Cost · as of Nov 6, 2026
What the NI-BC costs, member math included
Facts checked against nursingworld.org, codeofethics.ana.org and 2 more sites · Last checked Nov 6, 2026 · Not affiliated with ANCC, ANA, AONL, NLN or AACN.
This is the only exam in this hub with three prices, because ANIA members get their own rate. Whether a membership pays for itself depends on which one, and on whether you would join anyway.
Open the NI-BC practice test60 questions, mixed content domainsANCC certifications
Informatics exam fees, sourced
| Fact | Detail | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exam fee | $395, $295 for ANA members, or $340 for ANIA membersEach price includes a $140 non-refundable administrative fee. Member prices need ANA or American Nursing Informatics Association membership, claimed within 5 business days after ANCC receives the application. | ANCC: Informatics Nursing Certification (NI-BC)1 | |
| Membership for the discount | ANA membership (dues not printed by ANCC) or ANIA membership at $120 a yearJoining ANIA only for the exam costs $460 in total ($120 + $340), more than the $395 non-member price.as of Nov 6, 2026 · dues change; check before joining | ANCC: Informatics Nursing Certification (NI-BC) · ANIA: membership12 | |
| Other fees | $100 to move to a new 120-day testing window (once); Prometric may charge to reschedule or cancel | ANCC Certification Handbook, effective June 2025, version 5, Oct 12, 2026 (PDF)3 | |
| Retakes | After 60 calendar days, up to 3 attempts in any 12 months, with a new retest application and feeApply at least 5 days after the exam; eligibility is checked again. ANCC does not publish the retest fee on its exam pages, handbook or retest page. | ANCC Certification Handbook, effective June 2025, version 5, Oct 12, 2026 (PDF) · ANCC: Scores and retest application34 | |
| Renewal fee | $350, from $250 for ANA members, or $295 for ANIA membersIncludes the $140 administrative fee. | ANCC: Informatics Nursing Certification (NI-BC)1 |
The bill from application to renewal
- Exam fee: $395 without membership as of November 2026; the $140 non-refundable administrative fee is inside it.
- Moving your window: $100, allowed once; Prometric's own rescheduling charges come on top.
- A second attempt: you file a fresh retest application and pay again once 60 days have passed. ANCC lists no amount for that fee anywhere we checked; plan for the full first-sitting price until it does.
- Renewal: $350 without membership every 5 years, or $295 at the ANIA rate. The CE hours behind it are on the renewal page.
Does ANIA membership pay for itself?
Joining only for the exam discount, using ANIA's published dues:
ANIA dues, one year $120
Exam fee at the ANIA rate $340
Total on the ANIA route $460
dues + ANIA exam rate
Against the non-member fee of $395 $65 more
$460 − $395
Source: Exam page on nursingworld.org and ania.org/membership, checked Nov 6, 2026
ANA or ANIA: when a membership makes sense
- ANIA: the arithmetic above only flips if you would join anyway, for the network, the conference or the journal; the membership then lowers the renewal fee as well. Dues change, so check ANIA's page before joining.
- ANA: the discount is $100 on the exam. What ANA membership costs depends on your state nurses association, which bills it jointly; weigh your state's rate against that $100 before you join.
Prep spending: what is optional
No readiness test is sold for this exam, only free sample questions. The core text is ANA's Nursing Informatics: Scope and Standards of Practice, 3rd edition, listed on the exam page at $38.95, or $27.25 for ANA members (checked Nov 6, 2026). The other titles on the reference list are textbooks you may already own or can borrow; which ones matter for which domain is on the study guide.
Side by side with the other exams from the same certifying body, which share one price grid: ANCC certification fees.
More on the informatics credential
- NI-BCWho qualifies, three domains, and how it differs from AMIA and HIMSS
- NI-BC practice testOne set drawn from all three NI-BC domains in outline proportions
- NI-BC exam factsFormat, outline, scaled scoring, retakes and the credential itself
- NI-BC eligibilityDegree, RN years, informatics CE and the three hour routes, with worked cases
- NI-BC study guideStudy plan by outline weight, the Scope and Standards book and the ANCC reference list
The NI-BC outline
- 36%Foundations of Practice
- 35%System Design Lifecycle
- 29%Data Management and Healthcare Technology
Before you pay for a course
The same NI-BC questions with every option explained, in a study app.
What NI-BC candidates ask about fees
Is the administrative fee charged on top?
No. The $140 fee sits inside each of the three prices; if you withdraw, that portion stays with ANCC.
Does a retake cost the same as the first attempt?
It is not published. The handbook asks for the retest fee without printing an amount, and the exam page lists only first-sitting prices.
Which discount is larger, ANA or ANIA?
ANA's: $295 against $340 at the ANIA rate. The real comparison is fee plus dues, worked out above for ANIA.
Sources
- ANCC: Informatics Nursing Certification (NI-BC) nursingworld.org · checked Nov 6, 2026
- ANIA: membership ania.org · checked Nov 6, 2026
- ANCC Certification Handbook, effective June 2025, version 5, Oct 12, 2026 (PDF) nursingworld.org · checked Nov 6, 2026
- ANCC: Scores and retest application nursingworld.org · checked Nov 6, 2026
Each figure is reread against its document on a fixed cycle, and the date beside a source is its latest pass. Where a number here and the document part ways, the document wins (how corrections happen).