Lewis University nursing accreditation: CCNE terms, HLC, IDFPR and ISBE

Updated September 25, 2026 · Reviewed by the Lewis Preceptor placement team

Lewis's master's, DNP and post-graduate APRN certificate programs are accredited by CCNE through December 31, 2030, and its baccalaureate program through June 30, 2032, according to CCNE's directory. The Higher Learning Commission accredits the university as a whole, IDFPR approves the basic professional nursing program, and ISBE approves the School Nurse non-degree program. Here is what each one covers and what it does and does not settle about your license.

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Dec 31, 2030CCNE term end for Lewis's master's, DNP and APRN certificate programs

Jun 30, 2032CCNE term end for Lewis's baccalaureate program

CCNE accreditation, program by program

The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) lists Lewis's nursing programs in four separate entries. The dates below come from CCNE's own directory. Lewis's web pages say its programs are CCNE-accredited but do not print the terms, so the directory is the place to confirm them.

Lewis University in CCNE's directory of accredited programs
Program	First accredited	Most recent accreditation	Accredited through	Next on-site visit
Baccalaureate	Apr 20, 2002	Sep 27, 2021	Jun 30, 2032	Fall 2031
Master's	Apr 20, 2002	Jan 29, 2020	Dec 31, 2030	Spring 2030
Doctor of Nursing Practice	Feb 2, 2015	Jan 29, 2020	Dec 31, 2030	Spring 2030
Post-graduate APRN certificate	Feb 2, 2015	Jan 29, 2020	Dec 31, 2030	Spring 2030

Which entry is yours: the master's listing is the MSN, where the FNP, AGACNP, AGPCNP and PMHNP tracks are concentrations of a single degree (MSN-NRSM-5 in the catalog), alongside Lewis's other MSN tracks. The certificate listing covers the four NP Certificates of Advanced Study. The DNP listing is the doctorate, which Lewis offers post-master's and as a BSN to DNP. The baccalaureate listing is the pre-licensure BSN, traditional and accelerated.

Both next visits fall before the terms run out: spring 2030 for the graduate programs and fall 2031 for the BSN. By the directory's dates, a student who finishes an MSN, certificate or DNP before December 31, 2030 completes it inside the current term.

The university and the state: HLC, IDFPR and ISBE

Program accreditation sits on top of approvals at two other levels. Lewis's Accreditation and Licensure page names the Higher Learning Commission as the university's institutional accreditor. At the state level, IDFPR, Illinois's professional regulation department, holds approval over Lewis's basic professional nursing program: the pre-licensure BSN whose graduates sit the NCLEX-RN.

School nursing answers to a different state body. Lewis's non-degree School Nurse program carries approval from ISBE, the Illinois State Board of Education, and candidates must pass ISBE test 236 before the NURS 56700 internship on the way to an Illinois educator license endorsed for school nursing. Lewis's disclosures say School Nurse licensure is approved in Illinois alone for now.

For online study across state lines, Lewis takes part in NC-SARA. NC-SARA's directory lists Lewis as a participant, not on provisional status, with the Illinois Board of Higher Education as its state portal entity. Online students who cannot resolve a complaint through Lewis's own dean's office route can then use the NC-SARA complaint process.

Accreditation is not a license

Accreditation is a judgment about a program. A license is the state's judgment about you. For nurse practitioners in Illinois, IDFPR's APRN requirements have two parts: a national nurse practitioner certification, and completed graduate education (a master's, doctorate or post-master's certificate) in a clinical advanced practice specialty. Lewis describes its licensure-track programs as leading to licensure or certification in Illinois; for NP students that is the degree half of IDFPR's rule, with the board exam as the other half.

Our Illinois APRN license guide covers the application itself, and the certification exams page lists which certifying body Lewis pairs with which track, plus Lewis's reported results.

Some Lewis programs sit outside that pattern. Lewis states plainly that its DNP brings no separate state license of its own, adding that graduates might qualify for certification from a professional body. Nursing Education, Healthcare Systems Leadership and the MSN/MBA also carry enrollment information only, with no licensure column in Lewis's tables.

Accreditation and study outside Illinois

CCNE accreditation belongs to the program wherever you live, but authorization to enroll does not. Lewis's state tables, created in March 2026, open online graduate nursing to residents of just 18 jurisdictions. For the NP MSN and BSN to DNP tracks, they mark the curriculum as not meeting licensure requirements in four of those: Hawaii, Indiana, Massachusetts and Mississippi. The certificate tables differ, marking Connecticut, Indiana, Massachusetts and Mississippi instead.

Lewis's own page adds that licensure requirements vary by state and asks students in, or moving to, another state to check with that state's licensing board. Every NP table carries a further caution: even where licensure works, a given state may limit where clinical rotations can happen. The state authorization page sets out the full tables, and clinicals outside Illinois covers the practicum side.

