CRNA Programs in Tennessee: Nine Schools, Costs & Admissions

There are nine CRNA programs in Tennessee in this comparison, stretching from Memphis and Jackson through Middle Tennessee to East Tennessee. They differ in degree, length, critical care policy and how often you have to physically show up. UT Knoxville describes a 38-month curriculum, and South College is switching future cohorts from DNP to DNAP beginning in 2027. So check the program and the entering year before you lean on any statewide tuition or deadline table.

Your best list might cross regions, and that's fine, as long as you see the practical differences coming. A hybrid curriculum can still mean relocating to Knoxville, living in Chattanooga for a stretch or traveling for mandatory intensives. And a credential that's optional at application can turn mandatory before you start. Write those conditions right next to the school name.

Which nurse anesthesia programs are based in Tennessee?

These are nine distinct educational programs. Hospital partners, teaching locations and clinical affiliates stay counted as part of their program, so they don't show up here as extra Tennessee schools.

Program and official source	Tennessee base and degree	Distinction that changes your comparison
UT Knoxville	Knoxville, DNP	38 months, full time. Students must live in the Knoxville area by the summer start. Adult ICU experience and conditional GRE rules.
Middle Tennessee School of Anesthesia	Madison, Tennessee, DNAP	Nine semesters. GRE and CCRN required. Entry-to-practice and CRNA completion programs have separate admissions and costs.
UT Chattanooga/Erlanger	Chattanooga, DNP	36 months, with Chattanooga and Tupelo, Mississippi, pathways. Tupelo students spend semesters two and three in Chattanooga.
Union University	Jackson, DNP	36 months, 97 credits. Front-loaded hybrid curriculum, fall entry and staged admissions deadlines.
Carson-Newman University	Jefferson City, DNAP	Last-60 and science GPA requirements, plus CCRN and documented shadowing. Its current admissions page covers the January 2027 cohort.
South College	Knoxville, future cohorts DNAP	Approved degree-title change beginning in 2027, with no associated curricular change. The old DNP application is retired, but the nurse anesthesia program continues.
UT Health Science Center	Memphis, DNP	100-credit post-BSN plan with a clinical network in Memphis and the Mid-South. CCRN and life-support credentials due before application.
Vanderbilt University	Nashville, DNP	Full-time, in-person, 36 months/nine semesters. Summer 2028 entry. Applications open March 1, 2027.
Lincoln Memorial University/Caylor	Harrogate, DNP	109 credits, minimum 36 months. Online didactic teaching with mandatory intensives. Confirm your assigned teaching location and any Florida-site approval separately.

All nine are accredited by the Council on Accreditation. You'll find the established programs in the COA directory, and the two newest in the COA's Reports of Actions: Carson-Newman was granted initial accreditation effective October 21, 2025, and Vanderbilt effective January 21, 2026.

Which GPA, GRE and CCRN rules differ?

Match your transcript to the specific GPA each school names before you decide whether you need a test. A statewide "GRE required" count hides the conditional rules.

At UT Knoxville, you need the GRE if your cumulative GPA from all nursing degrees is below 3.3. The school recommends a 3.5 cumulative GPA, which is a recommendation, not a hard minimum. You don't need CCRN before you apply, but admission is contingent on earning it before the program starts. So don't file UT Knoxville under "CCRN not required."

LMU's admissions page requires an overall academic GPA of at least 3.0, plus the GRE if your cumulative GPA is below 3.4. CCRN is preferred. Keep those straight. The 3.4 is a test trigger, not the GPA you need to be admitted.

MTSA explicitly requires the GRE and CCRN. Vanderbilt explicitly doesn't require the GRE. It strongly encourages CCRN, and if you want it considered, you have to submit it by the application deadline. That's a timing rule for a recommended credential, which is a different thing from a requirement every applicant has to meet.

UTC requires an undergraduate cumulative GPA of 3.0 and an undergraduate science GPA of 3.26. It also wants two full-time critical care years, completed by August before the program starts and within the preceding five years. And it explicitly waives the GRE. That's a very different academic and experience screen from a quick "3.0, one ICU year" headline.

Carson-Newman requires a last-60-credit GPA of 3.0 and a science GPA of 3.0. Its current 2027-cohort criteria name A&P I/II and statistics inside the science calculation. They also make CCRN mandatory and ask for documentation of at least 8 hours of CRNA shadowing.

South College's current DNAP requirements list cumulative and science GPAs of 3.0, with a described appeal process. They also call for a current CCRN, or another critical care specialty certification that the school considers case by case. You'll need at least 16 hours of shadowing over two documented occasions, one of them with a CRNA, and its FAQ says the GRE isn't required. Union requires CCRN at application and wants it kept current through matriculation. UTHSC requires CCRN before application. Keep each of these tied to its own school.

