The Best AGNP Programs of 2026: Adult-Gerontology Nurse Practitioner Rankings

The University of Michigan-Ann Arbor delivers its adult-gerontology nurse practitioner training as a 49-credit master's built to hold the rigor of the School of Nursing's residential program. The format is hybrid: coursework runs at a distance while students return to campus only three days per term for hands-on skill building, formative practice, and summative performance assessments. The online option was designed with faculty, current students, and national online-learning experts, so distance students demonstrate competencies under the same standards as on-campus peers.

In-state tuition runs $18,516 against $62,749 for out-of-state students; admission is selective at 16%, and 93% of enrolled students go on to graduate. For a Michigan resident the payoff math is direct: an adult-gerontology nurse practitioner earns a national BLS median of $132,300 versus $88,900 for a staff RN, a $43,400 annual raise that recovers the in-state tuition in roughly five months and adds up to $434,000 over ten years. Its Hakia Score of 93.1 is the basis for its position in this ranking.

Duke University's adult-gerontology nurse practitioner degree splits into two tracks, acute care and primary care, training students specifically for either hospital-based high-acuity practice or ongoing outpatient management of adult and older patients. The program is distance-based with periodic on-campus intensives, pairing high-fidelity simulation labs with clinical placements drawn from partnerships at more than 2,000 locations worldwide. Students can layer a specialty certificate onto the MSN in Cardiology, Endocrinology, Oncology, or Orthopedics.

Tuition is $66,325, and Duke is highly selective, admitting 6% of applicants and graduating 97% of those who enroll. U.S. News and World Report ranked it #5 among Master's nursing schools in 2025. The program fits an experienced BSN-prepared RN who wants deep clinical networks and the option to sub-specialize. On the numbers, an adult-gerontology NP earns a national BLS median of $132,300 against $88,900 for a staff RN; that $43,400 annual raise clears Duke's tuition in about 18 months and compounds to roughly $434,000 over a decade. A Hakia Score of 92.5 anchors its position in this ranking.

New York University offers adult-gerontology at both ends of the acuity spectrum, with separate acute-care and primary-care nurse practitioner tracks. It admits two kinds of applicants: nurses who already hold a BSN, and nurses who hold a non-nursing bachelor's degree paired with an associate's degree in nursing. Alongside the NP tracks, students can add optional specialty sequences in Holistic Nursing, Palliative Care (which carries board eligibility for the Advanced Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurse credential), or Substance Use Disorders.

Admission is structured: a 3.0 minimum GPA, an active New York State RN license before coursework begins, at least one year of full-time RN clinical experience before starting graduate courses, and completed undergraduate statistics and research courses; the primary-care track additionally asks for a year of clinical experience at the point of application. NYU admits 9% of applicants and graduates 88% of those who enroll, with tuition of $62,796. It suits a working RN with a year or more on the floor who wants a defined acute- or primary-care focus plus an optional palliative or holistic sub-specialty. The payoff is a national BLS median of $132,300 for adult-gerontology NPs against $88,900 for a staff RN, a $43,400 raise that recovers tuition in under 18 months. Its Hakia Score of 91.8 sets its position in this ranking.

Vanderbilt University runs three adult-gerontology paths: an acute-care nurse practitioner track, a primary-care nurse practitioner track, and a dual option combining Women's Health/Gender-Related NP with Adult-Gerontology Primary Care. The format mixes online and hybrid coursework with some in-person sessions, and full-time students complete the degree in four to five semesters, with a part-time route available and the dual specialties running longer. There are two entry points: BSN-to-MSN for RNs who hold a BSN, and a post-master's certificate for nurses who already hold an MSN.

The program is CCNE-accredited, and admission requires a BSN and an active RN license. Tuition is $65,008, admission is competitive at 6%, and 94% of enrolled students graduate; the program reports 97% of graduates employed in advanced practice nursing after completion. On value, an adult-gerontology NP earns a national BLS median of $132,300 versus $88,900 for a staff RN, and that $43,400 annual raise clears Vanderbilt's tuition in about 18 months, then adds roughly $434,000 over the following decade. A Hakia Score of 91.6 anchors its position in this ranking.

Duke's nursing doctorate runs four pathways: Nurse Anesthesia DNP, Post-Master's DNP, Executive Leadership DNP, and a BSN to DNP. Coursework is distance-based with on-campus sessions typically held twice, though the Nurse Anesthesia DNP is completed entirely on campus. The BSN to DNP route finishes MSN requirements first, so you become eligible for NP certification exams, then continues into the doctorate.

Every pathway except the on-campus Nurse Anesthesia track can be completed while working full time, and small cohorts keep faculty access close. U.S. News ranked Duke's DNP #2 among nursing schools in 2025. Tuition runs $66,325, with a 6% admit rate and a 97% graduation rate. A Hakia Score of 90.7 anchors its place on this ranking.

