Last updated: October 2026 | Researched and reviewed by Daniel Etheridge, CRNA
If you are considering Carson-Newman University’s CRNA program, this article will give you the information you need: cost, admission requirements, the application timeline, and where this brand-new program stands.
Carson-Newman’s Nurse Anesthesiology Program is one of the newest in the country. The COA granted it initial accreditation effective October 21, 2025. It is a 36-month, 102-credit entry-level DNAP that starts each January in Jefferson City, Tennessee, about 35 minutes east of Knoxville.
New programs come with a trade you should understand going in: a fresh curriculum and a motivated founding faculty, but no pass-rate history yet. The first class is still in school, so outcome data is a few years away. Factor that into your decision.
Key Takeaways
- COA-accredited since October 2025
- 36 months, 102 credits, DNAP
- January start in Jefferson City
- ≈$130,500 tuition and fees
- CCRN mandatory; no GRE listed
- 1 year ICU + 8 shadowing hours
- No pass rates yet (new program)
Carson-Newman Nurse Anesthesiology Program Quick Facts:
| Degree | DNAP (entry level) |
| Length | 36 months, nine semesters, 102 credits (84 didactic + 18 clinical) |
| Location | Jefferson City, TN |
| Class starts | January |
| Application window | Opened March 1, 2026 for the January 2027 class; offers the week of Sept. 14 |
| Class size | Not published. Ask the program |
| Cost | $1,250 per credit (≈$127,500 tuition) + ≈$3,050 in program fees, 2027 cohort rates |
| GRE / CCRN | GRE not listed among requirements · CCRN mandatory |
| ICU requirement | 1 year full-time within the past 3 years, as the COA defines critical care |
| Shadowing | At least 8 documented hours with a CRNA |
| Clinical sites | 11 named hospitals across East Tennessee |
| Accreditation | COA initial accreditation effective October 21, 2025 |
One of 9 CRNA Schools in Tennessee
Carson-Newman is one of 9 accredited CRNA programs in Tennessee, and one of three in the Knoxville area along with the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and South College. Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate is about an hour north.
Carson-Newman CRNA Program Overview
Carson-Newman is a private Christian university affiliated with the Tennessee Baptist Convention. Its Nurse Anesthesiology Program earned initial accreditation from the COA effective October 21, 2025. The program is also approved by the Tennessee Board of Nursing and authorized by SACSCOC to award the DNAP. The COA also approved the program to deliver part of its coursework by distance education.
Here is how the 102 credits are laid out across nine semesters. Year one is in person on campus in Jefferson City, with a heavy dose of simulation, anatomy, and anesthesia basics. Years two and three run hybrid: distance coursework plus on-campus intensives while you are in full-time clinical residency. The 18 clinical credits work out to about 3,600 clinical hours, since the program counts 200 contact hours per clinical credit.
Simulation runs through the whole curriculum on high-fidelity CAE human patient simulators in a dedicated lab on campus.
You do not have to be Baptist to attend. The program welcomes students of all faith backgrounds. Students are strongly discouraged from working while enrolled, which is standard for a program at this pace.
Carson-Newman CRNA Program Admission Requirements
To be considered for the Carson-Newman nurse anesthesiology program, you will need:
- A BSN from an accredited nursing program and an unencumbered RN license in Tennessee or a compact state
- A 3.0 GPA for your last 60 credit hours and a 3.0 science GPA (A&P I and II and Statistics are required; biology, microbiology, chemistry, organic chemistry, and physics count when you have them)
- At least one year of full-time critical care experience within the past three years, as the COA defines it
- Current CCRN certification. The program’s word is “mandatory”
- Documentation of at least 8 hours of CRNA shadowing
- BLS, ACLS, and PALS before you start
- A personal statement and a structured interview with the admissions committee
The program also looks for leadership: preceptor, charge nurse, or unit-leader experience, and work on policy, evidence-based practice, or practice change. Build that into your resume and your personal statement. The personal statement has no character limit, and the program wants it to cover your clinical work, scholarly activity, community service, and goals.
The GRE does not appear anywhere on the requirements. The program goes by the COA’s definition of critical care rather than publishing its own unit list, so if you come from NICU, PICU, or the ER, ask the program directly whether your unit qualifies before you apply.
International applicants need TOEFL scores and WES-evaluated transcripts. One hard rule: applicants dismissed from any nurse anesthesia or advanced practice nursing program are not eligible. If you withdrew from another program in good standing, you will need a letter from that program director.
Application Dates and Deadlines
Applications go through NursingCAS. For the January 2027 class, the application opened March 1, 2026, offers go out the week of September 14, 2026, and orientation begins January 4, 2027. If the program keeps the same calendar, expect the next cycle to open around March 1, 2027 for the January 2028 class.
The program does not publish a hard deadline date, so treat it like a rolling cycle: apply early in the window and confirm the current cutoff with the program at crna@cn.edu. A $1,000 non-refundable enrollment deposit is due on acceptance and goes toward your first semester.
Carson-Newman CRNA Program Tuition and Cost
From the program’s tuition page, for the January 2027 cohort:
- Tuition: $1,250 per credit hour × 102 credits = $127,500 (the school’s page rounds its estimate to $127,000)
- Lab fee: $2,250 (year one only)
- ExamSoft: $100 per year
- Self-Evaluation Exam (SEE): $250, taken twice
- Total tuition and program fees: about $130,500
Carson-Newman is private, so everyone pays the same rate. The school’s numbers leave out textbooks, health insurance, background checks, drug screening, travel to clinical sites, and graduation costs, so budget for those on top, plus board review and the NCE fee. All rates are subject to change.
