CRNA Schools in North Dakota: UND Requirements & Costs

Grand Forks is where you'll find the only CRNA school in North Dakota on the COA's accredited list: the University of North Dakota's entry-to-practice nurse anesthesia program. Its DNP pairs an on-campus first year with clinical education across North Dakota, Minnesota and South Dakota. So choosing UND means planning for that whole regional footprint, and finding housing near campus is only the first piece.

The distinctions you'll use most are the science GPA screen, the chemistry course you have to finish before enrollment, current critical care eligibility and the residency-specific tuition rates. COA directory

What does UND's nurse anesthesia pathway involve?

A three-year DNP that starts in a Grand Forks classroom and then spreads across three states for clinicals.

Item	UND information	Planning implication
Degree	Post-baccalaureate DNP, nurse anesthesia track, 94 credits in current requirements	Use the anesthesia plan, not an online post-master's DNP completion program
Length and opening phase	Three-year pathway. First year largely classroom-based in Grand Forks	Some online coursework doesn't mean you can live somewhere else for the whole program
Clinical geography	North Dakota, Minnesota and South Dakota. The cost page describes five to six affiliates per student	Budget for more than one clinical location and possible additional RN licenses
Accreditation	Continued COA accreditation, with the next review in May 2031	A next-review year isn't an automatic closure date
Application window	March 1 to July 15 of the year before your August start	The window that closed July 15, 2026 fed the August 2027 class

Sources: UND requirements, department program page, application instructions.

The UND profile helps you organize your comparison. The state count covers educational programs based in North Dakota, and a clinical rotation in another state doesn't create a second North Dakota school.

Which GPA and prerequisite requirements should you check?

Check two GPAs and one chemistry course. UND's anesthesia admissions list requires at least a 3.0 GPA, including at least 3.0 in undergraduate science coursework. It also requires a baccalaureate degree or higher from an accredited nursing program and an unencumbered U.S. RN license.

The chemistry requirement is Organic Chemistry I or upper-division biochemistry, on top of the chemistry that's commonly part of a BSN or BAN. The department says you can be accepted with this course still outstanding, as long as it's complete before matriculation. It explicitly allows online or on-campus delivery and doesn't require a lab for this course (welcome news if you're squeezing it in around shifts). Still, confirm your exact course with the program, because a class titled chemistry won't automatically qualify. Statistics is required too, at the undergraduate or graduate level. UND anesthesia admission and coursework requirements

An example of how this plays out: say your GPA is fine, but you've only taken introductory chemistry. Look into the additional course before you assume your transcript is complete. And the department's permission to finish chemistry before enrollment doesn't stretch to every other prerequisite or document deadline.

Keep the course description, syllabus and approval response together. The prerequisite guide helps you organize those questions before you enroll.

Does UND accept NICU or PICU experience, and is CCRN required?

Yes to NICU and PICU, and no, CCRN isn't required. UND's current critical care definition includes neonatal and pediatric ICU among its qualifying examples. It describes recent full-time critical care experience and the clinical responsibilities it expects, including advanced monitoring, ventilation, cardiac assist devices or vasoactive infusions. One year is required and two or more are preferred. Emergency department, PACU, step-down, cath lab, interventional radiology and surgery experience are explicitly excluded from meeting this requirement.

The department strongly encourages CCRN certification even though admission doesn't require it. The GRE isn't among UND's anesthesia admission requirements either, which list your degree, RN license, critical care year, GPA, statistics, chemistry, personal statement, three recommendations and resume. UND critical care and certification policy

When you ask about eligibility, describe your unit, your employment dates and what you actually do for patients. A qualifying unit name doesn't show how much recent experience you have, and it can't predict admission.

Which application dates and documents matter?

UND's application window runs March 1 to July 15 of the year before your August start. Interview notices go out in early September, and interviews run late September to early October. So you apply in the spring and summer of the year before your August start.

The application instructions describe average classes of 25 and approximately 200 annual applications. Those numbers aren't a complete acceptance dataset, because applicants, interviews, offers and matriculated students are all different counts. Dividing one by the other won't tell you your odds of admission. UND application process

The anesthesia checklist asks for a personal statement of no more than two pages covering your specialty choice, your goals and why UND fits them. It also asks for three recommendations and a résumé or CV. Interview selection considers the whole application. Write the statement to this exact prompt, and skip reusing an essay that answered another school's questions.

How much does UND nurse anesthesia tuition cost?

It depends on where you're classified as a resident. UND's 2026-2027 tuition calculator, linked from its official cost page, separates residency categories:

Classification	Tuition per credit, before student fees	Tuition for the calculator's 33-credit academic-year illustration
North Dakota	$1,146.27	$37,826.91
Minnesota	$1,455.77	$48,040.41
U.S. nonresident	$1,719.40	$56,740.20
International	$2,292.54	$75,653.82

The calculator builds that illustration from 12 fall, 12 spring and nine summer credits, and actual credits vary by term. It adds estimated student fees of $2,626.47 to the illustrated academic year. Those are current rate calculations. They aren't a guaranteed nine-semester invoice or a full living budget. UND official cost page, 2026-2027 calculator rate data

Ask for your actual residency determination and cohort plan. Please don't multiply the 33-credit annual illustration by three and assume it matches the 94-credit degree. Future tuition changes, term-specific fees and your actual enrollment can all change the bill.

UND lists required books, review software, clinical tracking, meetings, licensure, insurance and travel separately. Budget for the certification exam at NBCRNA's current price when you build your plan. Optional outside review courses are separate from the review course built into the curriculum.

How should you budget for clinical travel?

Budget for a mostly on-campus first year, then rotations across the three-state region. UND says students pay relocation, living and travel expenses for clinical assignments. Some sites offer discounted housing or meals, but that isn't a guaranteed perk at every placement.

Ask for the expected locations, when assignments happen and any nursing authorizations you'll need before you commit to housing. If the program allows both, compare keeping a permanent home plus temporary housing against relocating. Our advice: build this budget from real quotes and the school's own instructions, because a made-up average travel cost (or the hope that every site is an easy commute) can leave you short.

What do UND's graduate outcomes show?

For the August 2025 graduating class, UND reports 86% first-attempt NCE success and 0% attrition. Keep the class year and metric definition when you compare another school. UND dated performance results

Which alternatives should you compare?

Look at individual programs in Minnesota and South Dakota, plus the national directory, and line them up against UND's actual eligibility, costs, classroom location and rotation footprint. A neighboring state doesn't guarantee less travel, a lower bill or the same experience rules.

Use the free School Database to keep your course approvals, residency estimate, intended cohort and clinical questions next to your shortlist. Those confirmed details give you a much better comparison than any single statewide tuition or pass-rate ranking.