By 2030, Michigan is projected to be short more than 850 primary care doctors. These changes will disproportionately affect low-income citizens, with 72 of Michigan’s 83 counties having more than 3,500 for a single provider. Luckily, nurse practitioners are poised to fill these roles, helping provide the people of Michigan with the care they need.
In Michigan, nurse practitioners are required to practice under the supervision of a doctor, but they are still considered primary care providers and have many opportunities to consider. Here are the nurse practitioner programs available in the Wolverine State, including FNP programs, AGNP programs, and PNP programs.
Michigan NP Programs: Key Facts for 2026
| Accredited NP programs in MI | 12+ institutions on this page across UM Ann Arbor, UM Flint, Wayne State, MSU, GVSU, Oakland, EMU, and others |
| NP practice authority | Full practice authority since 2017 (HB 6121) — NPs can practice and prescribe independently after a 4-year (or 6,400-hour) collaborative period (MI Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs) |
| NP mean annual wage (MI) | Approximately $122,000 per BLS OEWS Michigan |
| National NP job outlook | 46% growth 2023-2033 per BLS OOH |
| Research-tier anchors | University of Michigan (Ann Arbor) and Wayne State University (Detroit) — top public-research nursing schools |
| UM Flint distinction | University of Michigan-Flint runs separate NP tracks distinct from UM Ann Arbor — some applicants confuse the two |
Michigan NP Program Comparison
The 12 schools below all hold CCNE accreditation and offer NP specialty tracks. See each program card further down for credit hours, clinical hours, and detailed track descriptions.
| School | NP Tracks | Delivery | Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andrews University | FNP — MSN, DNP | Online + on-campus | Berrien Springs (SW MI) |
| Davenport University | FNP — MSN | Hybrid | Grand Rapids |
| Eastern Michigan University | FNP, AGNP — MSN, DNP | Hybrid | Ypsilanti (Detroit metro) |
| Grand Valley State University | FNP, AGNP, PNP, PMHNP — MSN, DNP | Hybrid + clinical immersion | Allendale/Grand Rapids |
| Madonna University | FNP, AGNP — MSN, DNP | Hybrid | Livonia (Detroit metro) |
| Northern Michigan University | FNP — MSN, DNP | Online + clinical residency | Marquette (Upper Peninsula) |
| Oakland University | FNP, AGNP — MSN, DNP | Hybrid + sim labs | Rochester (Detroit metro) |
| Saginaw Valley State University | FNP — MSN, DNP | Hybrid | University Center (Saginaw) |
| Spring Arbor University | FNP, AGNP, PNP — MSN, post-grad cert | Online | Spring Arbor (private Christian) |
| University of Michigan Ann Arbor | FNP, AGNP, PMHNP, PNP — MSN, BSN-DNP | Campus + research | Ann Arbor (Public flagship) |
| University of Michigan-Flint | FNP, AGNP — MSN, DNP | Online + hybrid | Flint (Public) |
| Wayne State University | FNP, AGNP, PMHNP, PNP — MSN, BSN-DNP | Hybrid + Detroit Medical Center | Detroit (Public) |
Program Overview:
Andrews University is a Seventh-day Adventist school in Berrien Springs in southwest Michigan, about 100 miles east of Chicago and 12 miles from Lake Michigan. The College of Health and Human Services School of Nursing runs ACEN-accredited NP options anchored by a fully online DNP-FNP, distinctive among Michigan nursing schools for its faith framing and out-of-state reach. NP options at Andrews include:
Program Overview:
Davenport University was founded in 1866 and is now Michigan’s second-largest nonprofit university, headquartered in Grand Rapids. The College of Health Professions runs nursing programs with strong working-nurse positioning, including a BSN to FNP designed for online completion alongside in-state clinical placements. Davenport offers:
Program Overview:
Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, just southeast of Ann Arbor, is Michigan’s second-oldest public university. The College of Health and Human Services School of Nursing runs a Simulation & Virtual Reality Program that gives students structured high-tech practice before live clinicals. EMU’s NP slate includes five tracks:
Program Overview:
Grand Valley State runs its graduate nursing programs from the Cook-DeVos Center for Health Sciences in downtown Grand Rapids. GVSU was launched in 1962 to address West Michigan’s higher-ed gap and has since become a dominant nursing pipeline for Corewell Health, Trinity Health Grand Rapids, and the broader Spectrum and Helen DeVos network. Available NP pathways with multiple entry points include:
Program Overview:
Madonna University sits about 20 miles west of Detroit in Livonia and has been educating students since 1937 under a Felician Catholic tradition. The Nursing & Health Sciences department launched its first four-year nursing program in 1962 and now runs ten NP tracks across MSN, DNP, and dual-certification options — the most extensive AGNP and FNP slate in Michigan. Programs include:
