Nursing CE · United States · for providers
ANCC certificate requirements for nursing CE providers
The six elements every ANCC accredited or approved provider must put on a certificate of completion, the exact statement for each kind of provider, how to count and round contact hours, and the records you must keep. Read from the 2025 NCPD Accredited Provider and Accredited Approver manuals.
Short answer · checked 30 October 2026
An ANCC certificate of completion must show six things: the activity title, the date (for self-paced activities, the date the learner finished), the provider’s name and address (a web or email address is enough), the number of contact hours awarded, the accreditation or approval statement word for word, and a place for the learner’s name. No signature, licence number or certificate number is required. Keep the activity file for six years.
- Required elements
- 6
- Issue deadline
- None set
- Keep activity files
- 6 years
- Central reporting system
- None
New to CE?
How continuing education works, in one line
New to CE?
How continuing education works, in one line
Accreditor
Sets the rules and approves providers.
Provideryou
Runs the course and issues the certificate.
Learner
Completes the course and keeps the certificate.
Board
Renews the licence and may audit the certificate.
- NCPD
- Nursing continuing professional development. ANCC’s name for nursing continuing education.
- Contact hour
- The unit of nursing CE. One contact hour is 60 minutes of an organized learning activity.
- Accredited provider
- An organization ANCC itself has checked and allowed to award contact hours in its own name.
- Accredited approver
- An organization, often a state nurses association, that ANCC allows to approve other providers and single activities.
- Approved provider
- An organization an accredited approver has checked. It awards contact hours with a different statement, one that names its approver.
- Enduring material
- A self-paced activity, for example a recorded course or an online module, that a learner can complete at any time. It must carry an expiry date.
Who this applies to
Providers under ANCC, and the learners they serve
Providers
- Organizations accredited by ANCC as providers of nursing continuing professional development (NCPD). They award contact hours in their own name.
- Organizations approved as providers by an ANCC accredited approver, for example a state nurses association. They use the approved provider statement, not the accredited one.
- Organizations that have one activity approved by an accredited approver. They use the individual activity approval statement.
509 NCPD accredited organizations, providers and approvers together (directory, 2026) · ANCC directory of accredited organizations
Learners
Registered nurses and advanced practice nurses who need contact hours for licence renewal, certification renewal or employer requirements.
The 6 elements
What the certificate must show
Each number on the sample matches one element ANCC requires. The list says where the rule is written and which Hyperstack field fills it.
- 1
Provider name and address
The name of the provider of the activity and an address. A web address or an email address is acceptable.
Example: Northwind Nursing Education · northwind-nursing.org
In Hyperstack: set once in the templateNCPD Accredited Provider Manual 2025, p. 64
- 2
Place for the learner’s name
The manual asks for a place for the learner’s name. Print the name of the nurse who completed the activity.
Example: Maria J. Alvarez, RN
In Hyperstack:
[recipient_name]NCPD Accredited Provider Manual 2025, p. 64 - 3
Title of the educational activity
The activity title, as it appears in your activity file and your marketing.
Example: Sepsis Recognition in the First Hour
In Hyperstack:
[group_title]NCPD Accredited Provider Manual 2025, p. 64 - 4
Date of the educational activity
For a live activity, the date it took place. For enduring material, the actual date the learner completed it.
Example: 14 October 2026
In Hyperstack:
[issue_date]NCPD Accredited Provider Manual 2025, p. 64 - 5
Number of contact hours awarded
The contact hours this learner earned. You may write “ANCC contact hours”, “ANCC NCPD contact hours” or “ANCC CNE credit”. The manual says not to use the term “CEU”.
Example: 2.25 ANCC contact hours
In Hyperstack:
[custom_contact_hours]NCPD Accredited Provider Manual 2025, pp. 63–64 - 6
Accreditation statement
The official statement for your kind of provider, word for word, with your organization’s name in it. See the statements below.
Example: Northwind Nursing Education is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.
In Hyperstack: set once in the templateNCPD Accredited Provider Manual 2025, p. 64
Exact wording
The statements, word for word
ANCC has 6 wordings. Use the one that fits your approval and your activity. Copy it, do not retype it.
