Admissions Criteria

The Admissions Committee Considers the Following Factors:

Academic Performance

A 3.00 GPA from an accredited baccalaureate program is required. Attention will be placed on the last 60 credit hours reflecting a level of academic excellence and/or signs of improvement to 3.00 or higher. The admissions committee reviews all college-level transcripts. Science GPA, trends in grades, and course difficulty are examined and applicants are expected to present strong evidence of ability to complete rigorous academic work. The average GPA for the class entering in May 2010 is approximately 3.5 cumulative and 3.55 science.

Health Care Experience

Applicants must demonstrate health care experience sufficient to develop an understanding of the PA profession, the health care environment, and their own aptitude for the PA profession. Experiences should include work and/or volunteering in which responsibilities involve fairly extensive direct patient contact. Direct patient interaction is valued most highly by the admissions committee. Recent successful candidates have had hundreds of hours of work and/or volunteer experience. The program does not set a minimum number of hours of health care experience. Volunteer work is valued as highly as paid work.

Service

The admissions committee reviews applications for outstanding and altruistic commitment to community service and volunteerism, in addition to participation and/or leadership in extracurricular activities. This is not a requirement for admission but is a scored component of the application review.

References

Three references are required. Applicants should request references from individuals who know them well and have the knowledge to evaluate qualities important for success in the PA program and profession. Recent successful candidates have presented references from health care professionals, employers, colleagues or instructors.

Interviews

Following the review of applicants on the above criteria, approximately 65-75 applicants considered to be the most competitive will be invited to the PA program offices to be evaluated through on-site personal interviews with members of the admissions committee. Interpersonal and oral communication skills are evaluated.