Nursing home administrator license requirements in Wisconsin.

Board

Nursing Home Administrator Examining Board (Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services, DSPS) Board source · checked 2026-07-29

Education floor

60+ college semester hours The lowest explicit degree tier is an associate degree earned through a 'regular course of study' with a supervised clinical practicum built into the program (Wis. Admin. Code NHA 1.02(7)). Two alternate tracks, a 'program of study' or 'specialized courses' plus one year of institutional-administration experience, do not specify a required degree level in the board's published guidance. Board source · checked 2026-07-29

Administrator-in-Training hours

0 to 2,080 hours depending on your degree or experience

• 0 hours: A 'regular course of study' (associate, bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree) that includes a supervised clinical practicum satisfies the requirement outright; no separate post-degree hour tally applies (Wis. Admin. Code NHA 1.02(7)).
• 2,080 hours: A 'program of study' (four 3-credit-hour courses covering nursing-home law, administration, resident protection, and resident needs) or equivalent 'specialized courses,' plus one year of experience in institutional administration (Wis. Admin. Code NHA 1.02(6), (8)); shown here as the standard 2,080-hour full-time-year equivalent for comparability, not a figure Wisconsin itself states in hours. Active NAB Health Services Executive certification waives this requirement entirely.

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 Wisconsin requires its own examination on Wisconsin laws and administrative rules governing nursing home administration (Wis. Admin. Code NHA 2.01(3)), in addition to the national NAB CORE and NHA Line of Service exams. Board source · checked 2026-07-29

Initial license fee

$60 Flat $60 credentialing fee for licensure by examination or by reciprocity (DSPS Form #418, current fee schedule). Board source · checked 2026-07-29

Renewal fee

$75 Biennial renewal fee, due June 30 of even-numbered years; renewing with the late fee totals $100. Board source · checked 2026-07-29

Continuing education

24 hours per biennial cycle 24 contact hours of NAB-approved continuing education per biennial renewal period (Wis. Admin. Code NHA 3.02(1)); at most 18 of the 24 hours may be claimed from the two years immediately before renewal if accredited college coursework is used. Board source · checked 2026-07-29

Reciprocity / endorsement

endorsement available An applicant with a current, unrestricted out-of-state nursing home administrator license may apply by reciprocity after passing the Wisconsin state law exam: a bachelor's degree in any field (or ACHCA or NAB HSE certification) plus 2,000 hours of practice as a nursing home administrator within any consecutive 3-year period of the preceding 5 years (Wis. Admin. Code NHA 4.015). Board source · checked 2026-07-29

Statutes and rules: Wisconsin Statutes chapter 456 (Nursing Home Administrators); Wisconsin Administrative Code chapters NHA 1-5. 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 Wisconsin's requirements for your exact degree.
2. Plan your hours. The AIT-hours tracker turns Wisconsin's hour target into a finish date.
3. Moving here from another state? The reciprocity checker reads Wisconsin's endorsement rule.