Online MSN Programs in 2026
224 fully online Master of Science in Nursing programs across 104 schools — no relocation required. Coursework is delivered online; nurse practitioner tracks add supervised clinical hours arranged in your own community.
What "online MSN" actually means
- Non-clinical tracks run fully online. Nurse educator, nursing administration, and informatics carry practicum hours usually completed at your current workplace.
- NP tracks are online coursework plus 500–750 in-person clinical hours. Ask whether the school places you or expects you to find your own preceptor — this is the most common reason students stall.
- Accreditation is the one non-negotiable. CCNE or ACEN, verified with the accreditor, determines certification eligibility and federal aid.
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Tell us your location and specialty track to see online MSN options with clinical placement support near you.
Lowest-Tuition Online MSN Programs — 2026
Sorted by published total tuition, lowest first. Programs that do not publish a price sort last rather than being dropped — an unlisted price is not a low one.
Showing 40 of 224 online MSN programs; the specialty sections below cover the rest. Published total tuition is available for 108 of the 224 programs loaded here. Verify current pricing and clinical placement policy directly with each school.
Online MSN Programs by Specialty (2026)
MSN specialty tracks differ far more than the shared degree name suggests — in clinical hour requirements, certification exam, and what the credential lets you do. These are the online tracks with enough accredited inventory to compare.
Online MSN FNP Programs
64 programs · Family Nurse Practitioner
The largest NP track by enrollment. Coursework covers primary care across the lifespan, and clinical hours are arranged locally, which is why the online format is the norm rather than the exception.
Showing 8 of 64 Family Nurse Practitioner programs. Tuition figures are from published program data — verify current pricing directly with each school.
Online MSN PMHNP Programs
46 programs · Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
The fastest-growing prescriber specialty, driven by a national shortage of psychiatric providers. Telepsychiatry has made fully online coursework standard, and salary premiums are among the highest of any NP track.
Showing 8 of 46 Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner programs. Tuition figures are from published program data — verify current pricing directly with each school.
Online MSN AGACNP Programs
4 programs · Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner
Prepares nurses for high-acuity inpatient practice in ICUs, emergency departments, and hospitalist teams. Programs expect prior acute-care RN experience and place clinical hours in hospital settings.
Online MSN AGPCNP Programs
8 programs · Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner
Focused on adults and older adults in primary care, including complex chronic disease and geriatric management. Demand tracks the aging population and the primary care physician shortage.
Online MSN Nurse Educator Programs
38 programs · Nurse Educator
Prepares nurses to teach in academic and clinical-staff development settings. The nurse faculty shortage is itself a documented cause of program waitlists, and this track requires no prescriptive practice hours, so it runs well fully online.
| Program / School | Tuition | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| MSN — Nurse Educator Fort Hays State University · KS | $12,500 | 24 mo |
| MSN — Nursing Education National University · AL | $13,500 | 24 mo |
| MSN — Nurse Educator Pittsburg State University · KS | $14,000 | 24 mo |
| MSN — Nurse Educator University of West Georgia · GA | $16,000 | 24 mo |
| MSN — Nurse Educator South Dakota State University · SD | $16,000 | 24 mo |
| MSN — Nurse Educator University of Cincinnati · AL | $16,920 | 24 mo |
| MSN — Nursing Education University of South Florida · AL | $17,280 | 24 mo |
| MSN — Nursing Education Western Governors University · AL | $18,000 | 24 mo |
Showing 8 of 38 Nurse Educator programs. Tuition figures are from published program data — verify current pricing directly with each school.
Online MSN Nursing Administration Programs
40 programs · Nursing Administration & Leadership
A non-clinical track covering health systems leadership, finance, quality, and operations. Coursework maps to nurse manager and director roles rather than to a certification exam.
| Program / School | Tuition | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| MSN — Nursing Leadership American Public University System · AL | $9,720 | 24 mo |
| MSN — Nursing Administration National University · AL | $13,500 | 24 mo |
| MSN — Nursing Administration University of Cincinnati · AL | $16,920 | 24 mo |
| MSN — Nursing Administration University of Tennessee at Knoxville · AL | $18,000 | 24 mo |
| MSN — Nursing Administration Florida State University · AL | $18,000 | 24 mo |
| MSN — Leadership & Management Western Governors University · AL | $18,000 | 24 mo |
| MSN — Nursing Administration Indiana State University · AL | $18,000 | 24 mo |
| MSN — Health Systems Administration Arizona State University · AL | $18,480 | 18 mo |
Showing 8 of 40 Nursing Administration & Leadership programs. Tuition figures are from published program data — verify current pricing directly with each school.
Online MSN Nursing Informatics Programs
13 programs · Nursing Informatics
Sits between nursing practice and health IT — EHR optimization, clinical decision support, and data governance. One of the few nursing graduate tracks with no clinical placement requirement at all.
| Program / School | Tuition | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| MSN — Nursing Informatics Aspen University · AL | $18,000 | 24 mo |
| MSN — Nursing Informatics Western Governors University · AL | $18,000 | 24 mo |
| MSN — Nursing Informatics Liberty University · AL | $19,980 | 24 mo |
| MSN — Nursing Informatics University of Michigan — Flint · AL | $20,736 | 24 mo |
| MSN — Nursing Informatics Grand Canyon University · AL | $22,050 | 24 mo |
| MSN — Nursing Informatics Purdue University Global · AL | $23,625 | 30 mo |
| MSN — Informatics University of Texas at Arlington · AL | $24,120 | 24 mo |
| MSN — Nursing Informatics University of Maryland — Baltimore · AL | $25,920 | 24 mo |
Showing 8 of 13 Nursing Informatics programs. Tuition figures are from published program data — verify current pricing directly with each school.
How clinical placement works in an online program
This is the practical difference between online MSN programs, and it is rarely on the tuition page. Some schools operate a placement office that secures your clinical site and preceptor; others provide a database and require you to arrange placement yourself, which in saturated metro areas can add a full term to your timeline.
Ask three questions before you enroll: does the school place students or do you, does it hold existing affiliation agreements in your state, and what happens to your progression if a placement falls through. Non-clinical tracks — educator, administration, informatics — largely sidestep this, which is part of why they finish faster.
Related MSN Pages
Can you complete an MSN entirely online?
Are online MSN programs accredited?
How much does an online MSN cost?
How long does an online MSN take?
Which online MSN specialty should you choose?
Will employers treat an online MSN differently?
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