Last updated: August 2026 | Researched and reviewed by Daniel Etheridge, CRNA
The St. Luke’s/DeSales nurse anesthesia program is a partnership between DeSales University who grants the doctorate and St. Luke’s University Health Network, which hosts every clinical rotation.
This is a 36-month entry-level DNP.
Key Takeaways
- $178,815 all-in
- You need 2 years of ICU experience and your CCRN — NICU and ED experience do not count
- The first cohort started in August 2025, so NCE pass rates and attrition rates will not be available until the class graduates
- Applications for Fall 2027 close December 1, 2026; one August-start cohort per year
DeSales Nurse Anesthesia Program Quick Facts:
| Degree | DNP in Nurse Anesthesia (entry level) |
| Length | 36 months — 12 straight semesters, no summers off |
| Credits | 94 (39 courses) |
| Location | Center Valley, PA (Lehigh Valley); clinical education base in Easton |
| Class starts | August, one cohort per year |
| Application deadline | December 1, 2026 (for the cohort starting August 2027) |
| Est. total program cost | $178,815 |
| GRE / CCRN | GRE not listed · CCRN required, with score report |
| Employment | No data yet — first cohort graduates ~2028 |
| Accreditation | COA-accredited (October 2024 review; next review May 2031) |
This is one of 15 CRNA programs in Pennsylvania and one of two in the Lehigh Valley, alongside Cedar Crest College in Allentown.
Why This Program Stands Out
This program has a partnership with St. Luke’s University Health Network.
The St. Luke’s Health Network allows the students to train and rotate through their extensive network of clinical sites. Students rotate through 17 St. Luke’s sites, from tertiary campuses to community hospitals.
In the spring of 2026, the program opened a dedicated clinical education building at St. Luke’s Easton campus. This facility includes simulation labs, classrooms, and program offices — all built for these students.
The COA accredited the program in October 2024 and the school’s next review is scheduled for May 2031.
Getting Accepted to CRNA School Requirements
To be considered for the DeSales CRNA program, you will need a BSN from an ACEN, CCNE, or NLN-CNEA accredited nursing program with a minimum 3.0 GPA and an unencumbered RN license.
You will also need two years of full-time ICU experience completed after orientation. When you apply you must be currently working.
Unfortunately, NICU and ED experience does not count toward the ICU requirement. Make sure that your experience is in an adult ICU.
Additional admission requirements include:
- CCRN certification with a copy of your score
- BLS, ACLS, and PALS certification by the start of the program
- 15 documented shadowing hours using the program’s shadowing form
- Three letters of recommendation
- A DNP vision statement
This school does not say anything about there being a requirement for taking the GRE.
DeSales CRNA Program Tuition and Cost
If you go to the school’s website you are able to see the full cost breakdown.
Tuition is $14,610 per term for 12 terms, which comes to $175,320. There is also $3,375 in program fees and a $120 graduation fee.
The total cost is $178,815 at 2025-26 rates. DeSales is a private university, so there is no difference in tuition from in-state to out of state cost.
You will also need to budget for books, housing, and equipment, board review courses ($1,500 to $3,000), NCE and licensing fees, background checks, and three years without a full-time income.
The national average CRNA salary is $248,320 (BLS, May 2025), making the investment worthwhile over the course of your career.
Outcomes: First Numbers Arrive Around 2028
The program doesn’t have outcome data yet. The first cohort started in August 2025 and graduates in 2028 — pass rates, employment, and attrition post after that.
Until then, ask the program directly: How is the first cohort doing? Who built the curriculum, and where did the faculty train?
Specific answers to those questions are your best data while the numbers mature.
Student Experience
As a member of one of the first cohorts, you can expect a lot of attention from the faculty and a real voice in how the program develops.
You can also expect some growing pains as the program builds its processes in real time.
The academic home is DeSales University’s campus in Center Valley, just south of Allentown. The clinical home is the Easton building and the St. Luke’s network of hospitals.
You should plan on commuting between Center Valley, Easton, and your clinical sites across the Lehigh Valley.
The program runs 12 straight semesters with no summers off. Like every entry-level nurse anesthesia doctorate, you should treat it as a full-time job for three years.
Living in the Lehigh Valley While Attending the DeSales CRNA Program
Center Valley is located just south of Allentown and Bethlehem along I-78. The Easton clinical base is about 30 minutes east, and the whole area is commutable from most of the Lehigh Valley.
The cost of living is well below Philadelphia and New Jersey, which matters over 36 months without an income.
Nurses already working inside the St. Luke’s network have the simplest path, since the program was built with them in mind. Philadelphia is about an hour south and New York City is about 90 minutes east.
Application Dates and Deadlines
Applications for the Fall 2027 cohort close on December 1, 2026. Make sure you will have two full years of post-orientation ICU experience by the deadline and that you are currently working in an ICU.
You will also need your CCRN score report, 15 shadowing hours documented on the program’s form, three letters of recommendation, your DNP vision statement, and your transcripts. Ensure that you submit your application before the deadline.
