The University of North Carolina at Greensboro School of Nursing offers two AGPCNP-related pathways:
- BSN-DNP (Adult/Gerontological Primary Care Nurse Practitioner concentration, 68 credits, hybrid)
- Post-Master’s DNP (30+ credits, online, for MSN-prepared APRNs including existing AGPCNPs; does not lead to AGPCNP certification)
Only the BSN-DNP prepares nurses for AGPCNP certification. UNCG does not offer an MSN or post-graduate certificate in the AGPCNP specialty. The BSN-DNP requires weekly on-campus sessions in Greensboro, which makes it a regional program in practice.
Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition (Resident) | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| BSN-DNP (AGPCNP) | $31,100 (full-time) – $34,100 (part-time) | 3 years full-time; 4 years part-time | 68 |
| Post-Master’s DNP | $12,200 – $13,200 | 15 months full-time; 6 semesters part-time | 30 minimum |
Tuition estimates multiply UNCG’s 2026–2027 graduate rate ($307.56/credit NC resident) by the catalog credit total, then add the published per-semester program differential for each fall and spring term in the plan of study and, for the BSN-DNP, the $1,220 one-time AGPCNP program fee.
UNCG’s BSN-DNP pairs a full clinical doctorate with an NC resident price near $31,000 and program-arranged clinical preceptor placement. That combination of a doctorate, an in-state public price, and arranged placement is the main reason to shortlist UNCG.
The cost of that model is geography. Students attend weekly on-campus sessions, and UNCG states that clinical courses are face-to-face at its Union Square Campus. Applicants who cannot reach Greensboro every week should look elsewhere. Non-residents also pay nearly three times the resident rate, so the value case is strongest for North Carolina nurses.
A low-cost AGPCNP doctorate with preceptor placement included, built for nurses who can be in Greensboro every week.
Quick Facts
| Program Types | BSN-DNP (AGPCNP); Post-Master’s DNP (DNP completion, no new specialty) |
| Format | BSN-DNP: hybrid, weekly on-campus sessions. Post-Master’s DNP: online, asynchronous |
| Campus Attendance | BSN-DNP: weekly, Greensboro. Post-Master’s DNP: none required; orientation and graduation encouraged |
| Clinical Hours | BSN-DNP: 840 clinical + 300 scholarly = 1,140 (catalog states 1,020 practicum hours) |
| Clinical Placement | Preceptor placement provided for BSN-DNP students |
| Distinctive Coursework | Dedicated aging and frail adult course plus 180-hour practicum (NUR 813/813L) |
| Licensure Required | Unrestricted RN license; NC residents must hold NC licensure |
| Start Terms | Spring and fall application cycles; published BSN-DNP plans begin in fall |
| Tuition | $307.56/credit NC resident; $1,184.06/credit non-resident (2026–2027) |
| Accreditation | CCNE |
Post-Baccalaureate DNP: Adult/Gerontological Primary Care Nurse Practitioner
The BSN-DNP AGPCNP at UNC Greensboro costs an estimated $31,100 to $34,100 for NC residents and $90,700 to $93,700 for non-residents. It requires 68 credits over three years full-time (eight semesters) or four years part-time. Applicants need a BSN, an unrestricted RN license, and one year of full-time clinical nursing experience.
Published conflicts worth knowing about. The 2026–2027 catalog overview states a minimum of 67 credits, while its requirements table totals 68. The table also labels its required-course subtotal 61 credits, but the listed courses sum to 62. The program page and both plans of study show 68, so this page uses 68. Clinical hours conflict as well: the catalog states 1,020 advanced practice practicum hours, while the program page publishes 840 clinical hours plus 300 scholarly/immersion hours (1,140 total). This page uses the program page figures because they reconcile course by course to the plans of study.
BSN-DNP Curriculum
The curriculum has three layers. The advanced practice core (pathophysiology, pharmacology, diagnostic reasoning) comes first. A four-course primary care management sequence follows, each paired with a practicum. DNP coursework in theory, informatics, biostatistics, leadership, and population health runs alongside, and a three-part scholarly project closes the program.
Sequencing is front-loaded. Full-time students begin their first practicum (NUR 811L) in the second semester, after one term of core coursework. Clinical work then runs every fall and spring term through graduation. Summers carry only online DNP courses.
