Rhode Island licenses registered nurses through the Department of Health, with the Board of Nurse Registration and Nursing Education. Rhode Island rejoined the Nurse Licensure Compact on January 1, 2024. Everything below comes from the Department's nurses page, its nursing online initial application requirements and the licensing rule (216-RICR-40-05-3), checked October 18, 2026.
| Board | Rhode Island Department of Health (Board of Nurse Registration and Nursing Education) |
|---|---|
| Exam | NCLEX-RN, registered with Pearson VUE: $200 to Pearson VUE ($350 for registrations completed on or after February 1, 2027) |
| Board fee | $135 for an RN application, paid online |
| Background check | National background check supported by fingerprints, applied for through the Rhode Island Department of Attorney General |
| Nurse Licensure Compact | Compact state: multistate license if you live here |
| Renewal | Every two years; licenses expire March 1 of every other year after issue |
| Continuing education | 10 continuing education hours in the two years before renewal |
| Authorization to Test | The Department cannot make you eligible until your official transcript arrives |
Sources: Rhode Island Department of Health nurses licensing page and nursing online initial application requirements (PDF), and the licensing rule 216-RICR-40-05-3 (renewal and continuing education). Checked October 18, 2026.
Rhode Island is a Nurse Licensure Compact state. If Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island 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.
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.
The license comes from the state board, not the exam. Apply, pay the board fee and do the background check the board asks for.
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.
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.