Eligibility for certification at the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board (AANPCB) in the U.S. requires graduation from a nationally accredited graduate, postgraduate, or doctoral program that is accredited by a nursing accrediting organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and/or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. This eligibility has not changed. In the past, accreditation of NP master's or DNP programs was accepted in lieu of postgraduate certificate accreditation to give programs time to complete accreditation of their postgraduate certificate programs.  Beginning January 1, 2026, all postgraduate certificate applicants will be required to demonstrate that their program has active accreditation accredited by a national nursing accreditor (e.g. CCNE, ACEN or NLN CNEA) at the time of graduation