If your second year of ICU experience will not be complete until mid-2027, you are a candidate for the Fall 2028 cohort. Use the extra time to pass the CCRN with a strong score and complete your shadowing hours.
Start your DNP vision statement early. It is different from a personal essay, so connect your ICU experience to doctoral-level work like quality improvement projects, protocols, and patient outcomes.
If your background is in the ED or NICU, those hours will not count here. You will either need to move to an adult ICU and start the two-year clock, or look at programs that accept your experience.
The Interview
Since every applicant will have at least two years of ICU experience and their CCRN, the interview will focus on your judgment and how well you fit the program rather than basic knowledge.
Be ready to discuss your sickest patients in detail.
This is also your chance to ask questions. Ask how the first cohort’s first year went, what has changed because of it, and how the program moves students from simulation into clinical.
Good answers to those questions can help you decide while there is no pass-rate data yet.
Clinical Rotations and Training Sites
All clinical training takes place within St. Luke’s University Health Network. Students rotate through 17 sites, including tertiary care hospitals, community hospitals, and surgical centers, coordinated from the Easton clinical education building.
The curriculum includes more than 2,000 clinical practicum hours across those rotations.
Since everything takes place within one health system, ask the program how it covers the full range of cases, including pediatrics, obstetrics, cardiac, and regional anesthesia.
Is the DeSales CRNA Program Right for You?
This program is a great fit if you:
- Are an experienced adult ICU nurse with 2+ years post-orientation, your CCRN, and a current ICU job
- Already work within the St. Luke’s network and want to stay close to home
- Want brand-new simulation facilities and a clinical education building built for the program
- Want one integrated health system handling all of your rotations
- Like being part of a founding cohort with a lot of faculty attention and input into the program
- Are comfortable choosing a new program before it has published outcomes
- Live in the Lehigh Valley and want to train without relocating
Consider other options if you:
- Want to see published pass rates and employment numbers before you commit three years and $179K, since this program will not have them until about 2028
- Have one year of ICU experience, since several other Pennsylvania programs will consider you now
- Come from NICU or ED nursing, since that experience does not qualify here
- Want to talk to alumni who are already working as CRNAs, since the first class graduates in 2028
- Want clinical experience at more than one health system
- Are not currently working in an ICU, since that is a requirement at the time of application
The DeSales CRNA program is a well-resourced new program. It is COA accredited, it is partnered with a major health system, and its students train in facilities that opened in 2026.
It is also unproven and expensive, and it requires more ICU experience than most programs. If you fit the profile, it is a reasonable choice. If you want to see outcome data first, wait for the numbers or compare the other Pennsylvania programs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the St. Luke’s/DeSales CRNA program accredited?
Yes. The COA granted accreditation at its October 2024 review, and the program’s next review is scheduled for May 2031.
It is a 36-month, 94-credit entry-level DNP offered by DeSales University with St. Luke’s University Health Network as the exclusive clinical partner. The program does not have outcome data yet because the first cohort graduates in 2028.
How much does the DeSales CRNA program cost?
The total cost is $178,815 at 2025-26 rates. Tuition is $14,610 per term for 12 terms ($175,320), plus $3,375 in program fees and a $120 graduation fee.
DeSales is private, so in-state and out-of-state students pay the same.
How much ICU experience does the St. Luke’s/DeSales program require?
You need a minimum of two years of full-time ICU experience completed after orientation, and you must be working in an ICU when you apply.
NICU and ED experience do not count. You also need your CCRN with a score report and 15 documented shadowing hours.
When is the DeSales CRNA application deadline?
The application deadline is December 1 of the year before you enroll. For the cohort starting in August 2027, the deadline is December 1, 2026.
The program admits one cohort per year with a fall start. Applications go through DeSales University graduate admissions.
Does the program have NCE pass-rate data?
Not yet. The program’s outcomes table lists first-time NCE pass rate, employment, and attrition as “Pending” because the first cohort started in August 2025 and graduates in 2028.
Ask the program directly how the first cohort is doing in coursework and what the attrition has been so far.
Next Steps
If you have two or more years of adult ICU experience, your CCRN, and a current ICU job, you have time to apply before the December 1, 2026 deadline. Request your transcripts, schedule your 15 shadowing hours, and contact your three recommenders now.
If you are not sure a new program is right for you, compare it to the established programs on our Pennsylvania CRNA schools guide, including Scranton, which is about an hour north. You can also compare programs in every state on our CRNA Schools by State page.
Contact the program
St. Luke’s University Health Network/DeSales University Nurse Anesthesia Program
Program Administrator: Daniel Graves, DNP, MSN, CRNA · Assistant Program Administrators: Kathryn Foster, DNAP, CRNA and Herman Abuchowski, DNAP, CRNA
2755 Station Avenue, Center Valley, PA 18034 · (484) 822-9953 · Program contact: jordan.manini@desales.edu
DeSales graduate admissions: gradadmiss@desales.edu · 610-282-1100 x1277
Official page: slhn.org — Nurse Anesthesia Program
Cost sheet: DeSales DNP-CRNA info sheet (PDF)
Accreditation: Council on Accreditation (COA) · Salary data: BLS OEWS (May 2025)