Accredited provider
[Name of Accredited Provider] is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.
For organizations accredited by ANCC itself. Required before the start of every activity and on every certificate. Use it as written: do not shorten it, translate it, or swap “accredited” for “approved”.
NCPD Accredited Provider Manual 2025, p. 64Approved provider (via an accredited approver)
[Name of Approved Provider] is approved as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by [Name of Accredited Approver] an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.
For organizations approved by an accredited approver, for example a state nurses association. Required before the start of every activity and on every certificate. The manual prints it with no comma after the approver’s name.
NCPD Accredited Approver Manual 2025, p. 49Approved provider with distinction
[Name of Approved Provider] is approved with distinction as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by [Name of Accredited Approver], an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.
Only for approved providers whose approver awarded them “Approved Provider with distinction”. Optional; the plain approved provider statement is always allowed.
NCPD Accredited Approver Manual 2025, p. 49Single activity approved by an accredited approver
This nursing continuing professional development activity was approved by [Name of Accredited Approver], an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.
For an organization that is not a provider but has one activity approved. Use it on the certificate and on all material released after approval.
NCPD Accredited Approver Manual 2025, p. 49Single activity, approval pending (advertising only)
This activity has been submitted to the [Name of Accredited Approver] for approval to award contact hours. The [Name of Accredited Approver] is accredited as an approver of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.
Only for advertising released after the application is in but before approval. Never put this on a certificate; a certificate needs the approved statement above.
NCPD Accredited Approver Manual 2025, p. 49Jointly provided activity
This activity is jointly provided by [Name of Accredited Provider] and [Name of joint provider]. [Name of Accredited Provider] is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.
ANCC gives no fixed wording for the joint line. It requires a statement that the activity is jointly provided, the names of the organizations, and the accredited provider awarding the contact hours named in the accreditation statement on the certificate. The first sentence is a model; the second is the official statement.
NCPD Accredited Provider Manual 2025, p. 46 and Policy 25, p. 29How credit is counted
Minutes in, contact hours out
The unit
1 contact hour = 60 minutes
One contact hour is 60 minutes of an organized learning activity. Count only the parts of the activity spent on learning and the time spent evaluating it. For a live activity, breaks and meals must be shown separately and left out. For enduring material you must record how you worked out the hours, for example a pilot study, historical data, the Mergener formula or the complexity of the content.
NCPD Accredited Provider Manual 2025, pp. 63–64 and glossary p. 75Rounding
Rounding is optional. If you round, you must round to the nearest quarter hour, up or down. The figure must be logical and defensible. Do not call it a “CEU”.
Worked example
140 minutes ÷ 60 = 2.33; nearest quarter hour = 2.25
140 minutes → 2.25 contact hours
140 ÷ 60, to the nearest 0.25. Rounds to the nearest quarter hour, up or down, as the manual allows. Leave breaks and meals out of the minutes.
Timeline
From the last slide to the audit file
Activity
Day 0
The learner meets the criteria for successful completion that your nurse planner set when planning the activity, for example attending the whole session or passing a post-test.
Certificate
On completion
Award the certificate when the criteria are met. ANCC sets no deadline. Hours may not be awarded retroactively, except to the participants of a pilot study used to time an enduring activity.
Report
Not required
ANCC has no central reporting system. The learner keeps the certificate and shows it to their board or employer. Some state boards run their own system, for example CE Broker in Florida.
Records
6 years
Keep the full activity file, electronic or on paper, where authorized staff can retrieve it (Policy 24).
Right and wrong
The same certificate, two ways
The lines on the left are the mistakes auditors find most. The lines on the right are the fix.
Fails an audit
Northwind Nursing Education
Maria J. Alvarez, RN
- Accredited by ANCC
- Northwind Nursing Education is accredited as a provider … (on an approved provider’s certificate)
- 0.3 CEUs
- Contact hours: 2.33
- Contact hours: 8.0 (09:00–17:00, including lunch)
- Date: 1 September 2026 (course published)
Passes an audit
Northwind Nursing Education
Maria J. Alvarez, RN
- Northwind Nursing Education is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.
