Nursing home administrator license requirements in Indiana.

Board

Indiana State Board of Health Facility Administrators (Indiana Professional Licensing Agency, IPLA) Board source · checked 2026-07-29

Education floor

Highschool Indiana's Health Facility Administrator (HFA) license has no minimum-degree floor: a high school diploma or equivalent qualifies. Required Administrator-in-Training (AIT) hours instead scale down as education rises, especially with two years of prior long-term-care experience. Board source · checked 2026-07-29

Administrator-in-Training hours

680 to 1,040 hours depending on your degree or experience

• 680 hours: Associate, bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree plus at least two years of long-term-care experience. Up to 200 of the 680 hours may come from a state-approved specialized long-term-care-administration course.
• 880 hours: Same degree range with no prior long-term-care experience. Up to 200 of the 880 hours may come from a state-approved specialized course.
• 1,040 hours: High school diploma or equivalency. Up to 200 of the 1,040 hours may come from a state-approved specialized course. The board may waive up to 30% (312 hours) of this tier for an applicant who has served in a long-term-care facility department-manager role, verified to the board's satisfaction.

Board source · checked 2026-07-29

National NAB exams

Required (CORE of Knowledge + Nursing Home Administrator) Board source · checked 2026-07-29

Separate state exam

Required Indiana requires its own Jurisprudence Examination, proctored by IPLA, in addition to the NAB national examination. There is no separate fee for the jurisprudence exam. Board source · checked 2026-07-29

Initial license fee

$100 Sole $100 application fee for the HFA license (IC 25-19-1-5.1); the AIT program itself carries a separate $50 preceptor-application fee paid during training, not at licensure. Board source · checked 2026-07-29

Renewal fee

$100 HFA and RCA licenses both expire August 31 of even-numbered years. Renewal after more than 3 years lapsed costs $200 and requires the current continuing-education hours plus documentation of activity during the lapse. Board source · checked 2026-07-29

Continuing education

40 hours per biennial cycle 40 hours of board-approved continuing education every two years for the HFA license (the parallel Residential Care Administrator license requires only 20 hours). Board source · checked 2026-07-29

Reciprocity / endorsement

endorsement available A Health Facility Administrator or Residential Care Administrator licensed in another state that meets IC 25-1-21-5's reciprocal requirements may apply for an Indiana license for the standard $100 application fee. Board source · checked 2026-07-29

Statutes and rules: Indiana Code IC 25-19-1 (Health Facility Administrators); IC 25-1-21-5 (reciprocity). Figures change on the board's own schedule. Confirm against the board before you apply or pay.

1. Get your checklist. The requirements wizard resolves Indiana's requirements for your exact degree.
2. Plan your hours. The AIT-hours tracker turns Indiana's hour target into a finish date.
3. Moving here from another state? The reciprocity checker reads Indiana's endorsement rule.