Accreditation at Clarkson College and what it means for your clinicals
Clarkson College carries institutional accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission, ACEN accreditation for its BSN, its MSN with the post-graduate certificates, and its DNP, and COA accreditation for nurse anesthesia through June 2036. For a clinical student, accreditation surfaces in three places: the hours Clarkson requires, your eligibility for an NP license, and the certification exam after graduation. It leaves the preceptor search exactly where Clarkson's handbook puts it, with you.
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Who accredits what
| Body | What it covers at Clarkson | Status Clarkson reports |
|---|---|---|
| Higher Learning Commission (HLC) | The college as a whole, every program | Continuous accreditation since 1984 |
| Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) | The BSN; the MSN including the Post-Graduate Certificate options; the DNP (clinical doctorate option) | Most recent decision: Continuing Accreditation |
| Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA) | The DNP with a specialty in Nurse Anesthesia | Accredited through June 2036 |
| Nebraska State Board of Nursing | The BSN | Board approval |
Status can change between catalog years, so check Clarkson's accreditation page and the catalog's accreditation section, both listed in the sources below, rather than any secondhand summary, this one included. Each body answers a different question: HLC the college, ACEN the nursing degrees, COA nurse anesthesia.
HLC and the Nebraska Board: the college and its BSN
Clarkson puts its institutional standing in one line: "Clarkson College has maintained continuous accreditation with the Higher Learning Commission since 1984 for all programs." HLC reviews the college as an institution, which is why the same accreditation sits behind the BSN, the graduate nursing options, the imaging and therapy programs and nurse anesthesia alike.
The Nebraska Board of Nursing plays a narrower part. Its approval appears on Clarkson's BSN, the program that leads to first licensure, and Nebraska's licensing office explains why: the Board signs off on programs that prepare Nebraska residents for first licensure, and it leaves programs for already-licensed nurses, online or otherwise, outside its regulation.
For MSN, certificate and DNP students, that leaves ACEN as the external nursing review of the program itself. It also means no state board sets preceptor qualifications for Clarkson's graduate students in Nebraska; the program does, as the Nebraska NP practice page explains.
ACEN, and the site visit on the calendar
ACEN accredits nursing at all three of Clarkson's degree levels, and for each Clarkson reports that the most recent decision is Continuing Accreditation. Clarkson's wording for the doctoral program is the "Clinical Doctorate Nursing program option," which covers the BSN to DNP tracks and the DNP post-graduate option.
In August 2026 Clarkson's news site listed an item titled "Public Notice of Upcoming ACEN Accreditation Site Visit." When we checked on Sept. 27, 2026 the notice itself returned an error page and no archived copy existed, so its dates and scope are unknown to us. The title alone tells you an ACEN review is scheduled; the outcome will appear on Clarkson's accreditation page.
ACEN matters to you at the licensing stage. Nebraska's statute on NP licensure (38-2317) asks for completion of an accredited graduate NP program and a national certification exam, along with the 2,000 transition hours. Other states look closely too: the Kansas board checks national accreditation, at least 45 credit hours and advanced pharmacology, health assessment and pathophysiology when a graduate applies.
How accreditation standards reach your clinical hours
The most visible effect is the number on your degree plan. When Clarkson reset the BSN to DNP hours for students starting in Spring 2024 (975 NP clinical hours plus 125 DNP hours, 1,100 in all), its addendum to the DNP Hours Guide tied the change to ACEN requirements and to the 2022 National Task Force standards.
The MSN moved as well. Clarkson's catalog policy on credit hours (AA-55) read 650 NP clinical hours through 2022-23, rose to 750 in 2023-24, and today sets 750 for the MSN and 975 for the BSN to DNP. Some states now expect similar totals at licensure: Kansas looks for at least 750 role-specialty clinical hours from students admitted after Mar. 1, 2025, and South Dakota asks for at least 500 in the role and population focus.
Clarkson's own sources still disagree in places, such as 350 DNP hours in AA-55 against 125 in the 2024 addendum. The clinical hours guide sets out each program's figures, and the hours history page traces the changes.
Nurse anesthesia: COA and accredited clinical sites
Clarkson's nurse anesthesia DNP answers to a different accreditor. COA accredits the program through June 2036, and the program's April 2026 policies carry accreditation into the clinical phase too.