The math is direct: staff RNs earn a national BLS median of $88,900, while adult-gerontology nurse practitioners earn $132,300, a $43,400 annual raise that recovers the $66,325 tuition in roughly 18 months.

The Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing offers adult-gerontology at both ends of the specialty: an Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner track and an Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner track. Acute-care majors can add a Flight Nursing specialty. MSN students can blend majors or pursue joint master's degrees with other schools at Case Western Reserve, and many courses run as Intensive or web-based classes.

The program is affiliated with major healthcare institutions, and U.S. News has recognized several of the school's advanced practice programs, gerontology among them, as some of the top in the country. Tuition is $66,020, with a 37% admit rate and an 87% graduation rate. A Hakia Score of 90.4 sets its ranking position.

On value, adult-gerontology nurse practitioners earn a national BLS median of $132,300 against $88,900 for a staff RN. That $43,400 annual jump clears the $66,020 tuition in about 18 months.

George Washington runs its adult-gerontology nurse practitioner program primarily online, built on 48 credit hours and 600 clinical hours. Before clinical courses begin, students attend an on-campus Clinical Learning and Skills Intensive (CLASI) working with standardized patients. Objective Structured Clinical Examinations during NURS 6225 and 6229 let faculty evaluate clinical skills directly and provide coaching, and cohorts are kept small.

Admission calls for a BSN from a regionally accredited institution, a preferred GPA of at least 3.0, two letters of recommendation, a statement of purpose, and an active, unencumbered U.S. RN license. Tuition is $67,420, with a 47% admit rate and an 84% graduation rate. A Hakia Score of 89.6 places it on this ranking.

The payoff is concrete: the move from a staff RN median of $88,900 to $132,300 for adult-gerontology nurse practitioners is a $43,400 annual raise, recovering the $67,420 tuition in about 19 months.

Stony Brook places its adult-gerontology nurse practitioner program inside a public university, and its Office of Clinical Placements centrally arranges and processes clinical sites rather than leaving students to source their own preceptors. Entry runs through a baccalaureate with an upper-division nursing major, a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA, a current unencumbered New York RN license, and prerequisite 3-credit undergraduate courses in health assessment and statistics.

Applications also need three letters of recommendation, a CV, and a written statement, with at least one year of recent relevant experience preferred. In-state tuition is $7,070, with out-of-state at $28,880; the admit rate is 49% and the graduation rate 76%. A Hakia Score of 88.7 sets its ranking position.

This is where the return is loud. Against a staff RN median of $88,900, the jump to $132,300 for adult-gerontology nurse practitioners is $43,400 a year, so in-state tuition is recovered in under two months of that raise, and even the out-of-state cost clears in roughly eight months.

Adult-gerontology nurse practitioner study trains a working RN to diagnose and manage patients across the adult lifespan, and the specialty divides into an acute-care focus built for hospital and critical-care settings and a primary-care focus built for clinics and long-term care. At the University of Rochester School of Nursing, 91% of graduate nursing students pass their national certification exam on the first attempt, and 91% of the faculty actively practice in clinical settings across the region, so coursework reaches you from instructors carrying current caseloads.

Tuition runs $65,870, and the school admits roughly 40% of applicants while graduating 85%. U.S. News and World Report ranks Rochester the top nursing school in Upstate New York and 11th nationally among master's nursing programs. Its Hakia Score of 88.6 sets its place in this ranking.

The math favors the jump. Adult-gerontology nurse practitioners earn a national BLS median of $132,300 a year against $88,900 for a staff RN, a raise of $43,400 that clears the $65,870 tuition in about 18 months and compounds to roughly $868,000 in additional earnings over a 20-year career.

New York University runs its adult-gerontology training at the doctoral level and offers both branches of the specialty: an Adult-Gerontology Acute Care NP track for hospital and critical-care work and an Adult-Gerontology Primary Care NP track for outpatient and long-term care. The DNP takes three entry points keyed to your prior credential: a Post-BS to DNP for BSN-holding RNs, an advanced-standing MS to DNP for nurses already practicing as NPs or midwives, and an Advanced Certificate to DNP for master's-prepared nurses who are not yet NPs or CNMs. Family, Psychiatric-Mental Health, and Pediatric NP tracks round out the roster.

The Post-BS to DNP path asks for a BSN (or an associate's in nursing paired with a bachelor's in another field), a 3.5 GPA, a New York RN license, prior statistics and research coursework, and one year of full-time RN experience; expect a criminal background check and drug screen before clinical placements. Tuition is $62,796, admission is competitive at roughly 9%, and the graduation rate is 88%. It fits a BSN-holding RN with a year on the floor who wants a doctorate and the option to specialize in either acute or primary care. A Hakia Score of 87.5 anchors its rank here.

The payoff justifies the doctorate. At a national BLS median of $132,300 for adult-gerontology nurse practitioners versus $88,900 for a staff RN, the $43,400 annual raise recovers the $62,796 tuition in under 18 months and adds roughly $868,000 across a 20-year career.