Living in Arkansas, looking at UCCS

Updated September 25, 2026 · Reviewed by the UCCS Preceptor placement team

Arkansas is not a state UCCS admits from, for its nurse practitioner programs or for its RN to BSN. Two neighbors are a different story: Oklahoma and Texas both appear on UCCS's NP list, so for an Arkansas nurse set on UCCS, the route usually runs west or south across the state line.

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2Arkansas neighbors on UCCS's NP list: Oklahoma and Texas

UCCS nursing programs for Arkansas residents. MSN FNP, AGNP, PMHNP: not on the np list; RN to BSN (NURS 4450): not on the rn-bsn list; APRN disclosure: meets; If you move: 14 np states listed. RN license: in the compact. NP practice: reduced. — Arkansas and UCCS's programs: MSN FNP, AGNP, PMHNP: not on the np list; RN to BSN (NURS 4450): not on the rn-bsn list; APRN disclosure: meets; If you move: 14 np states listed. RN license in the compact; NP practice reduced (AANP).

The short answer for Arkansas residents

UCCS decides eligibility by where you physically live, and its online programs draw only from named states. Arkansas is on none of the lists, and UCCS practicum hours must happen in a listed state as well, so Little Rock or Jonesboro clinics cannot host a UCCS rotation. For the full lists, see which states UCCS accepts.

How each UCCS program treats an Arkansas address
Program	Arkansas resident eligible?	Clinical hours take place
Online MSN tracks, RN to MSN, Post-Graduate NP Certificate	No	In the listed state where the student lives
BSN to DNP and Post-Master's DNP	Only with an RN license from an approved state; ask UCCS	NP courses near home; DNP hours at the project site
RN to BSN with `NURS 4450`	No	A community agency in a listed state
Campus BSN	Only if living in or relocating to Colorado	Placements UCCS assigns in Colorado

Fort Smith and the Oklahoma line

The Fort Smith metro spills across the border: roughly 193,000 of its 234,000 residents live on the Arkansas side and the rest in Oklahoma. For UCCS, that line decides everything. A nurse whose home sits on the Oklahoma side counts as an Oklahoma resident, while one living in Fort Smith proper does not.

The line also governs clinical sites. A UCCS student living in Oklahoma trains in Oklahoma, so a hospital or clinic on the Arkansas side stays out of bounds. Oklahoma adds its own condition: its board expects the APRN student to hold an Oklahoma RN license. The Oklahoma guide covers that rule, and the Texas guide covers the other neighbor on the list.

Arkansas licensing, practice and health systems

The Arkansas State Board of Nursing has run under the Nurse Licensure Compact since January 2018. AANP counts Arkansas as reduced practice: NPs work under a regulated physician agreement for at least part of their practice, and certain drugs may be prescribed only within a physician protocol.

For schools based elsewhere, research located no ASBN rule requiring approval before clinical-only placements; the out-of-state provisions address institutions opening a new program, and this reading was not confirmed with board staff. Major health systems include UAMS Health, Arkansas Children's, Baptist Health and CHI St. Vincent in Little Rock, and Mercy in Fort Smith and Northwest Arkansas, around the Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers metro.

How UCCS's model works after a move

Settle in a listed stateApply as a resident of Oklahoma, Texas or another state on UCCS's list, and hold the RN license that state requires.
Find your preceptor near homeUCCS expects NP students to locate their own primary care hours where they live, starting months ahead of each course.
Send the Clinical Site SheetUCCS reviews the site and drafts the Affiliation Agreement and preceptor letter.
Wait for the go-aheadHours count only after UCCS's "good to go" email.

The placement process guide shows each step in detail.

Why UCCS students choose us

Once you live in Oklahoma, Texas or another listed state, we take the search off your plate: your placement advisor finds a preceptor and site suited to your UCCS course near your address. We prepare the credentials, license, certification, site signer and exact hours the site sheet needs, so the college receives a complete submission early, and we step in with a replacement if a preceptor withdraws. Tell us your plans through the form below.

Questions UCCS students ask

I live in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Can I apply to UCCS's NP program?

Not with an Arkansas address. UCCS goes by physical location, and Arkansas is outside its 14 NP states. A home on the Oklahoma side of the metro would make you an Oklahoma resident, which is a listed state, though UCCS still reviews every application on its own terms.

Does Arkansas make out-of-state programs seek approval before clinicals?

Research found no ASBN rule requiring approval for clinical-only placements by schools based elsewhere, although this was not confirmed with board staff. For UCCS it is a side issue, because UCCS hours happen only in listed states and Arkansas is not one.

Can an Arkansas RN enroll in UCCS's online RN to BSN?

Not while living in Arkansas. The RN to BSN accepts residents of 21 states, and Arkansas is not one, though Oklahoma and Texas are. Its one clinical course, NURS 4450, happens at a community site you secure; the RN to BSN guide has the details.

If I finish a UCCS NP program in Texas, could I seek licensure in Arkansas later?

Arkansas shows "meets" on UCCS's APRN licensure disclosure, UCCS's judgment that its NP program covers what Arkansas requires educationally for an APRN license. The judgment concerns course content only. Check current requirements with the Arkansas State Board of Nursing before you apply for a license there.

GuideUCCS programs by stateStudying with UCCS from your state? Fifty state guides: the 14-state rule for NP programs, the RN to BSN list, licenses, board rules and where hours happen.14 statesApproved statesWhich states UCCS nursing programs accept: 14 for the online NP programs, 21 for the RN to BSN, Colorado for the campus BSN, and what each state's board adds.State guideOklahomaOklahoma RNs can join UCCS's online NP tracks. The state's conditions for out-of-state APRN students, restricted practice, a preceptor tax credit and metros.State guideTexasUCCS accepts Texas residents into its online NP tracks. Why the Texas BON's out-of-state approval stops at pre-licensure, restricted practice and big metros.RN to BSNRN to BSN and Dual EnrollmentUCCS's online RN to BSN and Dual Enrollment: 126 credits in 8-week courses, the 21 approved states, and the NURS 4450 community site you secure yourself.DisclosureLicensure disclosure and SARAWhat UCCS's APRN licensure disclosure says, why Kansas is the exception, where SARA fits, and why the disclosure is not the list of states UCCS admits from.

Last checked 2026-09-25

We check these pages against UCCS's catalog, practicum handbooks and college pages. Your degree plan, the handbook for your cohort and the Graduate Clinical Practicum Coordinator have the final word.

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