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Will a GCU degree work where you live?

Accreditation is necessary but it is not the whole answer. GCU's nursing programmes are CCNE accredited, which satisfies the accreditation question everywhere. The separate question is state authorisation and licensure — whether your state board recognises the programme for what you intend to do with it. Those are two checks, not one.

The three checks people collapse into one

  • Programme accreditation. CCNE, in GCU's case. Settled.
  • State authorisation. Whether the university is authorised to deliver the programme to residents of your state.
  • Licensure eligibility. Whether completing it makes you eligible for the credential you actually want in your state.

For an RN-to-BSN, where you already hold a licence, the third question is usually moot. For an advanced practice route, it is the most important question on this site.

Ask your board, not the university

Any university will tell you its programme is accredited, and that will be true. Only your state board can tell you whether completing it makes you eligible for the credential you are aiming at. That call takes ten minutes and it is the one nobody makes.

GCU's accreditation in full →

Common follow-ups

Is GCU nursing accredited by CCNE?

Yes. GCU's baccalaureate, master's and Doctor of Nursing Practice programmes and its post-graduate APRN certificates are CCNE accredited.

Will my state accept a GCU nursing degree?

Accreditation is recognised nationally, but state authorisation and licensure eligibility are separate questions. Confirm with your own state board of nursing before enrolling in an advanced practice route.

Does GCU's RN-to-BSN lead to licensure?

No, and it does not need to. The RN-to-BSN is for nurses who already hold a licence; it advances the degree rather than granting initial licensure.

Put your own situation to someone with nothing riding on it

Twenty minutes, free, and no one on this side earns anything whichever school you land on. We will tell you to stay where you are when that is the right answer.

Arrange the call