CRNA Programs in Michigan: Five Schools, Costs & Admissions

There are five CRNA programs in Michigan in this comparison: Detroit Mercy, Wayne State, Michigan State, Michigan-Flint and Oakland University-Beaumont. Between them you get three DNP pathways and two DNAP pathways, and they split on GPA calculations, science prerequisites, clinical locations and application cycles. So a tidy statewide "3.0 GPA, one ICU year" summary misses rules that can change whether you're eligible.

Keep the entering cohort next to every deadline and the rate year next to every tuition figure. Michigan's calendars don't line up, and several dates still posted publicly have already passed.

Which nurse anesthesia programs are located in Michigan?

Program and official source	Academic base and degree	Training distinction
University of Detroit Mercy	Detroit, 36-month DNP	Online components inside courses, and clinical affiliates that range from Detroit trauma centers to rural hospitals. Online pieces don't make it a fully remote degree.
Wayne State University	Detroit, 36-month DNAP	Full-time program. Selected courses use synchronous Zoom or hybrid teaching. Clinical locations include metropolitan Detroit, rural Michigan and Toledo, Ohio.
Michigan State University	East Lansing, 36-month, 92-credit DNP	May start. Front-loaded didactic phase, simulation in semester three and fuller clinical immersion in semester four. You're typically on campus one to two days a week, with some courses online.
University of Michigan-Flint	Flint, 36-month, 92-credit DNAP	On-campus program with in-person courses and some blended teaching. Clinical training stretches across Michigan.
Oakland University-Beaumont	Rochester, 36-month, 87-credit DNP	September start. The primary clinical site is Corewell Health East/Wm. Beaumont University Hospital in Royal Oak. Rural and underserved rotations can mean time away from home.

The COA directory lists all five as continued-accreditation programs. A hospital partnership or clinical site belongs to its educational program, so it doesn't add another school to the count. And if you see "Beaumont" in Oakland's program name and "Corewell" in its clinical-site name, they refer to the same educational partnership.

Which GPA, GRE and CCRN policies differ?

Almost all of them, so check the named GPA calculation before you decide your transcript meets a minimum.

Program	Academic screen	Test and certification policy
Detroit Mercy	Nursing baccalaureate or master's-entry degree, minimum cumulative GPA 3.0	GRE explicitly not required. ACLS is required, and PALS is due before enrollment. CCRN isn't among its listed requirements.
Wayne State	Last-60-credit, nursing and science GPAs, each at least 3.0	Required CCRN certification replaces the GRE. Current ACLS and PALS are also listed.
Michigan State	Minimum GPA 3.0 based on the second half of the BSN program	GRE not required. Submit CCRN or equivalent certification, plus the Critical Care Experience Form.
Michigan-Flint	Cumulative and entry-to-practice nursing GPAs at least 3.0, plus prerequisite GPA/individual-course thresholds	CCRN and other specialty certifications are explicitly optional but strengthen an application. Current BLS, ACLS and PALS are required.
Oakland	Undergraduate cumulative nursing GPA and required prerequisite science GPA at least 3.0	Current BLS, ACLS, PALS and CCRN required.

"Not listed" and "not required" are two different answers. Detroit Mercy says outright that it doesn't require the GRE, and Michigan-Flint says outright that CCRN is optional. When a school simply leaves a test off its list, confirm it on that program's application checklist for your entry term before you skip it.

The minimums also aren't the bar most admitted students clear. MSU says recent admitted classes average around a 3.67 GPA and about 3.2 years of ICU experience. Oakland reports a five-year average GPA of 3.69 and 2.86 years of ICU at the time of application.

References change your prep too. Wayne requires two current ICU RN coworkers in the same position plus one immediate RN ICU supervisor. Oakland requires two recommendations, and one has to come from a current nurse manager or someone in a supervisory role. Match each recommender to that school's instructions before you send a single request.

Shadowing rules differ just as much. Michigan-Flint wants evidence of at least eight hours of CRNA shadowing within 12 months of the deadline you're applying to, documented on its verification form. Wayne lists shadowing experience at your hospital of employment as a requirement. Detroit Mercy expects you to shadow a CRNA before your interview, and MSU recommends shadowing and documenting it.

Which science courses need attention before you apply?

