Last updated: May 9, 2026 | Originally published: April 18, 2026 | By Daniel Etheridge, CRNASchool.com
🚨 Important: Program Closure Notice
Lourdes University is permanently closing at the end of the 2025–26 academic year, and its DNP Nurse Anesthesia Program is ending with the institution.
Current SRNAs have a formal teach-out path; per Lourdes’s official Teach-Out Agreements page, the University of Toledo is now listed as the Primary Teach-out Partner, with an additional formal agreement with Wayne State University for the DNP-CRNA cohort.
No new applications are being accepted. If you’re starting your CRNA search, see the full CRNA Schools in Ohio guide.
Program at a Glance (Final Years)
- Official Name: Lourdes University DNP Nurse Anesthesia Program
- Location: 6832 Convent Boulevard, Sylvania, OH 43560
- Degree: Doctor of Nursing Practice (Entry Level)
- Program Length: 36 months, full time, 97 credit hours
- Start / End Month: May / May
- First DNP Graduating Class: May 2025
- Average Class Size: 15–24 students per cohort
- Average Qualified Applicants: ~80 per cycle
- NCE First-Time Pass Rate: 88%
- Attrition: 0%
- Employment Rate at Graduation: 100%
- Average Cases per Graduate: 827
- Clinical Sites: 10–11 (Level 1 Trauma, community, rural, and critical access)
- Tuition (entire program): $106,215 (uniform for in-state and out-of-state)
- Accreditation: Continued Accreditation through closure (COA DLR May 2016, NRD May 2026)
- Program Administrator: Dr. Angella Ruley, DNP, CRNA, NP-C
- Phone / Email: (419) 517-8956 / aruley@lourdes.edu
Lourdes University Closure: What Actually Happened
On February 11, 2026, the Board of Trustees of Lourdes University and the Sisters of St. Francis jointly announced that the university would conclude operations at the end of the 2025–26 academic year.
The Board described the decision as the result of careful deliberation around long-term financial sustainability and the headwinds facing small, private Catholic institutions across the country.
A February 24, 2026 NPR/Ohio Statewide News story placed the Lourdes announcement inside a broader national trend of Catholic colleges closing in response to declining enrollment. Inside Higher Ed covered the announcement on the day it broke.
Ohio’s Department of Job and Family Services subsequently received the required WARN Act notice for university staff.
Classes will continue normally through the rest of spring 2026. The university has formally signed more than two dozen teach-out and transfer agreements to protect students across every program.
What Happens to the Lourdes CRNA Program Specifically
The nurse anesthesia program closes with the university. Here is what the closure means for each cohort:
- Class of 2026 (final cohort): Completes the DNP at Lourdes on schedule before closure.
- Classes of 2027 and 2028: Will finish through the formal teach-out partnerships described below.
- No new admissions: Lourdes stopped accepting applications after the closure announcement.
- Accreditation status: The program held “Continued Accreditation” with the COA throughout its life, right up to closure.
- Graduate credentials: Fully valid; every Lourdes DNP-CRNA alum remains NBCRNA NCE-eligible and licensable nationwide.
If you’re a current student, your first call should be to Dr. Angella Ruley at Lourdes (aruley@lourdes.edu) for your official transition packet.
The Toledo Blade reported in April 2026 that Lourdes’s closure leaves northwest Ohio without an in-region CRNA program — a gap that’s already being addressed by the University of Toledo (see below).
University of Toledo: Primary Teach-Out Partner & New CRNA Track
Lourdes University’s official Teach-Out Agreements page now lists the University of Toledo (UToledo) as the Primary Teach-out Partner for displaced students.
UToledo has also moved aggressively to fill the regional gap. On April 8, 2026, the UT Board of Trustees voted to establish a brand-new nurse anesthesia track within UToledo’s existing DNP program.
What We Know About UT’s Nurse Anesthesia Track So Far
- Degree: DNP with a Nurse Anesthesia track
- Status: UT Board approved April 8, 2026; launch details being finalized
- Location: Toledo, Ohio (roughly 10 miles from Lourdes’s former Sylvania campus)
- Faculty: UToledo is actively working to hire displaced Lourdes nurse anesthesia faculty
- Significance: Restores CRNA education to the Toledo metro after Lourdes’s departure
- Where to watch for updates: utoledo.edu/nursing
The Toledo Blade quoted UT’s College of Nursing Dean explaining the urgency: “The northwest Ohio region is losing its only nurse anesthesia program. We cannot afford to lose this program.”
For applicants who can wait a year for a brand-new program in Toledo, this track is worth watching closely.
Wayne State University: Formal DNP-CRNA Teach-Out Partner
On March 17, 2026, Lourdes and Wayne State University signed a formal teach-out agreement specifically for the DNP Nurse Anesthesia Program.
Wayne State’s Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in Detroit is an established, COA-accredited nurse anesthesia program — and it is the closest full-service CRNA program to Sylvania.
Wayne State at a Glance
- Program: DNP in Nurse Anesthesia, Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
- Location: Detroit, Michigan (roughly 60 miles from Sylvania, OH)
- Accreditation: COA-accredited
- Admissions Contact: fy9015@wayne.edu | (313) 577-9239
- Program Website: applebaum.wayne.edu/nurse-anesthesia
Other Transfer Pathways for Lourdes CRNA Students
Beyond the formal teach-out partners, additional Ohio programs have publicly engaged with displaced Lourdes SRNAs:
- The University of Akron: Hosted virtual information sessions for Lourdes DNP-CRNA students in February 2026 to detail how coursework and clinical hours would transfer.
