Accreditation and state approval for Sacred Heart nursing programs

CCNE dates by program

CCNE's public directory lists four Sacred Heart nursing programs. Three of them, the baccalaureate, the master's and the Doctor of Nursing Practice, share a review cycle: their last on-site evaluation took place in September 2019, CCNE's most recent action on them is dated September 25, 2019, and their current term runs to June 30, 2030, with the next visit expected in fall 2029.

The fourth, the post-graduate APRN certificate, joined the list in late 2025 and runs on its own clock, one year behind the others.

The post-graduate APRN certificate: two dates, one status

Sacred Heart's post-master's FNP and PMHNP certificates sit under CCNE's newest Sacred Heart entry. On the College of Nursing page, Sacred Heart says it "hosted an on-site evaluation by CCNE on November 5-7, 2025," and that the new certificate program, with FNP and PMHNP tracks, received notification of full accreditation on May 15, 2026.

CCNE's directory records the initial accreditation as November 5, 2025, with a term to June 30, 2031 and the next on-site review in fall 2030. That date matches the first day of the visit, while Sacred Heart's May 2026 date marks the day it was notified; both sources agree that the certificate is accredited.

One Sacred Heart page lags behind. The accreditation statement on the APRN preceptor portal still names only the baccalaureate, master's and DNP programs. If you are in a certificate program and a preceptor or practice manager asks, point them to CCNE's directory, which lists the certificate by name. The FNP certificate and PMHNP certificate pages cover those programs' clinical courses.

What clinical sites and preceptors ask about

The document a site actually signs is the affiliation agreement with Sacred Heart, which the Clinical Contract & Compliance Coordinator starts after your Contract Request Form. Health systems' own student pages center on that agreement: Trinity Health Of New England tells learners they cannot proceed without an active agreement between their school and Trinity, and UConn Health says an assignment earning academic credit needs a clinical affiliation agreement set up with the host department. Before any agreement exists, the preceptor or practice manager you approach may ask about the program itself.

Answers worth having ready

• Who accredits your program and through when: CCNE master's, DNP or certificate, with the dates in the table above.
• Whether Sacred Heart already has an agreement with the site: Sacred Heart reports more than 900 clinical affiliation agreements, and the Contract Request Form is how the college checks. See affiliation agreements.
• Your student liability coverage: NP students carry Nurse Practitioner Student Liability Insurance before the first clinical course.
• How hours and evaluations are recorded: E*Value holds the logs, the student-preceptor agreement and the preceptor's evaluations.
• Which state approves the program: Connecticut, through the bodies named above.

Sacred Heart's own figures on its network differ: the clinical affiliations page cites more than 900 agreements, while the strategic partnerships page describes more than 600 medical centers, community agencies and primary care clinics. Quote the page you are citing rather than mixing them.