Massachusetts RN licensure 2026: $225 fee, TBD
Last reviewed: by Jayson Minagawa, BSN, RN
Massachusetts licensure at a glance
| Board of nursing | Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing |
| Endorsement fee | $225 |
| Processing time quoted | TBD |
| Renewal cycle | 2 years, renewed on your birthday in even-numbered years |
| Continuing education | 15 contact hours per 2-year cycle; one-time dementia course if serving adults |
Apply and check current fees at www.mass.gov/orgs/board-of-registration-in-nursing.
Massachusetts renewal and licensing rows checked 2026-09-26 against malegislature.gov, mass.gov.
Massachusetts RN license renewal: 2 years, renewed on your birthday in even-numbered years. Continuing education for Massachusetts renewal: 15 contact hours per 2-year cycle; one-time dementia course if serving adults.
Same in all 51: licensing · renewal · discipline · international · CEUs · defence.
Massachusetts required CE topics, and free courses for them
Can Massachusetts nurses finish CE for free? Yes: every required CE topic Massachusetts names for RN or LPN renewal has a free course, 2 of 2.
Massachusetts renewal CE: 15 contact hours every 2 years. Topics the Massachusetts board names, checked Sep 2026:
- Cognitive impairment, including Alzheimer's disease and dementia (RNs serving adults): one-time · RN. Source
Courses for Massachusetts nurses: Dementia and Alzheimer's Disease: Tools for Early Identification, Assessment, and Treatment (1 h, completely free) - Domestic violence and sexual violence training: one-time (unless the Board requires otherwise) · RN/LPN/APRN. Source
Program or course approved by the Board in consultation with the Department of Public Health
Courses for Massachusetts nurses: Training for Licensed Professionals to Meet Chapter 260 Requirements - 2026 (free, account needed) - Pain management and opioid training (controlled substance prescribers): condition of obtaining and renewing the license · APRN. Source
No free course found for Massachusetts's version of this yet.
Every free course, with filters: free CEUs for Massachusetts nurses.
Compact status: Not a compact state
Massachusetts issues no multistate license. Whatever your compact license covers, Massachusetts needs its own — apply before you agree a start date. Compact map.
Getting licensed in Massachusetts
Endorsing into Massachusetts runs through the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing at $225, quoted at TBD, with no second NCLEX. Because Massachusetts is outside the compact, travel assignments here need a Massachusetts license in hand before you start — build the processing time into any contract start date you agree to.
Advanced practice in Massachusetts
Whether an NP may prescribe independently in Massachusetts is set by the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing and moves by legislative session. Check it before accepting an APRN role there.
Practice environment
Staffing ratios: Existing 2014 ICU 1:1/1:2 law. Active 2025-2026 bill S.1522 would expand to statewide unit limits.
ICU 1:1/1:2 ratio law (958 CMR 8.00); Boston academic-medicine hub (MGH, Brigham, BIDMC). 2025-2026 update: S.1522 active in legislature would expand staffing ratios statewide.
Common questions
Does Massachusetts accept a compact nursing license?
No — Massachusetts is not a Nurse Licensure Compact state, so a multistate license does not reach it. You need a Massachusetts license of its own.
Endorsing a license into Massachusetts: cost and wait?
$225 to the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing, which quotes TBD. Nursys verifies electronically.
Who regulates Massachusetts nursing?
The Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing, at www.mass.gov/orgs/board-of-registration-in-nursing.
Licensure in states bordering Massachusetts
Rhode Island · Connecticut · New York · Vermont · New Hampshire.
Related Massachusetts guides
Massachusetts RN salary data · travel nursing in Massachusetts · compact license map · national licensing guide.