UC nursing programs and Louisiana
Louisiana is one of seven states where UC's College of Nursing can't accept applicants or allow clinical activity, and unlike Arizona and New York it gets no RN-to-BSN exception. From a Louisiana address, none of UC's nursing programs is open to you. If you're a current student thinking about moving there, talk to UC before you sign a lease.
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What the exclusion covers
UC's Clinical Planning page lists Louisiana with Arizona, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island and Tennessee as states where the college can neither take applications nor allow clinical activity. The MSN, DNP and post-master's certificate pages repeat the list as an admissions rule. The online RN-to-BSN keeps its own, shorter exclusion list, and Louisiana is on that one too.
| UC program | Louisiana status |
|---|---|
| Online MSN tracks (FNP, AGPCNP, Nurse-Midwifery, WHNP, Nursing Education) | Closed |
| Post-master's FNP and PMHNP certificates | Closed |
| BSN-to-DNP NP tracks, post-MSN DNP | Closed |
| AGACNP (all forms), AGPCNP and PNP-AC certificates | Closed; also Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana residents only |
| Online RN-to-BSN | Closed, with no Arizona or New York style exception |
UC publishes no reason for any of the seven, and the list can change. Treat the Clinical Planning page as the current word; state authorization summarizes it.
How Louisiana regulates out-of-state nursing programs
For background, Louisiana asks a great deal of schools based elsewhere. Under LAC 46:XLVII.3539, undergraduate and graduate programs administered from another state need Louisiana State Board of Nursing approval before offering courses or clinical experiences in Louisiana. The request is due six months or more before the offering and names the clinical agencies and units, backed by curriculum, syllabi, catalog, a clinical facility survey, faculty qualification forms and licensure and certification pass data. Approval runs up to three years.
The rule goes further: any faculty member who instructs in Louisiana must be licensed there as an RN or APRN, hold a graduate degree in nursing and bring two years of clinical practice, and faculty in precepted clinicals must confer with preceptor and student weekly and visit the site each term. UC hasn't linked its decision to any of this, so read it as context, not UC's explanation.
Applying from Louisiana
Because UC's graduate pages bar applications from the seven states, a Louisiana address blocks admission itself, not only the clinical part. The RN-to-BSN offers no side door. Being close to Texas, Arkansas or Mississippi, all open to UC, doesn't change the answer while you live in Louisiana.
If you're planning to relocate before applying, the new state has to be open for the program you want, and you'll need an RN license valid there. Ask UC admissions how residency is judged at the point of application rather than guessing.
Enrolled, and moving to Louisiana
A move into Louisiana mid-program is the harder case. No clinical activity can happen there, so a preceptor in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette or Shreveport is off the table however good the fit, and so are large systems such as Ochsner Health, LCMC Health and FMOL Health. UC's pages don't say what happens to an enrolled student who relocates to a closed state, so don't assume you can finish from there.
Before the move is settled, bring it to your Clinical Site Coordinator and get a written answer on your clinical sequence and remaining hours. For telehealth, UC ties the license rule to the patient's state, so ask before counting any hours with patients located in Louisiana. Moving during UC clinicals covers the license and CastleBranch side.
Don't sign a Louisiana lease on the assumption that clinicals can be worked out later. Get UC's answer first.
Louisiana licensing notes, and planning an open state with us
Louisiana has been in the Nurse Licensure Compact since July 1, 2019; the APRN Compact isn't enacted, and AANP rates the state as reduced practice, with NPs keeping a collaborative agreement with a physician. If you leave for an open state, UC's rule is simply an RN license valid where your clinicals happen. RN license for clinicals explains it.
UC's rule for Louisiana is firm, so our help points to the states it leaves open. If you're relocating to Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi or farther afield, or choosing where to live before you apply, we map what a preceptor search there involves, license and background check steps included, and start lining one up the moment UC confirms you're eligible. Use the form on this page.
Questions UC students ask
Can I apply to UC's online FNP while living in Louisiana?
No. UC's MSN and certificate pages say the college can't accept applications from Louisiana or the other six closed states, and the DNP pages say the same. If you plan to move to an open state first, check that state against the Clinical Planning page and confirm with UC admissions how your residency will be assessed.
Is UC's RN-to-BSN open in Louisiana, like it is in Arizona and New York?
No. Arizona and New York are special cases: the 2026-27 Student Handbook lets the RN-to-BSN, and nothing else, operate there. Louisiana gets no such carve-out, because the RN-to-BSN's own exclusions cover Louisiana along with Massachusetts, Oregon, Rhode Island, Tennessee and Washington. A Louisiana nurse can't enroll in it from home.
Could I live in Louisiana and do my rotations in Texas or Mississippi?
Not on anything UC publishes. The program pages bar applications from Louisiana, not just clinicals there, so the address itself is the obstacle. If you're already enrolled and weighing a move, put the question to your CSC and to constateauth@uc.edu before you commit, and keep the reply.
Why is Louisiana closed when neighboring states are open?
UC doesn't say. The Clinical Planning page lists the seven states without reasons. Louisiana's Board makes out-of-state programs file for its approval six months ahead, but UC hasn't tied its decision to that. Recheck the Clinical Planning page each year, since the list can change.
Related pages
Last checked 2026-09-24
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