Nursing home administrator license requirements in North Carolina.

Board

North Carolina State Board of Examiners for Nursing Home Administrators Board source · checked 2026-07-29

Education floor

60+ college semester hours North Carolina's floor is two years of college credit (roughly an associate degree) from an accredited institution, or a Board-approved combination of education and experience: a minimum of 1 year of college credit (2.0 GPA) with supervisory nursing-home experience substituting for up to 1 additional year of education, at a rate of 2 years of experience per year of education (21 NCAC 37D .0301-.0302). Board source · checked 2026-07-29

Administrator-in-Training hours

480 hours

• 480 hours: All new-license applicants, regardless of degree level, complete a Board-approved Administrator-in-Training (AIT) program of at least 12 weeks at a minimum of 40 hours per week (a floor of approximately 480 hours), under an approved preceptor; the Board may require additional weeks based on the applicant's education, training, and prior supervisory experience (21 NCAC 37D .0401, .0402, .0407).

Board source · checked 2026-07-29

National NAB exams

Required (CORE of Knowledge + Nursing Home Administrator) New license and reciprocal applicants pass the national NAB examination pursuant to 21 NCAC 37D .0600. Board source · checked 2026-07-29

Separate state exam

Required All new-license and reciprocal/endorsement applicants must also pass North Carolina's own State Exam (21 NCAC 37D .0700), covering the Rules and Statutes for the Licensing of Nursing Home Administrators; there is no practice test for it. Board source · checked 2026-07-29

Initial license fee

$600 Non-refundable Initial Licensure Fee, due after passing both the national and state exams (21 NCAC 37D .0202). Separate processing costs apply earlier in the process: AIT Application $300, National Exam NC processing fee $50 (plus NAB's own exam fee), State Exam $150. Board source · checked 2026-07-29

Renewal fee

$600 Biennial renewal fee; all licenses renew September 30 of an odd or even year on a staggered biennial cycle. Board source · checked 2026-07-29

Continuing education

30 hours per biennial cycle 30 hours of continuing education required to renew; no more than 10 hours of NAB/NCERS-approved self-study count every two years. Board source · checked 2026-07-29

Reciprocity / endorsement

endorsement available Reciprocal/endorsement applicants must hold a current active license from another state, pass both the national NAB exam and North Carolina's own State Exam, and appear for a personal interview with the Board at a Board meeting. Board source · checked 2026-07-29

Assisted living / RCAL administrator license

Not licensed separately North Carolina does not license adult care home / assisted living administrators through the Board of Examiners for Nursing Home Administrators. Instead, the NC Division of Health Service Regulation's Adult Care Licensure Section certifies an 'Administrator-in-Charge' for adult care homes, a separate certification track outside the Nursing Home Administrator licensing law (NCGS Chapter 90, Article 20). Board source · checked 2026-07-29

Statutes and rules: N.C. General Statutes Chapter 90, Article 20 (Nursing Home Administrators, NCGS 90-276 et seq.); 21 NCAC Chapter 37 (Subchapter B fees, Subchapter D new licenses). 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 North Carolina's requirements for your exact degree.
2. Plan your hours. The AIT-hours tracker turns North Carolina's hour target into a finish date.
3. Moving here from another state? The reciprocity checker reads North Carolina's endorsement rule.
4. Also want assisted living? Read holding both a nursing home and an assisted living administrator license for how North Carolina's two credentials relate.