Become a Nurse in Nebraska – Licensure & Requirements

Nebraska Nursing Licensure at a Glance

Nebraska is an eNLC (Nurse Licensure Compact) member state; endorsement applicants who hold an active license in another state and meet Nebraska's other temporary-permit requirements may receive a temporary license valid for 60 days or until the other state's license expires, whichever occurs first; and its Board of Nursing can be reached at (402) 471-4376.

Nebraska Nursing Salaries

^{Nurse salaries above were retrieved from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates, for Nebraska, the Lincoln, NE metropolitan area, and the Omaha, NE-IA metropolitan area.}

There are many paths to becoming a nurse in Nebraska. The path you take will mostly depend upon the type of nurse you’d like to become and your current or prospective level of education. The higher your level of education, the more opportunities you’ll have to choose where and how you pursue your career in nursing.

In addition to nursing salaries in Nebraska, you’ll find information on acquiring and maintaining several types of Nebraska nursing licensure. We’re constantly making updates, but with the speed of change in the healthcare sphere it’s difficult to stay current. If you have any comments or suggestions for our information on nursing in Nebraska, please email us at info@nursinglicensemap.com!

Compact State Status

Nebraska is a Nursing Licensure Compact state. This means a nurse whose primary state of residence is Nebraska, or another compact state, may hold one multistate license and practice in-person or via telehealth in any other compact state without applying for a separate license there.

Prescriptive Authority in Nebraska

Prescriptive authority is granted to nurse practitioners, certified registered nurse anesthetists, and certified nurse midwives at the time of licensure. APRNs who prescribe controlled substances directly to patients must separately obtain federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) registration; Nebraska does not issue its own state controlled-substance registration.

Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) in Nebraska

APRNs in Nebraska include certified nurse midwife (APRN-CNM), clinical nurse specialist (APRN-CNS), certified registered nurse anesthetist (APRN-CRNA), and nurse practitioner (APRN-NP).

Education: Master's Degree in Relevant Nursing Field

Examination: Varies for Different Certifications

Fees:

• $68 Application Fee, reduced to $25 if the license will be issued within six months of the October 31 even-year expiration
• $75 Criminal Background Check
• Certification Examination Fee (Varies for Different Certifications)

Experience: Varies for Different Certifications

Certification Required: National Certification in Nursing Specialty

Additional Information: An Active Nebraska Registered Nurse License Is Required for Application

Renewal: APRN licenses renew every two years and expire October 31 of even-numbered years, on the same cycle as the underlying RN license. The APRN renewal fee is $68. Continuing education and practice requirements are role-specific:

• Current national certification/recertification is required for all APRN roles.
• Nurse practitioners licensed more than five years from graduation must show at least 2,080 hours of practice as an APRN in the last five years, 500 hours of which must be in a clinical role with a direct nurse-patient relationship.
• Certified nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners are subject to a mandatory opiate-prescribing continuing education requirement in effect from 2020 through 2028.

Nurse midwives are exempt from continuing education unit (CEU) requirements, but a letter of reference from a licensed practitioner or certified nurse midwife (CNM) must be on file. This letter must address competency to practice as a CNM in order to renew the license. There are no specific continuing education requirements for certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) in Nebraska, although the Council on Certification/Recertification of Nurse Anesthetists requires continuing education and practice.

Learn more on how to become an advanced practice registered nurse.

Registered Nurse (RN) in Nebraska

Education: Two to four years of education at a college, hospital, or university in an approved nursing program.

Examination: NCLEX-RN

Fees:

• $123 Application Fee, reduced to $30.75 if the license will be issued within six months of the applicable October 31 expiration
• $200 Examination Fee
• $75 Criminal Background Check

Endorsement: Individuals with equivalent licensure in another state may apply for licensure through endorsement, subject to a $123 application fee, reduced to $30.75 if the license will be issued within six months of the applicable October 31 expiration. Registered nurses who hold an active license in another compact state need not apply for licensure in Nebraska, unless they plan to change their permanent residency to Nebraska.

Renewal: RN licenses renew every two years and expire October 31 of even-numbered years. RNs must submit the renewal notice, attest to having met the requirements of continued competency, and pay the renewal fee of $123. Each applicant for renewal is required to report any conviction for a misdemeanor or felony since the last renewal. Applicants are also required to report any discipline against any health care professional license in this state (other than nursing) or any health care professional license in any other state since the last renewal period.

Learn more on how to become a registered nurse.

Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) in Nebraska

Education: Nine months to one year of education in an approved nursing program.

Examination: NCLEX-PN

Fees:

• $123 Application Fee, reduced to $30.75 if the license will be issued within six months of the applicable October 31 expiration
• $200 Examination Fee
• $75 Criminal Background Check
• $68 Optional LPN-Certified Fee

Additional Information: Individuals currently holding an lpn license may apply to take the LPN-Certified (LPN-C) exam if they have successfully completed an approved certification course in the past year.

Endorsement: Individuals with equivalent licensure in another state may apply for licensure through endorsement, subject to a $123 application fee, reduced to $30.75 if the license will be issued within six months of the applicable October 31 expiration. Licensed practical nurses who hold an active license in another compact state need not apply for licensure in Nebraska, unless they plan to change their permanent residency to Nebraska.

Renewal: LPN licenses renew every two years; all LPN licenses expire on October 31 of each odd-numbered year. Fee is $123, and renewal requirements are the same as the RN.

Learn more on how to become a licensed practical nurse.

Information Disclosure:

^{Application and endorsement fees above (including the conditional reduced-fee windows), the NCLEX examination fee, the criminal background-check fee, and the LPN October 31 odd-year renewal cycle were confirmed current against official Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services and Nebraska State Patrol sources, retrieved 2026-09-21. General license requirements above were retrieved from the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services – Nurse Licensing, as of January 2020, except where updated and cited above.}