Program Overview:
Michigan State’s College of Nursing started as the Department of Nursing Education in 1950, added MSN-level programs in 1976, and launched the DNP in 2016. The Janice Thompson Granger Nursing Learning Center and the Learning and Assessment Center give students access to high-fidelity simulation labs and clinical rooms before live placements at Sparrow Health, McLaren, and other mid-Michigan systems. MSU offers four DNP tracks plus two post-graduate pathways:
Program Overview:
Northern Michigan University sits on Lake Superior in Marquette, the only doctoral nursing option in the Upper Peninsula. The College of Health Sciences and Professional Studies School of Nursing runs hands-on training through the Rettig Nursing Technology Center simulation labs, paired with low-residency online delivery that lets UP-based nurses complete clinicals in their home community. NMU’s NP options:
Program Overview:
Oakland University sits about 20 miles north of Detroit in Rochester Hills, with strong clinical pipelines into Beaumont and Corewell East, Henry Ford, and Ascension Providence. The School of Nursing’s simulation lab gives students real-time clinical decision-making practice in a low-stakes environment before live rotations begin. Six NP options are available:
Program Overview:
Saginaw Valley State sits in Michigan’s Great Lakes Bay region, roughly an hour and three-quarters northwest of Detroit. SVSU runs small classes (about 22 students) and advertises the lowest tuition among Michigan’s public universities, which makes it the cheapest entry point to a Michigan DNP. Available pathway:
Program Overview:
Spring Arbor’s School of Nursing & Health Sciences operates within the school’s Christian framing, with the program mission centered on transformative education and ethical, client-centered care. Among Michigan nursing schools, Spring Arbor’s distance-learning infrastructure is the most mature — the signature 7-1-7 calendar (seven weeks of class, one week off, then another seven-week course) anchors all nine NP options:
Program Overview:
The University of Michigan School of Nursing in Ann Arbor traces its roots to 1873. The 2016 nursing building added a Clinical Learning Center with high-fidelity manikins, and Michigan Medicine’s NIH-funded research depth gives Ann Arbor students access to one of the most research-active nursing programs in the country. UM’s 2019 cohort of Primary Care Family Nurse Practitioner graduates posted a 100% board pass rate. Several NP, DNP, and dual-certification options are available:
- BSN to FNP Primary
- BSN to DNP FNP Primary
- BSN to FNP Primary/Nurse-Midwifery
- BSN to DNP FNP Primary/Nurse-Midwifery
- BSN to AGNP Acute
- BSN to DNP AGNP Acute
- BSN to AGNP Primary
- BSN to DNP AGNP Primary
- BSN to PNP Primary
- Post-Graduate MSN to FNP Primary
- Post-Graduate MSN to AGNP Acute
- Post-Graduate MSN to AGNP Primary
Program Overview:
UM Flint runs the Center for Simulation & Clinical Innovation, where students rehearse teamwork, communication, and clinical performance through high-tech simulation before clinical placements. The Flint campus has a distinctive stacked-degree structure that lets students sit for NP exams after the MSN portion and start practicing while finishing the doctoral capstone. Six NP pathways are available, including RN-entry options for ADN-level nurses:
Program Overview:
Wayne State’s College of Nursing dates to the late 1940s, though the WSU School of Medicine itself goes back to 1868 when five Detroit physicians founded the institution after observing Civil War battlefield medicine. Today the college runs ten NP pathways with strong urban-research positioning, anchored by Detroit Medical Center, Henry Ford, and the broader Detroit safety-net hospital network. NP tracks include:
- BSN/MSN to DNP FNP
- BSN/MSN to DNP AGNP Acute Care
- BSN/MSN to DNP AGNP Primary Care
- BSN to MSN PNP Acute Care
- BSN to MSN PNP Primary Care
- BSN/MSN to DNP PNP Acute Care
- BSN/MSN to DNP PNP Primary Care
- Post-Graduate Certificate AGNP Acute Care
- Post-Graduate Certificate PNP Acute
- Post-Graduate Certificate PNP Primary
Michigan NP Salary and Career Outlook
The mean annual wage for NPs in Michigan is approximately $122,000 per BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics for MI. Detroit metro and Ann Arbor pay typically run above the state mean given the concentration of academic medical centers (Michigan Medicine, Detroit Medical Center, Henry Ford Health, Beaumont/Corewell Health, Spectrum/Corewell Health West). Nationally, NP employment is projected to grow 46% from 2023 to 2033 per BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook. Michigan’s 2017 grant of full practice authority continues to expand NP-led primary care access, particularly in the Upper Peninsula and rural Lower Peninsula counties.
