Arizona and CUW's online NP programs: what the table says
On Concordia University Wisconsin's current disclosure, Arizona sits on the "Does Not Meet Requirements" side of every graduate NP table, from the primary care MSN through both certificates. None of CUW's NP programs is presented as a route to Arizona licensure. Arizona's Board of Nursing also expects any out-of-state APRN program to win its approval before a single student starts clinicals there.
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Arizona's row in CUW's disclosure
The answer is uniform across CUW's online programs. Each graduate NP table and the RN to BSN table list Arizona as not meeting requirements; only the on-campus BSN tables say otherwise.
| CUW program (CUW's label) | Answer for Arizona |
|---|---|
| Master of Science in Nursing - Primary Care Nurse Practitioner (FNP and AGPCNP) | Does Not Meet Requirements |
| Doctor of Nursing Practice - Post BSN to DNP Program | Does Not Meet Requirements |
| Doctor of Nursing Practice - Post MSN to DNP Program | Does Not Meet Requirements |
| CAGE (FNP/AGPCNP) and CAGE (PMH NP) | Does Not Meet Requirements |
| MSN PMHNP and PMHNP DNP | No row yet |
| RN to BSN Online Nursing Program (BSN Comp) | Does Not Meet Requirements |
A PMHNP applicant should not read the blank as a yes. CUW lists no enrollment restriction by state, so the practical step for any Arizona nurse is a written answer from CUW admissions before applying; the disclosure guide explains the page.
An exclusion list that came first
Arizona's status on CUW's program pages predates the current table. CUW's MSN page in 2022 and again in its August 2024 capture, like the 2022 Post-MSN DNP page, named Arizona among states where CUW was not accepting new students. The disclosure table said the opposite between March 2023 and May 2024, rating Arizona "Meets" for the master's and the two doctoral programs. Since the August 2024 update, the table and the old program-page lists agree.
Board approval comes before any Arizona clinical
The Arizona State Board of Nursing regulates both pre-licensure and APRN programs, and it reaches out-of-state APRN programs too. Its advisory opinion on the subject (revised November 2020) makes Board approval a precondition: no student from such a program begins an Arizona clinical until the program has it.
How the Board's review works
- A shorter review is open to a school whose home board has approved that exact APRN track and whose national accreditation is current and in order.
- Approved programs keep records of the licenses held by their director, faculty, preceptors and students.
- They also track where students are placed and send data for the Board's annual survey or audits.
Whether CUW holds this approval is not stated anywhere in CUW's published material, and CUW's table already lists Arizona as not meeting requirements. Our out-of-state clinicals guide explains the eligibility check CUW asks students to make.
Licenses for students and preceptors
For your own part, the Board expects a clean RN license that is good in Arizona, meaning an Arizona license or a multistate one. Arizona's multistate recognition began in January 2018, alongside Wisconsin's, and Arizona has not adopted the APRN Compact. The RN license guide covers CUW's own rule.
Arizona also sets its own preceptor licensing rule. It wants two credentials from an APRN preceptor: Arizona certification in the APRN role, and an RN license, Arizona's or multistate, with no encumbrance. Physicians who precept must hold an Arizona medical license, again unencumbered. AANP rates Arizona full practice, so the NPs themselves work without a physician agreement.
An unfunded grant and the Phoenix-Tucson market
State law (A.R.S. section 36-1806) set up a Preceptor Grant Program for Graduate Students under the Department of Health Services. It was meant for volunteer preceptors teaching graduate students, APRNs among them, and it favored rural primary care. Budget documents now suggest it is dormant: the Joint Legislative Budget Committee's report for FY 2027 lists no funding in FY 2026 or FY 2027, and unspent earlier money was due back to the General Fund when June 2026 ended.
Arizona NP students mostly search the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler and Tucson metros, with smaller searches around Lake Havasu City-Kingman or Prescott Valley-Prescott. Around Phoenix, Banner Health (including its Banner - University Medicine academic centers), Phoenix Children's, the Mayo Clinic in Arizona and Scottsdale's HonorHealth are the big employers; Tucson's is TMC Health. Each writes its own student rules.
Who this page serves, and our part
This guide helps Arizona nurses comparing schools, CUW students who may move to Arizona, and anyone living near a state CUW's table does list: Nevada, Utah, New Mexico and Colorado all read "Meets" for the MSN primary care NP. A CUW student facing a move should talk to the Graduate Clinical Coordinator before relocating, since both the licensure state and the clinical state shift.
Arizona's two-credential test for APRN preceptors is the kind of state detail our placement desk checks first. For CUW students in states where their program is listed, we verify each preceptor against that state's licensing rules and CUW's standards before the proposal goes in, raise new-contract needs early, and plan every clinical course together. Reach us on the contact page.
Questions CUW students ask
Is CUW's online AGPCNP an option for nurses in Arizona?
CUW's current disclosure gives Arizona a Does Not Meet for the primary care MSN, the table that covers the AGPCNP. Finishing it is not shown as a path to an Arizona NP license. CUW publishes no ban on enrolling from Arizona, so get CUW admissions' answer on paper first.
Must an out-of-state NP program get Arizona's approval first?
Yes, and early. Out-of-state APRN programs need the Arizona State Board of Nursing's approval ahead of any student's first Arizona clinical hour, though a quicker review applies to a track approved at home and accredited nationally. Approved programs keep license and placement records and report data to the Board.
What license does an Arizona NP preceptor need?
When the student comes from an out-of-state program, Arizona asks an APRN preceptor for Arizona APRN certification together with a clean RN license, Arizona-issued or multistate. Physicians who precept need a clean Arizona medical license. CUW's graduate faculty apply CUW's own standards on top of Arizona's rule.
Is Arizona's graduate preceptor grant still funded?
Probably not at present. The budget committee's report for FY 2027 lists nothing for the program in FY 2026 or FY 2027, and unspent balances were due back to the General Fund once June 2026 ended. Anyone hoping for a revival should check with the Department of Health Services, which ran it.
Related pages
Last checked 2026-09-26
We check these pages against CUW's own academic catalog, program pages and published nursing documents. Your course faculty and the Graduate Clinical Coordinator have the final word.
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- Preceptors matched to the course: primary care for FNP and AGPCNP, mental health settings for PMHNP, an agency mentor for DNP projects
- Preceptor license, certification, CV and site details ready for CUW's approval
- All three clinical courses planned together, close to home in a state CUW's disclosure lists for your program
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