- Northwind Nursing Education is approved as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the Colorado Nurses Association an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.
- 3.0 ANCC contact hours
- Contact hours: 2.25
- Contact hours: 6.5
- Completed: 14 October 2026
- 1. The statement must be shown word for word, with your organization’s name in it.
- 2. A provider approved by an approver is not accredited. It must use the approved provider statement and name its approver.
- 3. The manual says not to use the term “CEU”. A CEU is an IACET unit and converts to hours differently.
- 4. If you round, round to the nearest quarter hour. 2.33 is neither the exact figure nor a quarter.
- 5. Breaks and meals are left out of the hours. For activities over three hours the agenda must show them separately.
- 6. For enduring material the certificate shows the actual date the learner completed the activity.
Digital
Electronic certificates and badges
Electronic certificates
ANCC does not name a format. The manual calls it a “certificate or documentation of completion” and requires only the six elements. Policy 24 allows activity files to be electronic or hard copy, so an electronic certificate kept in an electronic file meets the rule. Initial applicants must send ANCC a sample certificate for each activity.
Digital badges
The manuals say nothing about digital badges. A badge counts only if it carries the same six elements, including the contact hours and the statement word for word. A badge with a title and a logo alone is not documentation of completion.
NCPD Accredited Provider Manual 2025, p. 64 and Policy 24, p. 29
Records and other rules
What else ANCC checks
Keep the activity file for six years
Records must sit in a retrievable file, electronic or hard copy, that authorized staff can reach for six years. The file must show compliance whatever the method of recordkeeping. Hyperstack keeps every issued certificate, its verification page and its audit log for the life of your account and after you cancel.
NCPD Accredited Provider Manual 2025, Policy 24, p. 29Joint providership: name the provider that awards the hours
You may plan an activity with another organization, but not with an ineligible company. The accredited provider is “the provider”; the partner is “the joint provider”. Marketing, agendas and certificates must clearly show which accredited provider awards the contact hours, and learners must be told the activity is jointly provided and by whom.
NCPD Accredited Provider Manual 2025, Policy 25, p. 29 and p. 46Enduring material: completion date and expiry
For a self-paced activity the certificate shows the actual date the learner finished, not the launch date. The activity must carry an expiry date, no more than three years from first release, after which no contact hours may be awarded. Review the content at least every three years.
NCPD Accredited Provider Manual 2025, pp. 64–66Completion criteria decide who gets a certificate
The nurse planner sets the criteria for successful completion when planning the activity, for example active engagement, a post-test, a self-reflection or a return demonstration. A certificate is awarded only to a participant who meets them. The criteria must be told to learners before the activity starts.
NCPD Accredited Provider Manual 2025, pp. 63–65Partial credit: no fixed ANCC rule
ANCC gives no rule that says “award the hours attended”. Hours go to the portions of the activity devoted to learning, and the provider’s own completion criteria decide what a learner must finish. If you let a learner earn hours for part of a conference, say so in the criteria, put the sessions on the agenda, and keep the hours logical and defensible.
NCPD Accredited Provider Manual 2025, p. 63Speakers and planners
Speakers cannot earn contact hours for the sessions they present. If they attend other sessions as learners, they can earn hours for those. Planning committee members may earn hours if they take part as learners.
NCPD Accredited Provider Manual 2025, p. 63No retroactive hours
Contact hours may not be awarded after the event for an activity that did not carry them at the time. The one exception is the participants of a pilot study run to time an enduring activity; they get the hours once the number is set.
NCPD Accredited Provider Manual 2025, p. 64No signature, licence number or certificate number required
The six elements are the whole list. ANCC does not ask for a signature, the learner’s licence number or a certificate number. Add them if a state board or employer wants them, but they are extras. Hyperstack gives every certificate a verification page and QR code, so a board can check it without a number.
NCPD Accredited Provider Manual 2025, p. 64Before you send
The audit checklist, to tick or print
ANCC certificate checklist0/12
How to do it in Hyperstack
Three steps to a compliant certificate
- 1
Open the ANCC template
The template has a place for every element on this page. Add your logo and your 2 fixed elements once.
