How to Apply Doctor of Nursing Practice

Centralized Application Service (NursingCAS):

The UK College of Nursing participates in Nursing’s Centralized Application Service (NursingCAS), which provides you with an online application. NursingCAS collects and processes your application documents and verifies your transcripts. We receive your application information from NursingCAS and use it to make our admission decisions. Do not apply directly to UK.

NursingCAS provides detailed instructions on their website.  Review information under the “Prepare to Apply” tab. The system provides you with updates on your progression as you work through the application and allows you to check your status online to track the receipt of your application, transcripts and references. You will be able to see when they receive your materials and when your application is marked complete and submitted to the UK College of Nursing.

Questions on how to upload required documents or questions regarding receipt of transcripts should be directed to NursingCAS and not to the College of Nursing.

All required items must be uploaded and transcripts verified by NursingCAS on or before the published deadline.   The transcript verification process can take several weeks after receipt of transcript, so please see that all materials are received by NursingCAS well in advance of the published deadline.

How to Apply:

The application fee is $80.00, payable through NursingCAS. For information on application fee waivers, visit the NursingCAS website. There is no additional application fee to the University of Kentucky College of Nursing.  Applicants to the post-baccalaureate DNP program must select one specialty in their application. Specialty options are:

• Adult Gero Acute Care Nurse Practitioner
• Executive Nursing Leadership
• Family Nurse Practitioner
• Pediatric Nurse Practitioner – Primary Care
• Pediatric Nurse Practitioner – Acute Care
• Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner

Prospective applicants must complete the following sections on the Nursing's Centralized Application Service (NursingCAS).

NursingCAS sections:

1. Personal Information
2. Academic History
   • Send official post-secondary transcripts from all institutions where you earned a degree or completed any coursework. Transcripts can take up to 7-10 business days to process once they are received by NursingCAS.
   • ​​​​​​Send official post-secondary transcripts from all institutions where you earned a degree or completed any coursework. Transcripts can take up to 7-10 business days to process once they are received by NursingCAS.
     •  ​​​​​​The official transcripts must be sent to NursingCAS.
     • Applicants applying to a graduate program are not required to submit high school transcripts for admission consideration. 
     • Transcripts sent directly to the University of Kentucky will not be accepted. If you have any questions regarding the process of submitting transcripts, contact NursingCAS directly through their contact page. 
     • Current or previous University of Kentucky students are required to request transcripts to be sent to NursingCAS through the Office of the Registrar.
3. Supporting Materials
   • ​​​​​​​ ​​​​​​​Achievements
   • Experiences
   • Licensure and Certification
4. Program Materials Section
   • Current CV/Resume - You should have your current/updated Curriculum Vitae or resume in hand prior to beginning the application. This will provide you with needed information regarding prior schools attended, dates, prior employment and dates, etc. needed for the application. Applicants are required to upload current CV/resume. See sample format.
   • Recommendations - You will need current contact information on each of your three references (full name, employer name and email address) before beginning the application. These individuals will be required to upload a letter of recommendation to NursingCAS.  References attesting to the applicant's expertise in nursing or health care are preferred from the following:
     1. A recently faculty advisor or nursing faculty member (doctorally prepared)
     2. A current supervisor
     3. No more than one peer 
        • Identifying your selected references and initiating the recommendation request is part of the NursingCAS application.  Hard copy or electronic versions of recommendations sent directly to the school will not be accepted
   • Writing Sample - An example of scholarly written work completed within two years of application, related to nursing that demonstrates excellent writing skills and the ability to communicate clearly and logically. Examples of scholarly work include a formal research paper written for your BSN or MSN Program; a published article on a nursing issue; or a paper written on a nursing issue of interest to you.
   • Personal Statement/Goal Statement - The mission of the University of Kentucky College of Nursing is to promote health and well-being through excellence in nursing education, research, practice and service while fostering diversity and inclusion. To support our mission, we strive to build a community that includes students of diverse backgrounds, experiences, perspectives, and cultures.
     • Please write a one to two double-spaced page essay describing what you as a person would bring to our educational community, the advanced practice nursing profession, and the community you seek to serve.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
     • Include your short- and long-term professional goals. Identify a system or population you are interested in working with and discuss a problem in that system/population that you wish to expand your knowledge on during your DNP program.
   • Licensure - Applicants must upload copy of the State Board of Nursing validation of their current, unencumbered RN license(s), and APRN license if applicable. 

Additional Information

All admitted students will be required to undergo background check, drug screen and submit proof of immunizations and CPR to a medical document service.  For more information about the Doctor of Nursing Practice Program, please watch this short video.

Out of State Students: 

The University of Kentucky works to provide distance learning courses and programs to students across the state of Kentucky, the country and abroad, but location matters when it comes to the availability of some courses and programs. Each state and territory have different requirements for distance learning. Out of state students who are interested in distance learning should read each section below and confirm that their program of interest can be offered and/or lead to licensure or certification in their state or territory.

• State Authorization is a type of consumer protection regulated by states and territories. Institutions are required to obtain state authorization when they offer online courses or programs outside of their home state. Visit the State Authorization by Program section to learn which programs are authorized in each state.
• States may have additional requirements for programs that lead to professional licensure or certification. Learn which programs can lead to licensure and certification in each state.
• Contact Distance Learning with questions or for more information.