How to get your RN license in Minnesota

Minnesota licenses registered nurses through the Minnesota Board of Nursing. The board's website blocked automated reading when we checked, so everything below comes from the Minnesota Statutes (148.211, 148.231, 148.243 and 214.075) and the board's rules (Minn. R. 6310.2800) on the Revisor of Statutes site, checked October 18, 2026. Confirm on the board's site before you pay.

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.

Minnesota at a glance

BoardMinnesota Board of Nursing
ExamNCLEX-RN, registered with Pearson VUE: $200 to Pearson VUE ($350 for registrations completed on or after February 1, 2027)
Board fee$105 for licensure by examination, $60 to retest (Minn. Stat. 148.243); never refunded
Background checkState (Bureau of Criminal Apprehension) and national (FBI) criminal history check for every initial applicant (Minn. Stat. 214.075)
Nurse Licensure CompactNot in the compact: single-state license
RenewalRegistration renews at intervals set by board rule; $85
Continuing educationAt least one contact hour of CE for each month of registration (Minn. R. 6310.2800)
Authorization to TestNot stated in the statutes or rules; check with the board
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.

Minnesota, step by step

Minnesota Board of Nursing

  1. Education: a nursing program approved by the Minnesota board, another U.S. nursing board or a Canadian province that prepared you for the RN license. Graduates of programs outside the U.S. and Canada need a credentials evaluation the board accepts.
  2. Application: apply to the board for licensure by examination on its forms. By statute the fee is $105, the reexamination fee is $60, and fees are never refunded.
  3. Background check: every applicant for initial licensure submits to a state criminal history check by the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) and a national check that includes FBI records. You must also show you have not engaged in conduct warranting discipline under Minn. Stat. 148.261.
  4. NCLEX-RN: pass the national licensure exam; register with Pearson VUE. The statutes and rules do not give a time to the Authorization to Test; check with the board.
  5. Registration: Minnesota separates the license from the registration you practice on, which renews at intervals the board sets by rule; the renewal fee is $85. The board sends a renewal notice at least three months before your expiration date, and the application, fee and CE report must arrive by that date.
  6. Continuing education: an RN completes at least one contact hour of acceptable CE for each month of registration and reports it with the renewal.

Sources: Minnesota Statutes 148.211 (licensure by examination), 148.243 (fees), 148.231 (registration) and 214.075 (criminal history checks), and Minn. R. 6310.2800 (renewal and CE), on the Revisor of Statutes site. Checked October 18, 2026.

The compact: multistate or single-state?

Minnesota is not in the Nurse Licensure Compact, and NCSBN shows no pending compact legislation. Your Minnesota license is single-state, and a multistate license from another state does not let you practice in Minnesota: you need a Minnesota license, by exam or by endorsement.

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.

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