CRNA Schools in Utah: Westminster Admissions & Costs

Your Utah list starts and ends with one entry nurse anesthesia program in this comparison: Westminster University's Doctor of Nursing Practice-Nurse Anesthesia in Salt Lake City. So when you research CRNA schools in Utah, the real work is comparing Westminster's requirements with your own experience, its next published cohort and the places you'd need to be throughout training. And one Utah-based program doesn't mean all your clinical education stays in Utah.

Westminster's deadline for the May 2027 cohort was September 15, 2026.

Which CRNA schools in Utah offer entry training?

Westminster is the one, and it offers a three-year, nine-semester DNP-NA with 90 credits. The first two semesters are remote, the next three use on-campus instruction, and clinical rotations follow that campus phase. Because its clinical network is national, where you'll do rotations is a separate decision from where you'll attend classes.

Program	Academic base	Degree and sequence	Accreditation
Westminster University	Salt Lake City	Entry DNP-NA, 90 credits over nine semesters; remote opening phase, campus instruction, then clinical education	COA continued accreditation

Sources: Westminster program, current curriculum and COA directory.

Weber State University describes a proposed nurse anesthesia emphasis that's going through COA Capability Review, with a decision anticipated in October 2027. The school says explicitly that it can't enroll students until initial accreditation is granted, so it isn't counted here as an accredited option. An anticipated decision date isn't an approval, and it isn't a guaranteed enrollment date either.

An out-of-state university with another campus in Utah doesn't give you an accredited Utah nurse anesthesia pathway. And a hospital that hosts clinical rotations isn't an independent school. Match the educational program and the degree when you build your shortlist.

What GPA and critical care experience do you need?

You need at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA and a 3.0 in core sciences at Westminster. Its current graduate admissions page puts anatomy, chemistry, microbiology, pathophysiology, physiology and statistics in that science group. A nursing bachelor's is strongly preferred, and other bachelor's pathways are considered if you're also an RN.

The current admissions instructions require one ICU year at at least 36 hours a week, completed by the September 15 deadline. Adult cardiac, neuro, thoracic and shock-trauma experience is preferred. The program-specific catalog admission requirements also require critical care experience within the past three years.

That makes it an application-stage requirement. If you expect to reach your full year after the deadline, don't count on that future work satisfying it. And if your role or employment pattern is unclear, ask the program to evaluate your dates and responsibilities.

Treat cumulative GPA, science GPA and qualifying experience as separate checks. Meeting one doesn't settle the others, and none of them predicts an interview invitation.

Does Westminster accept NICU or PICU experience?

Yes, with one qualification. Westminster explicitly lists NICU and PICU as acceptable experience, but if your experience is exclusively neonatal or pediatric, you may apply and still might not be selected for an interview, at the program director's discretion. That lands somewhere between a blanket exclusion and guaranteed acceptance.

Describe the actual patients you manage, your ventilator responsibilities, monitoring and vasoactive therapy, along with your independent-practice dates. Then ask whether that background meets the current cohort's requirements before you make a big call like changing units.

Illustrative application decision: Picture a PICU nurse who has the required experience duration and GPAs. The published policy lets her apply, but it doesn't guarantee an interview. Her most useful next step is to compare the full criteria and ask for clarification about her clinical background, instead of reading "NICU/PICU acceptable" as a prediction of admission.

Westminster's acceptable-experience list names ICUs, so ask before you count ER, recovery or transport time. A general critical-care label can't stand in for an individual eligibility decision.

Are the GRE and CCRN required?

The GRE is optional, and CCRN is required. If you do submit GRE scores, the admissions page says cumulative scores of 300 or higher will be considered. That doesn't make 300 a mandatory score or a guaranteed selection threshold.

For CCRN, you'll upload the score report with your application. The current instructions also ask for three recommendations from colleagues who can speak to your character and work performance, with at least one from a current or recent supervisor.

