Admissions
The information on this page is specifically relevant to the Fall 2025 application cycle. Applicants to the DNP-FNP program will apply for admissions through the UCI Graduate Division website. If you plan to apply in future years, please continue to monitor our website for updated information.
Eligibility & Application Instructions
In order to qualify for admission to the DNP-FNP track, applicants must have:
- A BS or MS degree in nursing from an accredited college or university
- A cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher
- An active, unrestricted California RN license
- One year of full-time US-based employment (or a minimum of 1800 hours) as a registered nurse by the start of the program
- An undergraduate or graduate statistics course that will cover or did cover descriptive and inferential statistics.
- This statistics course must have been completed within 5 years of starting the program with a grade of B or higher. Courses must be taken for a letter grade – credit/no credit and pass/not pass courses will not be considered.
- If it has been longer than 5 years, this course can be taken online or in-person at a community college, a university/college, or university extension.
- If you are on the cusp of the 5 year deadline, we strongly encourage you to retake statistics during the summer before starting the program.
- Applicants are required to upload a signed copy of the DNP Statistics Acknowledgement form in the UC Irvine Graduate Application.
- Please note: You can apply prior to completing the Statistics course requirement. Your application is still eligible for review but your ability to start the program is contingent upon completion of a recent Statistics course. If you have questions regarding this requirement, you can reach out to us at: gnsao@uci.edu for more information.
A complete application includes and adheres to the following:
- A personal history statement (guidelines)
- A statement of purpose (guidelines)
- *New for the Fall 2024-25 Application* – We only require one letter of recommendation for the DNP-FNP application.
- Note: the UCI Graduate Application will allow applicants to submit letters, but our program will not review or consider any additional submitted letters beyond the one required letter in admissions decisions.
- A current resume/CV
- Unofficial transcripts from all universities/institutions
- If you received your degree outside of the United States, you must upload a professional evaluation/translation in addition to copies of unofficial transcripts.
- TOEFL or IELTS English test scores (if needed)
DNP Guide to Applying
We strongly encourage interested applicants to review our annual DNP Guide to Applying to better understand the application process and required components. The 2024-25 DNP Guide to Applying is now available for your review.
The guide provides detailed information regarding required components of the application and application-specific guidance for applicants to the DNP-FNP program. Items included in the guide are detailed below:
- Statement of Purpose (with specific prompts and guidelines from the School of Nursing)
- Personal History Statement (with specific prompts and guidelines from the School of Nursing)
- Letter of Recommendation requirements
- Resumé/CV formatting suggestions
- Statistics Admissions Requirement Acknowledgement form
- Transcript submission guidelines
- English proficiency test requirements (TOEFL or IELTS, if applicable)
- Application Submission and Fee Waiver processes
We recommend thoroughly reviewing the guide and preparing all required materials in advance of submitting your application. This will ensure a smoother application process and help you present the strongest possible application.
Please note that the DNP Guide to Applying is updated annually to reflect current deadlines and requirements. If you are planning to apply in future application cycles, we advise you to check this website periodically for the most up-to-date information relevant to your application year.
International applicants must submit TOEFL or IELTS scores.
For more helpful information on applying to UCI as an international student, see the UCI Graduate Division International Admissions page.
Please note: All graduate programs at the School of Nursing require international degrees and transcripts undergo professional transcript evaluations by an independent educational evaluating service from any member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services or the Association of International Credential Evaluators, Inc. Students should upload a copy of evaluations and translations in their application.
Applicants should note that foreign transcript evaluation services may take several weeks to process and should plan accordingly. The report uploaded to the application must include a degree-equivalent evaluation and course-by-course equivalent evaluation for any prerequisites.
The School of Nursing and the University of California do not endorse or have a formal partnership with any specific transcript evaluation agencies. However, some applicants have used the following services:
World Education Services, Inc.
P.O. Box 5087
Bowling Green Station
New York, NY 10274-5087
Phone: 212-966-6311
http://www.wes.org/
International Education Research Foundation
P.O. Box 3665
Culver City, CA 90231-3665
Phone: 310-258-9451
http://www.ierf.org/
Please note that if you are planning to apply for an Application Fee Waiver, you must submit your waiver request to UC Irvine’s Graduate Division at least 5 days in advance of our application deadline. The School of Nursing does not manage the application fee nor does it manage the application fee waiver process. Please refer to the UC Irvine Graduate Division website for more information: https://grad.uci.edu/admissions/applying-to-uci/fee-waivers.php
Pre-recorded Information Sessions
We invite all prospective applicants to enhance their understanding of the UCI Sue & Bill Gross School of Nursing DNP Program by watching our Information Session videos. These videos provide valuable insights into our curriculum, faculty, and unique opportunities. We recommend viewing these sessions prior to signing up for one of our virtual Q&A panels, where you can directly connect with our faculty and staff to ask any additional questions you may have.
Virtual Q & A Panel
We’re excited to virtually meet you! Please join us for one of our virtual information sessions this Winter. Guests will be required to register for the event to receive Zoom login information.
Please click on the information session you are interested in to be directed to the registration site:
WINTER 2025
Applicants can find current program tuition and fees for the DNP Program on the UCI Registrar’s website under the Tuition and Fees tab in the “Fees for Self-Supporting Graduate Degree Programs” section: https://reg.uci.edu/fees/2024-2025/nursingpract.pdf
UC Irvine’s Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships can help provide applicants with information about potential sources of funding. Applicants can find important information for entering students here: https://www.ofas.uci.edu/content/GraduateEntering.aspx
UC Irvine’s Graduate Division also offers resources for graduate students to learn about funding opportunities: https://grad.uci.edu/funding/index.php
Doctor of Nursing Practitioner – Family Nurse Practitioner
Length of Program: 3 Years
Application Open: October 2024
Application Deadline: February 18, 2025; Priority Application: December 1, 2024
Program Starts: Fall 2025