Kent State's approved states for online nursing, program by program
Kent State publishes a separate approved-states list for each online nursing program, and the lists differ: the AGCNS and PMHNP cover 14 states, the RN-to-BSN 30 jurisdictions, and the mostly online FNP, AGPCNP and AGACNP are not on the page at all. Find your program's row before you apply, because Kent State's online practicum happens in the state where you live.
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How Kent State's approved-states list works
The College of Nursing keeps one page, Approved States for Online Learning, with a separate list for each online program. A state on one list tells you nothing about another. Texas, for example, is listed for the WHNP, the Nurse Educator program and the RN-to-BSN, yet it is absent from the NAHSL, AGCNS, PMHNP and DNP lists.
These lists carry more weight than an enrollment rule usually does, because Kent State's online students complete practicum in person at home, in the state that issued their RN license. Your program's list is, in effect, the map of where your practicum can happen. The license side of that rule is on the RN license for practicum page.
Kent State shows no revision date on the page, and the lists below reflect it as of September 24, 2026. Check it again before you apply and before any move.
Approved states, program by program
These are the lists as Kent State publishes them, sorted alphabetically. Every count includes Ohio.
| Online program | Count | Approved states |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist (AGCNS) | 14 | Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia |
| Psychiatric Mental Health NP (PMHNP) | 14 | Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia |
| Women's Health NP (WHNP) | 17 | Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia |
| Nurse Educator | 21 | Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia |
| Nursing Administration and Health Systems Leadership (NAHSL) | 20 | Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Virginia, West Virginia |
| DNP (post-MSN) | 16 | Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia |
| RN-to-BSN | 30 | Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin (case by case) and the U.S. Virgin Islands |
| AGACNP, AGPCNP, FNP and Pediatric Primary Care NP | Not listed | These mostly online concentrations do not appear on the page |
Two patterns stand out. The AGCNS and PMHNP lists are identical, and each of their 14 states appears on all seven lists. The NAHSL list is the Nurse Educator list without Texas.
Which programs are open where you live
Read from the other direction, the same page sorts the states into a handful of groups. Kent State's neighbors land in very different places: Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Kentucky sit on every list, Indiana appears only for the DNP and the RN-to-BSN, and Michigan appears on none.
| Where you live | Online programs listed for your state |
|---|---|
| Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia | All seven: AGCNS, PMHNP, WHNP, Nurse Educator, NAHSL, DNP, RN-to-BSN |
| New Hampshire | Nurse Educator, NAHSL, DNP, RN-to-BSN |
| South Carolina | WHNP, Nurse Educator, NAHSL, RN-to-BSN |
| Texas | WHNP, Nurse Educator, RN-to-BSN |
| Arkansas, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota | Nurse Educator, NAHSL, RN-to-BSN |
| Indiana | DNP, RN-to-BSN |
| Minnesota | WHNP only |
| Arizona, California, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, Oklahoma | RN-to-BSN only |
| Wisconsin | RN-to-BSN, case by case |
| U.S. Virgin Islands | RN-to-BSN |
| Alabama, Alaska, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wyoming | None of the seven lists |
Each state also has its own guide on this site, covering its board of nursing and what the lists mean for a Kent State student living there. Start from the state guides, for example Pennsylvania.
The NP concentrations missing from the list
The Family NP, Adult Gerontology Primary Care NP and Adult Gerontology Acute Care NP are mostly online rather than fully online. Part of each one's coursework requires campus attendance in Kent, and none of them appears on the approved-states page. The Pediatric Primary Care NP is absent too, and it is not accepting applications.
Kent State publishes no out-of-state eligibility for these concentrations, and it has not published how many campus sessions they involve or when. If you live outside Ohio and want one of them, put the question to the Office of Student Services in Henderson Hall before applying, and keep the answer in writing.
The licensure disclosure table, which shows these concentrations meeting requirements in most jurisdictions, answers a different question: where a graduate can pursue licensure, not where a student can enroll.
What 'not listed' means for your plans
A state missing from your program's list is a state where Kent State has not listed that online program as available. The page gives the reason in general terms: some state laws may make it impossible to offer clinical practicum courses, so residents outside Ohio are asked to check before applying. The only conditional entry is Wisconsin for the RN-to-BSN, marked case by case.
