Western Carolina University CRNA


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Western Carolina University, located in the Tar Heel State of Asheville, North Carolina offers one of the top CRNA programs in the United States. The WCU CRNA program length is 36 months (86 credit hours) beginning in the calendar month of May each year.  This detailed summary will discuss the degree, course structure, class size, acceptance rates, admissions, tuition costs and other helpful information for the school.

#67 Best CRNA Schools – Western Carolina CRNA

best crna schools We spent hundreds of hours interviewing nurse anesthetists to come up with the list of Best CRNA schools where we include real feedback on all CRNA schools from nurse anesthesiologists all over the US.  In our Best CRNA School survey, the Western Carolina CRNA has a CRNA School Ranking of #67 out of 124 CRNA Schools.  This is what real CRNAs had to say about the Western Carolina University CRNA program:
WCU CRNA – Hired grads from Eastern Carolinas and Western Carolinas – all solid, although Eastern has better curriculum
For more information on all CRNA schools, check out Best CRNA Schools and CRNA School Rankings.

WCU DNP

crna schools in north carolina (2)Upon graduation from the CRNA program, you will receive a Western Carolina University DNP (Doctor of Nursing Practice) degree.  Certainly, CRNA master’s degrees will no longer be offered by CRNA schools from 2022. Therefore, all degrees offered from CRNA schools will be Doctor degrees such as:
  • DNP (Doctor of Nursing Practice)
  • DNP-A (Doctor of Nursing Practice – Anesthesia)
  • DNP-NA (Doctor of Nursing Practice – Nurse Anesthesia)
  • DMPNA  (Doctor of Management Practice – Nurse Anesthesia)
For instance, many healthcare professions, like Pharmacy, are also moving towards the doctorate degree as the entry level to enter the profession.

WCU CRNA Program Course Load

CRNA Programs in North Dakota Acceptance RateThe WCU DNP degree program is based on an integrated course load.  In other words, an integrated CRNA degree is one where clinical experience begins in the first year with both clinical hours and classroom lectures throughout the program length. On the other hand, this is different than a front loaded CRNA degree where the first year is considered mainly academic with classroom education while the remaining years are focused on clinical rotations. In general, there is no right or wrong method of teaching – roughly 33% of schools have integrated course loads in the first year and 67% are front loaded. Therefore, the trend of more clinical hours in the first year has been increasing in recent years as CRNA schools realize the importance of practical experience and knowledge sooner rather than later.

Western Carolina University CRNA Program Class Size

crna schools in north carolinaTo sum up, the Western Carolina University CRNA program class size is 16 students and considered very small.  To give a frame of reference, the average class size of CRNA programs across the nation is 24 CRNA students.

WCU CRNA Acceptance Rate & Admissions

CRNA Programs in North Carolina Acceptance RateThe application deadline for the WCU CRNA program is on September 15.  The WCU CRNA program accepts applications via NursingCas.  The program charges an application fee of US$65, which is on par with the average CRNA application fee of US$61. In summary, the WCU CRNA acceptance rate is 16% and is deemed extremely competitive. As a comparison to other CRNA schools, the average CRNA school acceptance rate across the United States is 26%.

WCU CRNA Program Tuition

cheapest crna schoolsIn-State tuition is US$72,398, which is considered significantly cheaper than the average.  The average In-State tuition for CRNA schools is US$89,490 in the United States. Out-of-State Tuition is US$105,319, which nearly the same to the average. The average Out-of-State tuition for CRNA schools is US$105,291 across the country. Above all, for both In-State and Out-of-State tuition, these tuition figures include the total cost of the entire program excluding living expenses.  Consequently, after one year of living in many States, you would be considered an ‘In State’ resident for tuition purposes.  In short, rules vary state by state.  Therefore, please do additional research on this if you are applying as an Out-of-State CRNA student. To conclude, you might have to leave a tuition deposit once you are accepted into the WCU program.  This is usually a one-time deposit and off-set with your tuition bill. Most CRNA schools charge this reservation fee and the average across the nation is US$1,358.  WCU does not charge a reservation fee. Always remember that CRNA Scholarship programs do exist to help students with tuition.

WCU CRNA Program Additional Information

For your guidance, we have listed out additional information (GRE requirement, student attrition, first time test taker pass rate, etc.) that may be helpful to you on the nurse anesthesia program in the table below.
Best CRNA School RatingUS News RankingNameStateCityDegree OfferedProgram Length (Months)Credit HoursApplication DeadlineNursingCas (Yes/No)GREAcceptance Rate %Student Attrition %Test Taker Pass Rate %In-State Tuition (US$000's)Out-of-State Tuition (US$000's)
6736Western Carolina University CRNANorth CarolinaAshevilleDNP3686SepYRequired16%13%86%$70$70

CRNA Salary in NC

CRNA Starting SalarySince you’ve shown interest in the CRNA Program at WCU, you should definitely check out our CRNA Salary Guide and CRNA Starting Salary Guide. If you’re still a student or wondering how much a nurse anesthetist earns fresh out of school, this info is very useful.  After all, it’s important to know how long it will take to pay off student loans and your payback period on time spent studying and tuition.  Hundreds of hours were spent analyzing CRNA salary information.  We go over data from BLS, the yearly AANA survey from +5,000 actual CRNAs in addition to my own nurse anesthetist job offers I received after graduating.  I strongly believe that you’ll find the information helpful in becoming a better and more informed nurse anesthetist!

Other Information on WCU CRNA Program

Website: Western Carolina University Click on the image gallery below for more information on CRNA Schools in NC and CRNA Salary in NC. Note: We have updated all the information for the 2021 academic school year.
CRNA Schools in North Carolina
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Nelson

Author Bio: Nelson started everythingCRNA to help aspiring, student and practicing CRNAs & CAAs. Nelson is currently a CRNA in New York City.  Previously, he worked as an ICU Travel RN and Critical Care RN in Philadelphia, Miami, Washington DC, and Boston.  He earned his BSN from Penn State and his MSN from Bloomsburg.  He is also a member of the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA). In his free time, he enjoys working out, exploring the outdoors, and helping future CRNAs.

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