Surrounded by UCCS States: Oregon Nurses and the Residency Rule
Three of Oregon's four neighbors, California, Idaho and Nevada, appear on UCCS's list for its online nurse practitioner programs. Oregon does not, and the RN to BSN list leaves it off too, so a nurse whose home is in Portland, Salem, Eugene or Bend cannot enroll from there. A move south or east is what opens the UCCS route.
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Tell us your UCCS program and where you live. A placement advisor replies with the preceptor and site options that fit your UCCS course.
Oregon on UCCS's residency map
UCCS measures residency by where you physically live, and Oregon falls outside both of its online program lists, as does Washington to the north. The approved states guide sets out all 14 NP states and all 21 RN to BSN states.
| Program | Open to Oregon residents? | Where hours happen |
|---|---|---|
| MSN: FNP, AGNP, PMHNP | No | California, Idaho, Nevada or another NP state, after you move |
| RN to MSN, Post-Graduate NP Certificate | No | The listed state you then call home |
| BSN to DNP, Post-Master's DNP | UCCS asks for an RN license from an approved state | Sites in that state |
| RN to BSN | No | NURS 4450 in a listed state near your home |
| Traditional or Accelerated BSN | Colorado residents or people moving there | Colorado sites UCCS assigns |
California, Idaho and Nevada: three license pictures
No compact legislation is even pending in Oregon, so an Oregon license covers Oregon alone. The next step depends on where you go, because UCCS's practicum handbook wants a multistate license in compact states and the state's own RN license in the rest.
- Idaho: a compact member with a full practice rating from AANP and no rule aimed at outside programs.
- California: outside the compact. Its Board of Registered Nursing must approve out-of-state NP programs in advance, and UCCS appears on the BRN's out-of-state NP list; students need a California RN license and California-licensed preceptors.
- Nevada: a non-compact state where you would carry a Nevada license. A state rule bars internet programs from clinical instruction without board approval, UCCS is absent from the board's clinical-only list, and whether that rule reaches APRN programs is unclear.
Each has its own guide: California, Idaho and Nevada.
How Oregon treats nursing programs from elsewhere
The notice duty in Oregon falls on pre-licensure schools from other states: before students start learning activities, the school sends the Oregon State Board of Nursing a form for each track and refreshes it every year. Advanced practice programs and programs that do not lead to licensure, RN-to-BSN included, are exempt, and the board's APRN FAQ answers no when asked whether an outside APRN program needs its approval to place students. Until July 1, 2021, a different rule made NP students from schools outside Oregon get board authorization first; it has since been repealed.
Faculty who teach inside the state need an active Oregon license, and enrolling Oregon students requires authorization through the Higher Education Coordinating Commission or NC-SARA. AANP rates Oregon full practice. For all that openness, UCCS's own rule still governs, and an Oregon home remains outside its lists.
Coming back to Oregon after UCCS
If you expect to practice in Oregon again after graduating, one detail matters. UCCS's APRN licensure disclosure says its curriculum meets Oregon's educational requirements, with a note that Oregon applicants must finish a pain management course and a cultural competency course before applying for licensure. The disclosure page explains why that document is separate from admission. Providence Oregon, Legacy Health, OHSU, Samaritan Health Services and Kaiser Permanente Northwest are among the state's major employers.
Clinicals once you live in a listed state
In your new state, primary care hours are yours to arrange near home. UCCS reviews each site, drafts the Affiliation Agreement and preceptor letter, and sends a "good to go" email before any hour counts. Our placement desk owns that search for you: a preceptor and practice fitted to your UCCS course, site sheet details prepared, paperwork in early, and a fresh match lined up should anyone withdraw. Start planning before moving day with the form below.
Questions UCCS students ask
If I move to Idaho, can I still do UCCS clinical hours in Oregon?
No. UCCS lets students log hours only in states on its list, and Oregon is not one of them. An Idaho resident's hours happen in Idaho, or in another listed state with the Graduate Clinical Practicum Coordinator's approval and the right license for that state.
Is UCCS's online FNP open to nurses living in Portland?
Not while Portland is home. UCCS accepts NP applicants only from its 14 listed states, judged by physical residence. A move to a listed neighbor such as Idaho or California comes first, and UCCS makes the admission decision, so confirm your plans with the college before you relocate.
Does an Oregon RN license cover UCCS hours in California?
Not by itself. Oregon issues single-state licenses and California sits outside the compact, so UCCS's handbook points to a California RN license for hours there, and California's board expects California-licensed preceptors as well. The license guide walks through UCCS's rule.
Is Washington an option for UCCS nursing students?
Washington is on neither UCCS list. Its board's roster of approved out-of-state programs names the University of Colorado campus in Aurora rather than UCCS. For an Oregon nurse drawn to UCCS, the listed neighbors are California, Idaho and Nevada.
Related pages
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.
UCCS asks you to find your clinical hours where you live. Let us run that search.
Tell us your UCCS track, your next clinical course and where you live. We find preceptors who fit the course and prepare the details your Clinical Site Sheet needs, early enough for the agreement to be signed before the semester.
- Preceptors matched to the course: pediatrics for
NURS 6900, acute and chronic care forNURS 6915andNURS 6925, psychiatric prescribers forNURS 6801toNURS 6803 - Credentials, license, certification and the site's signer ready for the Clinical Site Sheet
- In Colorado Springs, along the Front Range, or in any of UCCS's approved states
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