Policy C2 limits clinical rotations to sites accredited by The Joint Commission, and the program and each site appoint a clinical coordinator, a CRNA with a master's degree or higher or an anesthesiologist. Policy V1 has the program visit every clinical site each year. Residents need an RN license valid in the compact or in both Nebraska and Iowa.
Nurse anesthesia is also the one Clarkson graduate program that arranges clinical sites for its residents, so the preceptor search described elsewhere on this site does not apply to it. The nurse anesthesia page covers the hours and time commitment.
Certification after graduation: one wording conflict
After graduation comes a national certification exam, which Nebraska's statute requires for an NP license, and Clarkson's own pages describe those exams inconsistently. The MSN and certificate catalog pages say AANPCB certifies FNPs and PMHNPs. The DNP catalog page mentions AANP certification for FNPs only. The MSN web page says every NP-track graduate will be ready for the AANP exam, which would include AGACNP graduates.
None of these pages is wrong about accreditation itself; they differ on which exam fits which track. Before your final clinical course, ask your program director which certification exam your track prepares you for, and check that board's eligibility rules against your transcript and logged hours. Complete clinical logs in every course make that check simple.
What accreditation leaves to you, and where we come in
Accreditation does not assign preceptors, open a state Clarkson's workbook has closed or make a health system accept a request. The 2021-22 graduate handbook's rule that each student identifies preceptors and sites stands alongside every accreditation Clarkson holds.
Clarkson students choose us because we carry that search from start to finish. Each preceptor we approach receives a clear outline of your Clarkson course, its hours and a link to Clarkson's accreditation page, so a practice that asks about the program has its answer before the question slows things down. Then we confirm the preceptor fits Clarkson's rules for your track and gather what the agreement needs. Start with the how it works page or the form below.
Questions Clarkson students ask
Is Clarkson College's FNP program accredited?
Yes. ACEN accredits Clarkson's MSN, including the Post-Graduate Certificate options, and its DNP, with Continuing Accreditation as the most recent decision for each. The Higher Learning Commission has accredited the college continuously since 1984. The FNP, AGACNP and PMHNP tracks sit inside those accredited programs.
Does accreditation mean Clarkson will find me a preceptor?
No. Accreditation reviews the program's quality; it does not change Clarkson's rule that graduate students identify their own preceptors and sites. Clarkson approves what you submit through the site and preceptor agreement. The only graduate program where Clarkson arranges clinical sites is nurse anesthesia.
Is Clarkson College the same school as Clarkson University?
No. Clarkson College is a college in Omaha, Nebraska, accredited by HLC and, for nursing, by ACEN. Clarkson University is a separate institution in Potsdam, New York. Check the name and city on any accreditation record, transcript request or clinical paperwork so the right school is listed.
Will a Clarkson MSN meet another state's NP licensing rules?
Clarkson's workbook answers that state by state for graduate nursing, marking 38 states Meets. Boards then apply their own checks: Kansas looks at accreditation, credits, three core courses and clinical hours, and South Dakota asks for at least 500 clinical hours in the role. Read your state's row and board rules before you enroll.
What was the ACEN site visit notice from August 2026?
Clarkson's news site listed a public notice of an upcoming ACEN accreditation site visit in August 2026, but the notice page did not load when we checked in September 2026. It signals a scheduled ACEN review. Watch Clarkson's accreditation page for the result, which Clarkson reports there for each program.
Related pages
Last checked 2026-09-27
We check these pages against Clarkson College's own catalog, program pages and published nursing documents. Your course faculty and Graduate Nursing advisor have the final word.
Clarkson asks you to find your preceptor. We make the search the easy part.
Tell us your Clarkson track, your city and your next clinical course. We line up preceptors who fit the NRS course and Clarkson's rules, gather the details the site and preceptor agreement asks for, and flag early whether the site needs a new affiliation agreement.
- Preceptors matched to the course: all-ages primary care for FNP, acute care units for AGACNP, psychiatric providers for PMHNP
- License, experience and site details checked against Clarkson's rules before the agreement is filed
- Every clinical course planned in sequence, close to home in a state where Clarkson's graduate nursing meets requirements
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