CRNA Schools in Kentucky: Four Programs, Costs & Admissions

CRNA schools in Kentucky come down to four programs in this comparison: Murray State, Northern Kentucky University, the University of Louisville and Bellarmine University's Juneja program. All four offer a three-year DNP pathway for nurses entering anesthesia practice. That's about where the similarities end, though. Their GPA screens, course requirements, certification timing and clinical geography differ enough to change your whole application plan.

Keep the entering cohort separate from the application year in your notes, because at most of these programs you apply the year before you start.

Which nurse anesthesia programs are located in Kentucky?

The four are Murray State, NKU in Highland Heights, and Louisville and Bellarmine, which both sit in Louisville. They're all three-year DNPs, but they train you in very different places.

Program and official source	Degree and academic footprint	Training distinction
Murray State University	36-month DNP, Murray State academic program with assigned clinical communities	First three semesters are online except for a spring airway workshop. Students must relocate to assigned Western Kentucky or Lexington communities for second-year clinical education, and third-year enrichment extends across Kentucky.
Northern Kentucky University	Highland Heights, 36-month, 106-credit BSN-DNP	May start. DNP core online, anesthesia specialty coursework on site with selected hybrid courses. Clinical network includes Kentucky and the Cincinnati/Dayton region.
University of Louisville	Louisville, full-time, 36-month, 112-credit DNP	Clinical practicum starts in the first summer, semester three. Primary Louisville sites and enrichment rotations elsewhere come with different travel implications.
Bellarmine University Juneja Nurse Anesthesia	Louisville, full-time, 36-month DNP	First two semesters online, remaining seven on campus. Clinical practicum begins in semester four, with primary/specialty Norton sites and optional enrichment placements.

NKU also runs a fully online post-master's CRNA completion track, and that's a different program from its entry-to-practice BSN-DNP. If you're looking for initial CRNA preparation, go by the BSN-DNP's 106-credit curriculum, application rules and costs.

Which GPA, GRE and certification requirements differ?

The GPA screens, GRE rules and CCRN timing all differ, and only one of the four requires the GRE.

Program	GPA screen	GRE and CCRN policy
Murray State	Undergraduate GPA 3.25	CCRN or NIC certification exams recommended. The GRE isn't among its admission requirements.
NKU	All-college GPA 3.0 and cumulative science GPA 3.0, plus a 3.0 in each listed prerequisite	GRE explicitly not required. CCRN required, and if you're still working on it, NKU says to start your application and add the CCRN documentation later.
Louisville	Overall cumulative GPA 3.0 recommended, science GPA 3.0 minimum	GRE required within five years, with no waivers. CCRN required and verified with the application.
Bellarmine	Undergraduate GPA 3.0 and graduate GPA 3.5 for any graduate work	CCRN required, including an official AACN score report. BLS, ACLS and PALS required for application. The GRE isn't among its admission requirements.

Murray's 3.25 undergraduate threshold sits above the other three, so don't assume every Kentucky school uses 3.0. Louisville's recommended overall GPA and its mandatory science GPA mean different things, too. And Bellarmine's graduate-work threshold matters even if your undergraduate transcript clears 3.0.

Louisville's application checklist and FAQ require the CCRN, uploaded and verified in NursingCAS by the deadline. If you hold a different specialty certification, ask the program in writing whether it counts before you rely on it. Louisville's application rule (BLS plus either ACLS or PALS) also differs from Bellarmine's, which wants all three at application. Louisville does require both ACLS and PALS before clinical courses begin.

NKU says outright that the GRE isn't required, and Louisville says outright that it is, with no waivers. Murray and Bellarmine simply don't list it. If you're counting on skipping the GRE there, confirm it on the program's NursingCAS instructions before you take testing off your prep calendar.

Which ICU experience and coursework qualify?

Murray requires one critical care year, not counting orientation, completed by the October 1 application deadline and within the previous five years. It describes eligibility in terms of clinical competencies and lists pediatric and neonatal ICUs among possible examples. Other settings come down to program judgment, because a familiar unit name alone can't settle eligibility.

NKU requires one full-time critical care year within two years, verified by your employer. Its FAQ excludes NICU, PACU, ED, cath lab and OR experience and includes pediatric ICU in its examples. Louisville accepts NICU and PICU if your responsibilities meet its critical care definition and are confirmed on the employment-verification form. It excludes PACU, ED, cath lab and OR experience. So the same NICU background runs into two different published policies at NKU and Louisville.

Bellarmine requires one recent full-time critical care year or equivalent within two years and prefers high-acuity employment at application and interview. Its FAQ describes competency-based ICU examples and excludes PACU, ED, cath lab and OR. If your unit isn't clearly settled, send your actual setting and responsibilities for review.

Course requirements differ too:

• Murray names undergraduate statistics as an admission prerequisite.
• NKU names statistics, anatomy, physiology, chemistry with lab and microbiology, with stated 3.0 thresholds. Its FAQ points to statistics comparable to STA205 and chemistry/lab comparable to CHE115/CHE115 L.
• Louisville names undergraduate anatomy, physiology, microbiology and chemistry, and prefers a B or better. Its FAQ gives course-equivalency examples. A preferred B is still a preference, so don't turn it into a hard minimum for every course.

Lab, online-course, course-age and substitution rules vary by school. Use the prerequisite guide and get approval for the exact course, grade and delivery method before you pay for coursework.