Union's 2026-27 DNP catalog sets a 3.0 last-60-credit GPA for BSN-to-DNP applicants. The anesthesia add-ons require one ICU year within the past three years, CCRN, at least 40 shadowing hours and preceptor experience, and charge-nurse experience is preferred. Read the specialty application checklist and the catalog together. The generic DNP criteria aren't the whole anesthesia application.

Which critical care experience and courses should you verify?

Unit type, recency and completion date all count. Having your minimum year done by entry is a different deadline from having it done by application.

UT Knoxville requires you to be working in an adult ICU when you apply and to finish at least one current full-time adult critical care year before entry. Its page leaves PICU, emergency department, PACU, operating room and intermediate care nursery experience out of that requirement.

UTHSC's page reads differently. It describes at least one year of adult and/or pediatric critical care within two years before application. Vanderbilt requires one full-time year or equivalent within five years, completed by program start, and it doesn't count orientation time. Its FAQ separates acceptable critical care settings from the CCRN credential categories it accepts, so a certification label alone doesn't tell you your unit type is approved. That same FAQ says it has no preference for adult over pediatric ICU experience, and it doesn't accept PACU, operating room, emergency department or cath and EP lab time.

Union's FAQ lists pediatric and neonatal ICUs and flight nursing among its examples. It doesn't count the emergency room, cath lab, stepdown or rapid response team, and it wants your year within the last three years, not counting orientation.

South's current requirements call for one full-time year or equivalent within the preceding two years at application. Carson-Newman's 2027 criteria call for one full-time critical care year within three years. Write down your actual dates and responsibilities, then ask the program about any borderline setting or break in practice.

Coursework differs too. Vanderbilt names statistics. LMU requires undergraduate statistics, basic chemistry and organic chemistry, with a lab in at least one of the chemistry courses. MTSA's FAQ requires a three-credit college chemistry course (no lab needed) if your nursing degree didn't require chemistry, and its non-nursing degree pathway has extra science-credit rules. Use the prerequisite verification guide to get approval for your exact course and pathway.

Which deadlines and start dates should you track?

Several dates you'll still see posted publicly have already passed. Treat them as history, not as a window you can still use.

Program	Published timeline	What it means for you
MTSA	Applications opened August 6, 2026. Deadline January 14, 2027, for January 2028 entry	Use the entry-to-practice instructions, not the CRNA completion dates. The mandatory in-person interviews run March 30 to April 1 and May 3 to 5, 2027.
Vanderbilt	March 1 to May 15, 2027, for May 2028 entry	The deadline for May 2027 entry was May 15, 2026. Interviews happen the summer after you apply, and decisions come in the fall.
Union	Rolling admissions for fall entry, with a priority deadline of October 1 and a final deadline of January 15	The priority deadline is October 1, and the final deadline is January 15 for fall entry. Interviews are in person in Jackson a few weeks after each deadline, and seats start filling after the priority round.
UT Knoxville	September 1 annually, for the following summer's entry	Applications are due September 1 each year. Reviews start August 1 and interview spots are limited, so aim to have every document in by then. Invitations go out in mid-October and interviews run in mid-November.
UTC	March 13, 2026, application and April 10, 2026, supporting documents, for January 2027 entry	The 2026 application deadline was March 13, and supporting documents were due April 10. Interviews are held in June, with invitations around mid-May. UTC admissions
UTHSC	Annual March 15 opening, July 15 priority and August 15 final deadline for summer entry	The priority deadline is July 15, and the final deadline is August 15 each year.
Carson-Newman	2027 cohort: applications opened March 1, 2026, offers the week of September 14, 2026, orientation January 4, 2027	Orientation for the 2027 cohort is January 4, 2027.
South College	DNAP applications go through NursingCAS, with a September 1 to November 1 priority application window	Apply inside the priority window if you can. Satellite assignments depend partly on which locations are open at the time of your interview.

Worked planning example: Say you're comparing MTSA and Vanderbilt for 2028 entry. You'd need your MTSA materials ready by January 14, 2027, which is before Vanderbilt's application even opens on March 1. A loose "I'll apply in spring" plan would miss the first school completely. Build your document calendar from each school's actual receipt and verification instructions.

How much does CRNA school in Tennessee cost?

Tennessee schools publish costs on very different bases. So keep academic-year rates, program tuition, required fees and the financial-aid cost-of-attendance allowance in separate columns.

