Psychiatric-mental health NPs are trained to assess and diagnose patients across the lifespan with psychiatric and substance abuse disorders, work with individuals, families, and groups, prescribe medications, provide and recommend psychotherapy and other mental health interventions, identify risk factors for psychiatric issues, and perform interventions to help those in crisis.
PMHNPs are also trained to contribute to care quality improvement, policy development, and healthcare reform, as well as collaborate with other healthcare providers to create a care plan for patient mental health and promote mental health awareness and wellness in schools, hospitals, and community settings.
Psychiatric-mental health patients may include children, teens, and adults in a mental health crisis, children in abusive families, older adults suffering from dementia and other age-related mental health issues, soldiers and law enforcement personnel suffering from job stress and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), people with anxiety and depression, and others with opioid, drug, alcohol, and other substance abuse or habit addictions.
PMHNPs need a graduate degree and must earn certification by taking the PMHNP certification exam through the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) to practice psychiatric-mental health services. Available graduate degree pathways for nurse practitioners may include:
- MSN-PMHNP Bridge Program: Also called RN-MSN, RN-MSN Bridge, or RN-BSN-MSN, this type of program is designed for nurses who have earned an associate’s degree in nursing (ADN), a nursing diploma, or an RN license with a non-nursing bachelor’s degree.
- MSN-PMHNP: Also called BSN-to-MSN, this type of graduate program is designed for graduates of bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) programs.
- BSN to DNP-PMHNP and MSN to DNP PMHNP: Doctor of nursing practice (DNP) programs may be offered to applicants with a BSN or MSN and include courses to prepare graduates for psychiatric-mental health practice.
- Post-Master’s PMHNP Certificate: Designed for MSN graduates who may or may not have earned an advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) specialization and want to move into psychiatric-mental health practice.
To help nurses find affordable PMHNP master’s, doctoral, and post-master’s certificate programs, HealthcareDegree.com has compiled a list of the 20 most affordable online psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner programs, both by in-state and out-of-state tuition prices.
These rankings are based on tuition data HealthcareDegree.com collected from its sister site NPSchools.com in late 2025 from over 1,000 online nurse practitioner programs. Each list is ordered according to the lowest in-state or out-of-state tuition prices. Tuition information is as current as possible, the latest published by each school at the outset of the 2025-2026 academic year.
Most Affordable In-State Online PMHNP Programs in 2026
| Featured PMHNP Programs | ||
|---|---|---|
| Walden University | MSN - Psychiatric-Mental Health NP | Visit Website |
| Wilkes University | MSN - Psychiatric-Mental Health NP (RN to MS Option) | Visit Website |
| Wilkes University | MSN - Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner | Visit Website |
| Wilkes University | Post-Graduate Cert - Psychiatric-Mental Health NP | Visit Website |
| Rasmussen University - Online | MSN - Psychiatric-Mental Health NP | Visit Website |
| Purdue Global | MSN - Psychiatric-Mental Health NP | Visit Website |
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Check out the 20 most affordable online PMHNP programs by the total cost of in-state tuition in 2026, meaning the tuition for residents of the state in which the program is based. Note that some programs do not accept out-of-state students, and that the cost listed is the estimated total tuition cost of the entire program, and not the cost per semester or year.
Most Affordable Out-of-State Online PMHNP Programs in 2026
Following is a listing of the 25 most affordable out-of-state online PMHNP programs in 2026 by total tuition cost (for the entire program). This list only includes out-of-state (non-resident) tuition data.
Find an Affordable Online Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Program
These online PMHNP programs ranked by affordability can open up opportunities you might have yet to consider to earn a graduate degree or certificate and move into the world of psychiatric-mental health nursing. They are designed for working nurses to continue working while earning an affordable graduate education.
These online PMHNP programs offer affordable tuition and flexible online learning modes, and the BSN to MSN programs can be completed in two to three years on a part-time basis. Those attending full-time can complete the programs more quickly. Note that DNP programs take about four years to complete part-time. With the tremendous need for nurse practitioners, these PMHNP programs can provide a viable and necessary career pathway without the heavy burden of more expensive tuition.
Farheen Gani
WriterFarheen Gani is a writer and research expert in healthcare degrees. She has written about healthcare career scholarships, audiologists, speech-language pathologists, and reproductive health specialists, among other topics, since 2019. She writes about healthcare, technology, education, and marketing. Her work has appeared on websites such as Tech in Asia and Foundr, as well as top SaaS blogs such as Zapier and InVision. You can connect with her on LinkedIn and Twitter (@FarheenGani).
Sara Navratil
WriterSara Navratil is a freelance writer and a Certified Canfield Success Principles Trainer. She owns Sara Liza Life, a company dedicated to helping people rewrite their lives. She enjoys researching and writing about healthcare-related topics, including information about online NP programs. When not working, she likes to read, exercise, and spend time with her family and cats.