Last updated: October 2026 | Researched and reviewed by Daniel Etheridge, CRNA
The York College of Pennsylvania/WellSpan Health nurse anesthetist program is a 36-month, entry-level DNP in York, Pennsylvania, run jointly by York College and WellSpan Health.
Two numbers tell most of the story. All 18 members of the Class of 2024 passed the NCE on the first attempt, and all 18 members of the Class of 2025 did the same.
It is a small, campus-based program with 16 to 18 seats a year, one of the lower per-credit rates in the state, and a clinical network that reaches CHOP, Penn State Hershey, and hospitals in Maryland and West Virginia.
Key Takeaways
- 100% first-time pass rate, 2024–2025
- About $114,000 in tuition and fees
- CCRN required, no GRE listed
- 8 hours of CRNA shadowing required
- 2029 application opens Aug 1, 2027
York College/WellSpan Nurse Anesthetist Program Quick Facts:
| Degree | DNP (entry level) |
| Length | 36 months, 102 credits, full time, campus based |
| Location | Diehl Hall, York College of Pennsylvania, 890 Grantley Road, York, PA |
| Class starts | May (York labels it the “Spring” cohort) |
| Application window | 2029 cohort: opens August 1, 2027 (the 2028 application is closed) |
| Class size | 16–18 students |
| Tuition + fees | $105,060 tuition (102 × $1,030, 2026-27) plus a $995 program fee with an unstated frequency; ≈ $114,000 if charged each of 9 semesters. Private, all states pay the same |
| GRE / CCRN | GRE not mentioned · CCRN required |
| Outcomes | 100% first-time NCE (2025 and 2024) |
| Accreditation | COA continued accreditation, 10 years effective May 31, 2023 (next review May 2033) |
York/WellSpan is one of 15 CRNA programs in Pennsylvania and the only one in south-central Pennsylvania. The nearest programs are Geisinger/Commonwealth in Danville, about 90 miles north, and the Philadelphia cluster about 100 miles east.
Why York/WellSpan Stands Out
Back-to-back perfect years. The Class of 2024 went 18 for 18 on the NCE, and the Class of 2025 did it again. Program director Jason Lowe described the 2024 cohort as “18 strong, 18 in and 18 out,” meaning nobody left and nobody failed.
Since the program’s start in 2006, the overall first-time pass rate is 93%. That is a long track record, and it comes from a program that has been under the same director since 2016.
The clinical network is bigger than you would expect from a small college. York’s program site lists clinical sites including CHOP, Penn State Hershey, UPMC Harrisburg, the Lebanon VA, WVU’s Ruby Memorial in Morgantown, and hospitals in Baltimore and Hagerstown, on top of WellSpan’s own hospitals in York, Gettysburg, Ephrata, Lebanon, and Chambersburg.
The simulation center includes a high-fidelity operating room with a METI human patient simulator and a Dräger anesthesia machine, plus a task-training lab for airway, ultrasound-guided line placement, spinals, epidurals, and peripheral nerve blocks.
York/WellSpan CRNA Program Admission Requirements
To be considered for the York/WellSpan CRNA program, you will need:
- A BSN from an NLNAC- or CCNE-accredited program
- A GPA of 3.2 or higher
- A current RN license
- At least one year of full-time critical care experience (or the part-time equivalent) before the application cycle
- CCRN certification
- Current BLS, ACLS, and PALS
- A statistics course covering descriptive and inferential statistics, a physical assessment course, and a nursing research course
- Three letters of recommendation with three recommendation forms, including one from a CRNA
- A CRNA-signed shadow log with a minimum of eight hours
- A $70 application fee
The CCRN is required. The GRE is not mentioned anywhere on York’s pages.
One year of ICU experience is the minimum, but the program is direct about what gets people in. It says most accepted applicants have at least two to four years, and that students enter with about three years on average. York does not exclude specific units and says it cares about the quality of the experience, not the unit’s name. Most accepted students come from surgical, cardiothoracic, trauma, or medical ICUs.
The CRNA letter and the CRNA shadow log mean you need to know a nurse anesthetist before you apply. If you do not, start shadowing now.
Interviews go to about three times the number of available seats. Selected applicants are notified four to six weeks after the deadline and interviewed the following month.
