“Easiest” CRNA Programs to Get Into (2026)
Honest answer first: no CRNA program is easy to get into — every accredited program is competitive, and everyone sits the same board exam. But some programs have more accessible requirements on paper: no GRE and a standard 3.0 GPA floor rather than an elevated gate. The 86 programs below fit that profile. Use it as a starting point — not a guarantee.
The real way to improve your odds: apply early in the cycle (most programs close before fall), document high-acuity ICU experience specifically, and write a sharp “why now” statement. Where you apply matters less than how you apply.
| Program | State | Degree | GRE | First-time pass | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bellarmine University – Juneja Nurse Anesthesia Program Louisville | Kentucky | DNP | Not required | — | $115k–$145k |
| Carson-Newman University Jefferson City | Tennessee | DNAP | Not required | — | $115k–$145k |
| Charleston Area Medical Center (CAMC) / University of Charleston Charleston | West Virginia | DNAP | Not required | 80% | $75k–$95k |
| Clarkson College Omaha | Nebraska | DNP | Not required | 87.5% | $115k–$145k |
| Duke University Durham | North Carolina | DNP | Not required | 92% | $125k–$155k |
| Edgewood University Madison | Wisconsin | DNP | Not required | — | $125k–$155k |
| Emory University Decatur | Georgia | DNP | Not required | 87% | $125k–$155k |
| Endeavor Health / DePaul University Evanston | Illinois | DNP | Not required | 96% | $125k–$155k |
| Florida Gulf Coast University Fort Myers | Florida | DNP | Not required | 79% | $85k–$100k |
| Florida International University (FIU) Miami | Florida | DNP | Not required | 93% | $85k–$100k |
| Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University (FranU) Baton Rouge | Louisiana | DNP | Not required | 94.4% | $115k–$145k |
| George Fox University Newberg | Oregon | DNP | Not required | — | $125k–$155k |
| Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College St. Louis | Missouri | DNP | Not required | 100% | $115k–$145k |
| Gonzaga University / Providence Sacred Heart Spokane | Washington | DNAP | Not required | — | $135k–$165k |
| Hofstra-Northwell Hempstead | New York | DNP | Not required | 93.5% | $135k–$165k |
| Idaho State University Meridian | Idaho | DNAP | Not required | — | $85k–$100k |
| Independence Health System / St. Vincent College Latrobe | Pennsylvania | DNAP | Not required | 90% | $125k–$155k |
| Integrated Anesthesia Associates / CCSU Hartford | Connecticut | DNAP | Not required | 100% | $135k–$165k |
| Johns Hopkins School of Nursing Baltimore | Maryland | DNP | Not required | — | $135k–$165k |
| Keiser University Naples | Florida | DNAP | Not required | 94% | $125k–$155k |
| Loma Linda University Loma Linda | California | DNP | Not required | — | $145k–$175k |
| Lourdes University Sylvania | Ohio | DNP | Not required | 88% | $115k–$145k |
| Loyola University New Orleans New Orleans | Louisiana | DNP | Not required | — | $115k–$145k |
| Marian University – Leighton School of Nursing Indianapolis | Indiana | DNP | Not required | 85% | $115k–$145k |
| Marquette University Milwaukee | Wisconsin | DNP | Not required | 100% | $125k–$155k |
| Mary Baldwin University Fishersville | Virginia | DNP | Not required | 82.6% | $125k–$155k |
| Mayo Clinic Health System / Franciscan Healthcare School of Anesthesia La Crosse | Wisconsin | DNP | Not required | — | $125k–$155k |
| Michigan State University East Lansing | Michigan | DNP | Not required | 95% | $85k–$100k |
| Midwestern University Glendale | Arizona | DNAP | Not required | 94% | $150k–$200k |
| Millikin University / Decatur Memorial Hospital Decatur | Illinois | DNP | Not required | 100% | $125k–$155k |
| Minneapolis School of Anesthesia / Metropolitan State University Saint Paul | Minnesota | DNP | Not required | 100% | $85k–$100k |
| Mount Marty University Sioux Falls | South Dakota | DNAP | Not required | — | $115k–$145k |
| Murray State University Murray | Kentucky | DNP | Not required | 94% | $75k–$95k |
| National University Fresno | California | DNAP | Not required | — | $135k–$165k |
| New Mexico State University Las Cruces | New Mexico | DNP | Not required | — | $85k–$100k |
| Newman University Wichita | Kansas | DNAP | Not required | 94.7% | $115k–$145k |
| Northern Kentucky University Highland Heights | Kentucky | DNP | Not required | 95.2% | $75k–$95k |
| Ohio State University Columbus | Ohio | DNP | Not required | — | $75k–$95k |
| Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) Portland | Oregon | DNP | Not required | 92.3% | $125k–$155k |
| Rhode Island College / St. Joseph Hospital Providence | Rhode Island | DNP | Not required | — | $135k–$165k |
| Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science North Chicago | Illinois | DNP | Not required | 89% | $125k–$155k |
| Rush University Chicago | Illinois | DNP | Not required | 92% | $125k–$155k |
| Saint Mary's University of Minnesota Minneapolis | Minnesota | DNP | Not required | 91% | $125k–$155k |