The most distinctive element is NUR 813, a four-credit course on primary care for aging or frail adults with its own 180-hour practicum. Many AGPCNP programs fold gerontology into general adult management courses. UNCG gives it a full course and clinical rotation.
The part-time Sprint Start plan delays specialty work. Part-time students complete core and DNP courses first and do not start their first practicum until the spring of year two.
Advanced practice core:
- NUR 708 Advanced Pathophysiology (3)
- NUR 709 Pharmacologic Interventions in Advanced Practice (3)
- NUR 713 Diagnostic Reasoning and Health Assessment (3) and NUR 713L Lab (1)
AGPCNP specialty and practicum sequence:
- NUR 811 Advanced Primary Care Management I (4) and NUR 811L Practicum (3)
- NUR 812 Advanced Primary Care Management II (4) and NUR 812L Practicum (3)
- NUR 813 Primary Care Management for Aging or Frail Adults (4) and NUR 813L Practicum (3)
- NUR 816 Integrated Clinical Management in Primary Care (3) and NUR 816L Clinical Synthesis Practicum (2)
- NUR 821L Comprehensive Clinical Practicum (3)
- NUR 817 Negotiating Role Functions in Advanced Practice (2)
DNP core and scholarly project:
- NUR 620 The Business of Healthcare (3)
- NUR 705 Scientific Approaches to Advance Healthcare (3)
- NUR 714 Foundations of Informatics and Computational Systems (3)
- NUR 810 Interventional Strategies to Promote Population Wellbeing (3)
- NUR 818 Biostatistical Basis for Decision-Making (3)
- NUR 819 Holistic Approaches to Leadership (3)
- NUR 824 Applied Theory in Advancing Practice (3)
- NUR 890A, 890B, 890C Scholarly Seminars I–III: project development, implementation, evaluation and dissemination (2 each)
View more curriculum details in the course catalog.
BSN-DNP Clinical Requirements
- Total hours: 1,140 (840 clinical practice + 300 scholarly/immersion), per the program page
- Practicum hours by course: NUR 811L, 812L, 813L, and 821L at 180 hours each; NUR 816L at 120 hours
- Scholarly hours: 100 hours in each of NUR 890A, 890B, and 890C
- Weekly load: 3-credit practicums run 12 hours per week over a 15-week term
- Placement: UNCG lists clinical preceptor placement for students as a program feature
- Location: UNCG states all clinical courses are face-to-face at the Union Square Campus in Greensboro (the plan of study labels NUR 816L as online, which conflicts with that statement)
- Geographic limits, travel distance, and placement guarantees: not clearly published
Program-arranged placement removes the biggest administrative burden NP students face: cold-calling clinics for preceptors. UNCG does not publish how far students may travel to assigned sites or whether placement is guaranteed. Combined with weekly campus sessions, the model works best for students living in or near the Piedmont Triad.
BSN-DNP Admissions
- BSN from a nationally accredited program
- Current, unrestricted RN license in one of the 50 states; NC residents must hold an unrestricted NC license
- Minimum one year of full-time clinical nursing experience
- GPA: 3.0 cumulative minimum; 3.2 or higher receives priority
- Undergraduate prerequisites: inferential statistics, chemistry, and health assessment
- Resume or CV
- Personal statement of 400 words or fewer on nursing background and future goals
- Three professional references (mix of educational and professional)
- Official transcripts, Community Standards and Campus Safety Questionnaire, and application fee through the UNCG Graduate School portal
- No GRE listed
- Spring 2027 cycle: priority deadline October 1, 2026; final deadline November 15, 2026
- Fall 2027 cycle: priority deadline May 1, 2027; final deadline June 15, 2027
- International and F-1 students are not accepted into the AGPCNP program
The program page lists application deadlines for both spring and fall starts, but both published plans of study and the catalog begin in fall. Spring-cycle applicants should expect the plan of study to be finalized with an advisor.
The program page also lists CGFNS-validated credentials as an option for international applicants while stating that the AGPCNP program does not accept international or F-1 students. The exclusion statement is specific to this program, so this page treats it as controlling.
Progression rules are strict. Per the catalog, students are withdrawn for a grade below B- in any AGPCNP specialty course, grades of B- or U in more than one specialty course, missing two consecutive semesters, or a GPA below 3.0. All requirements must be finished within seven years.
