Legal Qualifications for Licensure in Kansas

Before graduation form the nursing program, an RN candidate must submit a written application to the Kansas State Board of Nursing (KSBN) and the National Council of State Boards of Nursing to take the NCLEX-RN exam to obtain licensure; an APRN candidate must submit an application to the KSBN and pass a national specialty certification exam to obtain licensure. Admission to the KU School of Nursing does not guarantee graduation from the program, and graduation does not guarantee eligibility to take the relevant exams.

Potential Limits to Receiving a License

There are a number of reasons the KSBN may deny, revoke, limit or suspend a nursing license. These include fraud or deceit in practicing nursing or in procuring a license, holding a felony conviction, being incompetent, being unable to practice due to abuse of drugs or alcohol, being judged in need of a guardian, exhibiting unprofessional conduct, having violated the provisions of the Kansas Nurse Practice Act, having action taken against your nursing license in another state, and assisting in suicide.

No person who has been convicted of a felony against a person shall be licensed. In other felony or misdemeanor instances, the KSBN will investigate and make an individual decision.

Disclosure of Criminal Background/Substance Abuse

Students should notify KU Student Affairs if they are convicted of an offense while enrolled in their program.

Clinical affiliates and their accrediting agencies require criminal background checks and urine drug screens of all students to maintain safety of their patients. If selected for admission to a KU nursing program, you must consent to a background check to disclose any felony or misdemeanor convictions. Graduates of the nursing program will be asked to submit to an additional criminal background check as part of the process for applying to take the NCLEX-RN examination and/or APRN licensure.

Additional requirements and/or disclosures may become necessary throughout the course of the program. Non-compliance with all mandates may result in termination from the program. All fees associated with these requirements will be the financial responsibility of the student.

Licensure Disclosures

We encourage those interested in or enrolled a KU nursing program to visit the Kansas State Board of Nursing Practice Act (KS-NPA) website to download and review the Kansas Nurse Practice Act statute 65-1120 for further information. KSBN staff can answer additional questions relating to licensure.

Individual State Curriculum Educational Requirements

As of July 1, 2020, the U.S. Department of Education implemented Regulation 34 CFR 668.43 (a) (5) (v) that requires professional nursing programs to provide:

• a list of all states/jurisdictions where the institution’s curriculum meets state educational requirements for professional licensure or certification,
• a list of all states/jurisdictions where the institution’s curriculum does not meet state educational requirements for professional licensure or certification, and
• a list of all states/jurisdictions where the institution has not decided whether the curriculum meets education requirements.

To effectively inform prospective students, statements about nursing licensure have been added to each KU School of Nursing program website.

The following information, by state, is complete and accurate to the extent information is available from a variety of sources. Because licensure information continuously evolves, the School cannot guarantee completeness and accuracy. For more information about individual state’s requirements, please visit the National Council of State Boards of Nursing website.

* This state’s board of nursing determines licensure eligibility based upon the individual student’s completed transcript. Prospective students are encouraged to contact the state’s board of nursing.