New Hampshire Board of Nursing (Office of Professional Licensure and Certification)
New Hampshire Nursing CE Requirements
New Hampshire RNs and LPNs need 30 contact hours of continuing education every 2 years (or another option the board accepts).
At a glance
New Hampshire nursing license renewal
| Licenses covered | Registered nurse (RN), Licensed practical nurse (LPN) [1] |
|---|---|
| CE required for renewal | Yes [1] |
| Hours per renewal | 30 contact hours [1] |
| CE period | Every 2 years [2] |
| Renewal deadline | Licenses are valid for 2 years from the date of issuance; the renewal application, fee and supporting documents must be filed on or before the expiration date, and the 30 contact hours must fall within the 2 years before the application. [2] |
| State-mandated topics | None stated by the board |
| What CE counts | Workshops, conferences, lectures or in-service offerings designed to enhance nursing knowledge, judgment and skills, in listed content areas such as nursing art and science, health care research, health-care management, and ethical or legal aspects of health care. A published nursing article or book, a professional nursing paper or panel, quality or risk studies, nursing research or grant-writing, and 2 or more college credits (1 credit = 15 contact hours) also count. Official contact hours are not required, but offerings must have objectives and a way to evaluate learning. [1] |
Other ways to meet the requirement
- Current national certification may be used to fulfil the continuing education requirement. [1]
Good to know
- RNs and LPNs must also have 400 hours active in practice in the 4 years immediately before the application. [1]
- Keep documentation of each offering (title, length, date and provider). Independent study is unlimited if completion can be verified. If audited, OPLC checks your CE Broker account. [1]
Rules change, and your own license record decides your deadline. Confirm with the New Hampshire Board of Nursing (Office of Professional Licensure and Certification) ↗ before you renew.
Free continuing education
Free nursing CE
The New Hampshire Board of Nursing (Office of Professional Licensure and Certification) pages we checked do not name an accreditor we track, so we do not mark individual courses as accepted here. Check a course's approval against the board's rule before relying on it.
Questions
New Hampshire nursing CE, answered
How many CE hours do New Hampshire nurses need?
New Hampshire RNs and LPNs need 30 contact hours of continuing education every 2 years (or another option the board accepts). Licenses are valid for 2 years from the date of issuance; the renewal application, fee and supporting documents must be filed on or before the expiration date, and the 30 contact hours must fall within the 2 years before the application.
Does New Hampshire require specific CE topics for nurses?
The New Hampshire Board of Nursing (Office of Professional Licensure and Certification) pages we checked do not list a state-mandated topic for this renewal.
Do free online CE courses count in New Hampshire?
Workshops, conferences, lectures or in-service offerings designed to enhance nursing knowledge, judgment and skills, in listed content areas such as nursing art and science, health care research, health-care management, and ethical or legal aspects of health care. A published nursing article or book, a professional nursing paper or panel, quality or risk studies, nursing research or grant-writing, and 2 or more college credits (1 credit = 15 contact hours) also count. Official contact hours are not required, but offerings must have objectives and a way to evaluate learning. Check that a free course meets this rule before relying on it.
Sources & verification
Every fact above links to the official page it comes from. We fetched each page on the date shown and confirmed the exact wording below appears on it.
- NH Office of Professional Licensure and Certification — Board of Nurses Education and Training ↗www.oplc.nh.gov · HTML · Retrieved Oct 12, 2026
Quoted wording (13)
“Each applicant for licensure by endorsement, renewal or reinstatement for an RN or LPN license shall complete at least 30 contact hours of workshops, conferences, lectures or in-service educational offerings that are designed to enhance nursing knowledge, judgment, and skills.”
“Each applicant for licensure by endorsement, renewal or reinstatement for an RN or LPN license shall complete at least 30 contact hours of workshops, conferences, lectures or in-service educational offerings that are designed to enhance nursing knowledge, judgment, and skills.”
“30 contact hours in 2 years immediately preceding license application including workshops, conferences, lectures or other education offerings designed to enhance nursing knowledge, judgment, and skills”
“30 contact hours in 2 years immediately preceding license application”
“30 contact hours in 2 years immediately preceding license application”
“Educational courses offering content in the following shall fulfill the requirements of (a) above: Nursing art and science; Nursing education, practice, or research; Research in health care; Biological, physical, or behavioral sciences; Management, administration or supervision of health-care delivery; Teaching or learning principles; Ethical or legal aspects of healthcare; Content offered in basic nursing educational programs appropriate to the licensure category; or Health-care trends, issues or policies.”
“One or more of the following educational activities shall fulfill the requirements of (a) above: Authorship of a published professional nursing article or book; Preparation and initial delivery of a professional nursing paper; Preparation and initial participation on a professional nursing panel; Participation in quality assessment or risk management studies; Nursing or nursing-related grant-writing or research; or Completion of 2 or more credits in a school, college, or university that enhances nursing knowledge, judgment and skills.”
“Academic credit for courses shall be converted to contact hours, with one credit being the equivalent of 15 contact hours.”
“The Board does not require that your contact hours be earned at conferences that provide "official" contact hours granted by a professional organization. However, the educational offering must: Have specific objectives that guide the learning”
“Have a method for evaluating the learner's attainment of the objectives”
“Current national certification may be used to fulfill such continuing education requirement.”
“RN/LPN 400 hours active in practice in 4 years immediately prior to date of application.”
“The licensee shall maintain documentation of attendance that includes: the title, length and date of the offering and the name of the entity providing the offering. There is no limit to the number of contact hours that can be completed through independent study. However, individualized learning courses must have some method of verifying that the course was completed.”
- New Hampshire RSA 310:8 — License Renewals and Reinstatements; Expiration and Lapse ↗gc.nh.gov · HTML · Retrieved Oct 12, 2026
Quoted wording (3)
“Licenses issued by the office shall be valid for 2 years from the date of issuance”
“Licenses issued by the office shall be valid for 2 years from the date of issuance”
“Applicants shall submit completed applications for renewal, the renewal fee, and any supporting documents required for renewal on or before the expiration of the license.”
- NH Office of Professional Licensure and Certification — FAQs for Nursing Professions ↗www.oplc.nh.gov · HTML · Retrieved Oct 12, 2026
Quoted wording (1)
“If you have been selected for an audit during your renewal, we will access your account in CE BROKER to confirm that you are in compliance with the continuing education requirements”