York/WellSpan CRNA Program Tuition and Cost
Tuition is $1,030 per credit for 102 credits, or $105,060, at the rates York posted for fall 2026 and spring 2027.
York’s graduate tuition table lists a $995 fee for the nurse anesthesia program in a column marked “Fees,” but the page does not say whether that is per semester or per year. If it is per semester across nine terms, that is about $8,955, which puts the all-in figure near $114,000. Add a $70 application fee and an $80 graduation fee.
We could not find any separate WellSpan or hospital fee on York’s pages. Call the business office at 717-815-1470 and get the fee basis in writing before you budget.
Even at $114,000, York is one of the less expensive CRNA programs in Pennsylvania. The cost table on our Pennsylvania CRNA schools guide shows the full comparison.
York is private, so every student pays the same rate. Rates will rise over 36 months.
The national average CRNA salary is $248,320 (BLS, May 2025), so a program near $114,000 with a 100% pass rate is about as good as the return gets.
Pass Rates, Attrition, and Employment
The Class of 2025: 18 of 18 passed the NCE on the first attempt. The Class of 2024: 18 of 18. As of October 2024, the program’s overall first-time pass rate since 2006 was 93%.
York does not publish a year-by-year table, an attrition rate, or a six-month employment figure. The director’s “18 in and 18 out” comment on the Class of 2024 implies zero attrition for that cohort.
Ask for the year-by-year numbers for the last five classes. Two perfect years is a great sign, but you should see the full trend.
Student Experience
York is a full-time, campus-based program. There is no online year. You are in York from day one, and the program discourages outside employment because of the workload.
Classes are in Diehl Hall on the York College campus. Cohorts of 16 to 18 are taught by four core faculty plus guest speakers, and the program has won the PANA College Bowl and produced the state’s Outstanding Student award winner in 2024.
You will complete 2,000 clinical hours across the program’s sites. The DNP transition started in 2016, and the first doctoral cohort graduated in 2020, so the doctoral curriculum is well established.
Living in York While Attending the York/WellSpan CRNA Program
York is a mid-sized city in south-central Pennsylvania, about 25 miles south of Harrisburg and 50 miles north of Baltimore. York College’s campus is on the south side of the city on Grantley Road.
The cost of living is well below Philadelphia. Rent near campus and in the surrounding townships is reasonable, and many students live between the college and WellSpan York Hospital.
I-83 runs through York to Harrisburg and Baltimore, and Route 30 connects to Lancaster and Gettysburg. You will need a car. Clinical sites stretch from Philadelphia to Morgantown, so expect some long drives and ask about housing at the distant sites.
Application Dates and Deadlines
York’s program page now states: “The 2028 application is closed. The 2029 application will open on 8/1/2027.” In the last cycle, all materials were due October 1. The school has not posted the 2027 closing date yet, so confirm it when the window opens.
If you are targeting the 2029 class, the next window opens August 1, 2027. Use the time to get your CCRN, a CRNA letter, and a signed shadow log.
If you are planning for the following cycle:
18 months out: Be in an adult ICU. One year is the minimum, but accepted students average about three. Find a CRNA to shadow and start your log, since it must be signed.
12 months out: Pass the CCRN. Confirm your statistics, physical assessment, and nursing research courses. Ask a CRNA for a letter.
6 months out: Line up your other two recommenders, complete the three recommendation forms, and submit well before October 1. Interview invitations go out four to six weeks after the deadline.
The Interview
York invites about three applicants for every seat. Interviews happen in the month after notifications go out.
Expect detailed clinical questions about your ICU patients: hemodynamics, drips, ventilator management, and the reasoning behind your decisions. With only 18 seats, the faculty are choosing people they will work with closely for three years, so expect questions about how you handle stress and feedback.
Ask about the fee basis, the year-by-year pass rates, and housing at the distant clinical sites. All three answers will help you decide.
