CRNA Programs in Puerto Rico: Compare Three Doctoral Options

Puerto Rico has three CRNA programs, and all three are entry-to-practice nurse anesthesia options listed in the current Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs directory: InterAmerican University in Arecibo, the University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus in San Juan, and Professional University Dr. Carlos J. Borrero Ríos in Hato Rey. InterAmerican and UPR hold continued accreditation. Professional University holds initial accreditation, which is a real accredited status, not a pending application. COA program directory

On June 3, 2026, the COA granted InterAmerican continued accreditation for two years and asked for a progress report on its Conducting Institution and Graduate standards. The next review of its continued accreditation is scheduled for Spring 2028. That's the published review condition for a program that's currently accredited. It doesn't make InterAmerican a probation or closure case. COA accreditation decision

These three differ in a lot more than the map. Compare how each one calculates GPA, what it expects in Spanish and English, when you need your Puerto Rico RN license, how much on-site attendance it requires and which rate applies to your entering cohort. The published costs and outcome years don't line up well enough to crown a cheapest school or a best school.

Which nurse anesthesia schools are in Puerto Rico?

This comparison is for registered nurses getting ready to enter nurse anesthesia practice. It doesn't cover completion degrees for nurses already practicing anesthesia.

Program and location	Degree and format	GPA and experience	GRE/CCRN policy	Cost and application cycle	COA status and official source
InterAmerican University of Puerto Rico, Arecibo	DNAP, 36 months full time, classroom and clinical attendance required	3.0 in the last 60 academic credits, at least one critical care year	Neither appears on its admission checklist	2026-2027 bulletin: $417 per credit, plus a $1,350 doctoral fee each semester and $675 in summer. Request the current application package for this cycle's dates	Continued, program requirements
University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan	DNP with Specialty in Anesthesia, 87 credits, 36 consecutive months, full time, integrated	3.0 in general education, science and nursing courses. One critical care year, two preferred, within five years	GRE/MAT and CCRN explicitly not required	$500 per credit for Puerto Rico residents and $700 for nonresidents. Applications accepted September 1 to December 15, with an October 31 early-decision deadline, for June entry	Continued, UPR program
Professional University Dr. Carlos J. Borrero Ríos, Hato Rey/San Juan	DNAP, 131 credits, 36 months, hybrid with on-site simulation and clinical work	3.0 cumulative undergraduate and graduate GPA. At least one critical care year, not counting orientation, before enrollment	Neither appears on its admission checklist	August 2026 schedule: $810 per credit for U.S. and local students starting from January 2026, while $510 applies to cohorts 2 and 3. Applications June 1 to an October 15 priority deadline, for January entry	Initial, program, admissions

Use the InterAmerican profile, UPR profile and Professional University profile to build your shortlist. Then take your remaining questions straight to each admissions office.

How do admission requirements differ?

InterAmerican bases its minimum 3.0 admission index on your last 60 credits of academic work. That's a different number from a cumulative GPA across every degree you've earned. Its post-baccalaureate route also requires a BSN, English proficiency, a permanent nursing license, current professional membership, one critical care year, two supervisor recommendations and an interview.

A generic GPA-and-ICU checklist can miss some of InterAmerican's other requirements: a documented 40-hour CRNA observation, a chemistry course with lab totaling at least three credits, and an anatomy and physiology test with a 75% threshold. If you don't hit that test score, you have to pass the specified anatomy and physiology course. So ask how the school evaluates your current transcript and when it schedules that test before you pay for some unrelated replacement class. InterAmerican admissions

UPR requires nursing education from a nationally accredited program, 3.0 GPAs in general education, science and nursing coursework, and undergraduate statistics and chemistry courses of at least three credits each with a B or better. Its FAQ says every undergraduate grade goes into the general GPA. The specific index covers your nursing grades plus human anatomy/physiology, microbiology and chemistry.

UPR's selection process also includes simulation, an interview, a scientific-paper analysis and a CV review. Its published minimum combined selection score is 70%. That's a cutoff inside the selection system, and it doesn't mean you have a 70% chance of getting in. GRE/MAT and CCRN aren't required. Shadowing is encouraged. BLS, ACLS and PALS are required. UPR admissions and FAQ

Professional University requires a nursing bachelor's degree or higher, a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA covering undergraduate and graduate coursework, and statistics and chemistry courses of at least three credits each with a B or better. It asks for three recommendations: one from a CRNA or RNA you've shadowed, one from your immediate supervisor and one from an RN/APRN coworker. Its checklist specifies current American Heart Association BLS and ACLS. The GRE and CCRN aren't on it. Professional University checklist

Take a hypothetical applicant with a 3.2 in the last 60 credits and a 2.9 cumulative GPA. They could meet InterAmerican's stated numerical index and still fall short of Professional University's cumulative rule. That example shows why GPA definitions matter. It doesn't predict admission. Use the prerequisite course guide to organize the transcript questions you'll send each school.

Which critical care experience counts?

