Pennsylvania RN licensure 2026: $100 fee, 4–6 weeks
Last reviewed: by Jayson Minagawa, BSN, RN
Pennsylvania licensure at a glance
| Board of nursing | Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing |
| Endorsement fee | $100 |
| Processing time quoted | 4–6 weeks |
| Renewal cycle | 2 years (biennial) |
| Continuing education | 30 contact hours per 2-year cycle, incl. 2 on child abuse; one-time 2-hour organ donation course |
| Fingerprinting | Required for licensure by endorsement (FBI check via IdentoGO) |
Apply and check current fees at www.pa.gov/agencies/dos/programs/bpoa/boards-commissions/nursing.html.
Pennsylvania renewal and licensing rows checked 2026-09-26 against pa.gov (1, 2).
Pennsylvania RN license renewal: 2 years (biennial). Continuing education for Pennsylvania renewal: 30 contact hours per 2-year cycle, incl. 2 on child abuse; one-time 2-hour organ donation course.
Same in all 51: licensing · renewal · discipline · international · CEUs · defence.
Pennsylvania required CE topics, and free courses for them
Can Pennsylvania nurses finish CE for free? Partly: 2 of the 3 required topics Pennsylvania names for RN or LPN renewal have a free course; Organ and tissue donation and recovery did not.
Pennsylvania renewal CE: RN: 30 contact hours every 2 years, including 2 hours of child abuse recognition and reporting. LPN: 2 hours of child abuse recognition and reporting each 2-year renewal (no total-hours requirement is listed on the LPN snapshot).. Topics the Pennsylvania board names, checked Sep 2026:
- Child abuse recognition and reporting (Act 31): 2 contact hours · every renewal · RN/LPN/APRN. Source
Must be Board-approved / from a provider approved by the PA Department of Human Services and Department of State
Courses for Pennsylvania nurses: Recognizing and Reporting Child Abuse: Mandated and Permissive Reporting in Pennsylvania (3 h, free, account needed) - Child abuse recognition and reporting, initial licensure: 3 contact hours · one-time (before initial licensure) · RN/LPN/APRN. Source
Provider approved by the PA Department of Human Services
Courses for Pennsylvania nurses: Recognizing and Reporting Child Abuse: Mandated and Permissive Reporting in Pennsylvania (3 h, free, account needed) - Organ and tissue donation and recovery: 2 contact hours · one-time within 5 years (from May 1, 2026) · RN/APRN. Source
No free course found for Pennsylvania's version of this yet. - CRNP pharmacology (with prescriptive authority): 16 contact hours · every renewal · APRN. Source
No free course found for Pennsylvania's version of this yet. - CRNP opioid education, initial (ABC-MAP / Act 124): 4 contact hours · one-time, within 1 year of prescriptive authority approval · APRN. Source
CRNP program, Board-approved advanced pharmacology provider, or CRNP CE provider listed in 49 Pa. Code 21.334(a)
No free course found for Pennsylvania's version of this yet. - CRNP opioid education, renewal (ABC-MAP / Act 124): 2 contact hours · every renewal · APRN. Source
Board-approved CRNP CE provider listed in 49 Pa. Code 21.334(a)
No free course found for Pennsylvania's version of this yet.
Every free course, with filters: free CEUs for Pennsylvania nurses.
Compact status: Not a compact state
Pennsylvania issues no multistate license. Whatever your compact license covers, Pennsylvania needs its own — apply before you agree a start date. Compact map.
Getting licensed in Pennsylvania
Endorsing into Pennsylvania runs through the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing at $100, quoted at 4–6 weeks, with no second NCLEX. Because Pennsylvania is outside the compact, travel assignments here need a Pennsylvania license in hand before you start — build the processing time into any contract start date you agree to.
Advanced practice in Pennsylvania
Whether an NP may prescribe independently in Pennsylvania is set by the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing and moves by legislative session. Check it before accepting an APRN role there.
Practice environment
Staffing ratios: HB 106 ("Patient Safety Act") passed PA House, awaiting Senate. Would impose unit-specific ratios. Pending as of April 2026.
UPMC and Penn Medicine anchor mega-employer dynamics; Patient Safety Act mandates staffing committees. 2025-2026 update: HB 106 (Patient Safety Act 2.0) passed PA House, awaiting Senate — would impose unit-specific ratios.
Common questions
Does Pennsylvania accept a compact nursing license?
No — Pennsylvania is not a Nurse Licensure Compact state, so a multistate license does not reach it. You need a Pennsylvania license of its own.
Endorsing a license into Pennsylvania: cost and wait?
$100 to the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing, which quotes 4–6 weeks. Nursys verifies electronically.
Who regulates Pennsylvania nursing?
The Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing, at www.dos.pa.gov/ProfessionalLicensing/BoardsCommissions/Nursing.
Licensure in states bordering Pennsylvania
New York · New Jersey · Delaware · Maryland · West Virginia · Ohio.
Related Pennsylvania guides
Pennsylvania RN salary data · travel nursing in Pennsylvania · compact license map · national licensing guide.