The University of North Carolina Wilmington School of Nursing offers one AGPCNP pathway:
- BSN-DNP (Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner concentration)
Coursework is online and largely asynchronous, with on-campus intensives for BSN-DNP students. All clinical hours take place in North Carolina, so applicants need an unrestricted North Carolina or multistate compact RN license. UNCW does not offer an AGPCNP MSN or post-graduate certificate.
Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition (Resident) | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| BSN-DNP (AGPCNP) | $33,841 | 3 years full-time; 5 years part-time | 72 |
Tuition estimate multiplies UNCW’s 2026–2027 distance education rate for NC residents ($320.17/credit), the $115.17/credit DNP differential, and $34.68/credit in distance education fees by the 72-credit plan of study.
Clinical volume is where UNCW separates itself. The current plan of study requires 780 direct patient care hours across four practicum courses, 250 non-patient hours, and minimum encounter counts in ten categories, from adolescent well exams to frail elderly care. That is well above the 500 supervised clinical hours long treated as the floor for NP certification, and it comes with a full DNP project sequence at in-state public tuition near $34,000.
The cost of that volume is geographic. Every preceptor must practice in North Carolina, and students are expected to find their own placements with program assistance. Nurses living outside the state face four consecutive practicum terms of travel or temporary relocation, and non-residents pay roughly three times the resident rate. There is also no MSN exit, so the program only fits nurses ready to commit to a doctorate.
UNCW pairs 1,030 clinical and project hours with resident DNP tuition near $34,000, but every preceptor must practice in North Carolina and students secure their own sites.
Quick Facts
| Program Type | BSN-DNP only |
| Format | Online, mostly asynchronous; full-time or part-time |
| Campus Attendance | On-campus intensives for BSN-DNP students; number and frequency not clearly published |
| Clinical Hours | 780 direct patient care + 250 non-patient (1,030 total) |
| Clinical Placement | Student-secured, with program assistance |
| Clinical Location | North Carolina preceptors only |
| Population Focus | Age 13 through end of life |
| Licensure Required | Unrestricted NC or compact RN license; 600 RN hours before clinicals |
| Start Term | Fall |
| Tuition (per credit, 2026–2027) | $435.34 resident; $1,411.01 non-resident (includes DNP differential) |
| Accreditation | CCNE |
BSN to DNP: Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Concentration
The BSN to DNP AGPCNP concentration costs an estimated $33,841 for North Carolina residents and $104,090 for non-residents. It requires 72 credits and takes 3 years full-time (eight terms including summers) or 5 years part-time, starting in Fall. It is open to BSN-prepared RNs only; nurses who already hold an MSN have no AGPCNP entry point at UNCW.
A published conflict worth knowing about. UNCW publishes different clinical totals. The current plan of study lists 780 direct patient care hours (180 each in NSGL 660, 661 and 662, plus 240 in NSGL 663) and 250 non-patient hours, for 1,030 total. The AGPCNP preceptor page lists only three 180-hour practicum courses under older course numbers (NSGL 636, 638 and 639), totaling 540 hours. The prior version of this profile reported 750 direct and 1,000 total hours. This page uses the plan of study because it matches current course numbers. Note that the full-time plan omits NSGL 663’s hours, while the part-time plan lists 240.
BSN-DNP Curriculum
The 72 credits divide into six blocks: the advanced practice core (12 credits), AGPCNP specialty didactics (14), DNP core (24), DNP project (9), and four practicum courses (13). The DNP core is the largest block, which reflects the program’s emphasis on evidence-based practice, quality improvement, policy, and informatics alongside clinical training.
In the full-time plan, Year 1 pairs pathophysiology, assessment, and pharmacology with evidence-based practice theory. Specialty didactics start in Fall of Year 2. Practicum begins in Spring of Year 2 and runs four straight terms, including summer, while the three-course DNP project runs in parallel from Summer of Year 2. The final Spring is the heaviest term: 11 credits, including the 240-hour Practicum IV, complex health management, and DNP Project III.
The part-time plan reverses the emphasis. It front-loads the DNP core and delays the first practicum to Spring of Year 4, which gives working nurses more time before the clinical load arrives but stretches the program to five years.