Post-Master’s DNP
The Post-Master’s DNP at UNC Greensboro costs an estimated $12,200 to $13,200 for NC residents. It requires a minimum of 30 credits over four semesters (15 months) full-time or six semesters part-time. It is a DNP completion program. It does not add a new population focus or prepare students for AGPCNP certification.
For AGPCNP readers, this pathway fits one group: nurse practitioners who already hold an MSN and AGPCNP certification and want the doctorate. It does not help an RN or non-AGPCNP APRN become an AGPCNP.
Post-Master’s DNP Curriculum
The curriculum is entirely DNP-level coursework: 24 credits of required courses and a 6-credit scholarly project sequence. There are no clinical specialty courses. All didactic courses are online and asynchronous with instructor deadlines.
The scholarly project starts in the second semester and runs through the final term, so project work overlaps most of the program.
- Fall, Year 1 (9): NUR 705 Scientific Approaches to Advance Healthcare (3), NUR 818 Biostatistical Basis for Decision-Making (3), NUR 824 Applied Theory in Advancing Practice (3)
- Spring, Year 1 (8): NUR 620 The Business of Healthcare (3), NUR 714 Foundations of Informatics and Computational Systems (3), NUR 890A Scholarly Seminar I (2)
- Summer, Year 1 (8): NUR 819 Holistic Approaches to Leadership (3), NUR 826 Professional Advocacy and Networking in Healthcare (3), NUR 890B Scholarly Seminar II (2)
- Fall, Year 2 (5): NUR 810 Interventional Strategies to Promote Population Wellbeing (3), NUR 890C Scholarly Seminar III (2)
View more curriculum details in the course catalog.
Post-Master’s DNP Clinical Requirements
- Total: 1,000 post-baccalaureate practicum/immersion hours, with MSN practicum hours counted toward the total
- New DNP hours: 300 immersion/project hours required of every student, regardless of MSN hours
- Fewer than 700 MSN practicum hours: the catalog requires NUR 789 (DNP Advanced Practicum) and/or additional immersion hours through the NUR 890 series; the 30-credit minimum applies only to students with at least 700 MSN hours
- Credits added by NUR 789: not clearly published
The 700-hour threshold decides the real length and cost of this program. An AGPCNP with 700 or more documented MSN clinical hours finishes in 30 credits. An applicant from a lower-hour MSN, or a leadership or informatics MSN, should expect added practicum credits that UNCG does not price in advance.
Post-Master’s DNP Admissions
- MSN from a nationally accredited program, as either an APRN certified as a Nurse Practitioner, Nurse Midwife, or Nurse Anesthetist, or a nurse with an MSN in Nursing Leadership/Administration, Clinical Nurse Leader, or Nursing Informatics
- National certification appropriate to the APRN specialty
- Current, unrestricted RN license in one of the 50 states; NC residents must hold an unrestricted NC license
- Undergraduate statistics course
- Resume or CV, personal statement of 400 words or fewer, and three professional references
- Official transcripts, Community Standards and Campus Safety Questionnaire, and application fee through the Graduate School portal
- Interview may be required
- Minimum GPA: not stated on the program page
- Spring 2027 start (part-time, six semesters): deadline November 15, 2026
- Fall 2027 start (full-time, four semesters): deadline June 15, 2027
The program page’s admissions section also lists Clinical Nurse Specialists as eligible, which its program overview and the catalog omit. CNS applicants should treat eligibility as unconfirmed until UNCG reviews their file.
Tuition
UNCG’s 2026–2027 graduate rate sheets list base tuition plus program differentials:
- NC resident: $307.56 per credit
- Non-resident: $1,184.06 per credit
- Outside NC, online programs only: $615.12 per credit, for non-residents living outside North Carolina and enrolled exclusively in an online program
- AGPCNP DNP differential: $1,500 per semester
- DNP differential (Post-Master’s DNP): $1,000 per semester
- AGPCNP program fee: $1,220, one time
Residency is the largest cost variable. A non-resident BSN-DNP student pays roughly $59,600 more in base tuition than an NC resident over 68 credits.
