CRNA Schools in Pennsylvania: Programs, Requirements and Costs

You've got 15 current entry-to-practice nurse anesthesia programs to compare in Pennsylvania, spread across Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, the Lehigh Valley, central Pennsylvania and the northeast. Each one appears in the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA) directory. Two more legacy programs have 2026 voluntary closure dates, so they're left off this application shortlist.

Start with three questions. Does your experience qualify, when does the next cohort start, and where will you have to live during training? A statewide tuition range or an undated board-pass ranking can't answer any of them.

An accredited program can still have a closed application window, so accreditation alone doesn't tell you applications are open today. Use the national CRNA program directory to organize your options, then confirm the entering cohort with each school.

Which nurse anesthesia programs are in Pennsylvania?

The list counts accredited entry programs, and that includes the ones with initial accreditation. Clinical affiliates and teaching locations don't count as extra schools. The status column follows the COA directory, so a program that's only announced or pending isn't on it.

Program and profile	Main location	Entry degree and training structure	COA status
La Salle University	Philadelphia	DNP, 41 months, 85 credits, first-year non-anesthesia coursework online	Initial accreditation
Villanova University	Villanova	DNP, specialty classes and simulation on campus, clinical education in the Philadelphia/tri-state area	Continued accreditation
La Roche University	Pittsburgh	Entry DNAP, separate from its completion pathway for practicing CRNAs	Initial accreditation
UPMC Hamot/Gannon University	Erie	DNP, first summer and fall semesters online, then attendance in Erie	Continued accreditation
University of Scranton	Scranton	DNP, 36 months, 83 credits, first summer online	Continued accreditation
York College/WellSpan Health	York	DNP, 36 months, 102 credits	Continued accreditation
University of Pennsylvania	Philadelphia	DNP, 36 months, 36 course units	Continued accreditation
University of Pittsburgh	Pittsburgh	BSN-to-DNP, 85.5 credits, nine terms over three years, full-time on campus	Continued accreditation
Thomas Jefferson University	Philadelphia, plus additional teaching locations the school describes	DNP, 36 months, 85 credits	Continued accreditation
Duquesne University	Pittsburgh	DNP, 36 months, 92 credits, hybrid coursework	Initial accreditation
Drexel University	Philadelphia	DNP, 39 months, 135 quarter credits, first nine months online, then 30 months on site	Continued accreditation
St. Luke's University Health Network/DeSales University	Center Valley/Lehigh Valley	Joint DNP nurse anesthesia program	Initial accreditation
Geisinger/Commonwealth University-Bloomsburg	Danville/Bloomsburg	DNP, 36 months, first year online, clinical years based at Geisinger in Danville	Continued accreditation
Cedar Crest College	Allentown/Lehigh Valley	DNP, 36 months, 95 credits, first two semesters online	Continued accreditation
Independence Health System/Saint Vincent College	Latrobe	DNAP, 36 months, COA directory still uses the Excela program name	Continued accreditation

Program structures come from each school's official pages. Penn's course units and Drexel's quarter credits are different measuring systems, so don't compare those numbers as if they were semester credits. And Pitt's 36-credit online MSN-to-DNP is for practicing nurse anesthetists. It isn't the entry route in this table.

Which Pennsylvania programs are closing?

The COA lists two voluntary closure dates: August 31, 2026, for Allegheny School of Anesthesia in Pittsburgh, and December 31, 2026, for Frank J. Tornetta School of Anesthesia at Einstein Medical Center Montgomery/La Salle University. Neither one counts among the 15 current entry options above.

The standalone La Salle University program is a separate COA listing, so don't mix the two up. It received initial accreditation November 8, 2023, started its first cohort in spring 2024 and advertises spring 2028 applications. The closing Tornetta affiliation doesn't make the new La Salle program closed. Cedar Crest is the other Lehigh Valley option. Its program is based in Allentown, and you finish your degree there after two online semesters.

How do GPA, ICU, GRE and CCRN requirements differ?

They differ a lot, because Pennsylvania doesn't have one admissions rule. Experience timing is a good example: a school might measure it at application, at interview or at enrollment. These differences can change your shortlist before you spend money on applications.

