A world-class city filled with art and culture and an incredible campus that offers cutting edge resources–that’s what students receive at Penn Nursing. And that’s just the start. Penn Nursing and the wider university offer something for everyone, as well as a lifelong community.
Penn Nursing is globally known for educating dynamic nurses—because our School values evidence-based science and health equity. That’s where our expertise lies, whether in research, practice, community health, or beyond. Everything we do upholds a through-line of innovation, encouraging our exceptional students, alumni, and faculty share their knowledge and skills to reshape health care.
Penn Nursing students are bold and unafraid, ready to embrace any challenge that comes their way. Whether you are exploring a career in nursing or interested in advancing your nursing career, a Penn Nursing education will help you meet your goals and become an innovative leader, prepared to change the face of health and wellness.
Penn Nursing is the #1-ranked nursing school in the world. Its highly-ranked programs help develop highly-skilled leaders in health care who are prepared to work alongside communities to tackle issues of health equity and social justice to improve health and wellness for everyone.
Penn Nursing’s rigorous academic curricula are taught by world renowned experts, ensuring that students at every level receive an exceptional Ivy League education. From augmented reality classrooms and clinical simulations to coursework that includes experiential global travel to clinical placements in top notch facilities, a Penn Nursing education prepares our graduates to lead.
Family Nurse Practitioner
Established in 1973 as the first of its kind, our top-ranked Family Nurse Practitioner program is an innovative combination of diverse clinical experiences—from the inner city to the suburbs—and rigorous coursework, to prepare you to work with patients from all backgrounds and circumstances.
About the Program
We emphasize hands-on, real life care in all aspects of the program. All of our faculty members are currently in practice, an important cornerstone of our program, giving you indispensable exposure to the kind of work you’ll step into after graduation. You’ll also have opportunities to do clinical work here and abroad, interacting with patients speaking languages other than English and gaining experience with culturally diverse populations.
All of Penn Nursing’s programs are accredited. To learn more about the accreditation and pass rates, please visit our Accreditation page.
Program Information
Full-Time
Program Length
16 months
Financial aid available?
Yes
Start Semester
Fall
Learning Format
In-person *
Although this program is in-person, to accommodate the busy schedules of our students some courses will be offered in an online or hybrid format. All clinical experiences for this program are in-person on Penn’s campus or at affiliated clinical sites.
Part-Time 2 years
Program Length
2 years
Financial aid available?
Yes
Start Semester
Year-round
Learning Format
In-person *
Although this program is in-person, to accommodate the busy schedules of our students some courses will be offered in an online or hybrid format. All clinical experiences for this program are in-person on Penn’s campus or at affiliated clinical sites.
Part-Time 3 years
Program Length
3 years
Financial aid available?
Yes
Start Semester
Year-round
Learning Format
In-person *
Although this program is in-person, to accommodate the busy schedules of our students some courses will be offered in an online or hybrid format. All clinical experiences for this program are in-person on Penn’s campus or at affiliated clinical sites.
Program Details
Curriculum
Your coursework will include four core courses (graduate research and sciences), one elective, and nine theory/clinical courses. The clinical courses include classroom work, lab sessions, and clinical preceptorships focused on physical assessment and pathophysiology, health maintenance, and the management of common acute and chronic health problems. Plus, we take the burden of finding a preceptor off of your shoulders.
There are several minors available to FNP students including the Global Health Minor. Please note that all minor-related coursework must be completed prior to entering the clinical portion of the program.
Our flexible FNP program offers full-time, part-time, and BSN/MSN study. The full-time program begins each August, is 16 months in length, and concludes the following December.
Click the link below to view the curriculum and plans of study for this program in the University catalog.
Discount available for employees of our Academic Practice Partners. Click here to learn more.
To be considered a full-time student you must have a course load of 3 CUs or more per semester, including summer terms; anything less, in any semester, is considered part-time. If you apply as a full-time student, but switch to part-time, lowering the number of CUs you take per semester will decrease the cost of your tuition and fees, which will in turn lower your student budget and reduce your financial aid eligibility. You will no longer be eligible for nursing grant or endowed scholarship funds.
The charts below outline costs based on the school year/summer sessions as well as include estimated other expenses like housing.
Tuition & Fee Rates and Living Expense Budgets (Fall 2023 & Spring 2024)
Tuition and Fees
$56,262
Housing
$17,388
Meals
$5,796
Books*
$1,358
Other Personal Expenses*
$7,276
TOTAL
$88,080
*Category for Other Personal Expenses includes a budget for the cost of Student Health Insurance. Please keep in mind that the school does not bill the student for books and personal expenses. We do, however, build these figures into the Student Budget to better help students and their families plan for all costs associated with a Penn Nursing education. Likewise, loan eligibility and financial aid is based on the total student budget per term, not just on the cost of tuition and fees.
Every student’s living situation and personal expenses are different, but below are the projected academic year Summer and Fall/Spring costs per CU. These can be multiplied by the total number of CUs in your part-time plan of study to estimate the total cost of an MSN program.
Summer 2023 - per course unit (CU):
Tuition
$6,392
General Fees
$474
TOTAL
$6,866
Summer 2023 - living expenses:
TOTAL (both sessions)
$9,205
Fall 2023 or Spring 2024 - per course unit (CU)
Tuition
$6,392
General Fee
$474
Technology Fee
$116
TOTAL
$6,982
Program Outcomes
At the completion of this advanced level of nursing education, Penn Nursing MSN graduates will:
Use scientific inquiry to translate evidence into practice and promote clinical scholarship
Perform advanced nursing skills for specialty and subspecialty nursing practice
Lead quality improvement and manage care delivery models across settings
Leverage strong networks to advance in professional role