CRNA Schools in Arkansas: A-State and UAMS Compared

Two CRNA schools in Arkansas made this comparison: Arkansas State University in Jonesboro and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock. Both offer three-year DNP pathways. Where they part ways is in how they calculate GPA, which statistics course they want, which credentials they accept and where you'll do clinicals.

Which CRNA schools in Arkansas offer entry training?

A-State and UAMS, both with COA continued accreditation.

Program	Academic base	Degree and curriculum	Accreditation
Arkansas State University	Jonesboro	DNP, 36 months, 114 semester credits. Online doctoral coursework with in-person clinical training	COA continued accreditation
UAMS	Little Rock	DNP nurse anesthesia track, 36 months, full time	COA continued accreditation

Sources: A-State program, UAMS program and COA directory.

This counts educational programs, not every clinical hospital. A-State's rotations in another state are still part of its Arkansas-based program. And general university graduate admissions standards don't replace the more specific nurse anesthesia requirements.

How do GPA and test requirements differ?

A-State requires a 3.25 undergraduate cumulative GPA or a 3.25 in the last 60 undergraduate hours. UAMS requires a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0, a last-60 GPA of at least 3.25 and a science GPA of at least 3.25. So A-State's either/or option doesn't carry over to UAMS.

Requirement	A-State	UAMS
Degree	BSN from the specified accredited nursing pathway	Nursing bachelor's from an accepted accredited program
GPA	Undergraduate cumulative 3.25 or last-60 undergraduate 3.25	Cumulative 3.0 plus last-60 3.25 and science 3.25
GRE	Scores within five years. Combined 300 and writing 4.0 described as preferred	Not listed among the admission requirements
Critical-care credential	CCRN or Cardiac Surgery Certification at application	Active CCRN and examination score required
Statistics	Three graduate credits in descriptive/inferential statistics, B or better	Basic statistics, C or better

Sources: A-State current 2026-2027 handbook, program information and UAMS admissions requirements.

UAMS' last-60 calculation depends on your academic history. If your highest degree is a BSN, it uses your recent undergraduate coursework. If you have a graduate nursing degree or graduate coursework, it uses the most recent 60 hours of all your coursework. Run the actual calculation before you decide what another class would change.

A-State's general Graduate School page lists lower university-wide GPA possibilities. Those don't override the nurse anesthesia program's 3.25 criteria. And preferred GRE scores aren't a guaranteed selection threshold, so don't read them that way.

Which ICU backgrounds qualify?

Both programs want at least one critical care year inside a two-year recency window, so track when you'll hit the milestone as well as how long you've been there. A-State's handbook requires one full-time year by admission, with qualifying experience within two years of application. Its separate information page also describes a part-time equivalent, so if that's you, ask how the current cohort evaluates your schedule.

A-State names pediatric and neonatal ICU among acceptable examples. It excludes emergency room, PACU, operating room and labor-and-delivery experience. Your clinical competencies and independent-practice experience still count for something beyond the unit name.

UAMS explicitly includes adult, pediatric and neonatal critical care and looks at the quality and quantity of each applicant's experience individually. It requires a recent qualifying year within two years before you apply. If your role doesn't clearly fit the examples, describe your actual monitoring, ventilation and unstable-patient responsibilities.

Illustrative shortlist decision (hypothetical): a nurse has one year of current NICU experience and meets the academic screens. Both schools publish language that makes their complete criteria worth a careful read. That's a reason to look into both, and it isn't a forecast of admission. An ER-only nurse, on the other hand, runs into a specific A-State exclusion, and a generic critical-care label won't get around it.

Which prerequisite courses and references should you prepare?

Statistics first, because the difference here is a BIG one. An undergraduate statistics course with a C meets the grade and level in UAMS' basic-statistics requirement, subject to the school's course assessment. It doesn't satisfy A-State's three-credit graduate descriptive/inferential statistics requirement with a B or better.

UAMS also requires proof of a health-assessment course or qualifying ANCC-approved continuing education. Its current science-GPA description includes subjects like chemistry, physics, anatomy, physiology, microbiology and pharmacology. A GPA subject list doesn't automatically mean you have to take an extra standalone course in each one.

Both programs require references with a supervisory component. A-State's handbook asks for three, including a current or former supervisor. UAMS requires three from people who can speak to your work and academic potential, including your most recent critical-care supervisor. Ask each person before you submit their contact details, and give them the correct role and deadline.