- Provider name and address
- Accreditation statement
- 2
Map your columns
Upload a spreadsheet or connect your LMS. Each column fills one element for every learner.
- [recipient_name]
- [group_title]
- [issue_date]
- [custom_contact_hours]
- 3
Issue and keep the record
Every learner gets an email, a verification page and a QR code. The record stays for as long as the rules need it.
- Verification page
- QR code
- Audit log
- Kept 6 years and beyond
Free template
An ANCC-ready certificate, with all 6 elements in place
Set your provider details once. Names, dates and contact hours fill in for every learner. Each certificate gets a verification page and QR code.
FAQ
ANCC certificates, answered
It depends on who checked you. If ANCC accredited your organization directly, use the accredited provider statement. If a state nurses association or another accredited approver approved you, use the approved provider statement and name the approver in it. The two are not interchangeable.
No. Rounding is optional. If you do round, the manual says you must round to the nearest quarter hour, up or down. So 140 minutes is 2.33 hours exact, or 2.25 rounded. Whatever you do, the figure must be logical and defensible.
ANCC has no rule for or against it. Your completion criteria decide. If your criteria say a learner earns the hours for each session attended, you can award those hours, as long as the agenda shows each session and the hours add up. Speakers cannot earn hours for their own sessions.
The manual does not name a format. It asks for a “certificate or documentation of completion” with six elements, and it allows electronic activity files. A PDF or an online certificate that shows the six elements and sits in your activity file meets the rule.
No. ANCC requires neither. Some state boards or employers ask for a licence number, so you may add a field for it, but it is not an ANCC element.
No. ANCC has no central reporting system. The nurse keeps the certificate and shows it at licence or certification renewal. Some states run their own system, for example CE Broker in Florida; check the board of each state your learners are licensed in.
Six years, under Policy 24. The activity file must be retrievable, electronic or paper, and must show compliance with the criteria. Nurses are often told by their boards to keep their own certificates for several years, so a link that never expires saves you repeat requests.
No. The manual says accredited providers should not use the term “CEU”, because a CEU is an IACET unit that converts to time differently. Write “contact hours”, “ANCC contact hours”, “ANCC NCPD contact hours” or “ANCC CNE credit”.
Sources
Read from American Nurses Credentialing Center documents on 30 October 2026. This page is a guide, not legal advice. Your accreditation manual and your licensing board have the final word. Something out of date? Tell us.
Changes to this page
- 2026-10-30Page written from the 2025 NCPD Accredited Provider Manual and the 2025 NCPD Accredited Approver Manual.
- 2026-10-30Fact check against both manuals: softened “Never CEU” to the manual’s “should not use the term”; approved provider term and contact hour definition reworded to match pp. 63–64 and the Approver Manual p. 49.
- 1ANCC NCPD Accredited Provider Policy and Operations Manual, Version 1.0 (2nd Ed.), July 1, 2025Policy 24 recordkeeping and Policy 25 joint providership (p. 29); activity file checklist (p. 40); disclosures table and joint providership on the certificate (p. 46); criteria for awarding and calculating contact hours, rounding, no CEU (p. 63); 60-minute hour, no retroactive hours, accredited provider statement, certificate elements (p. 64); required disclosures (p. 65); enduring material expiry (p. 66); glossary (p. 75).
- 2ANCC NCPD Accredited Approver Policy and Operations Manual, Version 1.0 (2nd Ed.), July 1, 2025 (educational design chapter)Contact hour rounding (p. 48); individual activity approval statements, approved provider statement, approved with distinction, certificate elements (p. 49); required disclosures and joint providership (p. 50).
- 3ANCC: find an accredited organizationCurrent number of NCPD accredited organizations: 509, read 2026-10-30.
- 4ANCC: Nursing Continuing Professional Development (program page)Record keeping requirement and the form-gated link to the current provider manual.
Your next cohort deserves better than a PDF
Set up in minutes, send your first credentials today, and only pay once you grow past 20 recipients a year.
Or open a live sample credential