CRNA Schools in Connecticut: Programs, Requirements and Costs

Three accredited entry-to-practice nurse anesthesia programs make up the CRNA schools in Connecticut: Fairfield University, Integrated Anesthesia Associates' Nurse Anesthesia Program of Hartford, and Yale New Haven Hospital School of Nurse Anesthesia. Fairfield awards a DNP. The Hartford and Yale New Haven hospital programs are affiliated with Central Connecticut State University (CCSU), and CCSU is the school that awards their DNAP.

That affiliation changes how you compare both location and price. Your academic courses, your clinical education and your bills may involve more than one institution. So the hospital's city isn't necessarily where you'll spend every phase of the program.

Keep your intended entry year next to each school on your shortlist, and use the national CRNA program directory when you want to compare options outside Connecticut.

Which nurse anesthesia programs are in Connecticut?

Program and profile	Academic and clinical footprint	Degree and length	Accreditation
Fairfield University	Fairfield campus; clinical affiliates in Connecticut and other states	DNP; 100 credits, 36 months, full-time; May entry	COA continued accreditation
Nurse Anesthesia Program of Hartford	CCSU coursework in New Britain; Hartford-area and other Connecticut clinical partners	DNAP through CCSU; 36 months, full-time; May entry	COA continued accreditation
Yale New Haven Hospital School of Nurse Anesthesia	First academic year at CCSU in New Britain; later work between CCSU, Yale New Haven and affiliates	DNAP through CCSU; 36 months; May entry	COA continued accreditation

Sources: COA directory, Fairfield program, Hartford program, Yale New Haven and CCSU affiliated-program admissions.

Fairfield also has an Austin, Texas, location within the same program. That doesn't add a fourth Connecticut program. You pick your campus preference inside the Fairfield application, and its instructions say not to submit two applications to get considered at both campuses.

What GPA, ICU experience and certifications do you need?

Program	Academic rule	ICU experience	Certification and testing
Fairfield	Undergraduate GPA 3.3 and science GPA 3.3 or higher; nursing bachelor’s or master’s degree	One current full-time ICU year, defined as 36 or more hours weekly; two years preferred; required at application	CCRN and BCLS, ACLS and PALS listed; eight shadowing hours within the last year
Hartford	Detailed standard criteria: cumulative GPA at least 3.0; defined science GPA at least 3.3; nursing or approved science-related bachelor’s	18 current months by the application deadline, excluding orientation; working full-time	CCRN with score breakdown, BLS, ACLS and PALS; at least one full shadow day; GRE not required
Yale New Haven	Cumulative GPA at least 3.0 and science GPA at least 3.3; nursing or alternate science-related bachelor’s complete at application	18 months at application; ICU experience no more than two years old	BLS, ACLS, PALS and CCRN, including CCRN scores

Sources: Fairfield’s current anesthesia admissions section, Hartford entry requirements and Yale New Haven admission information.

Fairfield's admissions page sets 3.3 for both your undergraduate and science GPA, and every requirement has to be met at the time you apply. Hartford's detailed requirements call for a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0, and its 3.3 science GPA counts anatomy and physiology I and II, two chemistry courses and pharmacology. If your GPA sits right on one of these lines, ask the program how it rounds before you spend an application fee.

Hartford says outright that the GRE isn't required. Fairfield's and Yale New Haven's nurse anesthesia admission requirements don't include the GRE either. If skipping the exam is part of your plan, confirm it on the checklist for your entry year.

Does pediatric or neonatal ICU experience count?

Hartford lists PICU among its preferred critical-care settings but explicitly excludes NICU, emergency department and PACU applicants. Fairfield defines eligible ICU experience by managing invasive monitoring, cardiac assist devices, mechanical ventilation or vasoactive infusions. Yale New Haven requires recent critical-care experience with independent decisions and advanced monitoring, and that experience can't be more than two years old when you apply.

If you work in a pediatric or neonatal unit, ask Fairfield and Yale New Haven to evaluate your patient population, your responsibilities and the dates you've been practicing independently.

Which prerequisite rules are different?

Fairfield requires a B or better before the application deadline in two biology semesters with lab, chemistry with lab, microbiology/genetics or an advanced biology course, and college math. Anatomy and physiology can meet the biology requirement, and statistics can meet math. Coursework has to be within 15 years, with five to seven years preferred. One prerequisite may come from AP or early-college credit.

Hartford splits its course windows into eight years and ten years. Anatomy and physiology and organic chemistry or biochemistry fall under the eight-year rule. General/inorganic chemistry, pharmacology and statistics fall under the ten-year rule. You need a B or better.

Yale New Haven lists chemistry, anatomy and physiology, pharmacology and statistics/biostatistics. Its anatomy and physiology and organic chemistry prerequisites have to be less than eight years old, and the page gives refresher instructions. Any prerequisite below a B has to be retaken before you apply. Research methods is encouraged, not mandatory.

