CRNA Programs in South Carolina: Compare MUSC and USC

There are two CRNA programs in South Carolina listed with continued accreditation in the current directory of the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs: the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston and the University of South Carolina program associated with Prisma Health. Both award an entry-level Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice degree. Their application rules, attendance schedules and cost estimates, though, differ enough to change your shortlist. COA program directory

So start by holding your transcript and ICU timeline up against each school's policy. Qualifying for a GRE waiver at one school doesn't make you eligible for a waiver at the other. And an online opening semester doesn't get you out of relocation or clinical travel.

Which CRNA schools are in South Carolina?

MUSC and USC are the two, and the comparison below covers their entry-to-practice programs for registered nurses preparing to become CRNAs. USC's Columbia, Greenville and Florence campus choices all belong to one program. They aren't three separately accredited schools, and clinical affiliates aren't additional programs either.

Program and location	Degree and attendance	Academic and ICU rules	GRE and CCRN	Tuition scope and application timing	Accreditation and official sources
Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston	DNAP, 118 credits, nine semesters, 36 months. Residential program with classroom, online and clinical components	Cumulative GPA at least 3.0. One ICU year at application	GRE required below cumulative 3.6, with a separate graduate-degree waiver. CCRN isn't among its listed requirements	Published 2026-2027 nine-semester tuition projection: $69,516 resident or $122,373 nonresident, before fees and other costs. Summer 2028 application window July 1 to September 15, 2027	Continued accreditation. MUSC program and admissions
University of South Carolina, Columbia/Greenville/Florence options	DNAP, 36 months, nine semesters. First two semesters online, then in-person coursework and clinical training	GPA of 3.3 or higher described as competitive. One full-time critical care year before interviews	GRE with conditional waiver. CCRN not required	2026-2027 bursar tuition $7,545 resident or $13,128 nonresident per full-time semester. Nine-semester future total not guaranteed. Annual application window May 1 to July 31 for the following May start	Continued accreditation. USC admissions, current fee schedule

Open the MUSC profile and the USC-Prisma Health profile to organize your comparison, then confirm the application-cycle rules directly with each school.

How do GPA, prerequisites and GRE waivers differ?

MUSC requires a bachelor's degree or higher in nursing at enrollment and a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0. That calculation pulls in college coursework across all your degrees, nursing and non-nursing. You'll need the GRE if your cumulative GPA is below 3.6, but a master's degree or higher in any subject from a regionally accredited institution gives you a separate waiver route. Where the GRE is required, scores must be within five years.

MUSC lists anatomy, general chemistry, statistics, pharmacology and physiology as prerequisites. Organic chemistry, pathophysiology and microbiology are recommended, not required. Its FAQ specifies a C or higher, courses within ten years (preferably five) and completion before matriculation. An integrated pharmacology course needs supporting course information. Ask for a transcript evaluation before you count a combined course toward a listed subject. MUSC eligibility and prerequisite guidance

USC accepts a BSN, or an associate degree in nursing combined with a bachelor's degree in a basic science, when its prerequisite conditions are met. It describes 3.3 or higher as competitive, and it doesn't promise admission at that number. A competency-based degree without an assigned GPA doesn't qualify. Individual pass/fail courses inside a degree that does have a GPA are a different situation.

USC's GRE waiver requires both your cumulative undergraduate and basic science GPAs to be at least 3.50, without rounding. Its basic science calculation includes every attempt in anatomy, physiology, microbiology and general chemistry, including college credit you earned in high school. A science-related master's degree can support a waiver request, but the program has to approve it. USC describes a 305 GRE as competitive and says explicitly that you can submit lower scores. Required scores must be within five years.

If you're close to 3.50, send the program your complete transcript history, including any college credit you earned in high school, and ask how it calculates your GPAs. In your own math, don't round a 3.49 up or swap an earlier science grade for a retake. USC considers both attempts, and it says prerequisite courses don't expire. USC admissions, USC detailed FAQ

Take a hypothetical applicant with a 3.55 cumulative GPA and a 3.40 basic science GPA. They'd miss USC's two-GPA waiver route and fall below MUSC's 3.6 cumulative threshold. A qualifying graduate degree could change that, but it would have to satisfy each school's different degree rule. This is an eligibility illustration, and it doesn't predict admission. Use the prerequisite planning guide to pick out the courses you want to discuss with admissions.

Which ICU experience and application preparation count?

