Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| BSN-DNP | $117.5K | 3.75 years (15 quarters) | 117 quarter units |
Loma Linda charges one rate to all students, so there is no separate out-of-state figure.
Loma Linda’s defining advantage is guaranteed clinical placement: faculty assign every PMHNP rotation, so students never search for a preceptor. The trade-off is a hybrid schedule with campus sessions every quarter and rotations limited to the Inland Empire.
Quick Facts
| Program Types | BS to DNP only; no MSN or post-master’s certificate |
| Format | Hybrid: online coursework with on-campus exams, labs, and clinical meetings each quarter |
| Clinical Hours | 1,080: 570 advanced practice hours plus 510 DNP practicum hours |
| Clinical Placement | Faculty-assigned in Riverside and San Bernardino counties |
| Population | Across the lifespan |
| Distinctive Coursework | Nine units of required religion and ethics coursework in the DNP core |
| RN License Requirements | U.S. RN license to apply; California RN license before classes begin |
| RN Experience | One year full-time before clinical courses; no psychiatric experience required |
| Tuition | $117,468 in tuition and fees over four program years, about $1,004 per quarter unit |
| Enrollment Restriction | Distance students accepted from 27 states and three U.S. territories |
| Accreditation | CCNE (DNP) and WSCUC institutional |
BS to DNP, Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
The estimated tuition for the BS to DNP with a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner concentration at Loma Linda University is approximately $117,468 (117 quarter units at about $1,004 per unit, derived from the published cost of attendance).
The program can generally be completed in about 3 years and 9 months (15 quarters) of full-time study, or about five years part time.
DNP Curriculum
The 117 quarter units divide into three blocks: a 49-unit DNP core, a 49-unit PMHNP concentration, and a 19-unit DNP Practice Inquiry Project. The core is shared with every LLU DNP concentration and includes nine units of School of Religion coursework, which reflects the university’s Seventh-day Adventist identity.
The PMHNP block pairs four advanced practice courses with a seven-course psychiatric sequence that runs in order from NGPM 541 through a 7-unit practicum. Each course gates the next, so a deferred or failed course can push completion back by a quarter or more. The DNP project may be completed at the student’s own workplace.
- NGRD 621 and 622: Pharmacology in Advanced Practice I and II (2 and 3 units)
- NGRD 624: Advanced Health Assessment (4 units)
- NGRD 625: Advanced Clinical Pathophysiology (4 units)
- NGPM 549: PMHNP Skills Laboratory (1 unit)
- NGPM 541 to 545: Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner I through V (4, 6, 6, 6, and 6 units)
- NGPM 546: Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Practicum (7 units)
- NGRD 667 and 669A to 669F: DNP Practice Inquiry Project sequence (19 units)
More curriculum details are available here.
DNP Clinical Requirements
- Advanced practice hours: 570 hours across the PMHNP clinical sequence
- DNP practicum hours: 510 hours tied to the DNP project, documented in a portfolio
- Total: 1,080 hours; LLU’s program page describes this as at least 1,000 combined hours
- Placement: faculty arrange every rotation, as California Board of Registered Nursing regulations require
- Geography: rotations are assigned in the Inland Empire, in Riverside and San Bernardino counties
- Campus meetings: PMHNP clinical courses meet face to face at least four times per quarter
The 570 advanced practice hours clear the 500 faculty-supervised hours required to sit for national PMHNP certification. They sit below the 750 direct patient care hours the 2022 NTF Standards set for NP programs, and the 510 DNP hours are project work rather than patient care. Applicants who weigh clinical volume should ask LLU how the program meets the 750-hour standard. Assigned placement removes the preceptor search that delays many PMHNP students, but it also means no choice of site and regular driving within the two-county region.
You Should Know
- Placements stay in the Inland Empire. LLU does not place students elsewhere in California, and placements outside the state require approval from LLU’s Office of General Counsel.
DNP Admissions
Admission requires a BSN, a year of RN experience before clinical courses, and an optional faculty interview.
