I Am APRN Faculty

IMPORTANT TIME FRAME UPDATE

IMPORTANT NOTICE Starting January 1, 2026, ANCC will implement a policy change to the certification eligibility for APRN applicants. Candidates for ANCC APRN certification must pass their examination within five (5) years of degree conferral from their applicable APRN degree or post-graduate certification program. 

Please be advised that this policy solely applies to initial and retest applications for certification and has no bearing on the requirements for certification renewal. Applicants who have tested unsuccessfully in the past and have not earned certification, those who are licensed in a state that does not yet require certification, or those whose degree conferral date fall within a timeframe to be affected by this policy should consider testing prior to implementation.

1. Newsletters
   • Fall 2024 Edition: The APRN Faculty, Staff, & Student Newsletter-Introducing Dr. Tonya L. Page
     
     
2. School Code Infortmation:
   • Schools/Universities requesting to be added to the school code list, or for official school name changes/updates, must complete the ANCC School Code Add/School Name Change Form and send to certificationoutreach@ana.org.
   • The school code designation is a unique identifier for your ANCC school aggregate data/pass rate report information. 
     
     
3. The Validation of Education (VOE) Form:
   • View the video How to Fill Out the New ANCC VOE Form
   • Access the New VOE Form

1. For additional resources to help your students visit the APRN Faculty Toolkit.
   
   
2. For important updates and for interesting stories, please follow us on our following social media pages:
   • ANCC Certification Facebook
   • ANCC: Graduate Student Facebook Group
   • ANCC: Preceptor Connect Facebook Group
   • ANA: Healthy Nurse Healthy Nation Facebook Group
     
     
3. Stories of Inspiration from ANCC Certified Nurses to share with your students:
   • May Edition: 
     Celebrating Asian American, Native Hawaiian, & Pacific Islander Heritage Month 
   • June Edition: 
     Celebrating 2024 Graduates
   • July Edition: 
     Celebrating French American Heritage Month
   • August Edition: 
     Celebrating Back to School Month
   • September Edition: 
     Celebrating Healthy Aging Month & Vascular Nurses Week
   • October Edition:
     Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month, Pediatric Nurses Week, & Case Management Week
   • November Edition:
     Celebrating Native American & Alaska Native Heritage Month
   • NP Week Edition:
     Celebrating Nurse Practitioners

IMPORTANT ELIGIBILITY REQUIEREMENTS 

Starting January 1, 2026, for post-graduate certificate (PGC) applicants, only PGC APRN program accreditation will be accepted for eligibility.  Institutional accreditation for APRN master’s or DNP programs will not be considered in leu of PGC accreditation, even if those programs contain parallel tracks to an instution's PGC program. Applicants must demonstrate their program held/holds an active PGC accredation at the time of graduation.

Eligibility criteria require candidates to hold a role/population specific master’s, post-graduate certificate, or DNP from an institution** accredited by a national nursing accreditor (CCNE, ACEN or NLN CNEA).

Please note that ANCC is not an accreditor of nursing education programs. ANCC’s review of accreditation is designed only for purposes of evaluating eligibility for certification.  If you need more details specifically related to accreditation status of a program and/or institution, we encourage you to review the below websites directly:

• CCNE
• ACEN
• NLN CNEA
  
  

**ANCC has sent public notice of an eligibility change effective 2026. ANCC currently verifies institutional accreditation.