Nursing home administrator license requirements in Oklahoma.

Board

Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH), Long-Term Care Administrators Program Board source · checked 2026-07-29

Education floor

A bachelor's degree A baccalaureate degree from any accredited institution qualifies; alternatively, an associate degree in a health- or business-related field plus at least 5 years of upper-level long-term care management experience also qualifies (OAC 310:679-10-3(b)). Board source · checked 2026-07-29

Administrator-in-Training hours

1,000 hours

• 1,000 hours: Tier 1 (nursing home) applicants complete a 1,000-hour Department-approved internship with a preceptor within 24 months of applying. Waivable if the applicant holds a NAB-accredited long-term care administration degree, was previously licensed in Oklahoma in good standing and active in long-term care for 2 of the last 5 years, or completed an equivalent internship in another jurisdiction (OAC 310:679-10-3(e)-(f), 310:679-10-41(a)).

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 Oklahoma requires its own Oklahoma State Standards Examination in addition to both NAB examinations (OAC 310:679-10-3(c)). Board source · checked 2026-07-29

Initial license fee

$1,000 Department fees for a first-time Tier 1 license with no waivers: $100 license application processing fee + $100 pre-licensing file origination/maintenance fee + $350 Administrator-in-Training internship permit + $100 State Standards review + $50 State Standards examination packet + $100 State Standards examination (Department-administered) + $200 initial license = $1,000 (OAC 310:679-7-2). NAB examination fees are billed separately by NAB and are not itemized in the Department's schedule. Board source · checked 2026-07-29

Renewal fee

$200 Tier 1 (nursing home) license renews annually at $200 per year; a $100-per-week late fee applies (OAC 310:679-7-2(b)(1), (c)). Board source · checked 2026-07-29

Continuing education

24 hours per annual cycle 24 clock hours each license year for Tier 1 administrators; first-year licensees owe 6 hours per calendar quarter held instead of the full annual total (OAC 310:679-9-4). Board source · checked 2026-07-29

Reciprocity / endorsement

endorsement available The Department may endorse an out-of-state license without a new exam if the applicant passed the applicable NAB exam(s), holds a current license, has served full-time as administrator-of-record for 2 of the last 3 years, discloses any disciplinary history, and Oklahoma finds the other state's requirements substantially equivalent (OAC 310:679-10-4). Board source · checked 2026-07-29

Assisted living / RCAL administrator license

Licensed separately Oklahoma separately licenses Tier 2 Residential Care/Assisted Living (RC/AL) administrators under the same chapter: a 500-hour internship, $175 initial and annual renewal fee, and 16 continuing-education hours per license year (OAC 310:679-7-2, 310:679-9-4, 310:679-10-41(b)). Board source · checked 2026-07-29

Statutes and rules: 59 O.S. Section 4100 et seq. (Long-Term Care Administrators licensing act; see 59 O.S. 4100.5 for the military reciprocity pathway); Oklahoma Administrative Code Title 310, Chapter 679 (Long-Term Care Administrators), formerly Title 490, transferred by HB 2824 effective 11/1/2023. 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 Oklahoma's requirements for your exact degree.
2. Plan your hours. The AIT-hours tracker turns Oklahoma's hour target into a finish date.
3. Moving here from another state? The reciprocity checker reads Oklahoma's endorsement rule.
4. Also want assisted living? Read holding both a nursing home and an assisted living administrator license for how Oklahoma's two credentials relate.