How to become a licensed nursing home administrator in Minnesota: the routes, the practicum (the Administrator-in-Training program), the NAB exams, the Board’s state exam, fees, CE and renewal, with section numbers.
| Who licenses | The Board of Executives for Long Term Services and Supports (BELTSS) (Minn. Stat. 144A.19) |
|---|---|
| Who can apply | Age 21 or older, with a bachelor’s degree in any field plus nine course areas, or a waiver (Minn. R. 6400.6000; Minn. Stat. 144A.20) |
| AIT requirement | A 1,000-hour practicum by default, reduced to 750, 500, 200 or 0 hours for qualifying experience (Minn. R. 6400.6655) |
| National exams | NAB Core of Knowledge (CORE) and NHA Line of Service, at Pearson VUE (Minn. R. 6400.6000 subp. 1 D) |
| State exam | Required: the Board’s open-resource State NHA exam, online with a licensed proctor you choose, $100 (Minn. R. 6400.6000 subp. 1 E) Details ↓ |
| Continuing education | 20 hours a year (1 May to 30 April), no carryover (Minn. R. 6400.6800) |
| Renewal | Every year; the license lapses if the renewal has not arrived by 30 June (Minn. R. 6400.6740) |
| Official sources | mn.gov/boards/beltss (the Board) · Minn. Stat. 144A.18 to 144A.291 · Minn. R. ch. 6400 (Revisor of Statutes) · nabweb.org (national exams) |
Verified September 2026 against the Board’s website, Minnesota Statutes (Minn. Stat.) and Minnesota Rules (Minn. R.).
The license comes from the Board of Executives for Long Term Services and Supports (BELTSS), created by Minn. Stat. 144A.19: a stand-alone state health licensing board, not part of the Minnesota Department of Health. Its website is mn.gov/boards/beltss (phone 651-201-2730), with an online portal and license verification at nha.hlb.state.mn.us.
The law is Minn. Stat. 144A.18 to 144A.291, with the fees in 144A.291; the Board’s rules are Minn. R. ch. 6400. Unlicensed practice is a misdemeanor (144A.18). Nursing homes themselves are regulated by the Minnesota Department of Health, whose nursing home rules are Minn. R. ch. 4658.
Minn. R. 6400.6000 subp. 1 requires:
The Board waives all coursework for someone who “actively and effectively served full time for a minimum of two continuous years within the immediate past five years” as a licensed administrator and CEO (6400.6560). Its application page names five routes:
| 01 Education | A bachelor’s or higher from a NAB- or BELTSS-approved program |
|---|---|
| 02 Experience | A bachelor’s in a related field; an education review can bring course waivers or practicum reductions |
| 03 Endorsement | Licensed in another state (below) |
| 04 ACHCA certification | A NAB-endorsed ACHCA certification waives the academic and practicum requirements, not the exams |
| 05 Education review | A review of your past courses before you apply, $100 |
Approved programs: Concordia College (Moorhead), Minnesota State University Moorhead, University of Minnesota Crookston, University of Minnesota Twin Cities and University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. UMN Crookston is “no longer NAB approved as of November 8th 2023” but stays on the Board’s list.
Deadlines. “Applications expire 18 months after the date the application form is filed” (Minn. R. 6400.6100 subp. 3), and exam scores expire after 2 years if you are not yet licensed (subp. 4 B).
Minnesota’s rules call the AIT the practicum. The 1,000 hours are a default, not a floor: each reduction below needs documented experience plus a board-approved assessment (Minn. R. 6400.6655). For reductions to 500, 200 or 0 hours, full time means 35 hours a week (subp. 3).
