Pennsylvania licenses registered nurses through the State Board of Nursing, in the Department of State's Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs. Pennsylvania is unusual in one way: you pick a single-state or a multistate application, and they cost different amounts. Everything below comes from the board's RN and multistate licensure snapshots and the Department's nursing licensure guide, 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.
Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing (Department of State)
Education: high school or a GED, then an approved RN program: a diploma, associate's or bachelor's program, or an equivalent program approved by another state's board. No work experience is required. For Pennsylvania graduates, the board cannot start on your application until your school sends notice that you completed the program.
Single-state or multistate: a single-state license is good in Pennsylvania only; a multistate license, for nurses whose principal residence is Pennsylvania, covers every compact state. Exam fees: single-state $95 for a Pennsylvania program or $115 for an out-of-state program; multistate $135 for a board-approved program, $230 for an out-of-state program, $250 for a foreign program. A single-state licensee can convert later for $105.
Background check: every new applicant gets a fingerprint-based FBI check. Pre-register with IdentoGO and use the service code from your application so the results reach the board. Multistate applicants also need a criminal history check from their state of residence; for Pennsylvania residents that is the Pennsylvania State Police. A volunteer record check is not accepted, and renewals need no new check.
Child abuse training:3 hours of training in recognizing and reporting child abuse from an approved provider before the first license. Tell the provider you are applying for Pennsylvania licensure so it sends your completion straight to the board.
NCLEX-RN: register with Pearson VUE and pay its fee; the board needs that registration before it can send your Authorization to Test to Pearson. The board's pages do not give a time to the ATT; check with the board.
Multistate extras: no felony conviction and no nursing-related misdemeanor (an accelerated rehabilitative disposition counts as a conviction), not in an alternative-to-discipline program, a U.S. Social Security number (not a TIN), and an English proficiency exam if your program abroad was not taught in English.
Renewal: every two years, $122. Each renewal needs 30 hours of CE, including 2 hours of board-approved child abuse recognition and reporting. Beginning May 1, 2026, every RN also completes 2 hours of organ donation and tissue recovery education once every 5 years.
Pennsylvania is a Nurse Licensure Compact state. If Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania only. Move your primary residence to another compact state and you must apply there for a new multistate license within 60 days.
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.