Clinical Rotations and Training Sites
York’s program site lists clinical sites across Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, and Wisconsin, including:
- WellSpan York Hospital, WellSpan Gettysburg, WellSpan Ephrata, WellSpan Good Samaritan (Lebanon), and WellSpan Surgery and Rehabilitation Hospital
- Chambersburg Hospital
- Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP)
- Penn State Hershey Medical Center
- UPMC Harrisburg, UPMC West Shore, and UPMC Memorial (York)
- Lebanon VA Medical Center
- Holy Spirit Hospital (Camp Hill) and Conemaugh Memorial (Johnstown)
- Children’s Surgery Center of Lancaster
- Sinai Hospital and Saint Agnes Hospital in Baltimore, and Meritus Health in Hagerstown, Maryland
- WVU Ruby Memorial in Morgantown, West Virginia
- Berlin Memorial Hospital and Mile Bluff Medical Center in Wisconsin
The mix includes pediatric cases at CHOP and Lancaster, academic medical center cases at Hershey and WVU, VA cases, and community hospitals across the region. The list is from the program’s own site and may not be current, so ask for the latest version.
Is the York/WellSpan CRNA Program Right for You?
York/WellSpan is a great fit if you:
- Want a program with two straight years of 100% first-time NCE pass rates
- Want a small cohort of 18 students
- Have your CCRN, two or more years of ICU experience, and a CRNA who will write you a letter
- Want a lower-cost private program in an affordable city
- Live in south-central Pennsylvania or northern Maryland
- Want pediatric rotations at CHOP and academic rotations at Hershey without living in a big city
- Want a program that has had the same director for a decade
- Do not want to take the GRE
Consider other options if you:
- Want an online first year, since York is campus based from the start
- Do not know a CRNA who can write your letter or sign your shadow log
- Want a published year-by-year outcomes table, attrition rate, and six-month employment figure
- Want a clear all-in cost, since York’s fee basis is not stated
- Want a big-city training environment
- Have only one year of ICU experience, since accepted students average about three
- Want to limit driving, since clinical sites reach Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Morgantown
In summary, York/WellSpan is a small, affordable program with outstanding recent results and a clinical network that punches above its weight. The trade-offs are a campus-based schedule with no online year, a CRNA-connection requirement that takes planning, and less published outcome detail than we would like.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the York College/WellSpan CRNA program a good program?
Yes. All 18 members of the Class of 2025 and all 18 members of the Class of 2024 passed the NCE on their first attempt, and the program’s overall first-time pass rate since 2006 is 93%. It holds a 10-year COA accreditation term through 2033.
How much does the York College/WellSpan CRNA program cost?
Tuition is $1,030 per credit for 102 credits, or $105,060, at 2026-27 rates. York also lists a $995 program fee without stating how often it is charged. If it is per semester, plan on roughly $114,000 in tuition and fees, plus books, equipment, and housing.
Does the York College/WellSpan CRNA program require the GRE or CCRN?
The CCRN is required. The GRE is not mentioned on York’s pages. You will also need BLS, ACLS, and PALS, a 3.2 GPA, one year of full-time critical care experience, a CRNA-signed 8-hour shadow log, and three letters of recommendation including one from a CRNA.
When is the York College/WellSpan CRNA application deadline?
The 2028 application is closed. The 2029 application opens August 1, 2027. In the last cycle, all materials were due October 1; confirm the 2027 closing date when the window opens.
How many students does York College/WellSpan accept?
16 to 18 students each year. Recent classes have had 18 students. About three times that many applicants are invited to interview.
Next Steps
If you have your CCRN, a CRNA letter, and a signed shadow log, the next application window opens August 1, 2027. Questions can go to the program coordinator, Stacey Holtzman, at sholtzman@ycp.edu or 717-815-6550.
If you want to compare programs first, start with the full Pennsylvania CRNA program list. Geisinger/Commonwealth is the closest alternative. You can also compare programs in every state on our CRNA Schools by State page.
Contact the program
York College of Pennsylvania/WellSpan Health Nurse Anesthetist Program
Program Director: Jason Lowe, PhD, CRNA, PHRN (jlowe1@ycp.edu · 717-815-6545)
Program Coordinator: Stacey Holtzman (sholtzman@ycp.edu · 717-815-6550)
Diehl Hall, Room 240, York College of Pennsylvania, 890 Grantley Road, York, PA 17403
Official page: ycp.edu — Nurse Anesthetist DNP
Tuition: Graduate tuition and fees
Accreditation: Council on Accreditation (COA) · Salary data: BLS OEWS (May 2025)