CUW nurse practitioner clinicals in Minnesota
A Minnesota RN can enroll in Concordia University Wisconsin's online FNP, AGPCNP, DNP or certificate tracks: CUW's current disclosure marks Minnesota "meets" in all five graduate NP tables. Minnesota is not a compact state, yet its statute excuses nurses licensed elsewhere who practice within a degree program, so tighter limits come from sites such as Mayo Clinic.
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Minnesota on CUW's disclosure page
Every graduate table on CUW's Distance Education Disclosures, plus the RN to BSN table, places Minnesota in the "Meets Requirements" column. The two PMHNP degrees are the only blanks, since CUW gives them no table.
| CUW program | Minnesota |
|---|---|
| MSN, Primary Care Nurse Practitioner (FNP, AGPCNP) | Meets |
| Post BSN to DNP | Meets |
| Post MSN to DNP | Meets |
| CAGE (FNP/AGPCNP) | Meets |
| CAGE (PMH NP) | Meets |
| PMHNP MSN and PMHNP DNP | No row |
Concordia University, St. Paul is a separate Minnesota school. This page is about Concordia University Wisconsin, whose online NP programs are based in Mequon.
How Minnesota regulates NP practice
Nurse practitioners in Minnesota are licensed by the Minnesota Board of Nursing. AANP groups Minnesota with the full practice states, on the condition that a new NP first spends at least 2,080 hours collaborating with either a physician or an APRN; Wisconsin's Board, in its neighbor summary, described those hours as post-graduate time under a written agreement for new NPs and clinical nurse specialists.
Minnesota's Department of Health runs MERC (Medical Education and Research Costs), which helps Minnesota training sites with part of what clinical teaching costs them, APRN training included. It supports sites, not preceptors, and counts only teaching programs located in Minnesota, so a CUW student brings no MERC support. For CUW's own preceptor standards, see who can precept.
Programs from other states and the student exemption
The Board approves programs conducted inside Minnesota, and no separate step for out-of-state programs was found. Two provisions do the work instead. Under Minn. Stat. 148.271(6), an RN holding another state's license is excused from Minnesota licensure while practicing within a formal course of study toward a higher degree. A companion rule, Minn. R. 6305.0300, subp. 1, treats a program approved in its own state as board-approved for the separate unlicensed-student exemption, but asks that the supervising instructor be a Minnesota-licensed RN whose registration is current.
CUW does not publish how it handles the instructor side in Minnesota, so ask the Graduate Clinical Coordinator before a site commits; clinicals outside Wisconsin covers the check CUW's catalog assigns to you.
Mayo Clinic's own rules, and the rest of the map
Mayo Clinic's NP clinical education page, speaking only for Mayo, sets a higher bar than the statute. The student's program needs an affiliation agreement with Mayo, an academic experience in Minnesota calls for a clean, currently registered Minnesota nursing license plus a Minnesota DHS background study, and the faculty of record must be RN- or APRN-licensed in the state where the experience happens.
Allina Health and HealthPartners are other large names, with M Health Fairview and Essentia Health, each with its own student process. Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington holds about 3.65 million Minnesotans and roughly 142,000 more people on its Wisconsin side. Rochester and St. Cloud follow, and the Duluth metro also crosses the line, with about 44,000 of its residents in Wisconsin.
Licensing: Minnesota sits outside the compact
Minnesota never joined the Nurse Licensure Compact, and NCSBN's map shows no bill aimed at joining; it has also passed on the APRN Compact so far. A Wisconsin or Iowa multistate license therefore brings no Minnesota privilege. The statute's student exemption may cover your practice as a CUW student, but Mayo's policy, and possibly other sites', asks for a Minnesota license anyway. CUW requires an unencumbered RN license through the program without naming the issuing state; the license guide has CUW's side.
Why Minnesota CUW students choose us
In Minnesota the statute is fairly open and the big sites are strict, so the work is matching site to license. We ask at the start whether you carry a Minnesota license, aim for practices whose own requirements you already meet, and check each preceptor's Minnesota license, national certification and collaborative-practice status. We gather what CUW's graduate faculty review, flag new-contract needs before they stall a start date, and plan your three clinical courses together, whether you live in the Twin Cities, Rochester, St. Cloud or Duluth. Tell us your city and course.
Questions CUW students ask
Do I need a Minnesota nursing license for CUW clinicals in Minnesota?
It depends on the site. State law exempts an RN licensed elsewhere who is studying toward a higher degree, but Mayo Clinic's page asks students in Minnesota experiences for a currently registered Minnesota license plus a state DHS background study. CUW's pages do not settle the question, so confirm with the Graduate Clinical Coordinator and the site.
Is Concordia University Wisconsin the same school as Concordia St. Paul?
No. Concordia University, St. Paul is a Minnesota university of its own. Concordia University Wisconsin is based in Mequon, Wisconsin, with a second campus in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Wisconsin's approved list for outside nursing schools even names Concordia St. Paul, which can confuse a practice manager, so name CUW in full when you ask about precepting.
Can Minnesota nurse practitioners practice independently?
Yes, after a transition. Once a new NP has put in 2,080 or more hours collaborating with a physician or another APRN, AANP treats Minnesota practice as full. Until then the NP practices under that agreement. Neither CUW nor Minnesota publishes practice stage as a precepting condition; CUW's graduate faculty approve each preceptor and site for your course.
I live in western Wisconsin. Can my clinicals be in the Twin Cities?
On the program side, yes: CUW's table lists Minnesota as meeting requirements, and CUW publishes no rule keeping clinicals inside Wisconsin. The license side differs, since Minnesota is not a compact state and sites such as Mayo ask for a Minnesota license. Ask the site and the Graduate Clinical Coordinator first.
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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