| Practicum hours | Qualifying experience | Minn. R. 6400.6655 |
|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | “An applicant must complete a 1,000-hour practicum unless” an item below applies | subp. 1 |
| 750 | 2+ years as a manager supervising 25 or more employees and a budget of at least $1 million | subp. 2 A |
| 750 | 2+ years in a hospital or nursing facility “in any professional capacity or in any direct patient care capacity” | subp. 2 B |
| 500 | 2+ years as a department manager with supervisory and budget duties, or prior service as an assistant administrator, director of nursing or housing manager (criteria apply) | subp. 2 C |
| 200 | 1+ year as a full-time hospital administrator or assistant administrator, or 2+ years as a nursing facility director of nursing | subp. 2 D |
| 0 | 1 year of continuous full-time work as an assistant administrator, CEO or senior leader responsible for resident care and administration | subp. 2 E |
A currently licensed nursing home administrator or health services executive, licensed and practicing for at least 2 years (Minn. R. 6400.6600 subp. 3), who may not supervise a relative or a member of their household. The Board’s Preceptor Resources page links NAB’s preceptor training, and precepting earns 2 CE credits a month, up to 16 a year (6400.6850).
Other states: AIT Hours by State.
The free AIT Planner helps you plan practicum hours across facility departments. Minnesota’s rule sets no number of departments; students without experience split time about equally between administrative and resident care departments. Any finer split is our planning aid, not a Minnesota rule; agree on it with your preceptor and faculty advisor. No account needed.
Open the free AIT PlannerMinnesota requires both NAB exams (Minn. R. 6400.6000 subp. 1 D): the Core of Knowledge (CORE) and the NHA Line of Service, from the National Association of Long Term Care Administrator Boards. Once the Board approves your application, you apply to NAB and schedule. Figures from NAB’s Candidate Handbook (September 2026) and exam page:
| Core of Knowledge | 125 questions (100 scored, 25 pretest), 150 minutes in all, 130 of them for answering questions |
|---|---|
| NHA Line of Service | 75 questions (60 scored, 15 pretest), 90 minutes in all, 70 of them for answering questions |
| Passing score | A scaled score of 113 on each |
| Fee | $480 for CORE and NHA applied for together, from 1 February 2026, paid to NAB. Taken alone, CORE is $320 and NHA is $190 |
| NAB attempts | Since 1 January 2026, up to 4 attempts at each exam per cycle (1 July to 30 June) |
| Test centers | Pearson VUE, per NAB; the Board’s national exams page still refers to “PSI Online” |
| Minnesota retake rule | After a second failed attempt, you send the Board a study plan and wait 6 months; after a third, a revised plan and 1 year. This covers the NAB exams and the state exam (Minn. R. 6400.6100 subp. 4 A) |
More in NAB Exam Format and The Core Domains Explained.
Minnesota’s state exam is the Board’s own “state examination given by the board to test knowledge of Minnesota laws” (Minn. R. 6400.6000 subp. 1 E). The Board’s state exams page calls it the State NHA exam: “an open resource exam testing candidate ability to research and interpret” Minnesota statutes and rules.
| Who gives it | The Board, online, not NAB or Pearson VUE. You choose a licensed administrator (LNHA or LHSE) as proctor, who receives log-in instructions by email |
|---|---|
| Length | 35 multiple-choice questions in 1 hour 25 minutes (state exams page) or 1 hour 35 minutes (exam information page). The 50-question, 2-hour exam is the combined NHA and assisted living exam. Follow the Board’s instructions |
| Passing score | Above 74 percent in the Board’s January 2025 instructions for the combined and HSE state exams; ask the Board for the State NHA exam |
| Fee | $100, “unless included in your application fee” (state exams page); the statute allows up to $125 (Minn. Stat. 144A.291 subd. 2) |
| Retakes | The Minnesota retake rule above covers the state exam. The January 2025 instructions say a study plan “may be required” after a third failed attempt; the rule sets it after the second |
| Who else takes it | Endorsement applicants and acting administrators (passed within the past 2 years), and health services executives (Minn. R. 6400.6000 subp. 2; 6400.6700; 6400.6770) |
The Board does not publish domain weights; it publishes this reading list:
More in State NHA Exams Explained.
