The University of Illinois Chicago College of Nursing offers 4 Pediatric Nurse Practitioner pathways, all at the doctoral level:
- Post-BSN DNP – Primary Care, CPNP-PC
- Post-BSN DNP – Acute Care, CPNP-AC
- Post-DNP Certificate – Primary Care, CPNP-PC
- Post-DNP Certificate – Acute Care, CPNP-AC
All four are hybrid: didactic coursework is online, with blended courses and labs on site. There is no MSN option. DNP students must live within commuting distance of the UIC Nursing campus they are admitted to (Chicago, Peoria, Rockford, or Urbana for pediatrics), which limits enrollment to Illinois and the bordering states of Iowa, Wisconsin, Indiana, Missouri, and Kentucky.
Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition (Resident) | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| DNP – PC | $82K–$85K | 4 yrs (published plan) | 73–75 |
| DNP – AC | $84K | 4 yrs (published plan) | 74 |
| Cert – PC | ~$27K (est.) | 1–1.5 yrs (est.) | ~24 (est.) |
| Cert – AC | ~$29K (est.) | 1–1.5 yrs (est.) | ~26 (est.) |
Tuition estimates multiply UIC’s 2026–2027 DNP professional tuition rate ($1,129 per credit, charged to in-state and out-of-state students alike) by each pathway’s credit total; mandatory fees are listed separately in the Tuition section.
- Why choose it: Primary and acute care DNP tracks from the BSN level, each with 1,035 faculty-arranged practicum hours at $1,129 per credit for every student.
- Trade-off: DNP only at about four years, and students must live within commuting distance of a UIC pediatric campus.
Quick Facts
| Population Focus | DNP and Cert – PC: Primary Care (CPNP-PC) | DNP and Cert – AC: Acute Care (CPNP-AC) |
| Format | Hybrid: online didactic, blended courses and labs, in-person practicum |
| Campuses | Chicago, Peoria, Rockford, Urbana; regional students may travel for the NURS 532 lab |
| Residency Rule | Must live within commuting distance of the admitted campus (IL, IA, WI, IN, MO, KY) |
| Clinical Hours | DNP: 1,035 practicum hours (765 pediatric, 270 DNP project) |
| Clinical Placement | Sites and preceptors arranged by faculty |
| RN Experience Required | PC: none; may apply before NCLEX | AC: 1 year full-time pediatric acute care |
| Distinctive Coursework | Optional Primary Care Mental Health concentration for PNP-PC students |
| Start Terms | Fall only; standard deadline January 15 |
| Tuition | $1,129 per credit, in-state and out-of-state (2026–2027) |
| Accreditation | CCNE (DNP and post-graduate APRN certificate) |
Clinical Education
UIC states that students are not responsible for finding their own clinical sites: program directors select practicum sites and assign preceptors, and the DNP program places students in the vicinity of their campus. This applies to both pediatric populations and removes the preceptor search that many PNP students face.
The same policy explains the residency rule. Because clinicals are arranged near the campus, UIC requires DNP students to live within commuting distance of it and to hold an RN license in the state where their clinicals take place. In practice that means an Illinois license for most students, or a license in the bordering state where a placement is made.
General Admissions
Both post-BSN DNP tracks share the catalog admission requirements:
- BSN from a CCNE- or NLN-accredited program, or a bachelor’s in another field plus an RN license (the DNP Transition Program adds up to four courses)
- 3.00 GPA for all post-baccalaureate work and for the final 60 semester hours of the first bachelor’s degree
- Valid RN license in at least one jurisdiction; applicants may apply before passing the NCLEX
- Three letters of recommendation, application essays, and a resume or CV
- Required interview; applicants who do not schedule one are not considered
- No GRE or other test
- One campus and one specialty per application cycle, applied through NursingCAS plus a UIC supplemental application
- Fall admission only: early deadline November 1, standard deadline January 15, final deadline April 1
- The DNP does not meet F-1 or J-1 student visa requirements
Two rules can lose an applicant a full year. With a single fall intake, missing the April 1 final deadline means waiting for the next cycle. And because applicants choose one campus and specialty per cycle, and later changes are not guaranteed, someone torn between primary and acute care has to decide before applying.
