Nurse Practitioner License Difficulty by State (2026)

Compare nurse practitioner license difficulty across 51 states. Average difficulty: 15/100. Easiest in Arizona (12), hardest in Illinois (23).

Average

Easiest

Arizona

Score: 12

Hardest

Illinois

Score: 23

#	State	Score	Grade	Label	Confidence
1	Arizona	12	A	Very Easy	50%
2	Colorado	12	A	Very Easy	50%
3	Indiana	12	A	Very Easy	50%
4	Missouri	12	A	Very Easy	50%
5	South Dakota	12	A	Very Easy	50%
6	Vermont	12	A	Very Easy	50%
7	Wisconsin	12	A	Very Easy	50%
8	Rhode Island	13	A	Very Easy	50%
9	Arkansas	14	A	Very Easy	50%
10	Kentucky	14	A	Very Easy	50%
11	Massachusetts	14	A	Very Easy	50%
12	North Dakota	14	A	Very Easy	50%
13	Alabama	15	A	Very Easy	50%
14	Michigan	15	A	Very Easy	50%
15	Minnesota	15	A	Very Easy	50%
16	Mississippi	15	A	Very Easy	50%
17	Nebraska	15	A	Very Easy	50%
18	Oklahoma	15	A	Very Easy	50%
19	Wyoming	15	A	Very Easy	50%
20	Alaska	16	A	Very Easy	50%
21	California	16	A	Very Easy	50%
22	Delaware	16	A	Very Easy	50%
23	District of Columbia	16	A	Very Easy	50%
24	Florida	16	A	Very Easy	50%
25	Georgia	16	A	Very Easy	50%
26	Hawaii	16	A	Very Easy	50%
27	Idaho	16	A	Very Easy	50%
28	Kansas	16	A	Very Easy	50%
29	Louisiana	16	A	Very Easy	50%
30	Maryland	16	A	Very Easy	50%
31	Montana	16	A	Very Easy	50%
32	New Hampshire	16	A	Very Easy	50%
33	New Jersey	16	A	Very Easy	50%
34	New Mexico	16	A	Very Easy	50%
35	North Carolina	16	A	Very Easy	50%
36	Ohio	16	A	Very Easy	50%
37	Oregon	16	A	Very Easy	50%
38	Pennsylvania	16	A	Very Easy	50%
39	South Carolina	16	A	Very Easy	50%
40	Texas	16	A	Very Easy	50%
41	Utah	16	A	Very Easy	50%
42	Virginia	16	A	Very Easy	50%
43	Washington	16	A	Very Easy	50%
44	West Virginia	16	A	Very Easy	50%
45	Iowa	17	A	Very Easy	50%
46	New York	17	A	Very Easy	50%
47	Tennessee	18	A	Very Easy	50%
48	Connecticut	19	A	Very Easy	50%
49	Maine	19	A	Very Easy	50%
50	Nevada	19	A	Very Easy	50%
51	Illinois	23	B	Easy	50%

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FAQ

Which state is easiest to get a nurse practitioner license?

Arizona has the easiest nurse practitioner license with a difficulty score of 12/100.

Which state is hardest to get a nurse practitioner license?

Illinois has the hardest nurse practitioner license with a difficulty score of 23/100.

Planning to get your Nurse Practitioner license?