In four places, Minnesota sets a different number, or adds a requirement, compared with 42 CFR Part 483. All four come from Minn. Stat. ch. 144A, the Department of Health’s nursing home rules (Minn. R. ch. 4658) and the Vulnerable Adults Act (626.557):
| Topic | Federal rule (42 CFR 483) | Minnesota rule | Section |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nurse staffing levels | Sufficient nursing staff, including licensed nurses, on a 24-hour basis (483.35(a)), with no hours-per-resident-day minimum; a registered nurse “for at least 8 consecutive hours a day, 7 days a week” (483.35(b)(1)), unless waived (483.35(e), (f)). CMS repealed the 2024 minimum staffing standards, which were never enforced, by interim final rule published 3 December 2025 (90 FR 55687, effective 2 February 2026) | At least “two hours per resident per 24 hours” of nursing personnel (the 0.95-hour alternative lapsed with RUG-III), with a civil fine of $300 a day for noncompliance; in homes with more than 60 licensed beds, the director of nursing’s hours do not count. Homes outside Medical Assistance follow Minn. R. 4658.0510 subp. 2 instead | Minn. Stat. 144A.04 subd. 7 |
| Director of nursing | A registered nurse as director of nursing, full time (483.35(b)(2)), with no set number of weekly hours | Must work “no less than 35 hours per week”, assigned full time to nursing services; a newly appointed director completes specified training within 12 months | Minn. R. 4658.0500 subps. 2, 4 |
| Reporting abuse | Alleged violations reported “immediately, but not later than 2 hours” if they involve abuse or serious bodily injury, otherwise within 24 hours (483.12(c)(1)); investigation results within 5 working days (483.12(c)(4)) | Mandated reporters “shall immediately report” to the common entry point, and “immediately” means “as soon as possible, but no longer than 24 hours”. A facility receiving an internal report tells the reporter in writing within 2 working days whether it reported externally | Minn. Stat. 626.557 subds. 3, 4a; 626.5572 subd. 10 |
| The administrator | The administrator must be “Licensed by the State, where licensing is required” (483.70(d)(2)(i)); 483.70(d) has no delegation or posting rule | Licensed or permitted by the Board, and “must maintain an on-site presence”. In the administrator’s absence, the person in charge must be “at least 21 years of age and capable of acting in an emergency”, and that person’s name is posted at the main entrance | Minn. Stat. 144A.04 subd. 5; Minn. R. 4658.0055 subps. 3, 4 |
The federal nursing home rules (42 CFR Part 483, Subpart B) apply only to facilities certified for Medicare or Medicaid, so a certified Minnesota home must meet both sets of rules, including both reporting clocks. Minnesota text: 2025 statutes. Federal text as of September 2026.
Minimum wages for nursing home workers, set by the Nursing Home Workforce Standards Board, took effect on 10 September 2026 ($19.00 general, $22.50 CNA, $23.50 TMA, $27.00 LPN; Minn. R. 5200.2080 to 5200.2090), with no Part 483 equivalent.
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Start with the Board’s lists. BELTSS does not keep a preceptor directory. It publishes its approved academic programs, a list of NAB-accredited programs and a Preceptor Resources page. The faculty advisor who coordinates your practicum (Minn. R. 6400.6600 subp. 4) is a good first person to ask about sites and preceptors.
Other routes. NAB’s Administrator in Residence program is the other accepted form of practicum (Minn. R. 6400.6600), and a NAB-endorsed ACHCA certification (route 04) waives the practicum.
Associations, for meeting administrators. Care Providers of Minnesota offers CE “designed to meet the standards for nursing home administrators” and its Leading4Life leadership program; LeadingAge Minnesota offers Licensed Assisted Living Director Training and a Leadership Academy. Both are ways to meet administrators who could precept.
For the full step-by-step on approaching facilities and preceptors, see How to Find an AIT Preceptor and an Approved Program.
