Admissions and aid - Doctor of Nursing Practice — Nurse Anesthesia Degree Program

Applicants for admission to the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) – Nurse Anesthesia Degree Program must/have:

• Meet the UC Davis requirements for Graduate Admissions
• Possess a current unencumbered license as a registered professional nurse (R.N.) and/or an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) in the United States or its territories or protectorates plus eligibility to receive California licensure before matriculating into the program. The Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Education Programs (COA) defines APRN as advanced practice nurses in the roles of certified nurse-midwives, certified nurse practitioners and clinical nurse specialists.
• Either
  • A Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing Science (BSN) or an equivalent major
    OR
  • A Bachelor's Degree in another specialty plus a Master’s of Science in Nursing (MSN) or an equivalent graduate degree.
• A minimum cumulative bachelor's-degree GPA of 3.0.
• Completion of all Prerequisite Courses. See Prerequisite section below for more details.
• A minimum cumulative 3.0 GPA or higher in all science prerequisite coursework is required. See Prerequisite section below for more details.
• Submit short essays through NursingCAS.
  • If invited to the UC Davis Graduate Studies application, this secondary application for the admissions process, this will require a statement of purpose, personal history, diversity statement and future interest or goals (maximum 2,000 characters).
• The application process may require an interview.
• TOEFL or IELTS (international graduates only and those whose native language is not English are required)
• Three letters of recommendation.
• Official transcripts from each institution attended.
• A minimum of one-year full-time work experience, or its part-time equivalent, as a registered nurse in a critical care setting. The applicant must possess current professional experience in registered nursing care in an acute setting, providing care to patients with complex pathologies that may require advanced hemodynamic monitoring, ventilatory support, vasoactive titration, and interdisciplinary collaboration. The minimum of one year of full-time clinical registered nursing experience must consist of 2,080 hours of clinical care experience within the U.S., its territories or a U.S. military hospital outside of the U.S.
  • It is strongly preferred to have your clinical care hours completed by the time you submit your application, but they will be required by the time of matriculation. Our strongest applications will have their minimum critical care experience completed by the application due date.
• Current Certifications: BLS, ACLS and PALS are required before clinical courses begin and must be maintained until program completion. Admissions decisions are made on a case-by-case basis. Meeting some or all of these criteria does not guarantee admission, but merely eligibility. Admission is competitive. Online applications are processed through UC Davis Office of Graduate Studies, which coordinates UC Davis graduate degree programs.
• No coursework may be transferred or substituted for credit into the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) – Nurse Anesthesia degree program.  

Admissions decisions are made on a case-by-case basis. Meeting some or all of these criteria does not guarantee admission, but merely eligibility. Admission is competitive. Online applications are processed through UC Davis Office of Graduate Studies, which coordinates UC Davis graduate degree programs.  

An offer of acceptance is based on the premise that all data submitted on the application materials (including but not limited to the UC Davis Graduate Studies and criminal background check applications) are true and accurate. Should there be misrepresentation in or a violation of any of the terms of the application process, the university reserves the right to rescind the offer of acceptance at any time or disqualify the student at any time during his or her education.

Prerequisites will be waived if an applicant has a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree or a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree from an accredited university. If an applicant has an Associate Degree in Nursing with a bachelor’s degree in another field, they must have completed all the prerequisites below.

All prerequisites are required at the college level from an accredited school and must be included on the submitted transcript during the application process. Each prerequisite is expected to be one full course, either a quarter or a semester, and a minimum of three units, depending on the location where it was completed. Completion of prerequisite coursework online is acceptable if it is from an accredited academic institution. Advanced Placement scores awarded in high school do NOT fulfill prerequisites. All prerequisites must be completed with a grade of C or better. 

Prerequisites must be completed when submitting the application. All prerequisites are required at the college level from an accredited school and must be included on the submitted transcript during the application process.

Prerequisite scenarios:

• If an applicant has a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree from an accredited university, the prerequisites are waived and a prerequisite science GPA will not be calculated. However, it will be up to the applicant to self-assess if additional coursework or a refresher course would be beneficial.
• If an applicant has a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree from an accredited university, the prerequisites are waived and a prerequisite science GPA will not be calculated. However, it will be up to the applicant to self-assess if additional coursework or a refresher course would be beneficial.
• If an applicant has an Associate Degree in Nursing with a bachelor’s degree in another filed, they must have completed all the prerequisite courses listed below.

Science prerequisite courses:

• One course in human anatomy with lab*
• One course in human physiology with lab*
• Or human anatomy and physiology series: Part I and Part II with lab*
• One course in organic chemistry or biochemistry with lab
• One course in microbiology or bacteriology with lab

Social sciences prerequisite courses:

• Two courses in social sciences. Ideal courses provide exposure to human or organizational behavior — such as psychology, sociology, ethnic studies, women’s studies or cultural anthropology. Social science courses may be completed in two different subject areas or within the same subject area.

Other prerequisite courses:

• One course in English composition

Examples of prerequisite quarter courses from UC Davis would include, but are not limited to:

*It is recommended, although not required, that the human anatomy and human physiology prerequisite courses be completed within the past five years of when you plan to apply. Competitive applicants should self-assess their strengths. If it has been a number of years since courses were completed, applicants are strongly encouraged to consider retaking them. Applicants may complete a combined human anatomy and human physiology series course. Series courses are offered in two parts and are completed over the course of two quarters or two semesters. Series courses must be completed in full and must include a lab component. Mammalian or animal physiology and anatomy will not fulfill this requirement.

Applicants are not admitted with deficiencies, meaning all admission requirements must have been completed prior to matriculation, as is consistent across all Advanced Practice Provider (APP) School of Nursing programs.

The estimated tuition and fees for 2025-2026 can be found on the UC Davis Finance and Business page. Please note this information will be updated in the spring of 2025 once 2025-2026 systemwide tuition and fee levels have been posted. 

Further information about financial support and aid for this program can be found on our central Financial Support page