Indiana Nurse Practitioner license renewal and CE requirements
Indiana nurse practitioners must complete 30 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Indiana State Board of Nursing (Indiana Professional Licensing Agency).
An Indiana APRN license and an APRN prescriptive authority both expire on October 31 of every odd-numbered year, the same date as the Indiana registered nurse license. The renewal window opens 90 days before expiration. The underlying RN license (or the out of state compact RN license for an APRN Compact RN) must be active before the APRN credential can be renewed. An APRN Compact RN license instead carries the expiration date of the home state compact license.
Summary
Indiana nurse practitioners must complete 30 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Indiana State Board of Nursing (Indiana Professional Licensing Agency). An Indiana APRN license and an APRN prescriptive authority both expire on October 31 of every odd-numbered year, the same date as the Indiana registered nurse license. The renewal window opens 90 days before expiration. The underlying RN license (or the out of state compact RN license for an APRN Compact RN) must be active before the APRN credential can be renewed. An APRN Compact RN license instead carries the expiration date of the home state compact license. Indiana also mandates specific subjects. Pharmacology: 8 contact hours every renewal cycle (advanced practice registered nurses renewing prescriptive authority).
Indiana Nurse Practitioner renewal and continuing education rules
"Not stated" means the board's pages and rules we read do not address it. We do not fill in typical values.
| Renewal cycle | Two-year (24 months) |
|---|---|
| Renewal deadline | Same date for every licensee, 10/31 each cycleFirst renewal is prorated. |
| Continuing education required | Yes |
| Hours per cycle | 30 contact hours |
| Self-study or online cap | No cap stated |
| Carryover to next cycle | Not stated |
| First renewal exempt | Not stated |
The 30 hours are not layered on an RN base: Indiana requires no continuing education at all for renewal of the registered nurse or practical nurse license, and the board states that plainly. The continuing education attaches to the APRN's prescriptive authority. 848 IAC 5-1-3 and the board's own renewal instructions require at least 30 actual contact hours of continuing education during the two years immediately preceding renewal, including at least 8 contact hours of pharmacology, from a nationally approved sponsor of continuing education for advanced practice nurses. A current signed and dated written collaborative practice agreement must also be on file. A nurse practitioner who holds an APRN license but no prescriptive authority therefore has no Indiana continuing education requirement, since neither the RN license nor the APRN license alone carries one. Prorated first cycle: if prescriptive authority was granted less than 12 months before the expiration date, no continuing education is required; if it was granted at least 12 but less than 24 months before expiration, 15 contact hours including at least 4 hours of pharmacology are required, all completed after the authority was granted.
Required CE topics for Indiana nurse practitioners
State-specific subject mandates. Where a mandate applies only to some licensees, the scope is listed.
| Topic | Hours | Frequency | Applies to | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PharmacologyAt least 8 of the 30 contact hours must be pharmacology; it counts inside the 30, not on top. On a prorated first cycle of 15 hours, at least 4 must be pharmacology. Non-canonical topic key. | 8 contact hours | Every renewal | Advanced practice registered nurses renewing prescriptive authority | 848 IAC 5-1-3 |
Documentation and audit
| Proof submitted at renewal | Not stated |
|---|---|
| Keep records for | 3 years |
| Board audits compliance | Yes |
| Approved providers | Continuing education must be approved by a nationally approved sponsor of continuing education for advanced practice nurses, approved by the board. The board lists acceptable sponsoring organizations: the United States Department of Education, the Council on Post-Secondary Education, the Joint Commission, federal, state and local government agencies, accredited colleges and teaching institutions, a national organization of licensed advanced practice registered nurses, affiliated national, state, district or local organizations operating under one of those, and hospital internship or residency programs approved by one of them. The Indiana State Board of Nursing may audit up to 10 percent of licensees, and certificates of completion should be kept for 3 years from the date of renewal. |
Common questions
- How many CE hours does a Indiana NP need to renew?
