Best FNP Programs in Iowa: MSN and DNP Rankings for 2026

University of Iowa's College of Nursing routes family nurse practitioner applicants through the university's Graduate College, with rolling admissions reviewed up to a July 15 deadline. You'll submit a $60 application fee, a personal statement, a resume, three letters of recommendation, and unofficial transcripts; a GRE score is not required. The program runs online, which matters if you're a working RN who can't relocate to Iowa City for coursework.

In-state tuition runs $9,286 a year against $31,374 out-of-state, a gap worth checking your residency status against before you apply. An 84% admit rate and a 75% graduation rate point to a program that gets working RNs through to completion. Hakia scores this program 78.8 out of 100 on admissions access, completion, and cost data. BLS wage data puts the national median family nurse practitioner salary at $132,300 a year against $88,900 for a staff RN, a $43,400 jump that covers a full year of in-state tuition here more than four times over.

Morningside University's Nylen School of Nursing runs its Family Primary Care Nurse Practitioner track as a 50-credit MSN: 23 credits of core master's coursework plus 27 FNP specialty credits. The curriculum is delivered online and completes in about two years on the full-time plan (four to six semesters), with courses in advanced pathophysiology, advanced pharmacology, advanced health assessment, and adult and pediatric primary care. You'll complete three separate clinical practicums totaling 750 hours, plus two brief on-site residencies at the Sioux City campus.

At $675 a credit, the full 50-credit track totals $33,750 in tuition, a specific figure worth comparing against the university's broader posted tuition figure of $38,017. Morningside admits 71% of applicants and graduates 50%, and the curriculum is built to leave graduates eligible for national certification through the ANCC or AANP. Hakia scores this program 73.6 out of 100. Set against the $132,300 national median family nurse practitioner salary and the $88,900 staff RN median, the resulting $43,400 raise covers the entire $33,750 tuition bill in under a year.

Briar Cliff University, a private university in Sioux City, offers family nurse practitioner preparation as one of three concentrations inside a single Nurse Practitioner track: family, adult/gerontology primary care, and psychiatric-mental health. The program is delivered online, a fit for a working RN who wants to train for the family track specifically without transferring into a separate standalone FNP degree elsewhere.

Tuition runs $34,230, the same figure whether you live in Iowa or out of state. Briar Cliff graduates 48% of its students, and Hakia scores the program 70.3 out of 100 on the data available. Weighed against the $132,300 national median family nurse practitioner salary versus $88,900 for a staff RN, the resulting $43,400 raise clears that $34,230 tuition figure within a year of practicing.

Graceland University delivers its MSN curriculum primarily over the internet, with a single required focus session on the Independence, Iowa campus during the program. Family nurse practitioner is one of several specialty tracks inside the MSN, alongside adult and gerontology acute care and psychiatric-mental health, and Graceland also runs RN-to-MSN and BSN-to-DNP entry pathways for RNs who want to skip a standalone master's step. Every applicant needs a current, unencumbered RN license and a clean background check before enrollment.

Minimum GPA requirements shift by entry point: 2.50 for the RN-MSN or standard MSN track, 3.00 for the DNP or direct BSN-to-DNP track. Tuition is a flat $18,655 whether you live in Iowa or out of state, and Graceland admits 81% of applicants while graduating 42%. Hakia scores this program 68.9 out of 100. Against the $132,300 national median family nurse practitioner salary and the $88,900 staff RN median, that $43,400 raise covers the full $18,655 tuition figure in about five months of a working family nurse practitioner's added pay.

Mount Mercy runs its Doctor of Nursing Practice on campus in Cedar Rapids, one class at a time in 5- and 10-week blocks. The FNP-DNP track is built for nurses who are not yet certified as nurse practitioners: 57 credit hours spanning advanced pathophysiology, advanced pharmacology, biostatistics, and epidemiology, then paired population, assessment, and clinical courses across adult and pediatric primary and specialty care, ending in a six-credit clinical practice project. Nurses who already hold NP certification in any specialty can instead take the shorter 33-credit Post-Master's to DNP Advanced Practice track.

IPEDS puts Mount Mercy's total annual cost of attendance at $39,878, while the DNP program itself bills $950 per credit hour, with a 10% discount for employer partners, so the 57-credit FNP-DNP track totals $54,150 in program tuition. Set against the BLS national median of $132,300 for nurse practitioners versus $88,900 for staff RNs, a $43,400 annual jump, that tuition pays for itself in about 15 months at the higher salary. Mount Mercy admits 83% of applicants and graduates 58% of them, and its Hakia Score of 67.5 weighs that completion rate against cost and on-campus format. The program page does not list a CCNE or ACEN accreditation status, so confirm current accreditation directly with the school before applying. It suits an RN who wants structured, in-person accountability rather than a fully online format and who has not yet earned NP certification.

Briar Cliff delivers its Doctor of Nursing Practice fully online, built for nurse practitioners who already hold certification in a specialty and want a terminal practice doctorate. The curriculum embeds 480 practicum hours into coursework rather than as a separate placement, covering DNP-role areas such as leadership, cultural competency, ethics, population health, informatics, finance management, and evidence-based practice. Briar Cliff advertises completion in about two years, and the school states plainly that finishing the DNP does not add a new license or certification on its own.

IPEDS lists Briar Cliff's total annual cost of attendance at $34,230, and the program graduates 48% of its students; Briar Cliff does not publish a separate admit rate for this program. Its Hakia Score of 66.9 weighs that graduation rate against the fully online format and the embedded practicum hours. The program page does not state a CCNE or ACEN accreditation status, so verify accreditation directly with Briar Cliff before enrolling. This program fits a nurse who is already working as a certified NP and wants the DNP credential without relocating for campus classes, not an RN who has not yet earned NP certification.