Official cost source	What the school publishes	What to ask before you budget
Carson-Newman 2027 cohort	Estimated tuition of $127,000 for the entire 102-credit program, starting with the January 2027 cohort	Textbooks, health insurance, background checks, drug screening, clinical travel and graduation expenses are extra. Get a written estimate for your own cohort before you budget.
UTC expenses	Use the Online and Distance Fee Schedule and add the $111-per-credit nursing differential	Get the full credit/fee estimate that applies to you, plus residency treatment. The page's list of additional expenses isn't all-inclusive.
MTSA cost of attendance	Financial-aid budgets cover one academic year/loan period, including direct and indirect expenses	A one-year budget isn't whole-program tuition. Ask for entry-to-practice tuition and required fees for your cohort.
UTHSC	The official program page says tuition varies by resident/nonresident status and may change during your studies	Ask for the nurse anesthesia budget for your actual entering cohort, including clinical travel and fees.
UT Knoxville nursing cost policy	Graduate nursing differential $250 per semester credit hour, on top of applicable university tuition and fees	That's one charge, not total tuition. Ask for the anesthesia plan's term-by-term base tuition, differential, residency treatment and mandatory fees. The undergraduate BSN Scholars benefit is a different pathway.
Union 2026-27 graduate catalog	BSN-to-DNP nurse anesthesia tuition $44,553 per year, covering fall, spring and summer. General student and other fees are listed separately	This annual rate isn't a locked three-year price. The catalog's $1,143-per-credit post-graduate DNP rate belongs to a different pathway. Confirm how often fees are billed and any future annual increases.
South College published continuing-student schedule	Nurse anesthesia continuing Winter 2026: $11,975 per quarter for 8 to 20 credits, or $800 per credit for 1 to 7.5 credits, plus a $245 quarterly nursing fee	These are explicitly dated charges for continuing DNP students. They don't set the price for a new 2027 DNAP cohort. Get that cohort's schedule instead of multiplying the older full-load quarter rate across every term.
Vanderbilt nursing financial aid	The page labels its tuition 2025-2026: $2,057 per credit, with additional fees	That's the 2025-26 rate, not a locked price for a May 2028 entrant. Ask for the budget that applies to your entering cohort.
LMU 2026-27 nurse anesthesia cost-of-attendance table	Three semesters: tuition $35,625, program fees $2,367 and a total direct/indirect budget of $74,299	The budget includes insurance, supplies, food, housing, transportation and other allowances. It's an academic-year estimate, not total three-year tuition or anyone's actual bill. Health insurance may be waived if you have approved comparable coverage.

If your enrollment deposit gets credited toward tuition, don't add it to the quoted total a second time. Ask financial aid which costs are billed, which are budget allowances and which depend on your clinical assignment. And if a residency classification or an employment-linked benefit lowers your price, get the eligibility terms in writing before you count the savings.

How do training locations affect relocation and travel?

Tennessee's programs run on several different models, so the word "hybrid" won't tell you enough to pick housing.

UT Knoxville requires you to live in the Knoxville area from its summer start. Union describes on-campus work in Jackson alongside online DNP core courses. Vanderbilt describes an in-person Nashville program with clinical training at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

UTC's Tupelo pathway is part of the Chattanooga program, not a separate Tennessee school. If you choose Tupelo, you still spend semesters two and three in Chattanooga, then finish the remaining coursework and clinical practicum in Tupelo with distance-delivered teaching. That's a different housing plan from staying in one city the whole time.

South College combines remote learning with required Knoxville intensives and a later clinical practicum. Its current DNAP FAQ explicitly requires you to relocate to your assigned clinical satellite at the beginning of year two unless you already live there. Offers of admission are tied to that assigned satellite, and Knoxville is only one of them. The list runs from Augusta, Georgia and Orlando, Florida to Phoenix, Fort Wayne and Bangor, Maine, so rank your preferences honestly. The FAQ also prohibits outside employment once clinical rotations begin, in quarter six (so budget for life without picking up shifts from that point on).

LMU describes online didactic teaching with two-to-four-day intensives in five of nine semesters. LMU also plans to enroll students at its Tampa, Florida campus starting January 2027, pending COA approval. Accreditation for the main program and approval for distance education don't prove every proposed additional location is approved. Confirm your specific site before you pay anything or plan a move.

What do accreditation and graduate outcomes show?

Accreditation tells you a program's status. It doesn't crown a statewide winner, especially when pass-rate years don't line up, and newer programs simply have fewer finished cohorts to report.

The COA's Reports of Actions confirm initial accreditation for Carson-Newman and Vanderbilt. The directory lists continued accreditation for established programs like the three UT programs, MTSA, Union and LMU, and initial accreditation for South's listed program. A future review date doesn't mean a program is about to close.

For outcomes, UTHSC's page reports on the May 2026 graduating class: an 89% first-time certification pass rate and 0% attrition. UT Knoxville reports a 93.7% first-attempt pass rate and 0% attrition for its 2025 DNP class.

Get current, cohort-specific reports for each finalist, and ask about student support and clinical preparation.

How should you narrow the Tennessee options?

Start with the region and attendance pattern you can actually manage. Then cross off programs whose current GPA, ICU or course rules you can't meet for your intended cycle. Settle any conditional GRE and credential deadlines before you decide where your application fees go.

Keep nearby Kentucky, North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi on your list if one of them fixes a specific timing or eligibility mismatch. Compare actual campuses and clinical assignments, since a state name tells you very little. Start in the program directory and keep a running list of the questions each admissions office still owes you. Asking early saves you from guessing later. Trust.