State authorization for online study is a separate layer. Kent State joined the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA) in 2015, but SARA does not cover professional licensing boards, and for nursing the host state's board may need to approve clinical placements. That is how a SARA member state can still be missing from a nursing list. The fuller picture is on clinicals outside Ohio.
Check the list for your exact program, not for Kent State nursing in general. A state approved for the Nurse Educator program may be unavailable for the WHNP.
Enrollment, licensure and moving
Approval to enroll and eligibility for licensure are two separate answers. Pennsylvania is on the AGCNS list, yet Kent State's licensure disclosure marks Pennsylvania as DOES NOT MEET for that same MSN. The gap runs the other way for NP programs: Kent State's NP licensure row shows 53 jurisdictions as MEETS, while the fully online PMHNP and WHNP enroll from 14 and 17 states. Licensure disclosures sets out every case by program.
A move sends you back to the top of this page. Kent State requires admitted students in the online RN-to-BSN, MSN and DNP to report a move, or plans to practice elsewhere, to the Office of Student Services immediately; that office tells you whether you can continue. The new state has to appear on your program's list, and your license and practicum site follow you there. Start that conversation before you sign a lease, not after the semester begins.
How we build your search around your state
Kent State students choose us because we start where Kent State starts: your program's list and your home state. Before we search, we confirm your state is on the list for your exact program, then look for preceptors and sites in person in your own community, where your license is held. For each preceptor we propose, the credentials, license and site details your faculty review arrive together in one complete package.
If you are moving to another approved state, we rebuild the search there as soon as you tell us, working around the new state's license timing. Final approval comes from your practicum faculty and concentration coordinator, and everything we assemble for them has been checked against your program's state list first. Tell us your state and program to begin.
Questions Kent State students ask
Can I do Kent State's FNP program from another state?
The FNP is not on Kent State's approved-states page. It is a mostly online concentration with some campus attendance at the Kent Campus, and Kent State publishes no out-of-state eligibility for it. Check with the Office of Student Services in Henderson Hall before applying. The licensure disclosure covers a different question, where FNP graduates can pursue licensure.
Is Michigan approved for Kent State online nursing programs?
Michigan appears on none of the program lists on Kent State's Approved States for Online Learning page, as read on September 24, 2026. Kent State's licensure disclosure adds that the MSN AGCNS, the AGCNS certificate and the BSN do not meet Michigan's requirements. Recheck the page before applying, since it carries no date.
Can I live in a state that is not listed and do my practicum in Ohio?
Kent State's online programs place practicum in the state where you live and hold your license, and the approved-states page asks non-Ohio residents to check the list before applying. The page describes no exception route. If you are considering this arrangement, put the question to the Office of Student Services and wait for a written answer before you plan around it.
What does case by case mean for the Wisconsin RN-to-BSN?
Kent State lists Wisconsin as approved for the online RN-to-BSN on a case-by-case basis without publishing the criteria. Contact the Office of Academic Advising and Student Services, which includes a special assistant for the RN-to-BSN, before you apply, and confirm your status in writing before you register for NURS courses.
How often does Kent State update the approved-states list?
The page carries no date and no update schedule. This site read it on September 24, 2026. Because the lists can change and a move can change your eligibility, check the page before you apply, before any move and before your first practicum, and notify the Office of Student Services as soon as your state of residence changes.
Related pages
Last checked 2026-09-24
We check these pages against Kent State's own catalog, handbooks and program pages. Your MSN or DNP handbook, your syllabus, your practicum faculty and your concentration coordinator have the final word.
Kent State says the preceptor search is yours. We make it the fastest part of your practicum.
Tell us your Kent State concentration, where you live and which semester your next practicum starts. We find preceptors who fit the course and prepare everything your practicum faculty and coordinator review before they approve.
- Preceptors matched to the course: primary care for
NURS 61292, acute care forNURS 61092, psychiatric care forNURS 61592, women's health forNURS 66192 - Credentials, license and site details ready for your practicum faculty and coordinator
- In your own community, in Ohio or wherever you live and hold your RN license
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