Post-BSN DNP – Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, Primary Care
The Pediatric Nurse Practitioner – Primary Care DNP costs an estimated $82,417 to $84,675 in tuition for 73 to 75 credits, and the published full-time plan runs four years across 11 terms. It prepares graduates for primary care (CPNP-PC) practice in pediatric offices, school-based health centers, and subspecialty clinics. No prior RN experience is required, so new BSN graduates can apply.
A published conflict worth knowing about. The 2026–2027 Graduate Catalog lists 75 semester hours for this focus area. UIC’s plan of study for the track lists every course by term and sums to 73. The difference is not explained; the plan also includes NURS 533 (1 credit), which the catalog lists only under the Primary Care Mental Health concentration. This page shows both figures and budgets on the catalog’s 75 as the degree requirement, since the catalog is the governing document.
DNP – PC Curriculum
The first two years are almost entirely the online DNP core and the APRN core; pediatric content does not start until the fall of Year 3. From there the track moves quickly: two pediatric primary care didactic courses, then a practicum sequence running from the summer of Year 3 through the final spring, alongside the three-course DNP project.
APRN Core
- NURS 521 – Advanced Physiological and Pathophysiological Principles Across the Lifespan (4)
- NURS 531 – Pharmacotherapeutics (3)
- NURS 532 – Comprehensive Health Assessment for Advanced Nursing Practice (4, blended)
- NURS 533 – Applied Pharmacotherapeutics in Advanced Practice Nursing (1)
- NURS 544 – APRN Role Transition and Professional Development (2)
Pediatric Primary Care Sequence
- NUSP 553 – Primary Care of the Infant, Child, and Adolescent (4, blended)
- NUSP 554 – Management of Acute and Chronic Conditions in Infants, Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults (3, blended)
- NUPR 551 – Health Maintenance and Management of Common Acute Illness in the Infant, Child, and Adolescent (11 across two terms)
- NUPR 552 – Management of Infant, Child, Adolescent and Young Adult with Chronic Illness (6)
DNP Core and Project
Nine 3-credit online core courses (27 credits) cover biostatistics, health equity, policy, population health, scholarship, quality and safety, informatics, business planning, and evidence translation. The DNP project runs through NURS 547, NUPR 548, and NUPR 549 (8 credits).
View the PNP-PC plan of study or the DNP catalog requirements.
DNP – PC Clinical Requirements
- 1,035 total practicum hours in the published plan
- 765 pediatric primary care hours: NUPR 551 (270 in Year 3 summer, 225 in Year 4 fall) and NUPR 552 (270 in Year 4 spring)
- 270 DNP project hours: NURS 547 (45), NUPR 548 (135), NUPR 549 (90)
- Sites and preceptors arranged by faculty near the student’s campus
The 765 pediatric hours sit slightly above the typical 600 to 750 range for a single-population track and well above the 500-hour certification floor. They are concentrated in the last three terms, so the final year carries a heavy clinical load alongside the DNP project.
DNP – PC Admissions
The General Admissions requirements apply with no focus-specific additions. PNP-PC students can also apply separately to the Primary Care Mental Health concentration: five distance-learning courses, most with weekly synchronous sessions, usually taken over five semesters in the last two years of the program. It requires its own interview and faculty recommendations and adds credits, and therefore cost, that UIC does not total.
Post-BSN DNP – Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, Acute Care
The Pediatric Nurse Practitioner – Acute Care DNP costs an estimated $83,546 in tuition for 74 credits, and the published plan also runs four years across 11 terms. It prepares graduates for acute care (CPNP-AC) practice in pediatric intensive care, emergency departments, inpatient hospitalist roles, and subspecialty care. Applicants must have at least one year of full-time RN experience in a pediatric acute care setting by the time of admission, with pediatric ED or ICU experience preferred.