| Samuel Merritt University Oakland | California | DNAP | Not required | 92% | $135k–$165k |
| South College Knoxville | Tennessee | DNP | Not required | 82.1% | $115k–$145k |
| Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) Edwardsville | Illinois | DNP | Not required | 94% | $125k–$155k |
| St. Elizabeth Health Center School for Nurse Anesthetists Youngstown | Ohio | DNP | Not required | 100% | $115k–$145k |
| St. John Fisher University – Wegmans School of Nursing Rochester | New York | DNP | Not required | — | $135k–$165k |
| St. Luke's University Health Network / DeSales University Center Valley | Pennsylvania | DNP | Not required | — | $125k–$155k |
| Thomas Jefferson University – Jefferson College of Nursing Philadelphia | Pennsylvania | DNP | Not required | 92.7% | $125k–$155k |
| UC Davis – Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing Sacramento | California | DNP | Not required | — | $90k–$110k |
| Union University College of Nursing Jackson | Tennessee | DNP | Not required | 77% | $115k–$145k |
| University at Buffalo (SUNY) Buffalo | New York | DNP | Not required | 88% | $90k–$110k |
| University of Arizona College of Nursing Tucson | Arizona | DNP | Not required | 100% | $120k–$150k |
| University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Little Rock | Arkansas | DNP | Not required | 65% | $75k–$95k |
| University of Cincinnati Cincinnati | Ohio | DNP | Not required | 100% | $75k–$95k |
| University of Detroit Mercy Detroit | Michigan | DNP | Not required | 91.3% | $125k–$155k |
| University of Evansville Evansville | Indiana | DNAP | Not required | 94% | $75k–$95k |
| University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) Chicago | Illinois | DNP | Not required | — | $85k–$100k |
| University of Iowa College of Nursing Iowa City | Iowa | DNP | Not required | 86% | $75k–$95k |
| University of Kansas Kansas City | Kansas | DNAP | Not required | 89% | $75k–$95k |
| University of Maryland School of Nursing Baltimore | Maryland | DNP | Not required | 100% | $90k–$110k |
| University of Miami Coral Gables | Florida | DNP | Not required | 94% | $125k–$155k |
| University of Michigan-Flint Flint | Michigan | DNAP | Not required | 96% | $85k–$100k |
| University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) Las Vegas | Nevada | DNP | Not required | — | $85k–$100k |
| University of New England (UNE) Portland | Maine | DNP | Not required | 100% | $125k–$155k |
| University of North Dakota Grand Forks | North Dakota | DNP | Not required | 86% | $75k–$95k |
| University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing Pittsburgh | Pennsylvania | DNP | Not required | 100% | $85k–$100k |
| University of Scranton Scranton | Pennsylvania | DNP | Not required | 86% | $125k–$155k |
| University of South Dakota Sioux Falls | South Dakota | DNAP | Not required | 89% | $75k–$95k |
| University of Southern California (USC) – Keck School of Medicine Los Angeles | California | DNAP | Not required | 96% | $135k–$165k |
| University of Tennessee at Chattanooga / Erlanger Chattanooga | Tennessee | DNP | Not required | 94.7% | $75k–$95k |
| University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) Memphis | Tennessee | DNP | Not required | 87% | $75k–$95k |
| University of Texas at Tyler Tyler | Texas | DNP | Not required | — | $85k–$100k |
| University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) Galveston | Texas | DNP | Not required | — | $85k–$100k |
| University of Tulsa Tulsa | Oklahoma | DNP | Not required | 93% | $75k–$95k |
| University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Oshkosh | Wisconsin | DNAP | Not required | 87.5% | $85k–$100k |
| Ursuline College / Somnia Pepper Pike | Ohio | DNP | Not required | — | $115k–$145k |
| US Army Graduate Program in Anesthesia Nursing San Antonio | Texas | DNP | Not required | 97% | $125k–$155k |
| Vanderbilt University Nashville | Tennessee | DNP | Not required | — | $115k–$145k |
| Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Richmond | Virginia | DNAP | Not required | 96% | $125k–$155k |
| Wayne State University Detroit | Michigan | DNAP | Not required | 94% | $85k–$100k |
| Webster University St. Louis | Missouri | DNAP | Not required | 92% | $115k–$145k |
| West Virginia University (WVU) Morgantown | West Virginia | DNP | Not required | 73% | $115k–$145k |
| Westminster University Salt Lake City | Utah | DNP | Not required | 100% | $125k–$155k |
| Yale New Haven Hospital School of Nurse Anesthesia New Haven | Connecticut | DNAP | Not required | 92% | $135k–$165k |
Also see: no-GRE programs, cheapest programs, and full requirements.
“Accessible requirements” is based on GRE and stated minimum GPA only — not acceptance rate, which programs rarely publish. Verify current requirements with each program. Last updated 2026.
Stack the odds in your favor
The free CRNA guide breaks down what programs actually look for — and how to apply early enough to matter.