South Carolina nurses in GW's online programs
A South Carolina address keeps almost every GW Nursing online program within reach; only the Acute Care NP options are off the table unless you move to the DC region. The state's out-of-state rule is aimed at pre-licensure schools, so for a GW graduate student the live issues are practice agreements, licensing near the Charlotte border, and a preceptor tax credit that GW rotations do not earn.
Get your placement plan
Tell us your GW program and where you live. A placement advisor replies with the preceptor and site options that fit your GW course.
Where South Carolina stands with GW
GW's State Authorizations page carries no South Carolina restriction, and GW's licensure disclosures list the state under meets requirements for NP, certificate and midwifery programs alike. Double-check your track with GW admissions before you apply.
| Program | Open to South Carolina? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| PMHNP (MSN, post-BSN DNP or certificate) | Yes | Five 120-hour clinical courses in the MSN |
| FNP or AGPCNP (MSN or post-BSN DNP) | Yes | 120, then 240, then 240 precepted hours |
| AGACNP, every option | No, unless you relocate | DC, Maryland or Northern Virginia residence and rotations |
| Nurse-Midwifery MSN | Yes | 840 immersion hours with a seasoned preceptor |
| Leadership MSN, MSN/MPH, post-MSN DNP | Yes | Leadership practicum preceptors hold a master's or higher |
Regulation 91-6 is written for pre-licensure schools
Regulation 91-6 governs nursing programs run by an institution headquartered outside South Carolina, but only where the clinicals prepare students for a first license. Such programs need Board approval, on-shift supervision by faculty holding a South Carolina or compact-state license, and a written affiliation agreement. APRN and RN-to-BSN programs go unmentioned, so GW's NP, midwifery and leadership students fall outside the approval step.
GW applies its own gate instead. A South Carolina clinic still needs a contract with GW Nursing and your program director's sign-off before the Clinical Placement Team clears you, as the affiliation agreement guide describes.
The preceptor tax credit, seen from a GW student's side
A physician, APRN or PA who precepts without pay can claim a state income tax credit per qualifying rotation under S.C. Code § 12-6-3800, up to a yearly cap, then a deduction for up to six additional rotations. The conditions are strict: at least two rotations a year, Medicaid participation with a minimum Medicare and Medicaid patient count, and rotations of 160 hours or more in listed settings.
The rotation has to serve a student of a South Carolina college or university, public or independent. GW is a DC university, so a South Carolina preceptor who takes you on earns nothing under this law. The end date is muddled too: a 2024 law (Act No. 217) pushed the credit's life out to tax year 2029, while the Revenue Department's ruling #20-2 still prints the original January 1, 2026 repeal date.
When you ask a South Carolina clinician to precept, say early that a GW rotation falls outside the state credit, so the request rests on the teaching itself.
Practice agreements and where students search
AANP counts South Carolina among its restricted states. NPs need a physician practice agreement before performing delegated medical acts, and controlled-substance supplies are capped. Either an experienced NP or a physician can meet GW's preceptor standard, detailed on GW's preceptor requirements page.
The systems students here ask first include Lexington Health, which runs Lexington Medical Center; McLeod Health; Prisma Health; Roper St. Francis Healthcare; and MUSC Health, the Medical University of South Carolina's system. Of the metros lying wholly inside the state, Greenville-Anderson-Greer is largest, with Charleston-North Charleston and Columbia close behind.
Licensing, and the Charlotte border
South Carolina's multistate licenses have been valid across compact states since January 19, 2018, which is how most students here satisfy GW's rule that a license cover each rotation state. Roughly 454,000 residents of the Charlotte metro live on the South Carolina side, and many weigh clinics in North Carolina, another compact state whose board leaves graduate programs alone. See the North Carolina guide and RN licenses for GW clinicals.
Why South Carolina students choose us
We search both sides of the state line and every metro from Greenville to Charleston, pairing you with a preceptor who suits your GW course. Your placement advisor packages the preceptor's license and CV, the site signatory for GW's agreement and a course-fit summary, so the Site Prospector entry is complete, and keeps looking if a preceptor backs out. Share your county and start term through the contact form.
Questions GW students ask
Can South Carolina residents apply to GW's online PMHNP program?
Yes. South Carolina carries no restriction on GW's State Authorizations page, and GW's disclosure lists it as meeting requirements for the MSN NP tracks. The MSN PMHNP runs five 120-hour clinical courses, and each needs a preceptor who fits, which for NURS 6248 means a PMHNP or CNS under GW's 2021 guide. Confirm with GW admissions.
Does the South Carolina Board of Nursing approve GW before I start?
Regulation 91-6, its rule for programs based elsewhere, reaches only schools preparing students for a first license and says nothing about APRN education, so no Board step applies to GW's NP tracks. GW's own agreement, program director review and clearance still come before any hours.
Will my preceptor get South Carolina's preceptor tax credit for teaching me?
No. Only rotations serving students of South Carolina's own public and independent schools qualify, and GW is based in Washington, DC. The law also asks for at least two rotations a year of 160 hours or more. GW offers its preceptors library access, guest lecturing and collaboration with other preceptors.
I live on the South Carolina side of greater Charlotte. Can I rotate in North Carolina?
If South Carolina is your primary state of residence and you hold its multistate license, that license reaches North Carolina, since both are compact members. North Carolina's board does not approve graduate programs, so GW's own steps decide the site. GW asks for a license in every rotation state, so upload it to Complio.
Related pages
Last checked 2026-09-24
We check these pages against GW's Bulletin and GW Nursing's own program and clinical pages. Your course, CORE and GW's Clinical Placement Team have the final word.
GW asks you to find your own site and preceptor. Hand that search to us.
Tell us your GW program, where you live and which clinical course is next. We find preceptors who fit the course and prepare the license, bio and site details GW's review asks for, so your Site Prospector goes in complete.
- Preceptors matched to the course: family practice for
NURS 6230toNURS 6232, older-adult primary care for AGPCNP, psychiatric care for PMHNP - License, bio or CV and the site's agreement signatory ready for your CORE submission
- Close to home, in DC, Maryland, Virginia or wherever you live and hold your RN license
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