UL Lafayette nursing accreditation and Board approval
SACSCOC accredits the University of Louisiana at Lafayette as a whole, and CCNE accredits its BSN, its DNP and, through the ICMSN, its MSN and post-graduate APRN certificate, every term running through December 31, 2033. The Louisiana State Board of Nursing fully approves the MSN and approves the PMHNP certificate, and the simulation program holds its own accreditation.
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Every approval at a glance
Four kinds of review stand behind UL Lafayette nursing, each from a different body with a different job. A regional accreditor reviews the university, CCNE reviews the nursing programs, the Louisiana State Board of Nursing approves programs to educate nurses in the state, and a simulation society reviews the labs.
| Body | What it covers | Status on record |
|---|---|---|
| SACSCOC | The university, at the bachelor's, master's and doctoral levels | Accredited; review dates are on SACSCOC's site |
| CCNE | BSN | Since Sep 27, 2008; term through Dec 31, 2033 |
| CCNE, held by the ICMSN | MSN | Since Sep 27, 2008; term through Dec 31, 2033 |
| CCNE, held by the ICMSN | Post-graduate APRN certificate | Since Mar 8, 2023; term through Dec 31, 2033 |
| CCNE | DNP | Since Sep 16, 2013; term through Dec 31, 2033 |
| Louisiana State Board of Nursing | MSN and PMHNP certificate | MSN fully approved; certificate approved |
| Society for Simulation in Healthcare | Simulation program | Full accreditation for a five-year period |
No UL Lafayette page claims ACEN accreditation. The sections below explain each record and what it means for your clinical courses.
SACSCOC: the university itself
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges accredits UL Lafayette at the institution level, covering its bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs together. The 2026-27 catalog states this in its general information section. SACSCOC's own site is where to check the university's standing and next review date, which the catalog does not list.
The institution has carried three names. It opened as Southwestern Louisiana Industrial Institute, authorized by 1898 legislation, with first classes on September 18, 1901. It became the University of Southwestern Louisiana in 1960 and took the name University of Louisiana at Lafayette in 1999, so older records may show an earlier name.
UL Lafayette also belongs to the University of Louisiana System, a public system of eight institutions serving more than 80,000 students. The system began in 1974 as the Board of Trustees for State Colleges and Universities and took its current name in 1998. It is a university system rather than an accreditor, and UL Lafayette is one of its eight members.
CCNE: four accredited nursing programs
The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education lists four UL Lafayette nursing programs in its directory. All four had their most recent review on March 8, 2023, and all four hold terms that end December 31, 2033.
- BSN: first accredited September 27, 2008, with the next on-site evaluation set for spring 2033.
- MSN: accredited under the ICMSN since September 27, 2008, with a spring 2033 on-site evaluation.
- Post-graduate APRN certificate: accredited under the ICMSN since March 8, 2023. This is the entry that covers the PMHNP post-master's certificate.
- DNP: UL Lafayette's own accreditation, first granted September 16, 2013, with a spring 2033 on-site evaluation.
Accreditation also shows up inside UL Lafayette's admission rules. The PMHNP certificate asks applicants for an MSN from a CCNE- or ACEN-accredited program, so the same kind of record this page describes decides who can enter that program.
Why the MSN's accreditation sits with the ICMSN
The MSN belongs to the ICMSN, the consortium UL Lafayette runs with McNeese State, Nicholls State and Southeastern Louisiana. CCNE lists the consortium, not each university, as the accredited unit for the master's program and the post-graduate APRN certificate. All four consortium schools are also members of the University of Louisiana System.
That structure explains features students notice. A course taught at a partner school counts toward your UL Lafayette MSN and appears in UL Lafayette's Moodle, and one ICMSN handbook sets the clinical procedures for all four schools. The ICMSN guide walks through how the shared MSN works day to day.
The DNP stands apart. It is UL Lafayette's own program with its own CCNE accreditation, first granted in 2013, so its rules come from UL Lafayette's catalog rather than the consortium handbook. The DNP program guide covers its residency and hours.
Louisiana State Board of Nursing approval
CCNE judges program quality; the Louisiana State Board of Nursing decides which programs may educate nurses in Louisiana. The 2026-27 catalog states that the MSN is fully approved by the Board and that the PMHNP certificate is approved by the Board. The Board's own list of approved programs shows the consortium's graduate programs, UL Lafayette's among them, and UL Lafayette's BSN with full approval.
In-state approval carries a practical advantage in clinical placement. A nursing program run from another state must get Board approval at least six months before offering clinical experiences in Louisiana, and those programs' students then compete for the same Louisiana preceptors. UL Lafayette's approval is already in place. Health systems check it too: Ochsner's student rules, which apply to every school, require nursing programs to be approved by the Board for clinical rotations.