Which deadlines and start dates should you track?

Program	Published cycle	What it means for you
Murray	October 1 deadline for all materials, May start	NursingCAS opens in May, and the deadline is October 1 each year. Murray notifies applicants about acceptance by mid-February.
Louisville	June 1 to August 15, 2026 for fall 2027 entry	The 2026 deadline was August 15. Interview invitations go out by mid-October, with in-person interviews in mid-November.
Bellarmine	Annual August 15 to October 15 submission, NursingCAS verification by November 1, August cohort start	Applications are due October 15 each year. November 1 verification is a separate step for applications submitted on time. It isn't a new submission deadline.

Planning example: say you spot Bellarmine's November 1 verification date in late October. You can't assume the school is still taking new submissions. The page requires submission by October 15, followed by verification. Put both steps on your document calendar, and request transcripts and references early enough to hit them.

Murray requires both its graduate-school application and the NursingCAS process. Shadowing paperwork is different at each of the other three: NKU has its own shadowing form, Louisville wants a minimum of 24 CRNA-shadowing hours and Bellarmine asks for a proof-of-shadowing form. Confirm the exact form and timing for EACH program instead of working from one statewide checklist.

How much does CRNA school in Kentucky cost?

It depends on the school and the basis it quotes, and Kentucky's four programs publish their costs in four different ways.

Program and official cost source	Published amount and basis	Comparison limit
Murray 2026-27 doctoral rates	Nurse anesthetist regular tuition $812.50/credit, online tuition $631/credit plus a $50/credit online fee, and an anesthesia program fee of $5,955 per semester	Your mix of delivery formats determines which charges apply, and other on-campus fees may apply. The specialty page says you pay in-state Kentucky rates regardless of your home state.
NKU 2026-27 entry-track worksheet	$787/credit for Kentucky and eligible Ohio counties, $1,008 nonresident. The worksheet's program estimates are $107,963 and $131,389, respectively	These include bundled fees and listed other expenses, unlike the tuition-only $83,422/$106,848. Travel, housing and personal costs stay variable. Confirm how a credited deposit is handled.
Louisville specialty estimate	Published three-year in-state tuition of $67,194 plus named program fees, for a $120,284 estimated tuition/fees total	More listed charges include health/university fees, licensing, travel and other expenses. Out-of-state tuition rates are on the Bursar's Office page.
Bellarmine 2026-cohort worksheet	$90,900 tuition ($900 per credit) plus course, lab, compliance and other named fees, for a $115,405 tuition/fees total	Additional expense estimates are listed separately. Textbooks are included, and some listed items are already in the course fees.

NKU's worksheet includes $15,788 in bundled fees and $8,753 in listed other expenses. It also describes a $1,500 matriculation payment that's applied to tuition if you enroll. Ask for an itemized invoice so that credited payment doesn't get counted twice. And NKU names specific eligible Ohio counties for resident tuition. That isn't an exemption for every Ohio applicant.

Bellarmine's current page says the DNP-NA program isn't eligible for tuition discounts. Its worksheet marks certain items as already included in course fees, so adding every line again would inflate your budget. Murray's mix of online and regular rates means you'll need a semester-specific estimate there, too. Because each school's figure covers different items, compare them line by line instead of ranking them by headline number.

How do clinical locations affect relocation and licensing?

Murray's first year can cut down on campus travel, but the next phase requires relocating to an assigned Western Kentucky or Lexington community. Third-year enrichment happens across Kentucky. That's more specific than calling the whole program hybrid, or assuming it's based in one town.

NKU's listed affiliates run through Greater Cincinnati/Dayton, Northern Kentucky, Lexington and Louisville, plus additional Kentucky sites. Its FAQ requires Kentucky and Ohio nursing authorization, or qualifying compact/multistate licensure, before entry. Your current home-state license may be enough to apply, with more authorization needed later.

Louisville's primary sites include UofL Hospital and Jewish Hospital, and its enrichment locations reach beyond the city, including Cincinnati Children's and eastern Kentucky sites. Bellarmine describes primary and specialty rotations at Louisville Norton hospitals, with optional third-year enrichment locations. Confirm the assigned sites, call obligations and housing requirements. Campus distance won't tell you what every clinical commute looks like.

What do accreditation and graduate outcomes show?

The COA directory lists Murray and NKU with continued accreditation and Louisville and Bellarmine with initial accreditation. Initial accreditation is an accredited status. It doesn't mean an application is pending.

Murray reports 16% attrition for its 2026 cohort.

For Louisville, ask the program directly for its current dated outcome report before you compare its first-time pass or attrition rates with the others.

Ask each finalist for its latest dated outcome report and the definitions behind its first-time, 60-day and overall pass measures. An incomplete or mixed-year table can't tell you which program is best statewide.

How should you narrow your Kentucky list?

Start with the GPA calculation and your actual ICU setting. Then figure out which courses, certifications and shadowing you'll need for the entry year you're aiming for. After that, compare the clinical region you'd be sent to and a written, cohort-specific cost estimate. Get your open questions answered before you pay for tests, courses or applications.

Use the program directory to keep those official-source notes next to your shortlist. If another location or calendar works better, compare specific programs in Tennessee, Ohio, Indiana or West Virginia. Keep in mind that a nearby state line can't guarantee a workable commute to the actual teaching or clinical site. Once you've matched your ICU background and GPA to the right Kentucky programs, the rest of this list gets much easier to work through.