Oregon licenses registered nurses through the Oregon State Board of Nursing (OSBN). Everything below comes from OSBN's Application Process for License by NCLEX (updated January 2026), its fingerprint, competency and pain management pages, and its fee rule (OAR 851-002-0010) with the board's 2025 fee rulemaking notice, 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.
NCLEX-RN, registered with Pearson VUE: $200 to Pearson VUE ($350 for registrations completed on or after February 1, 2027)
Board fee
The board's 2025 fee rulemaking set the RN exam fee at $260 (the earlier rule text shows $160), plus a $9 Nursing Advancement Fund surcharge; confirm in the Nurse Portal
Background check
State (Oregon State Police) and FBI check by fingerprints through Fieldprint, only after you apply; state fee $61 from October 1, 2026 ($73.50 total)
Nurse Licensure Compact
Not in the compact: single-state license
Renewal
Every two years
Continuing education
1 hour of pain management every 36 months and 2 hours of cultural competency every 48 months; 20 CE hours required from January 1, 2028
Authorization to Test
After OSBN makes you eligible (once your program confirms the Affidavit of Graduation), Pearson VUE issues the ATT
The order OSBN gives: apply and pay, get fingerprinted, register with Pearson VUE, graduate, your program confirms you in the Affidavit of Graduation portal, OSBN makes you eligible, Pearson VUE issues your Authorization to Test, you pass, and staff confirm everything before the license issues.
Application: in the Nurse Portal, choose "Initial LPN or RN by Examination" and then RN, using your legal name and a personal email. Pick your program by its exact NCLEX program code; the wrong one keeps you off your school's Affidavit of Graduation list and delays eligibility. Board fees are non-refundable.
Fee: the board's September 2025 rulemaking (for HB 3044) set the RN exam fee at $260 plus a $9 Oregon Nursing Advancement Fund surcharge; the earlier version of the rule shows $160. Confirm the amount in the portal.
Fingerprints: every new applicant gets a state and FBI check through Fieldprint (fieldprintoregon.com, OSBN code FPORBoardNursingDAS). Get printed only after you submit the application, or the prints cannot be matched to you. From October 1, 2026, the state fee is $61 and the total cost $73.50.
Pain management: Oregon requires 1 hour of pain management education at initial licensure; Oregon nursing programs include it, so Oregon graduates need nothing extra.
NCLEX-RN: exam applicants may test up to four attempts. A retake application is $25 in the Nurse Portal, plus a new Pearson VUE registration.
Renewal: every two years; practice hours are no longer required as of January 1, 2026. Each renewal needs 1 hour of pain management (the Oregon Pain Management Commission module) in the last 36 months and 2 hours of cultural competency in the last 48 months. Starting January 1, 2028, RNs will also need 20 hours of CE.
Oregon is not in the Nurse Licensure Compact, and NCSBN shows no pending compact legislation. Your Oregon license is single-state, and a multistate license from another state does not let you practice in Oregon: you need a Oregon license, by exam or by endorsement.
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.
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.
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.
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.