The five-state rule for JSU's NP tracks
JSU considers applicants to its BSN-DNP nurse practitioner tracks from five states only, and the state you live in shapes where your clinical hours can happen. Each of those states treats an Alabama program's students a little differently, from no approval step at all to a formal review. Here is the rule, where it comes from, and what it means for your practicums.
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JSU's rule, in its own words
The note sits on the School of Nursing's graduate page, under State Approval of Online Programs: "Currently, only residents of Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Mississippi, and Tennessee are eligible for application consideration in our nurse practitioner (BSN-DNP) tracks." Archived copies carry the same note from September 2020 through January 2026, so it has held steady for years.
The rule covers the Family Nurse Practitioner and Adult-Gerontology Acute Care tracks. The DNP track pages add a general line that not every JSU nursing program is available in every state, with an invitation to ask about yours. Eligibility for consideration is the floor, not a promise of a seat. For the MSN programs, the Nursing Education certificate and the Post-Master's DNP, JSU asks residents of other states to get in touch before applying, as the table below sets out.
Which JSU programs the rule touches
| Program | Published state rule | If you live outside Alabama |
|---|---|---|
| BSN-DNP FNP | Residents of AL, GA, FL, MS and TN only | Eligible for consideration from any of the five |
| BSN-DNP AGACNP | Residents of AL, GA, FL, MS and TN only | Eligible for consideration from any of the five |
| Post-Master's DNP | No state list; the graduate note says to ask the School of Nursing | Contact the School of Nursing first |
| MSN Population Health and concentrations | No state list; non-Alabama residents contact the School of Nursing before applying | Contact the School of Nursing first |
| Graduate Certificate in Nursing Education | No state list; the same contact note | Contact the School of Nursing first |
| STEP RN-BSN | Non-Alabama residents contact the School of Nursing first | Contact the School of Nursing first |
JSU's NP licensure disclosure, dated October 15, 2021, confirms Alabama and lists every other state as not yet determined; the licensure disclosure page explains it. JSU also participates in NC-SARA, the interstate reciprocity agreement for distance education.
What each of the five states means for your clinicals
Because JSU is an Alabama program, the other four states see its students as coming from an out-of-state school. Their boards handle that in different ways, and the table sums up the rule that would touch a JSU practicum or residency there.
| State | Rule for an out-of-state program's clinicals | RN compact | NP practice (AANP) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Home state: the Board's out-of-state program rule does not apply to JSU | Member since 2020 | Reduced: collaborative agreement with a physician |
| Georgia | No Board approval for post-licensure or APRN programs; APRN clinical instruction by a nurse with Georgia APRN authorization | Member since 2018 | Restricted |
| Florida | No provision found requiring approval for out-of-state APRN programs | Member since 2018 | Restricted |
| Mississippi | The Institutions of Higher Learning board (IHL) reviews out-of-state graduate nursing programs with clinicals in the state | Member since 2018 | Reduced |
| Tennessee | SB 2013/HB 1905 would pause new approvals of out-of-state programs for two years; enactment unconfirmed | Member since 2018 | Restricted |
Each state has its own guide: Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Mississippi and Tennessee.
Mississippi and Tennessee: two to check early
Mississippi treats a clinical practicum inside the state as a physical presence that calls for review. IHL asks programs based elsewhere to request that review at least four months before starting and notes the review itself may run as long as three months. JSU admits Mississippi residents to its NP tracks, but IHL's published list of outside programs it has reviewed, dated August 20, 2026, does not include JSU. Mississippi residents should ask JSU how it handles clinicals there before planning a local practicum.
In Tennessee, SB 2013/HB 1905 tells the state's nursing board to freeze, for two years, any new approval of a school based elsewhere that wants Tennessee clinical placements, while schools approved beforehand keep their status. Official enactment could not be confirmed, and whether JSU holds any Tennessee approval is not public. Tennessee residents are wise to ask the School of Nursing about it long before Practicum I.
Moving, or living near a state line
At enrollment, each graduate student completes a statement about living outside Alabama. If your state of residence, your employer or your projected clinical location changes, the handbook asks you to notify course faculty, the program coordinator and the Administrative Coordinator, Graduate Programs, and the change needs approval. The handbook makes no promise that progression carries on unchanged, so a move outside the five states is worth raising before it happens.
Living near a border raises the question of clinicals on the other side. Just over the line in Rome, Georgia, Atrium Health Floyd already carries JSU among its NP-student agreements, and it wants applications a full three months early. Training across a state line brings that state's rules into play, and your RN license must work in that state too; the RN license page covers JSU's two wordings of that rule.
Why students in all five states choose us
We search across Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Mississippi and Tennessee, so JSU students get a preceptor near home who fits both the course and the state's rules. We check the preceptor's license for the state of your clinical and flag any state step, such as Georgia's APRN authorization rule or Mississippi's IHL review, before a name reaches your faculty.
Your CastleBranch file and malpractice approval come first, then a preceptor file with license, certification and practice information, plus the contract details for the site. Whether JSU helps with your placement or not, the match we bring is built to fit its rules. If you move between the five states mid-program, we rebuild the search around the new address and the rules of that state. Share your state and program through the form below.
Questions JSU students ask
Can I apply to JSU's NP tracks from outside those five states?
Not under JSU's current note, which limits consideration for the FNP and AGACNP tracks to residents of Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Mississippi and Tennessee. The Post-Master's DNP, the MSN programs and the Nursing Education certificate carry no state list, and anyone living outside Alabama is asked by JSU to contact the School of Nursing before applying.
What if I move out of the five states during the JSU program?
JSU's handbook asks you to report any change in state of residence, employment or projected clinical location, and the change must be approved. The five-state note governs admission consideration, and JSU does not publish how it treats a move after admission, so talk with the program coordinator before you commit to the move.
Does JSU's licensure disclosure cover Georgia or Florida?
JSU's 2021 NP disclosure confirms Alabama and marks every other state, Georgia, Florida, Mississippi and Tennessee included, as not yet determined, adding that the program meets national standards and that Alabama licensure may offer reciprocity. It is dated October 15, 2021, so check the current version on JSU's consumer disclosures page.
If my clinicals fall in a different one of the five states, what RN license covers me?
It must be good wherever your hours happen. Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Mississippi and Tennessee are all compact members, so a multistate license issued by your home state usually lets you work as an RN in the others. JSU phrases its own requirement two ways, a U.S. license versus one for your current state of clinical practice, so ask which applies to your cohort.
Why does JSU limit its NP tracks to five states?
JSU gives no reason on its pages. The note sits under a heading about state approval of online programs, and JSU's NP disclosure confirms only Alabama. The list has stayed the same since at least 2020, but check the graduate nursing page before you apply in case it changes.
Related pages
Last checked 2026-09-27
We check these pages against JSU's 2026-27 catalog, nursing handbooks, program pages and licensure disclosures. Your course faculty and your plan of study have the final word.
Whether JSU helps or you start alone, we find the preceptor.
Tell us your JSU program, your next practicum or residency and the town you train near. We find preceptors and sites that fit the course and gather what JSU's faculty need to clear them, early enough for the semester.
- Preceptors matched to the course: family practice across the lifespan, adult-gerontology acute care, DNP residencies
- License, certification and site details ready for JSU's clearance, with your CastleBranch and malpractice items in order
- Across Alabama and in Georgia, Florida, Mississippi and Tennessee
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