School	Academic and ICU rule	Examination or certification detail
La Salle	Catalog lists a 3.2 cumulative nursing-degree GPA and at least one year of critical care experience	Statistics and nursing research courses required, plus four recommendation letters, including your nurse manager and a physician who knows your critical care skills
Villanova	Undergraduate GPA at least 3.0, and each undergraduate science course has to meet its 3.0 requirement. One year after orientation is required before interview, and the application instructions also say to submit after one full ICU year	CCRN or a listed equivalent required at application. GRE required below the school's defined 3.4 undergraduate GPA threshold
La Roche	Undergraduate GPA at least 3.2, plus at least one year of adult ICU experience within five years by program start	CCRN required
Penn	At least two years of post-orientation ICU experience at application, and its most competitive applicants usually have more	Introductory statistics with a B or higher is the listed prerequisite
Pitt	GPA at least 3.0 in your most recent degree, plus one full-time ICU/critical-care year within five years by entry	GRE optional, and it may provide supplemental admission information
Duquesne	BSN/MSN GPA at least 3.2, plus two years of consistent critical-care experience by entry	Current BCLS, ACLS and PALS. A residency program generally doesn't count toward the two years
Drexel	Last-degree GPA and science GPA at least 3.2, plus two full-time post-orientation critical-care years	CCRN or a population-specific equivalent required
St. Luke's/DeSales	BSN GPA at least 3.0, two full-time post-orientation ICU years and current ICU employment at application	CCRN with score report required, plus 15 CRNA shadowing hours
Geisinger/Commonwealth	GPA at least 3.2, plus one current full-time ICU year by the February 1 application deadline	CCRN or equivalent mandatory, plus eight CRNA shadowing hours
Cedar Crest	School says GPA higher than 3.2, one year of U.S. ICU experience by application and current bedside ICU employment	CCRN required, GRE not required
Independence	Cumulative undergraduate GPA at least 3.0 across institutions, plus one full-time critical-care year before entry	GRE preferred, not required. CCRN isn't on the prerequisite list, but the packet asks for copies of certifications you hold, such as PALS or CCRN

Sources: La Salle catalog, Villanova anesthesia admissions, La Roche, Penn, Pitt admissions, Duquesne, Drexel, DeSales nurse anesthesia FAQ, Commonwealth, Cedar Crest and Independence admissions.

Hamot, Scranton, York and Jefferson keep their full admission requirements on separate admissions pages. Pull each one's current anesthesia checklist before you count yourself eligible.

Can NICU, PICU or emergency experience qualify?

Sometimes, but it depends on the school, because these settings aren't interchangeable. Penn explicitly excludes NICU and emergency department experience but accepts PICU. Villanova excludes neonatal ICU and exclusive emergency-room experience. DeSales excludes NICU and ED experience. Commonwealth lists both NICU and PICU as acceptable settings but excludes emergency, flight and recovery experience. And Independence lists NICU, PICU and Level I trauma emergency-room experience among its examples.

So say you've spent two years in a NICU. You'd want to read Commonwealth's and Independence's full criteria closely, while Penn's published exclusion makes it a poor match for that experience on its own. That's an eligibility example, not an admission prediction. When a policy is unclear, send the school your patient population, responsibilities, experience dates and orientation dates.

Which prerequisites should you check early?

Check the science, statistics and research courses first, because the grade and age rules vary. La Roche specifies recent courses in chemistry, microbiology or anatomy and physiology, basic statistics and research, with minimum B grades and a ten-year completion window. Cedar Crest lists anatomy and physiology I and II, general chemistry and research with B grades. La Salle lists undergraduate statistics and nursing research.

Quick tip: match the exact course, grade, age and completion deadline before you register for a replacement class. The CRNA prerequisite guide can help you organize the audit, but each school decides whether a particular course on your transcript qualifies.

How much does CRNA school in Pennsylvania cost?

It depends on the school and on what a figure includes. The three published figures below each cover something different, so read them as examples of what to ask for, not as a statewide "cheapest school" ranking.

School	Published figure and date	What it means for your budget
UPMC Hamot/Gannon	Program page lists $112,590 program tuition	Tuition only. Ask for the fee schedule for your entering class
St. Luke's/DeSales	2025-2026 academic year: $58,440 tuition plus $1,125 professional fee, or $59,565 direct costs	A past academic-year budget, not the whole DNP. The sheet separately estimates $27,706 indirect costs
Jefferson	Program page's 2025-2026 table lists $54,244 tuition, plus IT, library and department fees	A 2025-2026 figure with fees listed separately. Ask Jefferson for the full-program total for your entry year

Sources: Hamot, DeSales 2025-2026 financial-aid cost sheet and Jefferson. If you're looking at Cedar Crest, note that its general MSN and DNP tuition reduction excludes the CRNA program.

