CRNA Schools in Indiana: Marian & Evansville Requirements

Two programs make up this comparison of CRNA schools in Indiana: Marian University in Indianapolis and the University of Evansville. Marian awards a DNP through an 87-credit, 36-month pathway. Evansville awards a DNAP through a three-year pathway, and its currently linked curriculum totals 110 credits.

They differ in ways a general school list can miss. Marian excludes NICU experience, requires recent graduate statistics before entry and bans outside work starting in semester four. Evansville requires undergraduate statistics and basic chemistry, two separate anesthesia-shadowing experiences and a Kira assessment. Both require CCRN documentation.

Each cost below keeps its rate year or entering-cohort scope, so you can see exactly which class a number belongs to.

How do Indiana's programs compare?

Marian and Evansville split on ICU rules, testing, cost basis and accreditation timing, so read each column for both schools before you decide which one fits.

Program	Degree and location	GPA and ICU rules	GRE / CCRN	Cost basis	Published next cycle	Accreditation
Marian University	Indianapolis DNP, 87 credits, 36 months. Early hybrid instruction, later simulation/clinical	Overall GPA 3.0. One full-time ICU year within five years of entry, two preferred. NICU and several non-ICU settings excluded	GRE not required. CCRN certificate and score report required	Fall 2026/spring 2027 tuition $13,800 per semester. Nine-term fixed-rate illustration $124,200, which excludes personal/clinical living costs	Main page: May 8, 2028 start, July 1 to September 1, 2027 application, September 8 file completion	Continued. Next review spring 2032
University of Evansville	Evansville DNAP, 36 months, currently linked 110-credit curriculum	Undergraduate GPA 3.0. One bedside ICU year, two preferred within five years. PACU and OR excluded	CCRN plus score report required. The GRE isn't among its admission requirements	Spring 2027 entering-cohort tuition $15,710/term, plus separate annual program and university fees. You'll need a January 2028 quote	January 2028 cohort: priority through December 31, 2026, regular January to March 15, 2027	Accredited, with initial accreditation awarded in 2021

Sources: Marian program, Marian FAQ, Evansville requirements, Evansville application cycle and COA decisions.

Marian's Tennessee exam location and multistate clinical sites are part of its Indianapolis-based nurse anesthesia pathway. They aren't extra Indiana schools. Same with Evansville's Stone Family Center coursework, which belongs to the same program and isn't a separate degree provider.

Which experience and prerequisites qualify at Marian?

At Marian, you need a BSN from an accepted accredited nursing program and an overall GPA of at least 3.0. It asks for a CV, a 500-word statement, three academic/professional recommendations (including one from a critical care supervisor), documented shadowing (at least one experience and 12 or more hours with a CRNA or anesthesiologist) and CCRN with its score report. Adult CCRN is preferred, but Marian accepts a pediatric CCRN if your unit routinely cares for adolescent patients.

The FAQ specifies at least one full-time year of ICU work completed within five years of matriculation, with two years preferred. It favors high-acuity preparation but doesn't require you to work at a Level I or II trauma center. PICU shows up among its examples. But NICU, ED, progressive care, step-down, PACU and OR can't satisfy the one-year requirement.

Marian's statistics rule isn't an undergraduate nursing prerequisite. It calls for three graduate-level credits, B or better, completed within five years before entry at an accepted institution. The course is due before matriculation, not at the initial application. Marian's five-week online BMS 511 is one option it offers, and an outside course still needs equivalency approval.

Marian says outright that you don't need the GRE. Life-support certifications are staggered: BLS before matriculation, then ACLS and PALS by the end of the first year. The FAQ requires an Indiana or qualifying compact RN license after acceptance, plus additional state authority for clinical placements. Marian admissions and FAQ.

Which experience and prerequisites qualify at Evansville?

Evansville accepts a BSN or a related-field BS, requires a 3.0 undergraduate GPA and asks for one full-time year of bedside ICU experience. Two years within the last five years is preferred, and PACU and OR work are excluded. If you work in a NICU, PICU or another specialty unit, have the program review your unit's responsibilities directly.

Undergraduate statistics and basic chemistry are required within ten years, with the stated B-or-better grade standard. You don't need a chemistry lab, and high-school transfer credit can't satisfy these prerequisites. A course that works at Evansville may still fall short of Marian's graduate-statistics requirement, so check it against both.

Evansville requires current BLS, ACLS and PALS for application, plus CCRN with the score report. It also requires two separate shadowing experiences with a CRNA or physician anesthesiologist, documented on its forms. So one long shadow day doesn't automatically count as two experiences.

The NursingCAS checklist includes a work-history verification form, three professional references (at least one from a current employer/supervisor), the Kira assessment, a writing prompt and a separate $30 UE application fee. The admissions page marks the writing prompt optional. Submit it anyway, because it's one more place the committee gets to see how you think. The GRE isn't on Evansville's list of admission requirements, but confirm that on the NursingCAS instructions for your cycle instead of borrowing Marian's policy. Evansville also requires Indiana, Kentucky and Illinois nursing licenses before clinical rotations.

Evansville states that it doesn't accept transfer credit. Its rules also treat applicants dismissed from another nurse anesthesia/APRN program differently from those who withdrew in good standing with a director's letter. Evansville admission requirements and 2026 handbook.