DNP – AC Curriculum
The acute care track shares the DNP core, the APRN core, and the project sequence with primary care but starts its specialty content a year earlier. Pediatric Acute Care Management I begins in the spring of Year 2, followed by two more management courses before the practicum sequence starts in the summer of Year 3. The role transition course moves to the final term. UIC’s plan of study marks the acute care courses as pending final university approval, so course numbers or titles may change.
Pediatric Acute Care Sequence
- NUSP 522 – Pediatric Acute Care Management I (3, blended)
- NUSP 523 – Pediatric Acute Care Management II (3, blended)
- NUSP 524 – Pediatric Acute Care Management III (3, blended)
- NUPR 545 – Pediatric Acute Care Practicum I (6)
- NUPR 546 – Pediatric Acute Care Practicum II (6)
- NUPR 547 – Pediatric Acute Care Practicum III (5)
The APRN core matches the primary care track except that NURS 533 is not included, which accounts for the one-credit difference between the two plans. View the PNP-AC plan of study.
DNP – AC Clinical Requirements
- 1,035 total practicum hours in the published plan
- 765 pediatric acute care hours: NUPR 545 (270, Year 3 summer), NUPR 546 (270, Year 4 fall), NUPR 547 (225, Year 4 spring)
- 270 DNP project hours, identical to the primary care track
- Sites and preceptors arranged by faculty near the student’s campus
At 765 hours, acute care clinical volume is the same as primary care and slightly above the usual single-population range. UIC does not publish which inpatient units or subspecialty rotations students rotate through, or whether they differ by campus.
DNP – AC Admissions
General Admissions applies, plus the experience requirement: one year of full-time pediatric acute care RN experience completed by the time of admission, not just by the application deadline. A nurse with less experience at the January 15 deadline can still qualify if the year is complete before the fall start, but a nurse working part time or in adult acute care does not meet it.
Post-DNP Certificate – Pediatric NP, Primary Care
The Post-DNP Certificate in Pediatric NP – Primary Care is for DNP-prepared advanced practice nurses who want to qualify for national certification in pediatric primary care (CPNP-PC). Tuition is the DNP rate of $1,129 per credit, which puts the certificate at an estimated $27,096 for about 24 credits over roughly 1 to 1.5 years.
- DNP degree required; designed for advanced practice nurses adding a focus area in which they are not yet credentialed
- Hybrid format: online, on-site, and blended courses
- One recommendation, one essay on clinical experience and choice of specialty, resume or CV, and a required interview
- Fall admission only; deadlines November 1, January 15, and April 1
- Not eligible for federal financial aid, because certificates are not degree-seeking
UIC does not list the certificate's courses, so these figures are estimates. They assume certificate students take the DNP track's pediatric primary care sequence: NUSP 553 (4 credits), NUSP 554 (3), NUPR 551 (11), and NUPR 552 (6), for 24 credits and 765 clinical hours across about four terms. Individual plans may differ. The lack of financial aid matters more here than at most schools: at $1,129 per credit, even a short certificate is paid out of pocket or through private loans.
Post-DNP Certificate – Pediatric NP, Acute Care
The Post-DNP Certificate in Pediatric NP – Acute Care prepares DNP-prepared advanced practice nurses for pediatric acute care certification (CPNP-AC). Application steps, deadlines, tuition rate, and the lack of federal aid match the primary care certificate. Based on the DNP track's acute care sequence, NUSP 522–524 (9 credits) and NUPR 545–547 (17 credits, 765 clinical hours), the certificate likely runs about 26 credits and $29,354 over 1 to 1.5 years. These are estimates; UIC does not list the certificate's courses.
The consolidated post-DNP page does not state a pediatric acute care experience requirement for certificate applicants the way the catalog does for the DNP track. Applicants should not assume the requirement is waived; the page is simply silent on it. The most likely candidates are CPNP-PCs who have moved into inpatient or emergency roles.