Ask each school for tuition, mandatory university and program fees, insurance, equipment, credentialing and clinical travel for your cohort. Keep those billed costs separate from living expenses and lost RN income. If a public university has resident and nonresident rates, ask the bursar which classification applies to you. Moving for school doesn't, by itself, get you the lower bill.

An online first phase might not push back your move, either. Commonwealth requires students to live in Pennsylvania before the first year, even though that year's coursework is online. Scranton lists clinical sites across northeastern Pennsylvania and parts of New York, and students cover their own transportation and overnight expenses. And a Philadelphia mailing address doesn't promise that every rotation will be close by.

Which application cycles should you track?

Track the cohort you're aiming for, and keep the entry year and the deadline year in separate fields. Portals open and close on each school's own schedule, so confirm a portal is still open before you plan around it.

Program	Published cycle or calendar	Action
Penn	Summer 2028: opens October 2026, deadline February 1, 2027, decisions May 2027	Penn admits two years in advance, so this cycle is for summer 2028
Drexel	Spring 2028: materials due before December 4, 2026	Keep the school's "before" wording in mind when you plan your submission
Duquesne	Fall 2027: August 1, 2026 to February 15, 2027	Count the two-year experience rule against your entry date
Geisinger/Commonwealth	Summer 2028: February 1, 2027 deadline	You need the ICU minimum already met at application
Villanova	Summer 2028: June 1 to September 1, 2027 application window	Applications are reviewed right away, with interviews invited before the end of October
Pitt	Spring entry: April 1 regular deadline, decisions by June 30	Make sure your ICU year will be complete by the start term
UPMC Hamot/Gannon	Next cycle: all documents due September 15, 2027	The 2026 cycle is closed
La Salle	Catalog window: September 1 to December 31, materials received by 11:59 p.m. December 31	Spring 2028 applications are open. Confirm the closing date with admissions
St. Luke's/DeSales	Annual August entry, complete applications due December 1 of the preceding year at 5 p.m. Eastern	Confirm your target cohort with admissions
Independence	January entry, complete packet due January 15 at 3 p.m. in the preceding year	Follow its single-packet instructions and don't send documents separately
La Roche	Published 2027-entry window: May 1 to September 1, 2026	The 2026 deadline was September 1.
Cedar Crest	Published fall 2027 deadline: May 1, 2026	The 2026 deadline was May 1.

Sources: Villanova program page, Pitt deadlines, Hamot, La Salle catalog and the official program and admissions sources linked above.

For Scranton, York and Jefferson, get the deadline for your target cohort in writing from admissions. And when a page still shows last year's dates, don't assume the new cycle simply shifts forward a year. Ask.

What do accreditation and student outcomes show?

Initial accreditation is accreditation. A program with that status isn't one that's still seeking approval. But a newer program might not have a graduating class to report yet. Duquesne, La Salle, La Roche and St. Luke's/DeSales all hold initial accreditation, so ask each one whether a class has graduated and what its first results were.

For schools with graduates, keep the year and the test definition attached to every number. Jefferson reports a 92.7% first-time NCE pass rate for 2025. Scranton reports 91% first-time for its 2026 class, with 4% attrition. Drexel reports 94.4% first-time for its class of 2025 with 5% attrition, and Commonwealth/Geisinger reports 87% first-time for 2025. These examples show you how to read outcomes. They don't tell you which Pennsylvania program is best. Ask about attrition and how the school responded when results changed.

How should you build your Pennsylvania shortlist?

Build it with four columns: eligibility today, earliest realistic entry, required location and cohort-specific cost. Then compare clinical sites and dated outcomes. If you're in Pittsburgh looking at Pitt, Duquesne and La Roche, you're facing different experience and GPA rules before travel even enters the picture. If you're in eastern Pennsylvania weighing Villanova, Penn, Drexel and DeSales, you're dealing with different NICU policies, opening phases and deadlines.

If none of them fits your timing or clinical background, use the national program directory to compare programs in neighboring New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Ohio and West Virginia. Check each one's full clinical footprint, too, because a nearby campus doesn't mean you won't travel. Once you've got a realistic list, the CRNA interview question guide can help you get ready to explain your experience and why you picked each school.

Save your first comparison in the free School Database, and keep the current official admissions link right next to every deadline. Every school above runs its own calendar, and with that setup, a policy change or a newly opened cohort is a quick edit to your list.