How to get your RN license in North Carolina

North Carolina licenses registered nurses through the North Carolina Board of Nursing (NCBON). Everything below comes from the board's exam application, background check, fee schedule, renewal and continuing competence pages, checked October 18, 2026. Fees change, so confirm on the linked pages 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.

North Carolina at a glance

BoardNorth Carolina Board of Nursing (NCBON)
ExamNCLEX-RN, registered with Pearson VUE: $200 to Pearson VUE ($350 for registrations completed on or after February 1, 2027)
Board fee$75 for the exam application plus $38 for the criminal background check, both non-refundable
Background checkFingerprint-based State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) and FBI check; Live Scan inside North Carolina
Nurse Licensure CompactCompact state: multistate license if you live here
RenewalEvery two years, by the last day of your birth month; $100
Continuing educationOne of eight continuing competence options, such as 30 contact hours, or 15 hours plus 640 hours of practice
Authorization to TestValid 180 days from the date the board makes you eligible
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.

North Carolina, step by step

North Carolina Board of Nursing (NCBON)

  1. Education: a registered nursing program approved by a member board of nursing.
  2. Application: in the Nurse Portal, choose "Exam Application". The fee is $75 plus $38 for the criminal background check, both non-refundable, by MasterCard or Visa (third-party payment is possible). Pearson VUE registration is required too.
  3. Background check: a fingerprint-based State Bureau of Investigation and FBI check, started inside the application. In North Carolina you use Live Scan: print and sign the forms from the background check tile in the portal and confirm with your local sheriff's office that it can do the Live Scan. Prior convictions need certified court documents, plus an explanation for anything in the last 5 years or any felony.
  4. Authorization to Test: the board must declare you eligible with Pearson VUE. The ATT is valid 180 days from the date of eligibility; test after it expires and you pay again. The application and background check stay active for one year from eligibility.
  5. Retakes: North Carolina does not limit how many times you can take the NCLEX. A repeat exam application is $75.
  6. The license: NCBON issues no wallet cards or mailed certificates; you download the certificate from the Nurse Portal. If you claim another compact state as your primary residence, NCBON will not issue a multistate license; it can issue a single-state license until you prove North Carolina residency.
  7. Renewal: by the last day of your birth month, generally every two years (the first period can be shorter to line up with your birthday); the fee is $100. Renewal opens 90 days before expiration, and there is no grace period: a late license expires at midnight.
  8. Continuing competence: one of eight options each cycle, including 30 contact hours; 15 contact hours plus 640 hours of active practice in two years; a national certification; a board-approved refresher course; or two semester hours of post-licensure nursing education. If you cannot show it, the license goes inactive. Evidence is uploaded only if the board audits you.

Sources: NCBON, RN/LPN by examination, criminal background check and Live Scan, fee schedule, RN/LPN renewal and continuing competence. Checked October 18, 2026.

The compact: multistate or single-state?

North Carolina is a Nurse Licensure Compact state. If North Carolina 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 North Carolina 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