Michigan · verified 2026-07-29
Nursing home administrator license requirements in Michigan.
How do I become a licensed nursing home administrator in Michigan?
To become a licensed nursing home administrator in Michigan, you need 60+ college semester hours, an Administrator-in-Training program of 144 hours, and the national NAB CORE of Knowledge and Nursing Home Administrator exams (no separate jurisdiction-specific exam). The initial fee is about $150.8, and licenses renew with 36 continuing-education hours on a biennial cycle.
Every requirement, sourced and dated
- Board
- Michigan Board of Nursing Home Administrators (Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, LARA, Bureau of Professional Licensing) Board source · checked 2026-07-29
- Education floor
- 60+ college semester hours An applicant holding a valid, active Michigan RN license may qualify with an associate's degree or higher in nursing; every other applicant needs a bachelor's degree in any field (effective for applications received on or after 5/7/2026). Board source · checked 2026-07-29
- Administrator-in-Training hours
- 144 hours
- 144 hours: 9 semester credits or 144 clock hours of coursework covering administrative management, human-resources management, financial management, state and federal nursing-home law, operations and emergency preparedness, gerontology, and elder-abuse identification, certified directly to LARA by the school (R 339.14017). Alternatively, 5 of the preceding 7 years as chief executive or administrative officer of a Michigan-licensed hospital satisfies this requirement with no coursework.
- National NAB exams
- Required (CORE of Knowledge + Nursing Home Administrator) Same HSE-designation exception applies as for the CORE exam. Board source · checked 2026-07-29
- Separate state exam
- Not required Michigan requires only the national NAB CORE and Nursing Home Administrator Line of Service exams (or a current HSE Designation); there is no separate Michigan-specific written law exam. Board source · checked 2026-07-29
- Initial license fee
- $150.8 Combined application-plus-2-year-license fee, identical for licensure by exam or by endorsement. Relicensure after a lapse costs $170.80 instead. Board source · checked 2026-07-29
- Renewal fee
- $134.3 Renewal application fee for the 2-year cycle. Board source · checked 2026-07-29
- Continuing education
- 36 hours per biennial cycle 36 hours of board-approved continuing education per 2-year cycle (R 339.14021), including at least 2 hours in pain and symptom management (qualifying subjects at R 339.14032). Separately, licensees must complete 1 hour of implicit-bias training per year of the license cycle and a one-time human-trafficking-identification training (R 339.14006). Board source · checked 2026-07-29
- Reciprocity / endorsement
- endorsement available Licensed 5 or more years in another state: verification of licensure from every state ever held is sufficient, no new exam or coursework. Licensed under 5 years: must hold a current NAB Health Services Executive Designation, or meet the full licensure-by-examination requirements. Board source · checked 2026-07-29
Statutes and rules: Michigan Public Health Code (1978 PA 368), MCL 333.17301 et seq. (Nursing Home Administrators; board created at MCL 333.17305); Michigan Admin. Rules R 339.14001-339.14032 (Nursing Home Administrators). Figures change on the board's own schedule. Confirm against the board before you apply or pay.
Make it personal
- Get your checklist. The requirements wizard resolves Michigan's requirements for your exact degree.
- Plan your hours. The AIT-hours tracker turns Michigan's hour target into a finish date.
- Moving here from another state? The reciprocity checker reads Michigan's endorsement rule.