CRNA Schools in South Dakota: Mount Marty & USD Compared

The two accredited CRNA schools in South Dakota in this comparison, Mount Marty University and the University of South Dakota, both teach their entry-to-practice DNAP pathways in Sioux Falls. That's true even though the universities' main addresses are in Yankton and Vermillion. So if you pick housing off the general university address, you'll miss where you'd actually be in class.

Both pathways run 36 months, but they start in different months and differ on prerequisites, certification rules and cost estimates. Mount Marty program, USD program, COA directory

Which nurse anesthesia programs can you compare?

Program	Entry pathway and location	Experience and credentials	Application timing
Mount Marty	BS-to-DNAP, Sioux Falls, May start, 36 months	One recent full-time critical care year complete when you apply, two years preferred. CCRN encouraged, not required.	Summer 2028 window opens April 1, 2027. Submit by July 1, with verification and school fee by July 15. Summer 2027 applications are closed.
University of South Dakota	DNAP, Sioux Falls, January start, coursework through December of year three, degree conferred the following January	One current full-time critical care year at application, preferably two. CCRN, ACLS and BLS required at application.	June 1 application deadline for January entry, through NursingCAS plus a university application fee.

Mount Marty's master's-to-DNAP completion track is for nurse anesthetists who are already practicing. Its shorter length and distance format don't make it an entry pathway for an RN working toward initial certification. In the same way, USD's clinical affiliates in other states don't count as extra South Dakota programs.

Use the Mount Marty profile and USD profile to line up each school's requirements next to its current official instructions.

How do GPA and prerequisite rules differ?

Mount Marty requires a nursing bachelor's degree from the specified accredited program and a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0. It also requires one chemistry course and one elementary statistics or epidemiology course. Organic chemistry or biochemistry is preferred, and its FAQ says the chemistry course should include some inorganic, organic and biochemistry content. If your transcript doesn't clearly match that, get the exact course approved.

The FAQ is blunt about timing: every prerequisite and your bachelor's degree have to be finished by the July 1 application deadline, even if you'd finish before classes start. BLS, ACLS and PALS have to stay valid through the first academic year before entry. Mount Marty admissions, detailed FAQ

USD requires statistics and organic chemistry or biochemistry with a B or better. Its DNAP handbook sets a minimum 3.0 GPA on your conferred undergraduate degree and/or your graduate cumulative record, and it wants both required courses finished at the time you apply.

Shadowing is required at USD. The handbook asks for a completed shadow log showing at least eight hours, and the program FAQ says a full shift is preferred so you see a typical day. Use the prerequisite guide to keep course approvals separate from your observation and credential tasks.

Which ICU experience qualifies, and is CCRN required?

Both schools list neonatal and pediatric ICU among their examples of qualifying critical care. Mount Marty's FAQ requires your critical care year before you apply and describes the monitoring, ventilation and medication-management responsibilities it expects. USD also requires the year to be complete at application, with current full-time experience and the relevant competencies.

USD will consider other settings if you can show the specified unstable-patient care and advanced skills. That doesn't open the door to every emergency department, flight or acute-care role, though. Describe what you actually do and ask the program for a determination when your setting isn't clearly covered.

On CCRN, they split. Mount Marty explicitly says CCRN isn't required but is strongly encouraged. USD explicitly requires CCRN, ACLS and BLS at application, and once you're enrolled, you have to keep ACLS, BLS and PALS current. Mount Marty FAQ, USD FAQ

Mount Marty's current page limits graduate nurse anesthesiology admission to U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents. If your immigration situation is different, get a direct eligibility answer from the program instead of assuming the university's general international admissions process applies to you.

What application steps and dates should you track?

Mount Marty's next posted application is for Summer 2028, and it opens April 1, 2027. The July 1 submission and the July 15 verification are two separate requirements, and the university application fee also has to arrive by July 15. Your recommendations have to come through NursingCAS from your current unit director/manager, current shift supervisor and a current professional colleague. Sending a request doesn't mean the letter's done (follow up well before July).

USD uses NursingCAS plus a separate university application fee. Its DNAP handbook sets June 1 as the application deadline for January entry. Check USD's specialty graduate application page and your portal for the supporting-document requirements before you plan around that date.

A Mount Marty offer comes with its own payment decision. Its FAQ describes a nonrefundable $1,200 deposit due within seven days of your invitation, which gets credited to tuition when you matriculate. Follow the instructions on your actual offer. A tuition credit doesn't mean you'd get a refund if you don't enroll.

How much does Mount Marty's entry DNAP cost?

Mount Marty's current 2026-2027 table lists $1,400 tuition per credit plus $85 per credit in program support/technology fees. Its entry-program tuition rows add up to $116,200, with listed fees of $7,057, using the same rate schedule across all three class years. Those are fixed-rate planning numbers. They don't guarantee later years won't go up. Current graduate costs

The site separately lists an optional course-material charge of $24 per credit plus tax, which you can opt out of. Living costs, transportation, books, insurance and clinical travel all stay in their own categories.

The detailed cost table shows Summer 2026, Fall 2026 and Spring 2027 columns for each class year. So ask for the actual semester budget for your entering cohort, and don't read every displayed term as one student's invoice in order. Mount Marty says residents and nonresidents pay the same tuition.

What does USD's cost estimate include?

USD's linked financial fact sheet is dated August 2025 and covers January 2026 entrants specifically, at 2025-2026 rates. It lists estimated three-year resident tuition of $29,802.30, institutional fees of $44,708.20 and other listed program expenses of $197.25, for a total of $74,707.75. The nonresident estimate is $100,870.75. Those totals don't cover living and clinical-travel costs, and they don't lock in a price for a future cohort. USD financial fact sheet

Ask financial aid for an updated estimate for your own entering class. USD's program page also lists a separate Minnesota reciprocity rate, and it says resident rates may be available through SD Advantage, Child of Alumni or the Western Regional Graduate Program. The SD Advantage classification has specific eligibility conditions, and living in a listed state isn't enough on its own to get the lower rate. Get a financial-aid or bursar determination for your situation.

If you set Mount Marty's tuition-only figure next to USD's tuition-and-fee estimate, you're mixing scopes. Add up the same categories for both schools before you decide which budget works for you.

Where will clinical training take you?

Mount Marty's first phase pairs three months online with 11 months of classroom and hands-on learning, including two separate weeks at the primary clinical site. The next 22 months focus on clinical practice, with three to five eight-week specialty rotations. You'll be asked for preferences, but assignments aren't guaranteed. And under its FAQ, travel, housing and licensing costs are yours.

USD assigns you a primary location and other rotations as needed. It lists sites in South Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska and North Dakota. You'll need a South Dakota or qualifying compact-state RN license before matriculation, and any additional placement requirements still need confirming. At both schools, an online start doesn't guarantee you can finish the whole doctorate from where you live now.

What do the current outcome reports establish?

Mount Marty's current chart reports 2026 first-attempt NCE success of 76%. Mount Marty also says it typically receives 400 to 500 applications a year, so plan for a competitive pool. Mount Marty published charts

USD's January 26, 2026 announcement covers its inaugural December 2025 class: an 89% first-time pass rate. Its program page also reports 0% graduate attrition. USD inaugural results

Mount Marty holds continued COA accreditation. USD holds initial accreditation, with its next review listed for May 2028. Both are accredited statuses, and neither predicts how any future student will do. Since both programs teach in Sioux Falls, what separates them is the start month, the CCRN rule, the cost scope and where clinicals send you. Line those up against your own timeline. Then compare options in Minnesota, North Dakota and the national directory, and save the eligibility, costs and travel requirements you've confirmed in the free School Database.