Two courses stand out for a primary care NP. NSG 617 is a dedicated 2-credit course on pharmacotherapeutics and diagnostic reasoning for older adults, separate from general advanced pharmacology. NSG 682 adds a full 3-credit genomics course, which many NP curricula fold into other courses or omit.
Advanced practice core
- NSG 601 Pathophysiology for Advanced Practice Nurses (3)
- NSG 602 Advanced Health Assessment and Diagnostic Reasoning (3)
- NSG 603 Advanced Pharmacotherapeutics (3)
- NSG 611 Family-Centered Health Care Across the Lifespan (3)
AGPCNP specialty didactics
- NSG 612 Advanced Family Nursing I: Adult Health (4)
- NSG 616 Advanced Adult-Gerontology Nursing: Adolescents, Older Adult and Gender Health (4)
- NSG 617 Pharmacotherapeutics and Diagnostic Reasoning for the Older Adult (2)
- NSG 618 Advanced Adult-Gerontology Nursing: Management of Complex Health Problems (4)
Practicum sequence
- NSGL 660 Advanced Adult-Gerontology Nursing Practicum I (3; 180 hours)
- NSGL 661 Advanced Adult-Gerontology Nursing Practicum II (3; 180 hours)
- NSGL 662 Advanced Adult-Gerontology Nursing Practicum III (3; 180 hours)
- NSGL 663 Advanced Adult and Gerontology Nursing Practicum IV (4; 240 hours)
DNP core and project
- NSG 680 Population Health Promotion and Clinical Epidemiology (3)
- NSG 682 Genomics for Advanced Practice Nursing (3)
- NSG 683 Statistics for Evidence-Based Practice (3)
- NSG 685 and NSG 686 Theoretical and Methodologic Approaches to Evidence-Based Practice (3 each)
- NSG 688 Health Care Systems Leadership and Quality Improvement (3)
- NSG 689 Health Care Policy and Financial Management (3)
- NSG 692 Health Care Information Systems and Technology (3)
- DNP Project I, II and III (3 each)
Students need a B or better in every required course and may repeat only one course; two or more C grades lead to dismissal. Graduation also requires passing a written and oral comprehensive exam on the DNP project.
See the full curriculum in the UNCW catalogue.
BSN-DNP Clinical Requirements
- Total: 1,030 hours: 780 direct patient care and 250 non-patient care hours
- Distribution: 180 hours each in Practicum I–III and 240 in Practicum IV, over four consecutive terms
- Weekly load: UNCW’s DNP FAQ describes "over a day a week" in clinical during practicum terms
- Placement responsibility: Students seek their own clinical placements; the program offers assistance. A guaranteed placement is not published.
- Geography: Preceptors must practice in North Carolina
- Preceptors: NP, MD, DO, or PA; at least one NP during the program; board certified with at least one year of provider experience
- Frail elderly: The plan of study requires at least 60 hours of frail elderly care across the practica; the preceptor page states it as 60 encounters
Minimum encounters required by the end of the program:
- Ages 13–19: 20 episodic and 20 well exams
- Adults under 65: 70 episodic or wellness and 70 chronic illness
- Geriatric: 70 chronic illness and 70 episodic or wellness
- Frail elderly: 60
- Gynecologic visits: 20, including 10 speculum or bimanual exams
- Men’s health: 40 visits, including 10 genitourinary visits (over 18)
The encounter quotas shape site selection as much as the hours do. A single adult internal medicine practice will rarely supply 40 adolescent exams or 20 gynecologic visits, so most students will need a mix of sites over four terms. Planning that mix early matters because students, not the school, line up the preceptors.
The North Carolina requirement is the bigger constraint. Nurses in eastern North Carolina can likely build placements around their own networks. Nurses elsewhere in the state face longer drives, and out-of-state students must arrange North Carolina preceptors and spend at least a day a week there for four terms. UNCW’s FAQ advises building relationships with primary care NPs, PAs, and physicians before enrolling.
See UNCW’s AGPCNP preceptor and site requirements.
