How to get your RN license in Ohio

Ohio licenses registered nurses through the Ohio Board of Nursing, with applications in the state's eLicense portal. The board's own pages are thin on detail, so everything below comes from the Ohio Revised Code and the board's rules in the Ohio Administrative Code (Chapter 4723), checked October 18, 2026. Confirm the fee in eLicense 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.

Ohio at a glance

BoardOhio Board of Nursing
ExamNCLEX-RN, registered with Pearson VUE: $200 to Pearson VUE ($350 for registrations completed on or after February 1, 2027)
Board feeUp to $75 (the cap in Ohio Revised Code 4723.08); the exact amount shows in the eLicense application
Background checkFingerprints to the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation (BCI), which also requests FBI records
Nurse Licensure CompactCompact state: multistate license if you live here
RenewalEvery two years, in odd-numbered years: apply by September 15, lapses November 1. Fee capped at $65
Continuing education24 contact hours, at least 1 in category A (Ohio nursing law and rules); none for the first renewal after the exam
Authorization to TestNot stated in the rules or on the board's pages; 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.

Ohio, step by step

Ohio Board of Nursing

  1. Education: a registered nursing program approved by the Ohio Board of Nursing, approved by another NCSBN member board, or accepted by the board for a graduate educated abroad. Before the board makes you eligible, an Ohio program reports your completion straight to the board; out-of-state programs send an official transcript.
  2. Application: the "Nursing Licensure by Examination Application" in the Ohio eLicense portal, with the fee. Ohio law caps that fee at $75; the portal shows the amount. An application left incomplete for a year is void and the fee is forfeited.
  3. Background check: a criminal records check by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation (BCI), which also asks the FBI for any record. You submit one set of fingerprints to BCI under the methods it allows.
  4. NCLEX-RN: complete Pearson VUE's registration; the NCLEX-RN is Ohio's approved exam. The rules and the board's pages do not give a time to the Authorization to Test; check with the board.
  5. Renewal: RN licenses renew every two years in odd-numbered years. The application is due September 15, a late application (with a late fee of up to $50) is allowed until the license lapses on November 1. Ohio law caps the RN renewal fee at $65.
  6. Continuing education: 24 contact hours each renewal period, with at least 1 hour of category A (Ohio's nursing law and rules). Your first renewal after licensure by exam needs no CE. One hour on recognizing human trafficking or sexual assault victims may count toward the 24.

Sources: Ohio Administrative Code 4723-7-02 (licensure by examination) and 4723-14-03 (continuing education); Ohio Revised Code 4723.08 (fees), 4723.091 (criminal records check) and 4723.24 (renewal). Checked October 18, 2026.

The compact: multistate or single-state?

Ohio is a Nurse Licensure Compact state. If Ohio 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 Ohio 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