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Help Your Students Get ANCC Certified

1. Review the Streamlined Validation of Education (SL EVOE) Form Submission Option for Your School

2. Provide Your Students with the Steps to Apply:

Option 1: Test After Graduating

  • Create an ANCC account.
  • Request school to submit official transcripts and Validation of Education (VOE) Form. The VOE must be completed by faculty.
    • All post-master's students should have a GAP Analysis form completed by faculty, however, the May 2023 VOE does not require that this is submitted with the student's application.
  • Complete application.
  • Await their Authorization to Test letter, then schedule the exam through Prometric.
  • Study for exam using the study aids.
  • Take exam. Prometric will notify the student of their score via email.
  • Students become ANCC certified once they pass the exam.

Option 2: Test Prior to Graduating

  • Create an ANCC account.
  • Request school to submit unofficial transcripts showing all required courses have been completed along with Validation of Education (VOE) Form. The VOE must be completed by faculty.
    • All post-master's students should have a GAP Analysis form completed by faculty, however, the May 2023 VOE does not require that this is submitted with the student's application.
  • Complete application.
  • Await their Authorization to Test letter, then schedule the exam through Prometric.
  • Study for exam using the study aids.
  • Take exam. Prometric will notify the student of their score via email.
  • If a student passes the exam, they will not be ANCC certified until they have submitted their official transcripts with degree conferral information to ANCC headquarters.

ANCC Certification Application Information

IMPORTANT TIME FRAME UPDATE

IMPORTANT NOTICE Starting January 1, 2026, ANCC will implement a policy change to the certification eligibility for APRN applicants. Candidates for ANCC APRN certification must pass their examination within five (5) years of degree conferral from their applicable APRN degree or post-graduate certification program. 

Please be advised that this policy solely applies to initial and retest applications for certification and has no bearing on the requirements for certification renewal. Applicants who have tested unsuccessfully in the past and have not earned certification, those who are licensed in a state that does not yet require certification, or those whose degree conferral date fall within a timeframe to be affected by this policy should consider testing prior to implementation.

Resources for APRN Faculty

  1. Fall 2024 APRN Faculty, Staff, & Student Newsletter Comming Soon!

  2. School Code Infortmation:
  3. The Validation of Education (VOE) Form:

APRN Faculty Toolkit & Updates

  1. For additional resources to help your students visit the APRN Faculty Toolkit.

  2. For important updates and for interesting stories, please follow us on our following social media pages:
  3. Stories of Inspiration from ANCC Certified Nurses to share with your students:

Post Graduate Information

IMPORTANT ELIGIBILITY REQUIEREMENTS 

Starting January 1, 2026, for post-graduate certificate (PGC) applicants, only PGC APRN program accreditation will be accepted for eligibility.  Institutional accreditation for APRN master’s or DNP programs will not be considered in leu of PGC accreditation, even if those programs contain parallel tracks to an instution's PGC program. Applicants must demonstrate their program held/holds an active PGC accredation at the time of graduation.

Eligibility criteria require candidates to hold a role/population specific master’s, post-graduate certificate, or DNP from an institution** accredited by a national nursing accreditor (CCNE, ACEN or NLN CNEA).

Please note that ANCC is not an accreditor of nursing education programs. ANCC’s review of accreditation is designed only for purposes of evaluating eligibility for certification.  If you need more details specifically related to accreditation status of a program and/or institution, we encourage you to review the below websites directly:

**ANCC has sent public notice of an eligibility change effective 2026. ANCC currently verifies institutional accreditation. 

Healthy Nurse Healthy Nation

Visit and consider joining a community of nurses who support one another in living a healthier lifestyle. Join the Healthy Nurse Healthy Nation Facebook Group and learn about joining challenges by visiting Healthy Nurse Healthy Nation ANA Website. 

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