CRNA Schools in Washington: Gonzaga Admissions & Costs

Washington has one nurse anesthesia degree program: the Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center/Gonzaga University program in Spokane, which the two partners run jointly. It accepts up to 28 students a year. So if you're comparing CRNA schools in Washington, start with this program's admissions criteria and clinical hub options. Then look at out-of-state programs if a requirement or the attendance commitment doesn't line up with your life.

One program doesn't mean everyone trains at one site, though. Gonzaga's clinical hubs come with different location commitments, and required Spokane teaching and simulation stay part of the plan no matter which hub you're in.

Which CRNA schools in Washington offer entry-level training?

Gonzaga and Providence Sacred Heart jointly run one Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice program, so count it once, not as two competing Washington schools. The COA directory lists the Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center/Gonzaga University Nurse Anesthesia Program in Spokane with continued accreditation.

Feature	Program information	Planning implication
Degree	DNAP	Compare the entry pathway, not a completion degree for practicing CRNAs
Duration	Full-time, 36 months/nine semesters	Plan around the full training period
Current curriculum	100 credits, at least 2,800 clinical hours	Ask for the plan for your entering cohort before you estimate tuition
Program base	Spokane, with Washington clinical hub options	Picking a clinical hub doesn't remove all Spokane attendance
Education partners	Gonzaga University and Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center	Count the joint educational program once

Sources: Gonzaga program overview and curriculum. Some courses run as a synchronous hybrid option during clinical training, but the phase-specific attendance rules below are what decide where you live.

What GPA and ICU experience does Gonzaga require?

Gonzaga's application instructions require at least a 3.0 overall GPA, with 3.4 preferred and strong science grades. You also need two RN years, including at least one full-time critical care year or its part-time equivalent, by the application deadline. And your critical care experience has to be within the past two years.

Treat those as separate checks. Two RN years doesn't mean two required ICU years. And an ICU anniversary that lands after the deadline doesn't count for a requirement measured at that deadline. Keep your RN start date, qualifying critical care dates and orientation details together when you ask for an eligibility assessment.

The school emphasizes unstable-patient management, invasive monitoring, ventilation and critical care pharmacology. Its published desired competencies include adult ventilator management. Gonzaga follows the COA definition of critical care, which lists pediatric and neonatal intensive care among its example units. Because its desired competencies include routine management of adult ventilated patients, a PICU or NICU applicant should show clearly how their experience matches.

The FAQ excludes ER, Life Flight and recovery-room experience. If your job crosses settings, send the program your actual responsibilities and dates. A broad "critical care" job title won't resolve a specific exclusion.

Does Gonzaga require the GRE, CCRN or prerequisite courses?

Gonzaga's FAQ says you don't need the GRE, because it requires CCRN certification instead. Proof of shadowing isn't required either. You'll need ACLS and PALS before the program begins, so they aren't listed as credentials you have to hold already when you submit the application. Check their renewal dates against your expected clinical schedule.

Gonzaga asks for strong science grades rather than a named prerequisite sequence. If you retake a course to raise your GPA, take it at the same school where you first took it. Gonzaga only treats it as a repeat in that case, and it counts both grades if you retake it somewhere else.

The application also requires official transcripts from every college or university you've attended. Two recommendations have specific roles: your immediate supervisor and a professional colleague who can evaluate your practice. The patient-care-and-safety essay has its own prompt, evidence requirement and page limit. Write to the current instructions, not a generic essay you built for another school.

Our prerequisite guide helps you organize course information for schools with different policies. Use that worksheet to record the school's answer. It doesn't replace the school's application checklist.

When is the next published application window?

The application page lists January 15, 2027 as the opening date, September 1, 2027 as the deadline and May 2028 as the start. It says you have to meet all requirements by the application deadline.

Confirm your intended cohort in the application portal before you submit. You'll also need to be able to get both Washington and Idaho RN licenses.

Quick tip: work backward from September 1, 2027. Order official transcripts and line up your two role-specific references early enough to fix anything that goes missing. Read the current essay prompt before you start drafting. Then check your experience and CCRN dates against that deadline.

The current instructions describe an online first interview round in September and an in-person second round in October. If you're invited, budget for the stated attendance. Meeting the minimum requirements doesn't guarantee an interview, so hold off on treating travel plans as a confirmed invitation.

Where are the clinical hubs, and do you get your first choice?

Gonzaga describes three Washington clinical hubs, and you can request one, but you aren't guaranteed your first choice. Every resident attends didactic classes in person at Providence Sacred Heart in Spokane during the first two semesters. After that, the Western and Central Washington cohorts mostly attend didactic courses remotely, with required Spokane simulation, skills and evaluation visits one to two times each semester.

The clinical hub policy lets residents request a hub. It also describes waitlists and second or third choices when too many students ask for the same location. A preference isn't a placement guarantee.

Illustrative housing decision (a made-up example): An applicant who lives in western Washington wants that hub to avoid relocating. The first two semesters still require Spokane attendance, and the later Spokane visits still need a travel plan. Before keeping a long lease near home, this applicant should ask when hub assignments are confirmed and what happens if the preferred hub is full.

Ask which specific clinical sites go with your assigned hub, which rotations require travel and which expenses program fees cover. Keep that answer separate from the university mailing address and any broad hybrid description.

How much does the Washington DNAP program cost?

The current published tuition rate is $1,345 per credit. That rate isn't a guaranteed total for a student starting in May 2028. Program fees, university fees, clinical travel and living expenses each need their own line in your budget.

Gonzaga's 2026-2027 direct-cost estimate, updated April 26, 2026, lists a Year 1 example (fall, spring and summer terms) of $41,695 tuition for 31 credits, $629 required fees and $6,000 program fees, for a total of $48,324. The document leaves out indirect living expenses. At the current rate, the curriculum's 100 credits come to $134,500 in tuition before fees, so ask for a cohort-specific estimate that covers every term.

The student accounts schedule lists a DNAP program fee of $2,000 per semester for first- and second-year students and $1,300 per semester for third-year students. The FAQ says the program fee helps cover clinical housing, simulation, malpractice insurance, AANA registration and the SEE and NCE exams.

The FAQ lists a $1,000 acceptance deposit credited to first-semester tuition, which you forfeit if you don't enroll. Don't count that credited deposit twice. And confirm the acceptance letter's actual deadline and terms before you pay.

Ask for one estimate for your intended cohort that covers every term, mandatory fees, insurance, equipment and clinical travel. Add living expenses separately, including the first Spokane semesters and the required return visits. That gives you a funding plan you can work with, without guessing at a fixed future price.

What do accreditation and exam outcomes show?

The school's accreditation page reports 100% first-time NCE passage and 0% attrition for 2025. Keep the cohort year attached when you use those figures. They don't describe every graduating class, and they can't guarantee your individual result.

The COA directory lists continued accreditation with an October 2026 next-review date. A scheduled review is routine and isn't a sign that accreditation is at risk. Check the COA's published decisions for the outcome before you commit to enrolling.

Ask about student support alongside the percentages.

Which nearby programs should you compare?

If Gonzaga's requirements or clinical footprint don't fit your situation, compare Oregon, Idaho and the wider CRNA program directory. Crossing a state border, or living closer to a campus, doesn't tell you where your clinical training will happen.

Start your shortlist with whatever created the mismatch: experience timing, setting, academic policy, cohort date or attendance. Then check that specific issue at the next program before you compare costs. Use the CRNA Club School Database to keep your schools and the programs' written answers together. When your state has a single program, knowing exactly where you stand with it makes every other choice clearer.