- Indiana nurse practitioners must complete 30 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Indiana State Board of Nursing (Indiana Professional Licensing Agency). The 30 hours are not layered on an RN base: Indiana requires no continuing education at all for renewal of the registered nurse or practical nurse license, and the board states that plainly. The continuing education attaches to the APRN's prescriptive authority. 848 IAC 5-1-3 and the board's own renewal instructions require at least 30 actual contact hours of continuing education during the two years immediately preceding renewal, including at least 8 contact hours of pharmacology, from a nationally approved sponsor of continuing education for advanced practice nurses. A current signed and dated written collaborative practice agreement must also be on file. A nurse practitioner who holds an APRN license but no prescriptive authority therefore has no Indiana continuing education requirement, since neither the RN license nor the APRN license alone carries one. Prorated first cycle: if prescriptive authority was granted less than 12 months before the expiration date, no continuing education is required; if it was granted at least 12 but less than 24 months before expiration, 15 contact hours including at least 4 hours of pharmacology are required, all completed after the authority was granted.
- How often does a Indiana NP license need to be renewed?
- Nurse Practitioner licenses in Indiana renew every two years. An Indiana APRN license and an APRN prescriptive authority both expire on October 31 of every odd-numbered year, the same date as the Indiana registered nurse license. The renewal window opens 90 days before expiration. The underlying RN license (or the out of state compact RN license for an APRN Compact RN) must be active before the APRN credential can be renewed. An APRN Compact RN license instead carries the expiration date of the home state compact license.
- What specific CE topics are required for Indiana nurse practitioners?
- Pharmacology: 8 contact hours every renewal cycle (advanced practice registered nurses renewing prescriptive authority). Citations: pharmacology (848 IAC 5-1-3).
- Do Indiana nurse practitioners have to submit CE certificates at renewal?
- The board audits a sample of renewals and asks for documentation and records must be kept for 3 years. Continuing education must be approved by a nationally approved sponsor of continuing education for advanced practice nurses, approved by the board. The board lists acceptable sponsoring organizations: the United States Department of Education, the Council on Post-Secondary Education, the Joint Commission, federal, state and local government agencies, accredited colleges and teaching institutions, a national organization of licensed advanced practice registered nurses, affiliated national, state, district or local organizations operating under one of those, and hospital internship or residency programs approved by one of them. The Indiana State Board of Nursing may audit up to 10 percent of licensees, and certificates of completion should be kept for 3 years from the date of renewal.
Sources
Last verified September 8, 2026. Every value above was read from one of these.
- Nursing Licensing Information, Indiana Professional Licensing Agency (APRN, prescriptive authority and continuing education sections)State board page, accessed September 8, 2026
- Nursing Board, Indiana Professional Licensing AgencyState board page, accessed September 8, 2026
- 848 IAC 5-1-3 Renewal of authority to prescribe legend drugs (Cornell LII mirror of the Indiana Administrative Code)Third-party summary, accessed September 8, 2026
- Controlled Substance Registration, Indiana Professional Licensing AgencyState board page, accessed September 8, 2026
Indiana licenses the nurse practitioner as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse; the APRN rules in 848 IAC 4 and the prescriptive authority rules in 848 IAC 5 are written for advanced practice nursing as a whole rather than for the nurse practitioner role specifically, so this is the shared APRN rule. The 30 hours with 8 pharmacology hours and the October 31 odd-year expiration were both read on the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency's own nursing licensing page, and the rule text was confirmed through the Cornell LII mirror of 848 IAC 5-1-3 because Indiana publishes its administrative code only as PDF files, which were not downloaded. One topic key is outside the canonical list: pharmacology. No opioid topic is recorded: the board states that on July 1, 2025 the requirement that an applicant for initial controlled substance registration or renewal complete two hours of continuing education on opioid prescribing and opioid abuse expired, and applications submitted after that date do not need it. National certification is required to hold the Indiana APRN license but the board does not present it as a continuing education substitute. proof_at_renewal is left null because the two sources describe the mechanics differently: 848 IAC 5-1-3 says the applicant shall submit proof of the hours with the renewal, while the board's renewal instructions tell licensees to keep certificates of completion in case of an audit of up to 10 percent of licensees.
Provided for general reference. Requirements change through legislative sessions and rulemaking, so confirm with the Indiana State Board of Nursing (Indiana Professional Licensing Agency) before relying on them for a renewal. Spot something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.