Use the prerequisite guide to keep each course's level, credits, grade and any equivalency decision in one place. Don't pay for a replacement chemistry or statistics class based on a statewide checklist that ignores each program's wording.

Which application deadlines and start dates should you track?

Both schools close in mid-September, nine months to a year before you'd start, so plan your GRE, CCRN and transcripts around a late-summer finish. A-State's window for summer 2027 entry ran January 1 to September 15, 2026. It sends applicants to NursingCAS and names a separate university admission process.

UAMS admits for fall only. Its application-process page set July 1 to September 15, 2026 as the window for fall 2027 admission. Expect a similar summer window for fall 2028, and confirm the exact dates and the NursingCAS cycle to select when UAMS posts them. Applicants who meet the academic, licensure, experience and certification screens may be invited to an on-campus interview and essay, and UAMS generally invites two to three times as many applicants as it has spaces.

UAMS explicitly requires two applications, one in NursingCAS and one in College of Nursing Workday. Submitting in NursingCAS doesn't complete the other system. Confirm the order and the required status for each. Keep the application guide next to the official program instructions while you build your document plan.

Record the application opening, complete-file deadline, any verification requirement and class start as separate items.

How much does CRNA school in Arkansas cost?

The two schools publish cost differently. A-State lists $45,000 in total tuition and fees for the program, and UAMS charges $30,000 a year for Arkansas residents. One is a whole-program figure and the other is annual tuition, so compare them carefully.

Official source	Published figure and scope	What it leaves out
A-State program information	$45,000 total tuition and fees, paid as $10,000 in the summer and fall of years one and two and $5,000 in the summer of year three	Additional expenses, such as a computer, are listed separately. Confirm the figure for your entering cohort
UAMS 2026-2027 cost page	$30,000 resident tuition per year or $48,000 nonresident per year, billed in three increments	Annual tuition only. Program fees, university charges, equipment, insurance, exams, living and travel are extra, and future-year amounts may change

At UAMS, the annual resident/nonresident tuition difference is $18,000 on the published basis. That doesn't guarantee how your residency will be classified later. Ask the university to determine your actual status and which charges apply to your entering cohort.

A-State's listed $1,500 acceptance deposit is applied toward tuition, so don't add it a second time when you're working from a confirmed tuition quote. Treat its additional-expense list as a starting checklist, and price exams and travel for your own cohort.

Ask both schools for a term-by-term estimate that covers the full three-year plan. Keep tuition separate from university fees, nurse anesthesia charges, insurance and personal living costs. Putting an annual tuition amount up against a whole-program figure can't tell you which school is cheaper.

Where will you complete clinical training?

At A-State, potentially in three states. A-State describes clinical sites in Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee, including Jonesboro and Little Rock locations as well as Memphis-area and Mississippi sites. That footprint needs a travel and housing plan even if you live near the Jonesboro campus.

UAMS lists clinical affiliates across Arkansas, including Little Rock, Springdale, Fort Smith, Hot Springs and rural communities. Ask how assignments are made, which sites are required and when you'll learn your placement. A Little Rock base doesn't guarantee that every rotation will be in Little Rock.

A-State's online doctoral coursework doesn't make clinical training remote. Before you decide where to live, separate classroom requirements from clinical locations, and add onboarding, licensure and temporary-housing costs where they apply. A program's site list shows its network. It isn't your guaranteed personal assignment.

What do the graduate outcomes show?

They show results that vary by year, so keep the graduation year and the exam measure attached to every number. A-State reports 82.7% first-time NCE passage for 2026 and 3.3% attrition for the 2026 cohort.

UAMS reports 65% first-time NCE passage for its 2025 class and 0% attrition for the last graduating class.

Both programs hold COA continued accreditation. One lower first-time result doesn't, by itself, mean accreditation has been lost. Ask each program about multi-year results, class sizes, current student support and how preparation changed after a weaker cohort. One row alone can't tell you which school is best for you.

How should you build an Arkansas shortlist?

Start with the GPA calculation and the statistics course, then check ICU eligibility, certification documents and the actual application cycle. Put both mid-September deadlines on your calendar a full year ahead. Ask for comparable costs only after you know which options are realistic.

Save your notes with the School Database. If a specific mismatch is left over, compare Louisiana, Tennessee, Missouri and the national directory, and run every neighboring program through the same attendance and eligibility checks. With just two programs and two very different statistics rules, settle that course question early and the rest of your Arkansas plan gets much easier to map out.