Entry routes
RN To DNP Programs: The Routes That Skip The BSN
- 2Confirmed ADN-Entry DNP RoutesSchool pages, read 2026-09-30
- 125Confirmed BSN-To-DNP SchoolsSchool pages, via this site’s entry-route data
- 1,000Supervised Practice HoursAACN
Reviewed
On this page
Key Takeaways
- 1
Two accredited schools confirm it in writing. A DNP route that starts from an associate degree exists, and it is rare. Only routes a school states on its own page are listed here.
- 2
Most "RN to DNP" means BSN or MSN first. Much of what is marketed as RN to DNP assumes a bachelor’s or a master’s. Read the admission requirements before the program name.
- 3
125 schools confirm a BSN-to-DNP route. For most ADN nurses the realistic path is an RN-to-BSN first, then one of these. The finder lists them.
- 4
The license, not the degree, makes you an NP. Whatever the route, nurse practitioner practice comes from national certification and a state APRN license at the end of it.
Can You Go From RN To DNP Without A BSN?
Yes, but the list of RN to DNP programs that genuinely start from an associate degree is short. When we read the accredited schools’ own pages, two confirmed it in writing. Directories list more, and when we followed their links, several led to pages that no longer exist or never mentioned an associate degree at all.
That does not mean no other school offers it. It means no other school’s own page settled it for us, so treat the list below as confirmed rather than complete, and ask the schools you are considering directly.
RN To DNP Programs That Confirm Entry Without A BSN
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Boston College
Massachusetts · CCNE-accredited DNP
“Our program allows current RNs without bachelor’s degrees to maximize both their experience and the credits they have earned from previous programs.”
Listed under “I have an associate’s in nursing.” You earn a master’s degree for your nurse practitioner education and then continue immediately into the DNP.
Read on the school’s own program page, 2026-09-30.
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University of Saint Francis
Indiana · CCNE-accredited DNP
“Post ADN to DNP: Nurses with associate degrees start with a 2-semester transition sequence.”
A two-semester transition sequence first, then the doctorate itself.
Read on the school’s own program page, 2026-09-30.
What “RN To DNP” Usually Means
Search the phrase and you will find many programs using it. Read their admission requirements and most of them start at a bachelor’s in nursing, and some at a master’s: one large online school’s own answer to “how do I transition from RN to DNP” begins with holding an MSN.
The name is not the requirement. The single most useful thing you can do before shortlisting anything is find the line on the admissions page that says which degree you must already hold.
Three Routes From An Associate Degree To A DNP
1. A DNP that admits you directly. The two routes above. The school covers the missing bachelor’s-level work itself, through a transition sequence or a master’s taken on the way.
2. RN-to-BSN, then a BSN-to-DNP. The most common path. 125 accredited schools confirm a BSN-to-DNP route on their own pages; the finder lists all of them, and the BSN-to-DNP ranking orders them.
3. An ADN-to-MSN bridge, then a post-master’s DNP. The longest path on paper, and the one that lets you practice as a nurse practitioner before you commit to the doctorate. 166 schools confirm a post-master’s DNP entry, and because the 1,000 supervised practice hours count from the baccalaureate, hours from your master’s can count toward the doctorate.
How To Check An RN To DNP Program
- Find the admission requirement line and confirm it names an associate degree or a diploma, not only an RN license.
- Ask what you finish with on the way: a bachelor’s, a master’s, or neither, and whether you can stop there with a degree if life intervenes.
- Confirm the DNP is accredited in the CCNE directory under the school’s own name.
- If you want to practice as a nurse practitioner, ask which population focus the route certifies you in.
- For a distance program, ask whether it arranges clinical placements where you live.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you go from RN to DNP without a BSN?
Yes, at a small number of schools. Two accredited schools confirm on its own pages that a nurse without a bachelor’s degree can start its DNP route: Boston College and University of Saint Francis. Other schools may offer one without saying so in a way we could confirm, so ask the schools you are considering directly.
How long does it take to go from RN to DNP?
Longer than a BSN-to-DNP, because an associate-degree route has to cover bachelor’s-level or master’s-level work before the doctorate. In the schools’ own words: Boston College: listed under “I have an associate’s in nursing.” You earn a master’s degree for your nurse practitioner education and then continue immediately into the DNP. University of Saint Francis: a two-semester transition sequence first, then the doctorate itself. Ask each school for its total length at the pace you would study, since part-time enrollment changes it most.
What is the difference between RN to DNP and BSN to DNP?
The starting degree. A BSN-to-DNP admits nurses who already hold a bachelor’s in nursing, and 125 accredited schools confirm that route on their own pages. An RN-to-DNP, in the strict sense, admits an RN without a BSN, usually by adding bridge coursework first. Many programs use “RN to DNP” loosely for the BSN route, which is why the admission requirements matter more than the name.
Can an ADN nurse become a nurse practitioner?
Yes, by one of three routes: an associate-degree entry into a DNP, an RN-to-BSN followed by a BSN-to-DNP or a master’s, or an ADN-to-MSN bridge. In every case what lets you practice is national certification in a population focus and a state advanced practice license at the end, not the degree on its own.
Is there an online RN to DNP program?
Of the routes confirmed here, none carry the federal distance-education flag for its doctorate. Supervised clinical hours happen in person wherever you study, so ask any distance program whether it places students where you live.
Sources
- 1 Boston College, program page The sentence quoted on this page, confirming entry without a bachelor’s degree. Read .
- 2 University of Saint Francis, program page The sentence quoted on this page, confirming entry without a bachelor’s degree. Read .
- 3 Chamberlain University, Doctor of Nursing Practice Its “RN to DNP” answer starts from a completed MSN, the example of the name outrunning the requirement. Read .
- 4 CCNE accredited program directory Accreditation for every school named here.
- 5 AACN, Frequently Asked Questions: DNP Programs & CCNE Accreditation, Q9 The supervised practice hours a DNP requires, counted from the baccalaureate.
Every federal figure on this site is read from the administering agency’s own page, never from a secondary aggregator, and the reading date is recorded beside it.