University of Virginia campus

Health Sciences

MSN Clinical Nurse Leader (Direct Entry) at University of Virginia

University of Virginia, United States

Programme overview

Accelerated, full-time master's-entry programme for students with a bachelor's degree in another field who want to become registered nurses and nursing leaders. Graduates earn a Master of Science in Nursing, are eligible for the NCLEX and the CNL certification exam, and are prepared for bedside work and unit leadership.

Faculty: School of Nursing  |  Department: Nursing  |  Duration: 24 months full-time  |  Study mode: full-time  |  Intake: May (applications due October 1)  |  Location: Charlottesville, VA, United States

What you will study

75 credit hours with 790 clinical hours and 326 CNL immersion hours, including pathophysiology, health assessment, pharmacology, clinical practice courses across adults, children, women, community health and psychiatric nursing, leadership, epidemiology, research, health policy and a CNL immersion and capstone project.

Career pathways

Graduates work as registered nurses in a wide variety of clinical settings and in CNL-specific roles at UVA Health and elsewhere; the page gives a CNL graduate salary range of $84K to $147K.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Bachelor's or master's degree from a regionally accredited school with a minimum cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0; prerequisites completed with B- or higher (human anatomy and physiology I and II with lab within five years, and others listed on the page); resume or CV; interview if requested; $85 application fee. Competitive applicants have a GPA of 3.30 or higher and A or A- in prerequisites.

Domestic applicants: USD 28,186 a year (2026-27). Virginia resident tuition for fall and spring terms of the direct-entry CNL, excluding comprehensive and activity fees; summer term charged per credit ($1,007). Source

International applicants: USD 47,870 a year (2026-27). Non-Virginia resident tuition for fall and spring terms, excluding comprehensive and activity fees; summer term charged per credit ($1,710). Source

Intake: May (applications due October 1)

Duration: 24 months full-time

Apply through the official page: https://nursing.virginia.edu/admissions/apply/

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