State guide: North Dakota

Spring Arbor clinicals in North Dakota

Updated September 24, 2026 · Reviewed by the Spring Arbor Preceptor placement team

North Dakota is on Spring Arbor's authorized list and in the nurse compact. It also runs one of the more detailed checks on distance programs, and that check explicitly includes nurse practitioner education. Before you line up a site, confirm SAU is on the North Dakota Board of Nursing's current recognized list.

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Spring Arbor nursing clinicals in North Dakota: possible for MSN NP tracks: FNP, AGPCNP, PMHNP, PNP, Nurse Educator and MSN/MBA, Post-master's certificates, DNP (Strategic Leadership), RN-to-BSN. RN license: in the compact. NP practice: full. — North Dakota on Spring Arbor's nursing state authorization list: authorized; RN license in the compact; NP practice full (AANP).

SAU's programs and North Dakota

SAU's list opens the door; approvals happen rotation by rotation. Faculty review each preceptor and site; the 2023-24 catalog's four-week lead time for the clinical agreement, affiliation and preceptor verification forms applies here as everywhere. The paperwork page explains each piece.

SAU nursing programs and North Dakota clinicals (SAU state authorization page, checked 2026-09-24)
SAU program group	Clinicals in North Dakota?	Check
NP tracks: FNP, AGPCNP, PMHNP, PNP-PC	Authorized by SAU	NDBON recognition covers APRN programs
Nurse Educator and MSN/MBA	Authorized by SAU	Ask whether recognition is needed
Post-master's certificates	Authorized by SAU	NP certificates fall under recognition
DNP (Strategic Leadership)	Authorized by SAU	Ask about NUR 880 sites
RN-to-BSN	No outside preceptor	Post-licensure BSN not described as covered

How NDBON recognizes distance programs

The North Dakota Board of Nursing keeps a recognition process for distance programs that put students into North Dakota facilities, and it defines the students it covers as those heading toward LPN, RN or APRN licensure. NP programs are therefore in scope. A school asks for recognition 60 days ahead of any planned student activity and pays the Board an annual fee.

Recognition isn't a one-time event. Every semester, before students start, the school sends the Board a packet: who the students are and their North Dakota or compact licenses, which facilities and courses are involved, the names, resumes and licenses of preceptors and faculty, the affiliation agreements, and each facility's confirmation that it has room. The Board publishes a list of recognized programs for 2026-2027; ask your program director whether SAU is on it for your track.

The statutes underneath

Two North Dakota statutes frame this. NDCC 43-12.1-17(1) expects an out-of-state program to hold approval from the nursing board where it is headquartered, which for SAU is Michigan. NDCC 43-12.1-04(12) then lets students of a recognized out-of-state program practice nursing in North Dakota once the Board has been told in writing, subject to space at the clinical site. Any college granting degrees to North Dakota students must also be cleared by the state's higher education board, either authorized or exempted, and NDBON will take NC-SARA approval as evidence of that; SAU says it holds NC-SARA approval.

NP practice, the APRN Compact and where to look

AANP lists North Dakota as full practice. The state also enacted the APRN Compact on March 9, 2021, but that compact needs seven states before it operates and only five have signed on, so there is no multistate APRN license yet. For the NP practicum, SAU's 2023-24 catalog names three kinds of preceptor: certified NPs, physicians and PAs.

Fargo and Bismarck lead, with Grand Forks and Minot smaller. Systems to approach include Sanford Health, Trinity Health in Minot, Essentia Health, CHI St. Alexius Health in Bismarck and, in Grand Forks, Altru Health System. Both Fargo's and Grand Forks' metro areas straddle the Red River into Minnesota. Minnesota stays outside the compact, so a clinic over there calls for a Minnesota license plus your program director's agreement.

Licensing, and why SAU students here choose us

North Dakota has honored multistate licenses since January 2018, so either a North Dakota multistate license or the one issued by your own compact home state will do. The Board's semester packet asks for that license information, so have it ready. See RN license for clinicals.

Our North Dakota search matches leads to your SAU track, and we collect what both SAU and the Board's packet need, including resumes and licenses, well before SAU's four-week mark. SAU's faculty give the approval, with one set of documents serving both reviews. Contact us.

FAQ

Questions Spring Arbor students ask

Is SAU on NDBON's list of recognized distance programs?

SAU doesn't say publicly. NDBON's recognition process covers distance programs leading to APRN licensure, and the Board publishes its recognized list for 2026-2027. Ask your program director to confirm SAU's status for your track before you ask a preceptor to commit.

Why would North Dakota want my preceptor's resume?

Recognized distance programs send the Board a semester packet before students begin, and it includes names, resumes and licenses for preceptors and faculty. SAU would file it, but your preceptor should expect the request, and it helps to collect those documents alongside SAU's own preceptor verification paperwork.

What if my best Fargo-area lead is across the river in Minnesota?

Minnesota is on SAU's authorized list, but it's outside the nurse compact, so you'd need a Minnesota license, and Minnesota's own rules would apply. Since SAU's online FAQ talks about choosing a preceptor in your home state, clear any Red River crossing with your program director first.

Does North Dakota's APRN Compact help me after graduation?

Not yet. North Dakota signed on to the APRN Compact in 2021, but the compact stays dormant until a seventh state enacts it, and the count is five. For now an NP needs a separate license in each state, so check each state's requirements for where you plan to practice.

Keep going

GuideBy stateWhere Spring Arbor University nursing students can do clinicals: not authorized in AL, AZ, LA and NY, Washington for residents only, and a guide for every state.StatesState authorizationSAU's nursing programs aren't authorized in AL, AZ, LA or NY; Washington is residents only; the DNP page adds Mississippi. What that means for clinicals.LicenseRN license for clinicalsSpring Arbor asks for an unrestricted RN license in your state of practice. What that means for your clinical state, compact licenses and moving mid-program.State guideMinnesotaMinnesota is authorized for Spring Arbor nursing but sits outside the compact. License rules, big-site requirements, faculty questions and where to look.State guideMontanaMontana is authorized for Spring Arbor nursing, and graduate clinicals need no Board approval. License rules, faculty questions and where to look for sites.State guideSouth DakotaYes, Spring Arbor authorizes South Dakota for nursing. SD board rules for out-of-state programs, the APRN Compact, full practice and finding a preceptor.

Last checked 2026-09-24

We check these pages against Spring Arbor's own published sources. SAU's nursing faculty and current catalog have the final word.

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