Nurse anesthetists earned a national average of $248,320 a year as of May 2025 (BLS).
Clinical Rotations and Training Sites
Carson-Newman publishes its clinical affiliates by name, which I like to see from a new program. The 11 primary sites:
- Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center, Knoxville
- Parkwest Medical Center, Knoxville
- Turkey Creek Medical Center, Knoxville
- North Knoxville Medical Center, Powell
- Methodist Medical Center, Oak Ridge
- LeConte Medical Center, Sevierville
- Morristown-Hamblen Healthcare System, Morristown
- Bristol Regional Medical Center, Bristol
- Johnson City Medical Center, Johnson City
- Niswonger Children’s Hospital, Johnson City
- Holston Valley Medical Center, Kingsport
The program lists trauma, obstetrics, cardiothoracic, pediatrics, neurosurgery, and outpatient surgery among the case types. Rotations are supervised by CRNAs and anesthesiologists. The sites run from Knoxville to the Tri-Cities, so plan on driving. Bristol is about 90 minutes from Jefferson City.
Pass Rates, Attrition, and Employment
There are none yet, and that is not a criticism. It is arithmetic. The program is 36 months long and its first class has not graduated, so there are no NCE pass rates, attrition numbers, or employment figures to report. The program says it will publish outcomes once the data exists.
Until then, judge the program on what you can verify: the COA granted initial accreditation, the clinical site list is published and substantial, and the faculty are listed on the program’s site. Ask the program how the first class is doing. Attrition to date is a fair question even before pass rates exist.
Living in Jefferson City While Attending Carson-Newman
Jefferson City is a small East Tennessee town near Cherokee Lake, about 35 minutes from Knoxville. Many students will look at Morristown, about 15 minutes away, or at the Knoxville metro for more housing options. Zumper’s October 2026 data puts Morristown’s average rent about 21% below the national average.
The cost of living is low, the Smoky Mountains are close, and your clinical sites are spread across the region. A reliable car is close to a requirement.
Is the Carson-Newman CRNA Program Right for You?
Carson-Newman is a great fit if you:
- Hold your CCRN and one year of critical care and want a January start in East Tennessee
- Would rather skip the GRE
- Want a short shadowing requirement. Only 8 documented hours are needed
- Want named clinical sites from day one, with 11 hospitals across the region
- Have charge, preceptor, or committee experience. The program values leadership
- Are comfortable joining a young program and helping set its culture
- Want a low cost of living during school
Consider other options if you:
- Want published pass rates before you commit. Carson-Newman’s first numbers are still a few years out
- Do not yet hold the CCRN. It is mandatory here
- Want a published class size and deadline before applying. You will need to email the program for both
- Come from a unit whose critical-care status is unclear and want a program that publishes its accepted-unit list
- Need a big-city campus. Jefferson City is a small town
- Were dismissed from a prior nurse anesthesia or APRN program. That makes you ineligible here
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Carson-Newman’s CRNA program accredited?
Yes. The COA granted the Nurse Anesthesiology Program initial accreditation effective October 21, 2025. The program is also approved by the Tennessee Board of Nursing and authorized by SACSCOC to award the DNAP.
How much does the Carson-Newman CRNA program cost?
Tuition is $1,250 per credit hour across 102 credits, or $127,500 (the school’s page rounds its estimate to $127,000). Program fees add about $3,050 for the lab, ExamSoft, and two SEE exams, for about $130,500 total. Textbooks, insurance, travel, and graduation costs are extra. Rates are for the 2027 cohort and subject to change.
Does Carson-Newman require the GRE or CCRN?
The GRE does not appear on the admission requirements. The CCRN is mandatory, and you also need one year of full-time critical care within the past three years, 8 documented hours of CRNA shadowing, and BLS, ACLS, and PALS before you start.
When does the Carson-Newman CRNA application open?
For the January 2027 class, the NursingCAS application opened March 1, 2026, with offers the week of September 14. No hard deadline date is published, so apply early and confirm the current cutoff with the program at crna@cn.edu.
Does Carson-Newman have pass rate data?
Not yet. The program is 36 months long and its first class has not graduated, so there are no NCE pass rates, attrition, or employment figures. The program says it will publish outcomes once available.
Next Steps
If you are aiming for the January 2028 class, watch for the application to open around March 2027, get your CCRN current, document your 8 shadowing hours, and build the leadership line on your resume. Questions go to crna@cn.edu.
You can compare all Tennessee CRNA programs side by side, or look at nearby programs in Kentucky and North Carolina. You can also compare programs in every state on our CRNA Schools by State page.
Contact the Program
Carson-Newman University, Nurse Anesthesiology Program
Founding Program Director: Dr. Brian Foster, DNP, APRN, CRNA
Assistant Program Director: Dr. Robbie Dawn Whybrew, EdD, CRNA, APRN
Program email: crna@cn.edu
Jefferson City, TN
Official site: doctorofnurseanesthesiapractice.com
Admissions: Carson-Newman DNAP admissions
Accreditation: Council on Accreditation (COA) · Salary data: BLS OEWS, May 2025