It depends on the school, because Michigan programs vary enough that one statewide prerequisite list would steer you wrong.

Wayne's requirements call for a three-credit undergraduate organic chemistry or biochemistry course (general chemistry explicitly doesn't count) and a three-credit anatomy and physiology course. Each one has to be within ten years of application, earn at least a B and be finished before June 1. Its FAQ accepts prerequisite credits from accredited community colleges.

Oakland wants anatomy and physiology at three credits each, or at least five credits if combined, plus a standalone three-credit pharmacology course and three credits of organic chemistry or biochemistry. Each grade has to be a B/3.0 or better. It explicitly rejects Portage Learning or Geneva College coursework toward prerequisites. And a pharmacology unit tucked inside another nursing course doesn't meet the standalone rule.

MSU requires a three-credit statistics course within five years, with a minimum 2.0 undergraduate or 3.0 graduate grade. Its FAQ recommends strengthening your science preparation where you need it. That's advice, so don't turn it into mandatory chemistry or pathophysiology prerequisites the school never listed.

Michigan-Flint lists algebra, statistics, general chemistry, organic or biological chemistry, pathophysiology and A&P. It calls the general chemistry lab strongly recommended. You can apply while you're enrolled in one final prerequisite, as long as everything else is complete and your enrollment is documented. Confirm equivalencies and the individual grade and credit rules before you register.

Detroit Mercy's FAQ describes general chemistry and A&P topics completed within ten years of the June 15 deadline, with at least a B. Its chemistry examples include general inorganic chemistry or a combined inorganic/organic/biochemistry course. That's a different answer from Wayne, which excludes general chemistry.

Course-planning example: a general chemistry course that fits Detroit Mercy's guidance wouldn't replace Wayne's organic/biochemistry requirement. In the same way, because Oakland rejects a particular provider, a course another school accepted can't automatically fill an Oakland gap. Get written approval for the exact course before you pay for it. The prerequisite guide helps you organize your questions about labs, course age, grades and delivery format.

Which ICU backgrounds and experience dates qualify?

Each program draws that line differently. MSU requires one full-time ICU year or equivalent by the application deadline. Its FAQ says pediatric and NICU experience is acceptable with no need to transfer to an adult ICU, and travel ICU nurses are eligible. ER, PACU, cath lab, OR and telemetry don't typically qualify there. Wayne requires current full-time ICU employment, includes pediatric ICU in an academic teaching setting, and excludes PACU and ED experience.

Oakland requires at least one ICU year at application and current ICU employment. Its examples include PICU and NICU, and other settings may get individual consideration if your experience meets its competency definition. ED, recovery-room and step-down roles typically don't meet that requirement.

Michigan-Flint requires one full-time critical care year or equivalent and current critical care employment, and it weighs other units against its stated competencies. That's an individual review, so don't read it as automatic approval for your unit type.

Detroit Mercy's admissions page asks for at least one year of recent critical care experience within the last five years, and you have to stay in critical care until you enroll. Its preferred areas are SICU, MICU, CICU, PICU and NICU. It has also accepted applicants whose experience is mainly in a Level I or II emergency department, provided they can show familiarity with invasive monitoring, ventilators and critical care pharmacology. That makes it the most open Michigan option for ED nurses, though you'll still need to show those skills clearly.

Which application cycles should you track?

Track all five, each with its entering cohort, because the calendars don't line up and some posted dates have already passed.

Program	Published timeline	What it means for you
Oakland	March 15, 2026 opening, June 15 early and December 15, 2026 standard deadlines, both for fall 2027	The early deadline has passed, so December 15 is the one still ahead. Applicants interview only once per year.
Detroit Mercy	March 1 to June 15, 2026, for fall 2027 enrollment	That cycle is closed. Every document has to arrive by June 15 or the application isn't reviewed, so plan the next cycle's transcripts and references early.
Wayne State	February 1 to June 1 annually, for the class beginning the following September	Applications open each February through CAS, the only route Wayne accepts. All prerequisites have to be done before June 1.
MSU	April 1 to June 1 annually, May program start	No early admissions. Applications are reviewed after June 1, interviews usually happen in July and decisions go out in September to October.
Michigan-Flint	July 1 early and December 1 regular review, fall admission only	July has passed and December is still ahead. Submit every application material on or before the review date you're targeting.