Use the CRNA prerequisite course guide to map your courses against each checklist, and save syllabi for any course with an ambiguous name. A recent graduate science class doesn't automatically replace a required undergraduate lab sequence.

How much does CRNA school in Connecticut cost?

Connecticut's program costs come in two structures: Fairfield's semester tuition, and the CCSU-affiliated programs' university charges plus clinical-program charges. The figures below aren't interchangeable all-in degree prices.

Program or institution	Published charge	What's billed separately
Fairfield	Program page lists $15,500 per semester at the 2026-2027 rate	Fees and annual increases aren't included. Tuition is set before each cohort starts and divided evenly over nine semesters, and the $3,000 deposit is credited to your first semester
Hartford	$50,000 clinical tuition, reduced to $40,000 if a signed acceptance and commitment fee arrive within seven business days of the offer	CCSU academic tuition and fees, the $2,000 nonrefundable program commitment fee and other expenses are separate
Yale New Haven	$18,500 clinical fee at the start of clinical rotations; $3,500 nonrefundable commitment fee on acceptance	CCSU tuition and fees, living, transportation and parking costs are separate
CCSU	2026-2027 doctoral table: $1,109 per credit including the listed university fee, plus $65 registration per term; $300 DNAP fee per semester listed separately	Rate sheet shows the same doctoral per-credit charge for Connecticut and out-of-state classifications. Confirm which courses and terms are billed under each category

Sources: Fairfield, Hartford entry-level costs, Yale New Haven and CCSU’s 2026-2027 rate sheet.

Nine semesters at Fairfield's 2026-2027 rate of $15,500 would come to $139,500 before fees. Because Fairfield sets tuition before each cohort starts, get the written figure for your own entry year before you budget. Hartford's $40,000 figure is conditional clinical tuition. It isn't the cost of the whole degree, so use the entry-level cost page above for this pathway.

The CCSU rate sheet is a good reminder that not every public-university doctoral charge changes with residency. It still won't tell you your complete bill. Ask the university and your hospital program for a term-by-term schedule, including exactly which clinical credits carry university charges. That's the only way to line up all three programs on the same basis.

When are Connecticut CRNA applications due?

Program	Published calendar	What it means for planning
Fairfield	Annual May 15 priority deadline and July 1 final deadline for the following May's cohort	The May 2027 cohort's priority deadline was May 15, 2026. Your NursingCAS application has to be submitted and verified by 11:59 p.m. Eastern on the deadline, so finish two to three weeks early
Hartford	June 1 early decision and September 1 standard decision for entry the following May	Early decision needs a cumulative undergraduate GPA above 3.7 plus every standard requirement, and early applicants hear by July 15
Yale New Haven	September 1 entry-program deadline; May entry	Interviews are by invitation and scheduled before October 15. June 1 on the same page is the post-master’s completion deadline, not the entry-program deadline

Sources are the official admissions pages linked above. Hartford's June and September rounds are separate rounds. And clearing the early-decision GPA bar doesn't remove any of its other eligibility requirements.

Are these programs online or hybrid?

Plan on substantial attendance and travel. Fairfield identifies its entry DNP as on campus. Its Connecticut clinical-affiliation list includes sites in Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts and New Hampshire, and the school lists travel and living expenses for distant placements among possible extra costs.

Hartford's didactic courses are taught at CCSU in New Britain. Its clinical partners include Hartford Hospital, the Hospital of Central Connecticut, St. Vincent's in Bridgeport, Connecticut Children's and MidState. At Yale New Haven, the first 12 months are at CCSU, followed by 24 months split among CCSU, the hospital and affiliates. Its mostly distance-delivered post-master's route is a separate program for practicing CRNAs, so don't mix the two up.

Sources: Hartford academic and clinical sites and the Fairfield and Yale New Haven program pages. Before you sign a lease, ask which sites are mandatory, how rotations get assigned and whether overnight housing is on you.

How do student outcomes compare?

Keep the graduating year and the exam definition visible every time you compare.

Program	Graduating class	First-time NCE pass rate	Reported attrition
Fairfield	2025	92%	0%
Hartford	2026	100%	6.67%
Yale New Haven	2026	100%	7%

Sources: Fairfield, Hartford public disclosures and Yale New Haven. These aren't all from the same graduating year, so they can't crown a statewide winner.

Ask programs why students left and what support is available when someone struggles.

How should you choose a Connecticut program?

Start with your GPA calculation, the age of your prerequisites and the experience you'll have by the application deadline. Then compare the university and clinical locations, the next realistic cohort and both halves of any affiliated-program bill.

If these options don't fit your experience or timing, look at programs in New York, Massachusetts and Rhode Island through the national program directory. Check the full attendance footprint first, because a nearby campus doesn't automatically make a program commutable.

Use the free School Database to save your shortlist and keep the official links right beside each school. Once your list feels realistic, the CRNA interview question guide can help you get ready to talk about your clinical background and why you picked each program.