MUSC requires one year of ICU experience when you apply. Its published list includes coronary, medical, neonatal, pediatric and surgical intensive care units, and emergency department and PACU experience don't satisfy its ICU requirement. USC requires one year of full-time critical care experience before interviews, which begin in October. USC accepts PICU and NICU experience but excludes stepdown, emergency department and flight nursing experience, and it strongly recommends you keep working in the ICU. USC gives more weight to high-acuity experience at Level I or II trauma centers and Level IV NICUs, but neither school requires a Level IV unit. MUSC experience requirements, USC experience FAQ

Shadowing is another real difference. MUSC requires CRNA shadowing at application and says shadowing a physician anesthesiologist doesn't satisfy that requirement. USC strongly recommends shadowing but doesn't require it or set a mandatory number of hours. USC also says explicitly that CCRN isn't required, though it wants you to show you're ready for lifelong independent learning. CCRN isn't among MUSC's listed admission requirements either. It's still a strong way to prove your critical care knowledge at both schools.

MUSC requires active BLS and ACLS at application and prefers PALS if you work in an appropriate setting. All matriculated MUSC students take ACLS, BLS and PALS together as a cohort. USC accepts a current RN license from any of the 50 states at application and requires South Carolina licensure by matriculation if you're not covered by the Nurse Licensure Compact. Confirm clinical licensure and certification dates before you accept a seat. MUSC checklist, USC admissions

What attendance and clinical travel should you expect?

At USC, your first summer and fall semesters are online. The program still describes the course load as full time and warns that you may not be able to work. Students come to campus near the end of the second semester for orientation and simulation, and the on-campus portion begins in January. Foundational anesthesia content then moves to face-to-face classroom teaching, with some online courses alongside it.

You can request Columbia, Greenville or Florence at the interview, but USC doesn't guarantee your preferred site. Before you sign a lease, confirm how assignments work and where you'll attend class, simulation and clinical rotations. Its curriculum describes regional clinical partners and five clinical practicum rotations. Don't let that early online stretch turn into a plan to finish the degree from another state. USC program format, USC curriculum

MUSC describes an initial 18-month foundation followed by 18 months of clinical training. Its clinical affiliate list includes locations across South Carolina and in Georgia, so a Charleston home base doesn't mean every rotation is commutable from the same address. Ask both programs how they assign distant rotations, whether you'll need temporary housing and which travel expenses you'll pay yourself. MUSC curriculum and clinical sites

How much does CRNA school in South Carolina cost?

That depends on which number you're looking at, so keep tuition, direct educational expenses and the broader cost-of-attendance budget in separate columns.

Published cost item	MUSC	USC
Tuition rate	2026-2027: $7,724 resident or $13,597 nonresident per semester	2026-2027 bursar: $7,545 resident or $13,128 nonresident per full-time semester
Full-program tuition scope	The school's nine-semester projection at those rates: $69,516 resident or $122,373 nonresident	Nine semesters. Ask for a written tuition estimate for your entering cohort
Additional published charges	$1,600 program fee per semester, with other charges and insurance in the budget	Health professions fee, technology/infrastructure, enrichment and other applicable charges. The program page also lists $2,000 annual clinical fees and a $1,250 acceptance payment
Broader budget	Published projected direct costs $96,961 resident or $149,818 nonresident. Total cost of attendance $220,908 or $273,765 including indirect expenses	Get a current individualized program budget and residency determination

MUSC's totals are projections built on its 2026-2027 schedule, and they don't guarantee a Summer 2028 price. Its total cost-of-attendance estimate includes living and other indirect expenses, so that amount isn't a tuition bill. MUSC tuition and budget tables

For USC, plan with the 2026-2027 bursar rate and ask for a written cohort estimate before you budget. Residency can change your bill, but moving to South Carolina doesn't by itself prove you're eligible for resident tuition. With budget scopes this different, and a possible future residency change in the mix, neither school can fairly be called the cheapest. USC current department fees, USC program cost page

Which deadlines and outcomes should you track?

MUSC currently advertises applications from July 1 to September 15, 2027 for Summer 2028 entry. USC publishes a recurring May 1 to July 31 window for a May start the following year, with October/November interviews and November decisions. USC's 2026 deadline was July 31. Confirm the dates on the admissions page when the portal opens. MUSC cycle, USC timeline

For the 2025 class, USC reports a 97% first-attempt National Certification Examination pass rate and 4% attrition. Don't turn that into an unlabeled school-wide pass rate or an estimate of your admission odds. USC 2025 performance MUSC annual outcomes

If South Carolina's options don't fit your degree, timing or budget, compare North Carolina and Georgia, then widen the search with the national program directory. Use the School Database to keep each school's questions, deadlines and verified answers in one place. With only two in-state programs, you can learn both rulebooks inside and out, and once your GPA math and ICU timeline are checked against each one, you'll know where you stand.