP and about $2,200 to the APRN track. The Student Business Office rate table and the AGPCNP program page now agree on $1,493; any listing still showing $1,436 is a year behind. Rush states plainly that students should expect an annual increase.
Every DNP student is also charged a $429 administrative fee in each fall, spring, and summer semester. At three semesters a year that is $1,287 annually, or roughly $4,500 across a three-and-a-half-year plan of study. It is not included in the table below.
| Pathway | Credits | Est. Tuition |
|---|---|---|
| BSN to DNP | 71 | $106,003 |
| MSN to DNP (non-APRN) | 59 | $88,087 |
| MSN to DNP (APRN) | 38 | $56,734 |
Calculated from Rush’s published 2026-2027 per-credit rate and published credit totals. Rush does not publish program-level totals for these tracks.
Costs Beyond Tuition
- DNP administrative fee: $429 per semester, charged in fall, spring, and summer
- Books and supplies: Rush budgets $1,116 per year for graduate nursing students in the first and second years, per its 2025-2026 cost of attendance
- Campus travel: a minimum of five trips to Chicago, which Rush bundles where it can by tying project days to other campus days
- Clinical travel: reaching a practicum site one to two days a week, then a residency site three days a week, for the final year
The one form of program-specific aid Rush names is a HRSA grant stipend for qualifying students in primary care during their final year of clinical rotation. Applications go out to students in primary care placements at the start of that year, usually in summer, and recipients are selected against grant criteria. Students placed in specialty rotations are outside it.
See Rush’s current published tuition rates and the cost of attendance breakdown.
Why Choose This AGPCNP Program?
Best suited for: a working nurse who wants the doctorate itself, can absorb a full-time final year, and either already holds an APRN role or accepts paying for the full 71-credit sequence.
Prior preparation changes the price by nearly $50,000
38, 59, and 71 credits at a single rate produce a $49,269 spread between the cheapest and most expensive route to the same degree. Few DNP programs let prior preparation move the number that far. The catch is that Rush does not publish a transfer-credit formula or a fixed post-master’s credit count. The gap analysis happens after admission, so master’s-prepared applicants accept a seat before they know their final total.
Clinical volume well above the certification minimum
1,008 hours is roughly twice the 500 supervised hours national certification boards require, and the 336-hour immersion residency can sit in a single specialty such as cardiology. Rush reports that about half its graduates move into specialty practice rather than primary care, which is a direct product of that structure. If the goal is a specialty NP position after graduation, this is the strongest argument for the program.
Campus attendance is countable, not recurring
Five visits across three-plus years, with project days deliberately tied to simulation days, is a finite travel burden. For a distance student that is five trips to Chicago over the whole degree rather than a per-term intensive or a monthly cadence. Compare that directly against hybrid programs that require attendance every term.
The final year is not compatible with full-time work
Rush is unusually direct about this: the program begins part-time but requires a full-time commitment in the last year because of practicum and residency hours. Most students keep working until clinical management courses begin, about two-thirds of the way through. Budget for reduced income in the final year, which is the same year the practicum credits are billed and the same year out-of-state students must hold a site three days a week.
The Verdict
The strongest case belongs to a certified APRN adding adult-gerontology primary care. Thirty-eight credits, roughly $56,700 in tuition, and a doctorate at the end is a genuinely efficient package, provided the gap analysis does not add much. A BSN-prepared nurse who wants the DNP rather than just the NP credential, and who can reach a Chicago-area clinical site, has the second-strongest case.
Compare other options if you want AGPCNP certification without a doctorate, since Rush offers no MSN track and no post-graduate certificate in this population focus. Look elsewhere too if you need a published placement guarantee or confirmed preceptor support outside Illinois, or if you live in Louisiana, Tennessee, or New York, where Rush cannot enroll you at all.
Accreditation
The MSN, DNP, and post-graduate APRN certificate programs at Rush University College of Nursing are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. Rush states that graduates of the AGPCNP program are prepared to sit for the AGPCNP certification exam offered by the American Nurses Credentialing Center or the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners.
Rush participates in NC-SARA through Illinois and reports that its College of Nursing programs meet the educational requirements for RN licensure in all 50 states and territories. Its published licensure chart lists the AGPCNP track as meeting advanced practice requirements in every state shown. Enrollment is nonetheless closed to residents of Louisiana, Tennessee, and Canada, and to New York residents for APRN specialty online programs.
Rush also notes that California is not a SARA member state, and that students who relocate after enrolling become subject to their new state’s regulations, which can restrict completion of clinical requirements. Check the current state authorization page before applying and before any move.
More AGPCNP Programs in Illinois
- Bradley University - Peoria
- Chamberlain University - Chicago
- DePaul University - Chicago
- Loyola University Chicago - Maywood
- North Park University - Chicago
- University of Illinois Chicago - Chicago