The Board's preceptor rules, including the Louisiana license every preceptor must hold, are covered in Louisiana NP practice and preceptors.
Simulation program accreditation
The school's simulation program is accredited by the Society for Simulation in Healthcare through its Council for Accreditation of Healthcare Simulation. UL Lafayette describes it as full accreditation for a five-year period, with teaching and education as the focus area. The award date is not on the page, so the five-year window cannot be dated from public sources.
The accreditation stands behind the Simulation & Learning Labs, where the traditional BSN's senior course NURS 420 Bridge to Professional Practice runs high-fidelity simulation. The online MSN and the PMHNP certificate list no on-campus requirement in UL Lafayette's published pages, so for most graduate students the labs are part of the school's record rather than a room they visit. The labs, the 501 Building and the planned Regional Simulation Center are described on the campus and simulation page.
Names on the records, and where we fit
Accreditation and approval records do not always use today's names. The college is the College of Nursing and Health Sciences; its earlier name, College of Nursing and Allied Health Professions, still appears on the Board's approved-programs list and in the nursingalliedhealth web address. The school inside it is the LHC Group · Myers School of Nursing, named after a 2021 LHC Group investment, and the catalog prints the name with a bullet in place of the middle dot.
Accreditation and Board approval settle the program's standing; each practicum still needs a preceptor and site that fit Louisiana's rules. Regardless of how UL Lafayette approaches your placement, we deliver a match, preceptor plus clinical setting, that suits its rules, with the license, certification and site details ready for your course faculty. Read the clinical placement process or tell us your program on the contact page.
Questions UL Lafayette students ask
Is UL Lafayette's online MSN CCNE accredited?
Yes. In CCNE's directory, the master's program appears under the consortium's full name, the Intercollegiate Consortium for a Master of Science in Nursing, not under UL Lafayette alone. The current term runs through December 31, 2033, after a most recent review on March 8, 2023. The FNP, PMHNP and Nursing Education concentrations are part of that master's program.
Is the UL Lafayette DNP accredited separately from the MSN?
Yes. The DNP holds its own CCNE accreditation, first granted September 16, 2013, instead of sharing the consortium's. Its current term also runs through December 31, 2033, with the next on-site evaluation planned for spring 2033. Its program rules come from UL Lafayette's catalog rather than the ICMSN handbook.
Is the PMHNP post-master's certificate accredited?
Yes. CCNE lists a post-graduate APRN certificate under the ICMSN, first accredited March 8, 2023, with a term through December 31, 2033. UL Lafayette's 2026-27 catalog also states that the Louisiana State Board of Nursing approves the certificate. Applicants themselves need an MSN from a CCNE- or ACEN-accredited program.
Where can I verify UL Lafayette's nursing accreditation myself?
CCNE's online directory lists each accredited program with its first accreditation date, most recent review and term; search by Louisiana. The 2026-27 catalog states the SACSCOC accreditation and the Board approvals for the MSN and the PMHNP certificate. The Board's approved-programs list may show the college's earlier name.
Is the College of Nursing and Allied Health Professions the same as UL Lafayette's nursing college?
Yes. College of Nursing and Allied Health Professions is the earlier name of today's College of Nursing and Health Sciences. The 2026-27 catalog and UL Lafayette's directory use the new name, but the old one still appears on the Board of Nursing's list and in some web addresses. Nursing sits in its LHC Group · Myers School of Nursing.
Related pages
Last checked 2026-09-27
We check these pages against UL Lafayette's 2026-27 catalog, its online program and state authorization pages, the ICMSN student handbook and Louisiana's nursing rules. Your course faculty and your plan of study have the final word.
- UL Lafayette 2026-27 catalog: general information and accreditation
- CCNE directory: accredited master's programs in Louisiana
- CCNE directory: accredited DNP programs in Louisiana
- UL Lafayette 2026-27 catalog: Nursing, MSN, Family Nurse Practitioner Concentration
- LHC Group · Myers School of Nursing: Simulation & Learning Labs
Whether UL Lafayette helps or you start alone, we find the preceptor.
Tell us your UL Lafayette program, the practicum coming up and the Louisiana town you train near. We look for preceptors and sites that fit the course and gather the license, CV and agency details that must be on file before your first clinical day.
- Preceptors who meet Louisiana's rules: an active Louisiana license, most hours with an APRN in your population focus
- The preceptor's CV, the agency details and your letter of agreement items gathered early
- Across Acadiana and the rest of Louisiana, plus DNP residencies in your home state
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