Where accreditation meets your practicum

Your clinical hours are part of what the accredited curriculum requires: at least 630 for the FNP, 540 for the other NP tracks, and 504 residency hours beyond the MSN for the DNP. Lewis checks each placement against the course before those hours count. Every preceptor and site must satisfy the Clinical Coordinators and/or track lead faculty that it fits the designated course, every practicum goes through a contract request, and IDFPR discipline on a preceptor's record can end one.

That approval step is where our work fits. We find preceptors whose practice matches the Lewis course you are entering, look up their license standing, and prepare every detail for your contract request, so what reaches Lewis's reviewers is complete and suited to the course. The approval decision stays with Lewis, and the file it reviews arrives as strong as it can be.

Accreditation tells you the program meets a national standard. It does not place you in a clinical site: for NP students, Lewis's FAQ expects you to help identify the preceptor, and faculty approve the match.

Gaps and conflicts in what Lewis publishes

CCNE's terms and visit dates appear only in CCNE's directory, not on Lewis's accreditation, MSN, DNP or BSN pages.
Lewis's BSN page cites its curriculum standards as "(Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, 2008)", while the current catalog cites AACN's 2021 Essentials. The catalog is the newer source.
The state licensure tables print no date; their file data shows they were created in March 2026.
The certificate and MSN tables disagree on Hawaii and Connecticut, and Lewis gives no reason for any state marked No.
No graduate nursing handbook is public, so program rules beyond the catalog reach you through course materials, the track coordinator and the Clinical Placement Office.

Questions Lewis students ask

Is Lewis's online MSN accredited the same way as the Oak Brook program?

By everything CCNE and Lewis publish, yes. CCNE's directory lists one master's program for Lewis, not separate online and campus versions, and the catalog gives each NP track one curriculum whether you study at Oak Brook or online. Your delivery format changes where you attend class, not which accredited degree you earn. Your clinical hours still take place at an approved site with an approved preceptor.

Is Lewis University nursing accredited by ACEN?

CCNE is the accreditor listed for Lewis's nursing programs. ACEN appears on Lewis's pages in admission rules instead: MSN applicants may hold a bachelor's accredited by either body, and DNP and post-master's certificate applicants a master's accredited by either. So a graduate of an ACEN-accredited school can still apply to Lewis's graduate programs.

Is the Lewis DNP accredited if it does not lead to a license?

Yes. CCNE's directory accredits Lewis's DNP through December 31, 2030, with its next on-site visit in spring 2030. Accreditation and licensure are separate questions. Lewis's post-master's DNP admits nurses who already hold an MSN and an RN license, so the doctorate adds to credentials you have rather than creating a new license to apply for.

Does Lewis's accreditation matter if I go on to a DNP or PhD later?

It can. Lewis's own DNP admission requires a master's in nursing accredited by CCNE or ACEN, one example of a doctoral program using accreditation as an admission gate. A Lewis MSN finished while its master's program is accredited, which CCNE's directory runs to December 31, 2030, meets the kind of requirement Lewis itself sets. Check each future school's admission page for its exact wording.

Does accreditation mean Lewis will find my NP clinical site?

Accreditation covers the program's quality, not placement. For NP students, the MSN FAQ counts on you to be an active participant in identifying preceptors. Lewis's contribution is facilitation by the Clinical Placement Office, faculty approval of each match, and the contracts and affiliation agreements behind it. The search itself is what we do for you.

StatesState authorizationLewis authorizes online graduate nursing enrollment in 18 jurisdictions. The full table, where MSN and CAS licensure columns differ, and what it means for you.Lewis systemNP certification exams and pass ratesCertification boards Lewis names for its FNP, AGACNP, AGPCNP and PMHNP tracks, the pass rates Lewis reports, and how the exam leads to an Illinois APRN license.Illinois lawIllinois APRN licenseHow Lewis NP graduates get an Illinois APRN license from IDFPR: the degree or certificate, national certification, license types and timing after graduation.Lewis systemClinicals outside IllinoisDoing a Lewis practicum outside Illinois: extra permissions, the 18 jurisdictions Lewis enrolls from, licensure gaps by track, and the Illinois license option.ProgramPost-master's DNPLewis's 30-credit online post-master's DNP: 504 residency hours beyond your MSN, two Oak Brook immersions, the scholarly project and picking a practice site.ProgramSchool Nurse (MSN or non-degree)Lewis's School Nurse MSN and non-degree routes: the 300-hour NURS 56700 internship, ISBE test 236 first, Illinois-only licensure and the credit conflicts.

Last checked 2026-09-25

We check these pages against Lewis's own catalog, program pages and FAQ, its contract portal and Illinois law. Your course, your track coordinator and the Clinical Placement Office have the final word.

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