UPR requires at least one year of full-time critical care work, defined as 2,080 hours or the part-time equivalent, within the last five years, and it prefers two. Its FAQ also stresses current ICU employment. Adult, pediatric and neonatal intensive care are listed as examples, and decisions turn on unstable-patient care, advanced monitoring, ventilation and vasoactive medication management. Operating room, PACU and emergency department experience don't count. And a trauma job title on its own won't settle it, so confirm your actual unit and responsibilities. UPR experience policy

Professional University requires one recent critical care year within the last ten years before enrollment, and orientation time doesn't count toward it. It prefers two or more years and some adult experience. Its definition lists PICU and NICU as examples and leaves room for other settings if you can show the specified critical care competencies. That's a case-by-case review. It isn't automatic acceptance of every acute-care job. Professional University experience definition

InterAmerican asks for at least one year of critical care experience. If you're coming from a NICU, PICU, emergency department or part-time role, ask the program how it counts your exact unit, orientation time and recency. Keep each program's NICU, PICU and emergency department rules with that program, and don't borrow another Puerto Rico school's policy for your plan. InterAmerican checklist

What should mainland applicants know about language and licensure?

UPR evaluates your Spanish during the interview. Its brochure says courses are taught in Spanish, while tests, books, references and other printed material are in English. The program describes TOEFL requirements for applicants who didn't finish high school or college in the continental United States, with preferred overall and reading scores. Ask how your education fits the testing rule. Conversational Spanish by itself won't show you're ready to learn in a classroom and communicate clinically in both languages. UPR brochure

Professional University also requires effective English and Spanish communication, including Spanish reading and writing for clinical documentation and professional interaction. It says some courses may be offered in English. InterAmerican specifically requires oral and written English proficiency. Confirm the classroom and clinical language expectations with each school directly, because UPR's exact setup won't necessarily carry over. Professional University language requirements, InterAmerican requirements

Licensure timing is its own project. UPR accepts an unrestricted RN license from a U.S. state or Puerto Rico when you apply, but once you're accepted you need a Puerto Rico RN license for June admission and for your whole enrollment. Professional University lets you apply with another U.S. state or territorial license if you're eligible for Puerto Rico licensure, then requires the Puerto Rico license before enrollment. InterAmerican lists a permanent license and professional membership, so ask for its exact process if you're licensed somewhere else. Budget time for licensure separately from acceptance and your move. UPR licensure FAQ, Professional University 2026-2027 catalog

How much does CRNA school in Puerto Rico cost?

InterAmerican's 2026-2027 Arecibo bulletin lists $417 per credit for its nurse anesthesia doctorate, with a separate doctoral fee row of $1,350 for a semester and $675 for summer. Get the current course sequence and term-specific charges before you calculate a full-program total. InterAmerican 2026-2027 costs

UPR's program FAQ lists $500 per credit for Puerto Rico residents, $700 for nonresidents, a $2,000 annual program fee and $1,300 in university fees across three years. Its nursing cost policy adds that U.S. students who aren't Puerto Rico residents pay the resident program rate plus a differential based on their home state, under its reciprocity policy. If you're coming from the mainland, ask admissions which rate applies to you. At $500 per credit, the published 87 credits come to $43,500 in resident tuition. That's before fees, insurance, living costs and future increases, so it isn't an all-in price. UPR program costs, UPR nursing cost policy

Professional University's schedule, effective August 1, 2026, separates $510 per credit for DNAP cohorts 2 and 3 from $810 per credit for U.S. and local doctoral students starting from January 1, 2026. Its 2026-2027 catalog lists 131 credits. At $810, that's $106,110 in tuition alone, if that rate applies to all 131 credits without changing. Confirm your cohort, your tuition rate and any additional charges. The older-cohort price isn't the price for a new applicant. Current tuition schedule, current catalog

Put clinical geography in your budget too. UPR lists sites in several communities, including San Juan, Bayamón, Manatí, Carolina and Cayey, and describes call and holiday experience. Professional University's hybrid label includes on-site simulation and clinical practica. Neither setup means you can finish the degree remotely from the mainland. Ask about clinical assignments, transportation and temporary housing before you pick a home base. UPR clinical training, Professional University format

Which application dates and outcomes can you compare?

UPR accepts applications September 1 to December 15, with an October 31 early-decision deadline. Its FAQ says applicants with complete files by October 31 hear about interviews in November or December, and accepted students start in June. Confirm the regular-decision date for your entering class with UPR admissions before you plan around it. Professional University's timeline opens June 1, sets an October 15 priority deadline and notifies accepted students in October and November. Every class so far has entered in January, and the January 2026 class drew 100 applications for 20 seats. InterAmerican posts separate application packages for Puerto Rico residents and international residents, so request the right one from the program page to get this cycle's dates. UPR dates, Professional University timeline

Outcomes need their class labels attached. InterAmerican's latest published class is 2026: 83% first-attempt NCE success and 7% attrition. UPR reports 2025 first-attempt success of 100% and attrition of 13%. These are different cohorts, so keep the class year attached. InterAmerican outcomes UPR statistics Professional University performance table

If the island programs' language, licensing or attendance requirements don't fit your life right now, compare mainland options in the national CRNA directory, including Florida. Just know that's a relocation decision, not a nearby commute. Keep each program's confirmed policies and your open questions in the School Database, so when a school writes back, you know exactly where the answer goes.