Minn. Stat. 144A.291 subd. 2 sets maximum fees, and “All fees are nonrefundable” (subd. 1). The 2026 Legislature rewrote the list (Laws 2026, ch. 121, art. 2, sec. 2), dropping the January to June initial license rate, renaming the acting permit a “permit”, removing the separate HSE lines and renaming the shared assignment fee. With no effective date stated, it took effect by 1 August 2026 (Minn. Stat. 645.02).
| Fee | 2025 statute | Now (Laws 2026, ch. 121) |
|---|---|---|
| Application for licensure | $200 | $200 |
| State exam (the Board charges $100) | $125 | $125 |
| Initial license | $250 (July to December) or $100 (January to June) | $250 |
| Renewal, every year | $250 | $250 |
| Late renewal | $75 | $75 |
| Reinstatement | $250 | $250 |
| Acting administrator permit | $400 | $400 (“permit”) |
| Review before you apply | $100, credited if you apply within 1 year | $100 |
| Shared assignment | $250 (second one) | $250 (certificate) |
You need 20 CE credits (clock hours) every year (Minn. R. 6400.6800 subp. 1). “The CE year runs from May 1 through April 30”, and hours “cannot be carried over from year to year” (the Board’s renewal and CE pages).
Renewal. The license renews every year, online from 1 May to 30 June. The rule says to apply “on or before June 1” (Minn. R. 6400.6740 subp. 1), and the license lapses if the application “has not been received by June 30” (subp. 2). The Board’s renewals page says licenses “expire on June 30 each year”; after that, a $75 late fee applies on top of the $250 renewal fee.
If your license lapses. You can reinstate within 5 years of your last license, with no discipline during the lapse (Minn. R. 6400.6750). Under 2 years: the missing CE plus renewal and late fees for each lapsed year. From 2 to 5 years: the same plus the state exam, and also the NAB exam if you were not licensed elsewhere the whole time. Every reinstatement needs a new fingerprint background check.
Endorsement (Minn. R. 6400.6700 subp. 1): a current license in a jurisdiction with substantially equivalent requirements, or NAB-endorsed certification, good standing everywhere, and having “passed the Minnesota state examination within the immediate past two years”. The Board’s endorsement page adds a bachelor’s degree, CORE and NHA passed, 2 continuous full-time years as an administrator in the past 5, and CMS-2567 inspection reports. Minn. Stat. 144A.26 subd. 1 says the Board “may issue a nursing home administrator’s license, without examination”; the rule and the Board’s page require the state exam.
Health services executives need NAB’s HSE validation plus both Minnesota state exams, nursing facility and assisted living (Minn. Stat. 144A.26 subd. 2; Minn. R. 6400.6000 subp. 2).
Acting administrator permit: a high school diploma or equivalent, or an associate degree; age 21 or over; management experience or most of the coursework; the state exam passed within the last 2 years; good standing (Minn. R. 6400.6770 subp. 2). The permit costs $400.
Military. A licensee in active military service need not renew; the exemption “ceases six months after discharge from active service”, and you notify the Board in writing (Minn. R. 6400.6740 subp. 3).
The laws, rules and other sources cited on this page.
Citations verified September 2026. Statutes are the 2025 edition; 2026 amendments appear in the session laws. For reference, not legal advice; the current official text governs.
Minnesota calls the AIT the practicum: 1,000 hours unless your experience qualifies you for 750, 500, 200 or 0 hours (Minn. R. 6400.6655). It is taken for academic credit or through NAB’s Administrator in Residence program, in a nursing facility, at least 20 hours a week.
The NAB Core of Knowledge and NHA Line of Service exams, with a scaled score of 113 on each, and the Board’s state exam on Minnesota law (Minn. R. 6400.6000 subp. 1 D, E). A second failed attempt brings a study plan and a 6-month wait.
The Board’s State NHA exam: an open-resource exam on Minnesota statutes and rules, taken online through the Board with a licensed proctor you choose, not through NAB or Pearson VUE. It costs $100; ask the Board for the passing score. It has 35 questions; Board pages give 1 hour 25 or 35 minutes, so follow the instructions the Board sends you.
20 hours every CE year, which runs 1 May to 30 April, with no carryover and no standing list of required topics (Minn. R. 6400.6800). The license renews every year and lapses if the renewal has not arrived by 30 June.
Start with the Board’s list of approved academic programs and your school’s faculty advisor; NAB’s Administrator in Residence program is the other route. Your preceptor must be an administrator or health services executive licensed and practicing at least 2 years.
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