BLS, ACLS and PALS are listed among items due upon acceptance. Keep those separate from the application-stage CCRN requirement, and read the acceptance instructions for currency and clinical compliance instead of assuming every credential runs on one deadline.

Westminster frames its science rule as a 3.0 GPA across the core sciences (anatomy, chemistry, microbiology, pathophysiology, physiology and statistics). So before you enroll in another class, calculate that core-science GPA and ask the program whether a retake would actually help. Use the prerequisite guide to organize your transcript question, then get the school's answer before you enroll in another class.

When should you apply to the Utah program?

The published calendar for the May 17, 2027 start was:

Milestone	Published date	Status
Application opened	July 1, 2026	Past
Application deadline	September 15, 2026	Past
In-person interviews	October 15-17, 2026	Past
Program start	May 17, 2027	Future, but the listed application window has closed

These dates come from the official program page. Select candidates were invited to interview no later than September 30, and the catalog says late applications may be considered on a space-available basis. Ask the graduate admissions office for the next entering cohort's dates and any change to the experience deadline.

Build your plan around the complete-file requirements: official transcripts, references, a current resume, your license and your certification report. Submitting an application doesn't prove that all your required records arrived. The application guide connects these tasks to the rest of your preparation.

How much does CRNA school in Utah cost?

Westminster's 2026-2027 graduate tuition page lists DNP-NA tuition at $1,640 per credit, with 90 credits and $147,600 total estimated tuition. That's a published tuition estimate. It isn't a complete budget for living costs and clinical travel.

The same page lists a $15-per-credit graduate fee and explains that courses may carry other charges that show up at registration. The catalog expenses page also lists a $40-per-credit DNP-NA program design fee for fall and spring. Confirm which fees apply in each term and to your entering cohort before you treat a tuition-only total as the full bill.

An illustrative 12-credit term at the stated tuition rate comes to $19,680 tuition. The $15 graduate fee adds $180, before any program or course charges that apply. That's a calculation from the published rates. It doesn't mean every semester has 12 credits or that future rates are fixed.

Ask for a term-by-term estimate covering all nine semesters, required insurance, equipment and clinical expenses, then add living costs separately. Westminster's graduate tuition page lists a single DNP-NA rate, so a Utah address won't change the tuition.

Does the remote opening phase let you avoid relocation?

Not for the whole program. The first two semesters are fully remote, but the next three are on campus, and clinical rotations begin after that teaching phase. If you're hoping to keep a home far from campus, plan for all three phases instead of stretching the remote arrangement across the degree.

Westminster lists clinical locations in Utah and multiple other states, including Arizona, California, Idaho, Nevada and Texas. Students routinely average 900 cases over four rotations, against a required 650. Ask how assignments are made, which rotations need another living arrangement, when locations become final and which costs you'll pay.

For example, staying in your current home during the opening phase might fit your plan, while the Salt Lake City campus phase still means relocating or finding an attendance arrangement that works. A later clinical assignment might mean another move. The word "remote" in the first-year description doesn't settle any of those decisions.

Get the current attendance and assignment calendar before you sign a housing contract. Keep any promised support in writing, and keep it separate from your own estimates for rent or travel.

What do accreditation and graduate outcomes show?

The current COA directory lists Westminster with continued accreditation. Its program publishes 2026 first-time NCE passage of 88% and 0% attrition.

With only one program, these outcomes can't crown a statewide winner. Use them to ask sharper questions about preparation and student support: how recent cohorts were supported, how outcomes are defined and what happens when a student needs extra help. And when you compare schools, keep first-attempt results and eventual passage in separate columns.

Which alternatives should Utah applicants compare?

Start with Westminster's exact eligibility and attendance requirements. If a specific mismatch is left over, compare Colorado, Arizona, Nevada and the national directory. An out-of-state campus deserves the same clinical-location and full-budget review you gave Westminster.

Use the School Database to keep each school next to its official policy and cohort year. That gives you a useful comparison, without pretending the closest campus is automatically the easiest program to get into or attend.