Columbia CRNA Program Interview: Video Essay, Interview and Dates
Columbia's September 1, 2026 deadline for a June 2027 start has passed, and decisions are posted in November. Applications for 2028 programs open in July 2027. Here is what happens in the application and interview, how you get invited, and when you hear back.
Columbia's deadline for a June 2027 start was September 1, 2026 and has passed. Decisions are posted in November, and Columbia says applications for programs starting in 2028 open in July 2027. The nurse anesthesia DNP has two spoken steps. Every applicant records a live video essay inside the application, then selected applicants are invited to an on-campus or virtual interview during the review. Applications are reviewed on a cohort model rather than a rolling basis by an admissions committee composed of program directors, faculty, and admissions staff, and waitlisted applicants may be accepted off the waitlist up until New Student Orientation.
Key facts (June start)
- When
- The deadline for a June 2027 start was September 1, 2026 and has passed. Invitations go to selected applicants during the review, and decisions are posted in November. Applications for 2028 programs open in July 2027.
- Format
- A live video essay recorded in the application with an attached webcam, then an interview invitation sent to selected applicants during the application review process.
- Online or in person
- The admissions page says on campus. The application page says on campus or virtual.
- ICU experience
- At least 1 year of ICU, with 2 to 2.5 years highly encouraged. Columbia says most accepted applicants have 3 to 5 years.
- Class size
- 34 students in the class graduating in 2029 and 30 in the class graduating in 2028.
- Tests
- No GRE. CCRN is strongly recommended but not listed as required.
- Who can apply
- RNs with a bachelor's or master's in nursing. Columbia does not currently admit international applicants to this program.
What happens in the video essay and interview
Columbia hears from you twice. First a recorded video essay that every applicant completes, then an interview if you are selected.
The video essay
You answer a video essay question live inside the online application. You cannot upload a pre-recorded answer.
- Equipment. You need a webcam attached to your device and a good internet connection. Columbia suggests a wired connection or sitting near your router.
- Setup. Put the camera level with the top of your head, face your light source, and keep a tidy background and a quiet room.
- Delivery. Dress as if you were speaking to the Admissions Committee in person, and do not read from notes or a script.
The interview
Selected applicants are invited to interview during the review. Columbia's admissions page says on campus, and its application page says on campus or virtual.
The review committee evaluates your full academic, professional, and personal experience, including hobbies, interests, honors, awards, and travel experience on your resume or CV, and completing all prerequisite courses before submission results in a more competitive application.
Practice on camera. Record yourself answering one-minute and two-minute questions with no notes, then watch it back for pace and eye contact.
How offers are decided
Columbia makes decisions on your whole history, not GPA alone, and posts them in November.
- Holistic review. Columbia says GPA predicts success but is not the only thing it considers.
- Competition. For the most recent master's-degree cohort, before the program became a DNP, close to 300 qualified applicants competed for 37 places. In the FAQ, Columbia also reports a first-time National Certification Exam pass rate above 90-94% for the past several years and a 100% pass rate on subsequent attempts.
- References are checked. After you pay an enrollment deposit, Columbia contacts your recommenders to verify their letters.
How you get an interview
Columbia's review is holistic, looking at your full academic, professional and personal history. Finishing every prerequisite before you submit makes you more competitive.
Critical care experience
- 1 year minimum. In a surgical, medical, pediatric, cardiovascular, coronary care, burn, trauma or neuro ICU. Columbia highly encourages 2 to 2.5 years.
- Most have more. Most accepted applicants have 3 to 5 years of full-time ICU experience.
- Case by case. Neonatal ICU, ICU float pool, PACU and ER experience are reviewed individually.
- Not accepted. Operating room, telemetry, step-down, cath lab and interventional lab experience.
Academics and application
- Prerequisites at B- or better. Statistics, health or physical assessment, and one chemistry course (inorganic, organic or biochemistry).
- GPA. No minimum is listed on these pages. Historically, successful applicants averaged a 3.5 overall.
- A written essay. Choose one prompt from the application and write two double-spaced pages.
- Three letters. At least two must speak to your professional abilities within the last six months, and one must come from your current nurse manager.
- A full CV. Columbia asks you to include hobbies, interests, honors, awards and travel, to give the committee a fuller picture.
