CRNA Schools in Rhode Island: RIC and St. Joseph DNP Guide

CRNA schools in Rhode Island come down to one accredited entry-to-practice nurse anesthesia program: the joint Rhode Island College Zvart Onanian School of Nursing and St. Joseph Hospital School of Nurse Anesthesia pathway. The two are partners in a single DNP program, so they count as one school. The 36-month, 91-credit program uses Providence classrooms and clinical placements in Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

The details with the biggest consequences are the chemistry course's age limit, nursing licensure in two states, which credentials are preferred versus required, and a tuition schedule written specifically for anesthesia students. Sources: RIC program and St. Joseph program.

How does Rhode Island's nurse anesthesia program work?

It's one full-time DNP run as a collaboration, with classes in Providence and clinicals across two states.

Item	Current information	Why it matters
Degree	BSN-DNP with nurse anesthesia specialization	Apply to the entry-to-practice anesthesia pathway, not another DNP specialty
Length	36 months, full time, 91 credits	Budget for three years of coursework and clinical obligations together
Academic location	Rhode Island Nursing Education Center, downtown Providence	The college's general campus address doesn't describe every teaching location
Clinical footprint	Rhode Island and Massachusetts partners	Nursing authorization, transportation and rotation schedules cross a state line
Program identity	RIC and St. Joseph Hospital School of Nurse Anesthesia collaboration	One educational program, not a separate program for every partner or hospital

The Rhode Island program profile helps you keep your questions organized. St. Joseph describes a mostly front-loaded first year, followed by clinical rotations and advanced anesthesia coursework. Some online or technology-assisted learning doesn't make it a fully remote option.

Which GPA, chemistry and certification rules apply?

RIC requires at least a 3.0 undergraduate GPA. Its 3.0 undergraduate science GPA is described as preferred, so it isn't a separate mandatory science minimum. The application requires a nursing bachelor's degree, undergraduate and graduate transcripts, three professional references (one of them a clinical supervisor) and a statement of intent. An associate degree in nursing plus a bachelor's in another field doesn't qualify, because RIC requires a BSN or a bachelor's with a nursing major.

The specialty requires CHEM 106 or an undergraduate organic chemistry course within seven years, with a C minimum. St. Joseph's FAQ says a B is preferred and explicitly allows qualifying online chemistry from a regionally accredited institution. It measures the seven-year window from the program start. Get approval for your exact course and entering date before you count on its title or age being acceptable. RIC admissions criteria, St. Joseph FAQ

That FAQ says outright that the GRE is no longer required. CCRN is preferred, not required, in the current admissions checklist. AHA BLS and ACLS are required, and the specialty checklist places PALS before clinical education. So don't line every credential up against one made-up application-time deadline. St. Joseph admission requirements

For the statement of intent, write it double-spaced in 12-point type and keep it to two pages, which fits St. Joseph's checklist maximum. Use it to show your leadership and practice experience and why you want doctoral study, because the checklist says it should also show how well you write.

Does the program accept neonatal or pediatric ICU experience?

Yes, NICU and PICU are among its examples. The checklist requires at least one full-time year of critical care, and St. Joseph's FAQ lists PICU and NICU while spelling out the responsibilities that count: managing unstable patients with advanced monitoring, ventilation, cardiac assist devices or vasoactive medications. Experience in other settings may be considered when you can document the required competencies.

That conditional review isn't automatic approval for every emergency department, flight or acute-care role. Describe what you actually manage, and ask for an individual determination if your setting isn't clearly covered. A unit acronym on its own doesn't show that your experience meets the program's definition. Current critical care FAQ

For a practical transcript-and-experience check, split it into three questions. Do you meet the required undergraduate GPA? Is your exact chemistry course acceptable for the start date you want? Does your documented critical care experience satisfy the program? A yes on one doesn't answer the others. The prerequisite guide keeps your course questions in one place.

Which nursing licenses and clinical locations should you plan for?

Plan for two RN licenses. The specialty checklist calls for unrestricted Rhode Island and Massachusetts RN licenses because rotations use both states, and it notes that future sites may require additional licensure. Confirm the receipt dates and process for your situation. A license you already hold somewhere else won't automatically cover both requirements.

St. Joseph lists initial clinical experience at Our Lady of Fatima Hospital in North Providence and specialty partners including Providence, Warwick and Wakefield facilities, plus sites in Worcester and West Roxbury, Massachusetts. Those are all parts of one program, and the network can change. Ask where your assignments will be, when schedules get finalized and whether any rotation needs temporary housing. Clinical site descriptions

Budget your transportation from where you'll actually live. "Within driving distance" isn't a mileage or travel time, and it doesn't promise every student the same schedule. Being close to campus isn't a full clinical commute plan.

How much does Rhode Island nurse anesthesia tuition cost?

RIC's 2026-2027 anesthesia-specific schedule lists $1,214 per credit for all residency categories. Across the published 91-credit plan, that's $110,474 in tuition alone if the rate stays the same. That number leaves out student fees, St. Joseph charges, insurance, living costs and future increases. Current RIC tuition and fees

Cost category	Current published basis	How to use it
Anesthesia tuition	$1,214 per credit	Apply it to the actual semester plan. The 91-credit multiplication isn't a future fixed-price offer
Student fees	Technology, transportation, health/wellness, library, recreation and fine arts, each with its own per-credit rate and cap	Use the term-specific caps instead of multiplying the displayed per-credit total through every semester
Displayed tuition/fee total	$1,249.89 per credit before the separately listed dining/student-union charge	This isn't your complete cost of attendance
Dining/student union	$181 per semester	Confirm it applies to each term in your cohort
St. Joseph commitment fee	$2,000. The St. Joseph handbook calls it nonrefundable and due within 14 days of acceptance	Read your actual offer and ask whether any amount gets credited before you add it to your budget or pay it

The same college cost page advertises Northeast Neighbors discounts and lists different prices for other DNP degrees. But its anesthesia table specifically says rates are the same regardless of residency, so that general discount doesn't give anesthesia students a lower rate.

Plan with RIC's current anesthesia tuition schedule above, and ask the program for an itemized budget for your entering cohort before you commit.

Ask for the full list of software, clinical tracking, meetings, professional liability coverage, exam and licensure costs. Those, plus clinical transportation, are why a tuition-only figure won't match what it actually takes to attend.

Are applications open, and when are interviews?

No. RIC accepts applications from April 1 to July 1 each year, and the 2026 window has closed. Interviews are by invitation only and held in person at the Rhode Island Nursing Education Center, and this cycle's interview day was October 5, 2026. If you're selected, you'll hear three to four weeks before the interview.

Watch for the next advertised window and cohort, and don't just roll these dates forward a year. Apply through RIC's designated route, and budget for the $50 nonrefundable application fee on St. Joseph's checklist. A virtual information session doesn't mean the selection interviews are virtual. RIC application and interview instructions

Keep submission, document receipt, interview and enrollment dates separate. If a chemistry course or a license is still outstanding, ask when you have to document it. Acceptance doesn't automatically come with an extension.

What do accreditation and outcomes show?

The current COA directory and St. Joseph page show continued accreditation through the next review in May 2036. Current COA directory

St. Joseph performance table

With one program in the state, the real question is whether this one fits your life and your timeline. Line up its teaching format, required travel, exact admission rules and dated outcomes against specific programs in Massachusetts or Connecticut. Then keep every confirmed answer in the free School Database next to the national directory, so you're ready to move the day the next window opens.