Detroit Mercy prefers NursingCAS but still offers its own in-house application. Pick one route and send your transcripts where that route tells you to, so you aren't paying to send them twice. At Wayne, prerequisites have to be complete before June 1. Flint's one-final-course allowance doesn't carry over to Wayne's process.

How much does CRNA school in Michigan cost?

Okay so, Michigan doesn't give you one clean price. Schools publish academic-year estimates, semester prices and per-credit rates, so keep each figure's scope attached to it. A statewide cheapest-to-most-expensive range built from them would mislead you.

Program and cost source	Published figure	What to confirm
Detroit Mercy admissions	About $113,721 tuition for 2026-27, not including fees, payable in equal installments over the nine DNP terms	The $1,000 enrollment deposit is nonrefundable and applied to your first term's tuition. Get your entering cohort's tuition and required fees in writing.
Oakland specialty page	$11,362 per semester. The Board of Trustees sets new rates each summer	Students pay their own conference and clinical-site travel, lodging and meals (about $8,500), plus books, two SEE exams, AANA membership and insurance.
Wayne 2026-27 graduate rates	Pharmacy and Health Sciences: $984.57/credit resident, $1,994.34 nonresident, plus a $402.91 registration fee and $69.63/credit student-services fee	Use the Applebaum college rate, not the School of Nursing rate. The DNAP catalog lists 87 credits over nine semesters.
MSU resident schedule	$9,747 under its per-semester flat-rate program fees, as the program moves to an annual tuition model in summer 2026. The summer 2025 cohort's whole-program fee was $83,547	Ask the program how the annual model bills your entering cohort before you budget.
Michigan-Flint 2026-27 DNAP rates	$1,209/credit resident and $1,867.50 nonresident, plus a $339 semester registration assessment	Additional anesthesia fees include $500 per specified clinical course, a $50/semester practice fee and a $90 entry-level orientation. Annual rates aren't a full-program guarantee.

Residency changes several public-university rates. Michigan-Flint's graduate tuition guidance requires a formal residency classification application in specified circumstances. And moving to attend a program doesn't make you eligible for resident tuition. Ask the university which classification applies to you, then build clinical travel, housing and reduced income into your personal budget.

How far might clinical training take you from campus?

Pretty far, at some of these programs. Wayne's FAQ names metropolitan Detroit, Toledo and rural Michigan sites, including Pigeon, Fremont and Jackson. Oakland starts clinical rotations in semester two and describes rural/underserved rotations, with many students spending four to six months away from home. A primary site in Royal Oak doesn't erase those travel commitments.

MSU describes rotations across 18 affiliates. Michigan-Flint describes more than 40 sites statewide and explicitly calls its degree an on-campus program with in-person courses. So hybrid coursework at either school doesn't mean you can live anywhere during training.

Ask how placements get assigned, which rotations need separate housing, what licenses you'll need and whether student preference is guaranteed. The answers can change what a program really costs you, even when two tuition figures look close.

What do accreditation and graduate outcomes show?

All five programs hold continued accreditation in the COA directory. A future review date on its own isn't a closure notice, so treat it as a schedule, not a warning sign.

Compare outcomes from the same graduating year. These Class of 2025 figures come from the linked specialty pages and Detroit Mercy's outcome page:

Program	First-time NCE pass	Attrition
Detroit Mercy	91.3%	1%
Wayne State	95%	0%
MSU	95%	0%
Michigan-Flint	90%	0%
Oakland	96%	12%

Oakland's 12% attrition is for the Class of 2025. Even a same-year table is only one piece of judging clinical preparation, student support and fit.

How should you build your Michigan shortlist?

Start with your actual transcript and your ICU setting, then check which science courses and assessments you'd need for the cycle you're aiming at. Sort out provider exclusions, course-age rules, reference roles and incomplete-course policies before you choose where to apply. Five programs isn't a long list, so each one deserves that close a read.

Use the program directory to keep your official-source notes in one place. If a calendar or training model in Ohio, Indiana or Wisconsin fixes a real mismatch for you, compare those specific programs too. Being next door doesn't make a campus or clinical commute workable, though.