Site and preceptor fees: what Liberty's rule means for you

What Liberty's pages say about fees

The rule is short. On the DNP and PMHNP certificate pages, Liberty says any fees or costs a practicum facility or preceptor requires are the student's responsibility, to be "negotiated directly between the student and the site." The same pages add that Liberty can't control extra onboarding requirements or fees a facility sets.

MSN students meet a similar line in the 2026-27 catalog: practicum sites may add requirements, and students carry all practicum costs. The 2022-23 MSN Student Handbook, the newest one that is public, lists a preceptor stipend among the expenses a student may meet.

Two things follow. If a preceptor or site asks for money, Liberty isn't a party to that deal, so the terms are whatever you and the site agree. And no Liberty page we reviewed charges students for placement support itself. The costs on Liberty's side are for compliance and tracking software, covered further down.

Costs that can come with a practicum site

None of these shows up on every placement, and Liberty publishes no amounts for them. Use the list as a set of questions to raise, not a list of charges to expect.

• Preceptor fee or stipend. Some preceptors ask to be paid for their time. Under Liberty's rule, that sits with you.
• Facility onboarding. A hospital or clinic can require its own background check, drug screen, immunization proof, orientation modules or badge, on top of Liberty's list.
• Liberty's software. The 2022-23 MSN handbook says students pay the InPlace program fee, and the background check and drug screen through CastleBranch are at the student's cost.
• State board steps. In Alaska, NP students file their own APRN Preceptorship Registration with the state board, and the board charges a non-refundable fee for it.
• Travel. Liberty's placement wording warns that students may need to travel longer distances, and an older PMHNP FAQ says long commutes are at the student's expense.

Each of these changes what a site really costs you, in money and in time. Ask about all of them in the same conversation, so you're comparing whole offers rather than one line at a time.

What to ask a preceptor or site before you say yes

Ask in the first real conversation after a preceptor shows interest. Walking away from a lead is much easier before your paperwork is in than after.

• Is there a fee or stipend, and who sets it: the preceptor, the practice or the facility?
• What does it cover: the whole practicum, one course, or a set number of hours?
• When is it due, and is any part non-refundable?
• What happens to the money if Liberty doesn't approve the preceptor or site, or if the preceptor withdraws partway through?
• Does the facility have its own onboarding steps or charges, separate from the preceptor's?
• Will the facility sign Liberty's agreement, or does it insist on its own contract?
• Which days and hours can you actually get, and for how many weeks?

The contract question affects timing as much as money. The 2022-23 MSN handbook warns that a facility's own contract may delay approval and that Liberty has no obligation to sign one. Our page on the preceptor site contract explains the agreements involved.

What to get in writing

If money changes hands, put the terms in a short written agreement between you and the preceptor or site. It sits alongside the affiliation agreement or site contract Liberty handles and never replaces it.

1. Name the partiesYour name, the preceptor's name and credential, and the practice or facility. If the fee is paid to the practice rather than the preceptor, say so.
2. State the amount and scheduleWrite down the amount, what it covers (which Liberty course, which term, how many hours) and when each payment falls due.
3. Tie payment to approvalAsk that nothing non-refundable is due until Liberty has approved the preceptor and the site. Liberty approves every site and preceptor, and money paid before that point is at risk.
4. Cover a withdrawalAgree now on what happens if the preceptor steps back, the site ends the placement, or Liberty turns the arrangement down: a refund, a partial refund, or a replacement preceptor.
5. Match the schedule to the termList the days and hours the preceptor expects to offer. Under the 2022-23 MSN rules, hours count only inside the course term dates, so time that slips past the term doesn't help you.

Keep a copy with your practicum records, and ask the practicum team whether they need to know about the arrangement. Paying a preceptor never stands in for Liberty's paperwork or review.

Software and compliance fees on Liberty's side

These are separate from anything a site charges. The 2022-23 MSN handbook says students pay the InPlace program fee; InPlace replaced Typhon for practicum logs and evaluations from fall 2022. Background checks and drug screens run through CastleBranch, and Liberty's RN-to-BSN page notes an extra fee for its background check.

Current graduate amounts aren't published on the public pages we checked, so look at the order page linked from your Gate course or your CastleBranch account before you budget. For what each system does, see InPlace at Liberty and CastleBranch at Liberty.

One cost you may be able to avoid: a site asking you to buy a personal malpractice policy. The 2022-23 MSN handbook says Liberty covers students in Liberty-scheduled practicum, and Liberty's Risk Management office issues certificates of insurance for off-campus placements. Details are on Liberty's malpractice cover.

Does Liberty pay preceptors?

Liberty's public pages don't say. A 2023 Liberty preceptor orientation page links a document about stipend information for FNP and PMHNP preceptors, but the file itself couldn't be opened, so whether Liberty pays NP preceptors today is unknown.

That gap matters both ways. If a preceptor expects a payment from Liberty, don't confirm it; point them to the practicum team at APRN.DNPPracticum@liberty.edu. If you're about to pay a preceptor yourself, ask the team first whether any school payment exists, so nobody is paid twice or surprised later.

Liberty's public pages also list no other preceptor perks, such as continuing education credit, library access or an adjunct title. Leave those out of your requests. Our preceptor outreach guide covers what you can honestly offer.

Fees in the open, before you decide

We search for preceptors and sites that fit your Liberty track, and when a lead asks for a fee we tell you plainly before you decide anything. We also help you gather what the Gate course asks for, such as the preceptor's CV and license and the site details. Liberty makes the approval call, with fee questions settled before the file goes in.

Our own service is priced by written quote, kept separate from any site or preceptor fee. The cost page explains what shapes a quote, or use the form below to ask.