Updated June 2026 · 9 min read

CRNA Programs in Massachusetts 2026

Part of the CRNA Career Hub — browse every related guide in one place.

Massachusetts is a small state with a deep medical bench — world-class Boston hospitals, but only two accredited CRNA programs. That makes seats genuinely scarce and admission fiercely competitive. Here is the 2026 landscape, what it costs, and how to get in.

Accredited CRNA programs

Every program below is accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA). Confirm current accreditation status on the COA list before applying, since review dates change.

Boston College runs a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) in nurse anesthesia that was established in 2002, making it one of the longer-running programs in New England. It is a full-time, three-year track that places students across Boston's high-acuity teaching hospitals — an unusually strong clinical environment for a single metro area.

Northeastern University offers a DNP nurse anesthesia program built on roughly 77 semester credits delivered over 36 months of full-time study. Northeastern's co-op heritage and Boston hospital network give students broad case exposure, and its location keeps clinical sites close.

Because both schools are private, tuition runs high — recent figures land in the rough range of $138,000 to $142,000 for the full program, and acceptance rates sit in the low-to-mid teens. There is no public in-state discount the way there is in larger states, so the cost lever here is scholarships and the avoided-debt math of finishing fast.

Admission requirements

Every program below uses the same competitive benchmarks as the rest of the country. Minimums make you eligible; the admitted profile sits higher.

How to strengthen your application

Get into the highest-acuity ICU you can and stay long enough to lead — a busy CVICU, SICU, or trauma unit carries more weight than years on a quieter floor. Earn your CCRN early; it is close to non-negotiable. If your GPA is below ~3.4, add or retake upper-level science courses and earn As to show momentum. Document CRNA shadowing before applying, and treat the interview as the deciding factor, because once you clear the screen, it usually is.

Bottom line

Massachusetts offers just two CRNA programs — Boston College and Northeastern — but both are well-established, doctoral, and embedded in one of the strongest hospital ecosystems in the country. Expect high private-school tuition and steep competition. Land a high-acuity ICU year, a CCRN, and a ~3.5 GPA, apply to both, and cast a wider regional net to protect your timeline.