How to get your RN license in Connecticut

Connecticut licenses registered nurses through the Department of Public Health (DPH), with the Connecticut Board of Examiners for Nursing. Connecticut renews nursing licenses every year. Everything below comes from DPH's RN licensure, licensure-by-examination, continuing education, general licensing policies and online renewal pages, checked October 18, 2026.

Study aid, not legal advice. Your state board of nursing has the final word on your license, and its rules and fees change. Built by an RN. Headed In LLC is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN), Pearson VUE or any board of nursing; their names appear here only to point you to the real thing. NCLEX and NCLEX-RN are registered trademarks of NCSBN.

Connecticut at a glance

BoardConnecticut Department of Public Health (Board of Examiners for Nursing)
ExamNCLEX-RN, registered with Pearson VUE: $200 to Pearson VUE ($350 for registrations completed on or after February 1, 2027)
Board fee$180, online applications only
Background checkNo fingerprint step is listed on DPH's RN exam page; check with DPH
Nurse Licensure CompactCompact state: multistate license if you live here
RenewalEvery year, in your birth month (the first renewal is the first birth month after licensure); $110
Continuing education2 contact hours on screening for PTSD, suicide risk, depression and grief, and suicide prevention, at renewal after January 1, 2022 and every six years after
Authorization to TestDPH deems you eligible electronically once it has your application and transcript; the ATT comes from Pearson VUE
Practice for the NCLEX freeThe NCLEX shut-off simulator: real practice questions under the exam's published stopping rules, 85 to 150 questions. No sign-up.

Connecticut, step by step

Connecticut Department of Public Health (Board of Examiners for Nursing)

  1. Education: a nursing program that meets the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies. Foreign-trained applicants complete the CGFNS International Certification Program first.
  2. Register first: DPH asks you not to submit the Connecticut application until you are registered with Pearson VUE; applying before that can delay approval to test.
  3. Application: online only, with a $180 fee. Your school sends an official transcript showing the degree, diploma or certificate straight to DPH.
  4. Authorization to Test: once DPH has your application and transcript, it deems you eligible electronically, and Pearson VUE sends the ATT by mail or email. Register and pay again for each exam attempt.
  5. Results: DPH does not give results by phone; they are official when DPH receives them, and DPH mails official results.
  6. Compact: NCSBN lists Connecticut as a compact state, and DPH has a process to convert a Connecticut license to a multistate license.
  7. Renewal: every year in your birth month, online through eLicense; your first renewal is due in the first birth month after the license issues, at the full $110 fee. DPH emails a notice 60 days before expiration.
  8. Continuing education: at renewal after January 1, 2022 and once every six years after, 2 contact hours on screening for PTSD, suicide risk, depression and grief, and on suicide prevention. You attest at renewal and keep certificates for three years.

Sources: Connecticut DPH RN licensure by examination, registered nurse licensure (fees), continuing education, general licensing policies and online nursing license renewal. Checked October 18, 2026.

The compact: multistate or single-state?

Connecticut is a Nurse Licensure Compact state. If Connecticut is your primary state of residence and you meet the compact's uniform licensure requirements (they include a fingerprint-based state and federal background check), the board issues a multistate license that also lets you practice in every other compact state. If you live in another state, or do not meet those requirements, you get a single-state license good in Connecticut only. Move your primary residence to another compact state and you must apply there for a new multistate license within 60 days.

Compact status from NCSBN, nursecompact.com, checked October 18, 2026.

The national steps, briefly

  1. An approved RN program

    An associate degree, bachelor's degree, diploma or entry-level master's program approved by a board of nursing, with an NCLEX program code. Your school confirms you graduated.

  2. Apply to the board

    The license comes from the state board, not the exam. Apply, pay the board fee and do the background check the board asks for.

  3. Register with Pearson VUE

    The NCLEX-RN registration fee is $200 to Pearson VUE ($350 for registrations completed on or after February 1, 2027), non-refundable. Your registration stays open 365 days while the board decides your eligibility.

  4. Get your Authorization to Test and sit the exam

    When the board makes you eligible, Pearson emails your Authorization to Test (ATT). Test within its dates: they cannot be extended. The NCLEX-RN runs 85 to 150 questions in up to five hours, and it stops when the computer is 95% sure you are above or below the passing standard.

The full national walk-through and every state: How to get your RN license. NCLEX facts from NCSBN, NCLEX fees and registration.

Practice for the NCLEX freeThe NCLEX shut-off simulator: real practice questions under the exam's published stopping rules, 85 to 150 questions. No sign-up.

Official pages