BSN-DNP Admissions
- BSN from a regionally accredited institution, completed by the spring before the Fall start
- Cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher; 2.75 considered case by case
- Unrestricted North Carolina RN license, or a compact state license for completing clinical hours in North Carolina
- 600 hours of RN work experience before beginning any clinical course
- Undergraduate coursework in community health, health and physical assessment, nursing research, and statistics
- Three professional references via online survey
- Resume and one-page clinical work history
- Video of up to five minutes answering five prompts, including a social determinants of health issue affecting older adults
- Holistic review of academic and professional experience
- Deadline: UNCW’s DNP FAQ lists a mid-September opening and February 15 close for BSN-DNP concentrations; a cycle-specific Fall 2027 date is not clearly published on the program page
- Start term: Fall only
The 600-hour experience rule applies before clinical courses, not before admission. A new BSN graduate can apply and complete those hours during the first year of didactic coursework. The licensure rule matters for nurses in non-compact states: they need a North Carolina RN license before clinicals.
See UNCW’s AGPCNP admission requirements.
Tuition
UNCW’s 2026–2027 graduate distance education rate is $320.17 per credit for North Carolina residents and $1,295.84 for non-residents. DNP students pay a $115.17-per-credit differential regardless of residency, bringing tuition to $435.34 (resident) and $1,411.01 (non-resident) per credit. Distance education fees add $34.68 per credit.
These rates replace the 2025–2026 figures on the previous version of this page ($426.01 resident and $1,373.29 non-resident tuition per credit). The new rates add about $672 in tuition to a resident’s 72-credit total and about $2,716 to a non-resident’s.
| Pathway | Resident | Non-Resident |
|---|---|---|
| BSN-DNP (72 credits) | $33,841 | $104,090 |
Calculated, not university-published. Figures include tuition, the DNP differential, and per-credit distance education fees. Tuition alone is $31,344 resident and $101,593 non-resident.
Residency is the largest cost variable: non-residents pay about $70,248 more over the program. UNCW also bills a flat amount at 9 or more credits per semester ($4,230 resident, $13,011 non-resident for DNP distance students in Fall and Spring). If that cap applies to the full-time plan’s 10- and 11-credit terms, full-time students would pay somewhat less than the per-credit estimate. Summer 2027 rates are not yet posted.
Fees beyond tuition
- Education and Technology fee: $31.28 per credit
- Security fee: $3.34 per credit
- Student government fee: $0.06 per credit
- Practicum, lab, or intensive fees: not clearly published
See UNCW’s graduate tuition rates and the official tuition and fees page.
Why Choose This AGPCNP Program?
Best suited for: BSN-prepared North Carolina RNs who want a DNP, can line up primary care preceptors in the state, and want high clinical volume at public in-state tuition.
1,030 Hours Plus Encounter Quotas
Few AGPCNP programs specify both a high hour count and minimum encounters by age group and visit type. UNCW does both, with 780 direct care hours and quotas covering adolescents, women’s and men’s health, and frail older adults. Graduates leave with documented breadth across the full adult-gerontology age range.
North Carolina Preceptors, Found by the Student
The online coursework travels anywhere; the clinicals do not. Preceptors must practice in North Carolina, and students arrange their own sites with program help. For an applicant without an existing primary care network in the state, this is the factor most likely to delay progression.
A Low DNP Price for Residents Only
At an estimated $33,841, the full doctorate costs residents about what many programs charge for an MSN. Non-residents pay an estimated $104,090, which removes most of the cost advantage, on top of the travel the North Carolina clinical rule imposes.
Doctorate-Only Entry With Strict Progression
There is no MSN or certificate route, so applicants commit to three to five years and a three-term DNP project. The B-or-better rule, one-repeat limit, and oral comprehensive exam add academic risk that applicants should weigh before enrolling.
The Verdict
North Carolina residents with a BSN, ideally in or near the Wilmington region, have the strongest reason to choose UNCW: a full DNP with heavy clinical volume at a resident estimate near $34,000. Out-of-state nurses, applicants who want a shorter MSN, and nurses who need the school to arrange preceptors should compare other options.
Accreditation
UNCW’s BSN, master’s, and DNP programs are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). UNCW states that its licensure- and certification-track programs meet North Carolina requirements and prepare students to sit for applicable certification exams.
UNCW participates in NC-SARA, but nursing licensure requirements vary by state and UNCW publishes state-by-state licensure disclosures. Applicants who plan to practice outside North Carolina should check UNCW’s state authorization page before applying.
Other AGPCNP Programs in North Carolina
- Duke University - Durham
- East Carolina University - Greenville
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill - Chapel Hill
- UNC Greensboro - Greensboro