- CCRN. Strongly recommended. Columbia says faculty prefer it as proof of a critical care knowledge base.
Dates and other details
Columbia runs one cycle a year with a fall deadline and a summer start.
Key dates
Columbia's program pages list these dates without a year. Its admissions dates page gives September 1, 2026 as the deadline for 2027 applications.
- September 1. Application deadline. For a June 2027 start it was September 1, 2026, which has passed. The fee is $75, with waivers for veterans, Peace Corps and AmeriCorps members, Columbia Nursing alumni and financial hardship.
- November. Decisions are posted.
- June. The program starts.
The program
It is 36 months, full time, with no part-time option, and is accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA) through 2028. Classes are generally held Monday through Thursday in the first year with open lab on Friday, covering science, doctoral core and simulation, before the 21-month clinical residency starts in September of the second year during the fifth semester. Columbia reports 24 matriculating nurse anesthesia residents for 2027, 30 for 2028, and 34 for 2029, with a five-year attrition average of 0.87%.
Clinical sites are in the tri-state area, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Washington, D.C. You need an active RN license to apply, and most likely a New York license for clinicals.
How to prepare
Prepare for the camera first, since everyone records the video essay, then for a possible clinical interview.
- Build a short story bank. Have four or five ICU stories ready: a crashing patient, a conflict, a mistake, an act of advocacy and why anesthesia.
- Know your unit's patients. Be ready to explain the drips, ventilators and monitoring you manage and the physiology behind them.
- Know the role. Columbia's sites range from academic centers to CRNA-only sites, with CRNAs or physician anesthesiologists precepting. Be ready to talk about care models.
- Match your CV. Columbia asks for hobbies and travel on your CV, so expect questions about them too.
No script. Columbia tells you not to read notes in the video essay. Practice talking from a few key points instead of memorized lines.
Practice questions
Questions in the style of a Video essay, then interview station, written for applicants to Columbia University School of Nursing, DNP in Nurse Anesthesia. They are practice questions, not the school's own. Open one for what a strong answer does.
Tell me about yourself.
Give a short arc from your nursing start to the ICU to anesthesia, in about one minute.
Why CRNA and not NP or another advanced practice role?
Name what draws you to anesthesia specifically, and show you have seen the role up close.
Describe a critical situation from your ICU experience and how you managed it.
Walk through what you noticed, what you did first and why, and how the patient did.
What's your understanding of the different anesthesia care models?
Explain medically directed and CRNA-only practice in plain terms, without putting either one down.
How would you explain anesthesia risks to an anxious patient?
Use plain words, check what they understood, and leave room for their questions.
How do you deal with difficult personalities in the OR?
Stay calm and professional, focus on the patient, and address the issue directly when it matters.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Columbia CRNA interview in person or virtual?
It may be either. Columbia's admissions page mentions an on-campus interview, and its application page says selected applicants may be invited to an on-campus or virtual interview.
What is the Columbia CRNA video essay?
Every applicant answers a video essay question that is recorded live inside the application. You cannot upload a pre-recorded answer, and Columbia asks you to dress professionally and not read from notes.
When does Columbia release CRNA decisions?
Decisions are posted in November, after a September 1 application deadline (September 1, 2026 for a June 2027 start). The program starts in June.
Does Columbia's nurse anesthesia program require the GRE?
No. GRE scores are not required. CCRN certification is strongly recommended.
Does Columbia accept NICU or ER experience for CRNA?
Columbia reviews neonatal ICU, ICU float pool, PACU and ER experience case by case. Operating room, telemetry, step-down, cath lab and interventional lab experience is not accepted.
Sources
Official pages only, read on the date shown. Schools change their process every year, so check the school's own page before you apply.
- Columbia School of Nursing: Nurse Anesthesia (DNP) · read October 26, 2026
- Columbia School of Nursing: DNP in Nurse Anesthesia Admissions · read October 26, 2026
- Columbia School of Nursing: Apply to the DNP in Nurse Anesthesia Program · read October 26, 2026
- Columbia School of Nursing: FAQ for the DNP in Nurse Anesthesia · read October 26, 2026
- Columbia School of Nursing: Admissions dates and deadlines · read October 26, 2026