Tuition
UIC charges the DNP and post-DNP certificates at the professional tuition rate: $1,129 per credit for Fall 2026 and Spring 2027, the same for in-state and out-of-state students. The registrar’s fee notes add that the DNP does not assess non-resident tuition at any regional site either. Summer terms are billed on a separate schedule; Summer 2026 was $1,075 per credit, and the Summer 2027 rate is not yet published. Both DNP plans include three summer terms, so estimates at the full $1,129 rate slightly overstate the likely total.
| Pathway | Credits | Est. Tuition (All Students) |
|---|---|---|
| DNP – PC (catalog) | 75 | $84,675 |
| DNP – PC (plan of study) | 73 | $82,417 |
| DNP – AC | 74 | $83,546 |
| Post-DNP Certificate – PC (est.) | ~24 | ~$27,096 |
| Post-DNP Certificate – AC (est.) | ~26 | ~$29,354 |
Totals are calculated from the published per-credit rate and credit requirements; UIC does not publish program totals.
Fees Beyond Tuition
Each fall and spring semester adds professional fees and assessments on top of tuition (Chicago campus, 2026–2027):
- 6 to 11 credits: $1,773 in fees plus $424 in assessments, $2,197 per semester
- 1 to 5 credits: $1,635 in fees plus $212 in assessments, $1,847 per semester
- Both figures include the $753 Campus Care health insurance fee, which is waived with proof of other insurance
- CTA U-Pass is opt-in at $163, or $380 with Metra
- Peoria, Rockford, and Urbana students pay a different fee mix; Rockford and Peoria do not assess the U-Pass
Across the eight fall and spring terms in each published plan, that comes to about $17,200 (PC) to $17,600 (AC) at current rates, of which about $6,000 is the waivable insurance fee. Summer fees follow a separate, lower schedule.
Key Cost Takeaways
- The flat rate matters only to residents of bordering states who live near a campus, because of the commuting-distance rule
- Nurses with employer health coverage can cut about $6,000 from fees by waiving Campus Care
- Post-DNP certificate students cannot use federal financial aid
See UIC’s professional tuition and fee tables and the College of Nursing cost page.
Why Choose This PNP Program?
Best suited for: nurses in Illinois or a bordering state, living near Chicago, Peoria, Rockford, or Urbana, who want a doctorate and would rather not hunt for pediatric preceptors.
Acute Care From the BSN Level
Many schools offer pediatric acute care only as a post-graduate certificate. UIC lets a BSN nurse with a year of pediatric acute care experience enter a CPNP-AC track directly, with the same practicum hours and tuition rate as primary care.
Faculty-Arranged Placement at Four Campuses
Program directors choose sites and assign preceptors for all 1,035 hours. Because pediatric preceptors are harder to find than family practice preceptors, this matters more for a PNP student than for most NP students.
Behavioral Health Add-On for Primary Care
PNP-PC students can add the five-course Primary Care Mental Health concentration, a meaningful option for nurses who expect to manage anxiety, ADHD, and depression in pediatric primary care. It requires a separate application and adds cost.
Drawbacks
- DNP only: about four years and 73 to 75 credits, with no MSN route
- Enrollment limited to nurses within commuting distance of a pediatric campus
- Pediatric coursework does not begin until Year 3 on the primary care track
The Verdict
UIC is a strong fit for a pediatric nurse near one of its four campuses who wants a doctorate, especially a PICU or pediatric ED nurse aiming for CPNP-AC without first earning a primary care credential. Nurses outside commuting range cannot enroll. Nurses who want the fastest route to PNP practice should compare MSN programs, which reach the same certification in fewer credits.
Accreditation
The DNP program and post-graduate APRN certificate program at the UIC College of Nursing are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). The university is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
UIC directs primary care graduates to the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board for certification (CPNP-PC) and states that acute care graduates are eligible for the pediatric acute care board certification exam (CPNP-AC, also administered by PNCB).
Research More Pediatric NP Programs
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