Michigan NP Licensure Requirements
NP licensure in Michigan is administered by the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) Board of Nursing. Candidates must complete a CCNE- or ACEN-accredited graduate NP program, pass a national certification exam (AANP or ANCC depending on specialty), and apply for Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) authorization. Michigan grants NPs full practice authority — independent practice and prescriptive authority — after completing 4 years (or 6,400 hours) in collaborative practice with a physician. The change took effect in 2017 under HB 6121. NPs prescribing controlled substances also need MI Controlled Substance and DEA registration.
Frequently Asked Questions About Michigan NP Programs
Can Michigan NPs practice independently?
Yes, after the collaborative practice period. Michigan grants full practice authority to APRNs after they complete 4 years (or 6,400 hours) of supervised practice with a physician. The framework took effect in 2017 under HB 6121 and puts MI in the full-practice-authority tier alongside Washington, Massachusetts, New York, and (as of 2024) North Carolina.
How much do NPs earn in Michigan?
The mean annual wage for NPs in MI is approximately $122,000 per BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. Detroit metro and Ann Arbor pay typically run above the state mean given the concentration of academic medical centers (Michigan Medicine, Detroit Medical Center, Henry Ford Health, Corewell Health).
What’s the difference between University of Michigan Ann Arbor and University of Michigan-Flint?
UM Ann Arbor and UM-Flint are separate campuses with distinct nursing programs and admission processes. UM Ann Arbor is the research-tier flagship with the broadest specialty catalog and Michigan Medicine clinical placements. UM-Flint runs MSN-FNP and AGNP tracks oriented toward central-Michigan working RNs with online-first delivery. Applying to one does not include the other.
How long does it take to become an NP in Michigan?
A BSN-to-MSN NP track typically takes 2 to 3 years full-time. A BSN-to-DNP takes 3 to 4.5 years. RN-to-MSN bridges from associate-degree RNs run 4 to 6 years total. Part-time pacing adds 1-2 years across these pathways.
Which Michigan NP programs are most affordable?
The public-system schools — UM Ann Arbor, UM-Flint, Wayne State, MSU, GVSU, Oakland, EMU, NMU, SVSU — carry the lowest per-credit tuition for MI residents. Among private programs, Madonna and Spring Arbor sit at the lower end of the private tier. Andrews and Davenport carry mid-range tuition. Per-credit cost alone doesn’t tell the full story — non-residents at the public schools pay differential rates that close the public-private gap.
Which Michigan NP programs are best for working RNs?
Spring Arbor’s online format, Northern Michigan’s online + clinical residency, and UM-Flint’s online-first MSN tracks all accommodate full-time work with minimal on-campus requirements. Hybrid programs at GVSU, EMU, Madonna, Oakland, and SVSU work for those who prefer some campus engagement. UM Ann Arbor and Wayne State have more on-campus components, trading flexibility for direct access to academic medical center clinical placements.