- Capital University: Listed as an official institutional teach-out partner for Lourdes (general programs).
Each program evaluates transfers individually based on curriculum alignment, clinical hours completed, and cohort availability. It is worth contacting multiple programs to compare transfer-credit outcomes.
A Legacy Worth Honoring
Lourdes University was founded in 1958 by the Sisters of St. Francis of Sylvania, grounded in a Catholic, Franciscan educational tradition of service, scholarship, and personalized attention.
The nurse anesthesia program launched as an MSN cohort in Fall 2011 and transitioned to a doctoral curriculum, graduating its first DNP-CRNA class in May 2025.
In its roughly 15-year run, the program built outcomes most CRNA programs envy. A 0% attrition rate over its most recent reporting period and a 100% employment rate at graduation are the headline numbers.
Graduates averaged 827 cases across a clinical network spanning Level 1 Trauma Centers, community hospitals, rural facilities, CRNA-only practices, and critical-access sites. That breadth of exposure is the kind most residency programs in any specialty would call enviable.
Small cohorts of 15 to 24 students allowed Dr. Angella Ruley and the Lourdes faculty to mentor every SRNA personally.
The Franciscan identity of the university shaped a distinct professional culture emphasizing compassionate patient advocacy alongside the technical demands of anesthesia practice.
7 Ohio CRNA School Alternatives Currently Enrolling
If Lourdes was on your list and you’d rather stay in Ohio, here are the seven accredited programs currently accepting applications. Note: Otterbein University in Westerville is also closing its CRNA program effective June 1, 2026, and is not on this list.
- The Ohio State University (Columbus) — flagship Big Ten research university with a newly accredited DNP program.
- University of Cincinnati (Cincinnati) — major academic medical center with UC Health system clinical sites.
- Case Western Reserve University / Cleveland Clinic (Cleveland) — top-ranked partnership drawing on Cleveland Clinic’s case volume.
- University of Akron (Akron) — strong-value DNP with regional hospital partners in northeast Ohio.
- Youngstown State / SEHC (Youngstown) — long-established cooperative DNP option in eastern Ohio.
- Ursuline College (Pepper Pike) — small, private, Catholic program in suburban Cleveland.
- Ohio University (Athens) — southeast Ohio DNP with a strong regional reputation.
For full admissions requirements, class sizes, tuition, and clinical details on each, see the complete CRNA Schools in Ohio guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Lourdes University’s CRNA program still accepting applications?
No. Lourdes University is closing at the end of the 2025–26 academic year, and its DNP Nurse Anesthesia Program is ending with the university.
No new applications are being accepted.
Why is Lourdes University closing?
Lourdes announced its closure on February 11, 2026, after Board deliberation with the Sisters of St. Francis.
The decision was driven by long-term financial sustainability challenges affecting small Catholic colleges across the country, as documented by Ohio Statewide News and Inside Higher Ed.
What happens to current Lourdes CRNA students?
The Class of 2026 completes their DNP at Lourdes on schedule. Cohorts who won’t finish before closure (Classes of 2027 and 2028) have a formal teach-out agreement with Wayne State University in Detroit, and the University of Toledo is now Lourdes’s Primary Teach-out Partner per the official agreements page.
Is my Lourdes CRNA degree still valid if I graduated before the closure?
Yes. The Lourdes DNP Nurse Anesthesia Program held “Continued Accreditation” with the Council on Accreditation throughout its life.
Every graduate is fully eligible to sit for the National Certification Examination through the NBCRNA and practice as a CRNA anywhere in the United States.
Where is the closest CRNA school to Sylvania, Ohio now?
In the short term, the closest full-service CRNA programs are the University of Detroit Mercy (about 60 miles north) and Wayne State University (also in Detroit). The Ohio State University in Columbus is roughly 125 miles south.
Once the new University of Toledo nurse anesthesia track launches, it will be the closest in-state option — roughly 10 miles from Lourdes’s former Sylvania campus.
When will the University of Toledo CRNA program launch?
The UT Board of Trustees approved establishing the new DNP nurse anesthesia track on April 8, 2026. Launch timing, curriculum, and application details are being finalized by UT’s College of Health and Human Services.
Can I transfer from Lourdes to a CRNA program besides Wayne State?
Yes; other programs may accept Lourdes transfer students on a case-by-case basis.
The University of Akron has hosted info sessions for Lourdes DNP-CRNA students, and several other Ohio CRNA schools are worth contacting directly to discuss credit transfer.
Additional Resources
- Complete Guide to CRNA Schools in Ohio
- Otterbein University CRNA School — also closing in 2026
- How to Become a CRNA: Start Here
- What Is a CRNA? Role & Career Overview
- Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA)
- American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA)
- Ohio Association of Nurse Anesthetists (OANA)
- Lourdes University Teach-Out Agreements
Disclaimer: Information is for educational purposes only.
Closure facts verified against Lourdes University’s official announcements, the Toledo Blade, Ohio Statewide News, and the Council on Accreditation (coacrna.org) List of Accredited Programs (March 6, 2026), as of May 2026.