- Baccalaureate degree in nursing or equivalent from an accredited institution
- Minimum 3.0 GPA, both cumulative and in nursing coursework
- Current, unencumbered U.S. RN license at application; California RN license before classes begin
- One year of full-time RN experience before starting clinical courses; no psychiatric experience requirement is published
- Current American Heart Association BLS certification
- Two electronic recommendations, including one from a recent nurse manager or director
- Emotional Intelligence interview with faculty, if the admissions committee grants one
- NursingCAS application plus an LLU secondary application
- Residence in a state where LLU is authorized to enroll students
Up to 12 units of required core coursework may be taken as a nondegree student while an application is under review. Grades of B or higher count toward the degree after admission.
You Should Know
- Deadlines differ by source. The program page lists a final deadline of July 15, 2027, for autumn 2027 entry and September 15, 2027, for winter 2028. The graduate catalog lists earlier NP deadlines of April 1 for autumn and August 1 for winter.
- California licensure timing varies. The program page requires a California RN license before classes begin, while the catalog allows up to three quarters after matriculation. Plan for the earlier date.
Tuition
Loma Linda does not publish a per-unit rate for graduate nursing. Dividing the published four-year cost of attendance by the program’s 117 quarter units gives about $1,004 per quarter unit, covering tuition and fees. All totals below are estimates built from LLU’s published 2026-27 figures.
| Program Year | Tuition & Fees | Books & Supplies |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 (9 months) | $23,092 | $2,915 |
| Year 2 (12 months) | $28,112 | $1,560 |
| Year 3 (12 months) | $29,116 | $1,850 |
| Year 4 (12 months) | $37,148 | $550 |
| Total | $117,468 | $6,875 |
LLU bills by the quarter and publishes these totals as an annual cost of attendance based on full-time study. As a private university, it charges the same rate to California residents and out-of-state students.
- Tuition and fees: $117,468 over four program years
- Books, materials, and supplies: $6,875 over four program years
- Rate per quarter unit: about $1,004, derived from the published total
Be aware that:
- Costs rise each year. LLU states that amounts increase annually with inflation, so a student entering in 2026 will pay more than this schedule.
- Quarter units are not semester credits. About $1,004 per quarter unit equals roughly $1,506 per semester-credit equivalent.
- Travel is not included. Campus sessions and assigned rotations both require driving within the Inland Empire.
- Part-time study does not lower the total. The same units are spread over about five years.
The realistic all-in cost is about $124,000 before travel and living expenses. LLU reports that 70% to 75% of its nursing students receive financial aid, and half-time status for graduate aid is four units per quarter. See the official cost of attendance.
Why Choose This PMHNP Program?
Best suited for BSN-prepared nurses in the Inland Empire who want a PMHNP doctorate and would rather have every rotation assigned than recruit their own preceptors.
A placement guarantee in a field where preceptors are scarce. LLU states that faculty arrange every clinical rotation and that students never find their own site. For PMHNP students, who often lose months searching for psychiatric preceptors, that removes the most common cause of delayed graduation.
Doctoral entry with no psychiatric experience gate. Applicants need one year of RN experience in any setting before clinical courses, not a background in mental health. Up to 12 units of core coursework can be started as a nondegree student before an admission decision.
The honest drawbacks are geography and cost. Campus sessions recur every quarter and rotations stay in two counties, so the program does not fit nurses outside commuting range of Loma Linda. There is no MSN or certificate route, and at about $117,500 in tuition and fees over nearly four years, the doctorate is the only way in.
Accreditation
The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) accredits Loma Linda University School of Nursing’s baccalaureate, master’s, and Doctor of Nursing Practice programs. The PMHNP concentration sits within the DNP, so it is covered by that accreditation.
Loma Linda University is institutionally accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC), which supports eligibility for federal financial aid and the transfer of credits. All School of Nursing programs are approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing.
LLU states that graduates are prepared for California nurse practitioner certification and for the national PMHNP certification exam through the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC).
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