The Post-Master’s DNP is now delivered online, which may open the reduced Outside NC rate to non-residents living outside the state. The rate sheet ties that rate to enrollment in an online program; the program page does not state how the Post-Master’s DNP is classified for billing. If it qualifies, an out-of-state student would pay about $21,500 instead of about $38,500.
Full-time BSN-DNP students may pay less than the estimate. UNCG’s main-campus rate table shows the same tuition at 12+ credits as at nine credits ($2,768 resident), so fall and spring terms above nine credits appear to bill at a flat rate. Applied to the full-time plan of study, that would reduce tuition by about $2,150 for residents and $8,300 for non-residents. The rate table does not state the threshold in words, so the estimates below use straight per-credit math.
Estimated Total Tuition
| Pathway | NC Resident | Non-Resident |
|---|---|---|
| BSN-DNP, full-time (6 fall/spring terms) | $31,134 | $90,736 |
| BSN-DNP, part-time (8 fall/spring terms) | $34,134 | $93,736 |
| Post-Master’s DNP, full-time (3 fall/spring terms) | $12,227 | $38,522 (or $21,454 at the Outside NC online rate) |
| Post-Master’s DNP, part-time (4 fall/spring terms) | $13,227 | $39,522 (or $22,454 at the Outside NC online rate) |
Figures are calculated from UNCG’s published 2026–2027 rates and plans of study, not published by UNCG. Differentials are applied to fall and spring terms only, because a 2027 summer differential is not clearly published.
Fees Beyond Tuition
- Main-campus mandatory fees (BSN-DNP): about $145 per credit, reaching $1,654.50 per semester at 12+ credits (athletic, student activity, facilities, education and technology, transportation, security, health service, and registration fees)
- Online mandatory fees (Post-Master’s DNP): $43.92 per credit including a $20 Online Service Center fee, plus an $8 registration fee per semester; about $1,350 over a 30-credit program
- Scholarships: UNCG states scholarships are available but publishes no AGPCNP-specific amounts
UNCG notes that rates are not final until approved by the NC General Assembly. See the official tuition page for more details.
Why Choose This AGPCNP Program?
Best suited for: North Carolina BSN nurses within commuting distance of Greensboro who want a doctorate-level AGPCNP education without paying private-school tuition or hunting for their own preceptors.
An In-State Public Price for a Full Doctorate
NC residents pay about $31,100 in tuition and program charges for the 68-credit doctorate. Non-residents lose most of that advantage at roughly $90,700. For out-of-state applicants, the weekly campus requirement compounds the cost with travel or relocation.
Preceptor Placement Paired With a Weekly Campus Commitment
UNCG arranges clinical preceptors, which removes a common cause of delayed clinical progression. The trade is presence: weekly on-campus sessions and face-to-face clinical courses at Union Square. This is not a distance program, and working nurses must plan around a fixed weekly campus day.
A Full Course and Rotation in Older Adult Care
NUR 813 and its 180-hour practicum focus on aging and frail adults. Students interested in geriatrics, long-term care, or home-based primary care get dedicated training rather than a unit inside a broader adult course. UNCG reports a 100% AGPCNP certification pass rate for 2021, 2022, and 2023; no newer results are published.
No MSN Exit or Certificate Route
UNCG offers the AGPCNP only as a DNP. BSN nurses who want the fastest route to practice must commit to three years and a scholarly project. Existing NPs in another population focus cannot add AGPCNP here, because UNCG has no post-graduate AGPCNP certificate.
The Verdict
The strongest case belongs to NC-licensed BSN nurses living near Greensboro. For them, UNCG offers a clinical doctorate at a resident cost near $31,000 with preceptors arranged by the program. Out-of-state applicants, nurses who need a fully online program, and current NPs seeking to add the AGPCNP specialty should compare other options. MSN-prepared AGPCNPs with at least 700 clinical hours have a separate reason to look at the online Post-Master’s DNP.
Accreditation
UNCG’s DNP program is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), and the university is accredited by SACSCOC. UNCG states that BSN-DNP graduates are prepared for the national AGPCNP certification examination.
UNCG publishes professional licensure determinations by state in an online licensure report. Applicants who plan to practice outside North Carolina should check their state before applying.
Continue Researching AGPCNP Programs in North Carolina
- Duke University - Durham
- East Carolina University - Greenville
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill - Chapel Hill
- University of North Carolina Wilmington - Wilmington