Which application dates apply to which class?

Marian's current main page publishes May 8, 2028 entry. Applications open July 1, 2027, the deadline is September 1, and files need to be complete by September 8, 2027. Marian enrolls one class a year, starting in the summer, and selected applicants interview virtually. Dates are still subject to change, so check the main program page before you build your calendar.

Evansville names the January 2028 cohort explicitly. Its priority window is open through December 31, 2026, followed by a regular window from January to March 15, 2027. Priority applicants get a bonus point only when all admission requirements are met, so don't count on an incomplete early application earning it. Marian schedule and Evansville cycle.

Because these entry dates differ, course age, ICU recency and credential expiration all run on different timelines. Build your checklist around your intended start and the measurement point each school states, then get confirmation on any borderline coursework or experience. The prerequisite guide can help you organize transcript details before you ask for approval.

How much does CRNA school in Indiana cost?

Neither school publishes a guaranteed whole-program price for the next cohort, so you'll be working from current rates and asking for your cohort's numbers.

Marian: flat tuition includes several program expenses

Marian's business office lists nurse anesthesia tuition at $13,800 per semester for fall 2026/spring 2027. Hold that rate flat across nine semesters and you get $124,200. That's a rate-based illustration, not a guaranteed May 2028 cohort quote. The admissions page's $41,400 annual tuition matches three terms at that amount. Ask for the entering-cohort worksheet before you budget.

Marian says tuition includes instruction, technology, simulation, clinical tracking, AANA membership, Apex preparation and the second-/third-year SEE expenses, among other listed fees. A $750 admission deposit is credited to first-semester tuition. Textbooks, insurance, normal living expenses and clinical housing/travel are on you. And because of the flat-rate model, approved transfer coursework may lighten your workload without lowering tuition or shortening the program. Marian 2026-27 rates and program costs.

Evansville: separate cohort tuition from annual fees

Evansville's 2026-27 graduate schedule quotes $15,710 per term for students entering spring 2027. Over nine unchanged terms, that's $141,390 in tuition alone. Don't treat it as the confirmed January 2028 price.

The school separately charges $4,000 a year for anesthesia-specific textbooks, memberships, lab/clinical and other program expenses. The general schedule also lists fall/spring graduate activity and service fees, with different charges below full-time enrollment. Ask which fees apply to each semester of the anesthesia plan before you add up a whole-program estimate.

The $2,500 deposit is credited to first-semester tuition. Cross-listed non-anesthesia textbooks, health insurance and clinical compliance expenses are extra. Some out-of-town sites provide accommodation, and when they don't, you arrange and pay for housing yourself. Evansville 2026-27 rates and program fee policy.

A financial-aid cost-of-attendance budget includes estimated living expenses, so it's a different number from the tuition the school bills you. Request an individual aid review for your entering year. Use the cost guide to organize expenses beyond tuition.

Where do campus and clinical requirements take you?

Marian's first two semesters are hybrid: weekly virtual classes, campus orientation and proctored exams at Indianapolis or its Nashville site. In-person simulation starts in semester three. Clinical rotations fill the last six semesters and stretch across Indiana, Tennessee, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky and Michigan. Indianapolis-only or Indiana-only placements aren't guaranteed.

Fair warning: the program strongly discourages employment, leaves room for possibly limited work in the first year and applies a strict no-work policy from semester four. Plan your income around that. Its clinical partner list includes regional Indiana hospitals alongside Nashville, Cincinnati, Kalamazoo and other locations, so budget for the geography you're assigned instead of a fixed Indianapolis commute. Marian FAQ and clinical partners.

Evansville's campus and Stone Family Center instruction lead into clinical training. Its linked schema, effective beginning January 2025, lists pre-clinical practicums in the first year and an introductory clinical practicum in semester four. Selected courses are online, but the pathway still requires you on campus and in clinical. The 2026 handbook describes affiliations in Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Ohio, and it explicitly doesn't guarantee a mileage radius. Students pay for travel, food and accommodation unless specified otherwise. Confirm the schema and clinical assignments for January 2028. Evansville curriculum and handbook.

What do accreditation and student outcomes show?

Marian has continued accreditation, with its next consideration in spring 2032. Evansville is accredited too, with initial accreditation awarded in 2021. You can confirm any program's current status in the COA program directory.

For the Class of 2025, Marian reports a first-attempt NCE rate of 85% and attrition of 9%.

Evansville's 2025 cohort reports zero attrition and 94% first-attempt NCE. Compare like measures and like years. Marian outcomes Evansville outcomes

How should you build your Indiana shortlist?

Start with the differences that can change your eligibility. At Marian, that's the NICU exclusion and the graduate statistics rule. At Evansville, it's undergraduate course timing, two shadows and the application assessment. Then compare the cohort quote that applies to you, clinical relocation and the documented work policy.

If two programs leave you with too few good-fit applications, look at Illinois, Kentucky and Michigan one program at a time. Save each school's course approvals, intended entry year and clinical budget in the program finder. With just two programs in-state, every rule you confirm narrows the decision fast, and you'll end up with a shortlist you can actually commit to.