How to get a single-state Registered Nurse license in North Carolina

North Carolina registered nurse licenses

North Carolina issues 2 registered nurse credentials. Each has its own section below; the table shows what each one covers and its headline requirements.

Applies to every license level

These rules are the same for every North Carolina registered nurse license on this page, so they are shown once here. Each license's own section lists only what differs.

What it covers

Ten components including assessing physical and mental health, recording and reporting assessments, planning/initiating/delivering/evaluating nursing acts, and teaching, assigning, delegating to or supervising other personnel.¹

Requirements

Education or training

Graduate from a Board-approved NC prelicensure nursing program, an NCSBN member-board-approved program equivalent to NC requirements, or a foreign program verified as equivalent (CGFNS or IEE) with English proficiency (IELTS 6.5 overall/6.0 modules or TOEFL 83).²
Who may teach it: Program completion is verified electronically by the program director, or by transcript sent directly from the program, National Student Clearinghouse or Parchment.²
Alternative: Foreign-educated applicants must also be eligible for RN licensure in the country where they studied.²

Exam

NCLEX-RN²
Given by: Pearson VUE²
When you can take it: Submit the Application for Licensure by Examination, meet the education requirement, show Pearson VUE registration and pay the application fee.²
Retakes: After a failure, submit a new Board application, testing-service registration and fees; retake eligibility follows NCSBN rules.²
Time limit: The examination application is valid for one year from filing or until Pearson VUE reports a pass or fail, whichever comes first.²
Exam waived: Endorsement applicants already licensed elsewhere are licensed without examination when the other jurisdiction's requirements are substantially equivalent.¹

Background check

Background check required¹
Fingerprints required¹
Written explanation and court documents for all convictions; no license while on probation or court monitoring; Board decides denial under G.S. 90-171.48 and 90-171.37.²

Social Security number

A valid US Social Security number is required.²⁴

Also required

Hold an unencumbered license in every jurisdiction where one is or was held; explain any discipline or drug-monitoring participation.²

Also required

Must be mentally and physically competent to practice nursing.¹

Fees

Each line is a separate charge as the board lists it. The board does not publish a combined total, so none is shown here.

The board's pages we cite do not list the exam fee; check it with the exam provider, Pearson VUE², when you schedule.

How to apply

1. Finish a Board-approved (or equivalent) prelicensure RN program; foreign graduates obtain a CGFNS or IEE equivalency report and English test scores.²
2. Register with Pearson VUE for the NCLEX-RN.²
3. Submit the online Application for Licensure by Examination to the NC Board of Nursing with the $75 fee.² portal.ncbon.com³
4. Complete the fingerprint-based criminal background check ($38) and send explanations/court documents for any convictions.¹
5. Pass the NCLEX-RN; the Board then reviews licensure criteria and issues the license for the rest of the biennial period.²

Apply online

portal.ncbon.com³

Temporary or provisional license

No temporary license for exam candidates; endorsement applicants may receive a non-renewable temporary license of up to six months.¹

Renewal

How often

Every 2 years¹

When it expires

Renew every two years by the last day of your birth month: online application, continuing-competence attestation and fee.²

Renewal fee

$100¹

Continuing education

At least 30 hours each renewal period²

Required topics

Each renewal: self-assessment of practice and a learning plan, then one learning-activity option completed in the preceding cycle.²
Alternative: 15 contact hours plus 640 hours of active practice in the previous two years.²

Approved courses

CE must relate to the nurse's practice; keep evidence (licensee, activity, provider, hours, date) for three years; renewals are subject to audit.²

Exemptions

Active-duty armed services members who get a tax-filing extension under G.S. 105-249.2 are exempt from renewal compliance.²

Late renewal

Late renewal fee: $180¹ (after expiry the license lapses; reinstatement fee (includes renewal) applies)

If it expires

Failure to renew forfeits the right to practice until reinstated.¹
Reinstatement requires an application, continuing-competence attestation, a criminal background check once the license has been expired 30 days, and the fee; after 5 or more years lapsed, a refresher course or active licensure elsewhere in the past five years.²
Inactive status: no renewal requirements but no practice; returning after more than five years requires a refresher course or recent active licensure elsewhere.¹

Renew online

portal.ncbon.com³

From another state

Who needs a single-state Registered Nurse license

Other rules on who may do this work:

• Students in approved nursing programs, CE programs or refresher courses may practice clinically under qualified faculty supervision.¹

Requirements for a single-state Registered Nurse license

The rules this license shares with every other level are under Applies to every license level.

Residency or citizenship

Single-state license: for applicants not residing in a compact (party) state, or who do not meet multistate requirements; valid only in North Carolina.⁴

Renewal and continuing education

Moving to North Carolina with a license from another state

These are the routes NCBON publishes for the single-state Registered Nurse license. The other registered nurse licenses have their own routes in their sections below.

Multistate Registered Nurse license

Requirements

Residency or citizenship

Multistate license only if North Carolina is your primary state of residence (home state) and you meet the compact's uniform requirements, including FBI/state fingerprint checks, no felony convictions and a valid SSN.⁴

From another state

The rules this license shares with every other level are under Applies to every license level.

Laws and rules

The requirements above come from these laws and board rules.

• G.S. 90-171.19 to 90-171.48 (Nursing Practice Act, Art. 9A)
• G.S. 90-171.27(b)
• G.S. 90-171.95 to 90-171.95N (Nurse Licensure Compact, Art. 9G)
• 21 NCAC 36 .0201-.0233 (licensure, renewal, endorsement, continuing competence)
• G.S. 93B-15.1 (military spouses)

Rule changes since January 2024

• March 1, 2025: 21 NCAC 36.0211 (licensure by examination) and.0218 (endorsement) amended.²

Common questions

Registered nurse (RN) licenses in other states

• Alabama
• Alaska
• Arizona
• Arkansas
• California
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• Delaware
• District of Columbia
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• Georgia
• Hawaii
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• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Maine
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• Michigan
• Minnesota
• Mississippi
• Missouri
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• Nevada
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• New Mexico
• New York
• North Dakota
• Ohio
• Oklahoma
• Oregon
• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island
• South Carolina
• South Dakota
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Utah
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• Virginia
• Washington
• West Virginia
• Wisconsin
• Wyoming