Admissions

Advanced Placement Policy ^A3.12c

The Penn State College of Medicine PA Program is a full-time academic program administered in a sequential fashion that builds from courses completed in the prior term. The program does not award credit for experiential learning or advanced placement, nor does the program accept transfer credits.

Penn State's holistic admissions process considers multiple factors beyond academic performance. While meeting the minimum GPA requirements is an essential component of the review process, academic metrics alone do not determine interview selection or admission decisions.

Preference Factors ^A3.12a

The Penn State PA Program gives interview preference to applicants who demonstrate one or more of the following attributes:

• Residence in a rural or federally designated underserved community

• Origin from an educationally or economically disadvantaged background

• First-generation college student status

• Veteran or active-duty military service

• Pennsylvania residency

• Graduation from Penn State University

• Employment within Penn State Health

• Completion of an advanced degree

Meeting one or more preference factors does not guarantee an interview invitation or admission to the Program.

All applications are reviewed holistically. Interview invitations are extended following a comprehensive application review of preference factors, cumulative GPA, science GPA, patient care experience (type and hours), extent of leadership experience, volume of research involvement, and extent of volunteer and community engagement.

General Application Requirements ^A3.12b

Applicants to Penn State College of Medicine must be U.S. citizens, permanent residents, or have official DACA status. International candidates are not eligible.

For applications to be screened by the admissions committee, applicants must have a verified CASPA application that includes:

• Personal/biographic information, experiences, achievements, and certifications

• Academic history with official transcripts from all post-secondary institutions attended

• CASPA-calculated overall cumulative GPA of greater than or equal to 3.0

• CASPA-calculated overall science GPA of greater than or equal to 3.0

• Completion of the GRE (no minimum score requirement): GRE school code 0900

  • In lieu of the GRE, applicants may provide MCAT, PCAT, or DAT scores. The program has not adopted using the PA-CAT test results as a substitution for the GRE.

    • MCAT (old version) 29 or MCAT (new version) 505 required

    • PCAT total score 75^th percentile rank or higher

    • DAT total score of 18 or higher

• Three letters of recommendation

• Completion of the release statement

• Submission of personal essay

All applicants must agree to abide by the CASPA Professional Code of Conduct and the CASPA Admissions Code of Cooperation.

Incomplete applications will not be considered or screened by the admissions committee.

Following completion of the CASPA application for admission, each applicant will have to register in LionPATH, the college's internal admissions system, prior to interview participation. There is no application fee associated with LionPath registration.

Prior Education

All applicants must have a bachelor’s degree with completion of all academic requirements from an accredited U.S. or Canadian college/university. Health science majors are preferred; however, this is not a mandatory requirement for application or admission.

Candidates should have a CASPA-calculated overall cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 and a CASPA-calculated overall science GPA of at least 3.0.

Applicants may apply to the program while prerequisite coursework and degree completion are still in progress. However, all prerequisite courses and degree requirements must be successfully completed and verified prior to matriculation into the program in May.

Pre-Requisite Course Requirements

Applicants must complete the following courses with a C or better:

• General Biology

• Anatomy and Physiology (two semesters or one semester each)

• Microbiology

• General or Principles of Chemistry

• Biochemistry or Organic Chemistry

• General Psychology

• Statistics or Biostatistics

• English Composition (two semesters, or two writing intensive courses)

Online courses from regionally accredited institutions are accepted.

Three pre-requisite courses have a seven-year currency:

• Anatomy / A&P I

• Physiology / A&P II

• Microbiology

This currency requirement will be waived for any applicant who has been working full-time and continuously in the healthcare field since completion of coursework.

AP credits accepted by the undergraduate institution can be used to satisfy general biology, general chemistry, psychology, statistics, and English composition courses.

Medical Terminology

Completion of a designated Medical Terminology course is not required as a pre-requisite course. However, all students who matriculate into the program will be required to pass a medical terminology exam during PAS 736 (Introductory Concepts in medicine). A list of terms that may be used as a guide for studying will be provided to accepted students by April 1^st of their matriculating year through the online pre-matriculation forum. Incoming students may self-study or take a formal medical terminology course prior to matriculation.

Download a list of terms that may be used as a study guide.

Technical Standards ^A3.12e

The technical standards for the Penn State College of Medicine PA Program have been established to ensure that candidates can demonstrate academic mastery, competence when performing clinical skills, and ability to communicate clinical information.

These technical standards are intended to ensure that each candidate has the academic and physical ability to acquire competencies, as defined by the National Commission on Accreditation of Physician Assistants (NCCPA), the Accreditation Review Commission for Education of the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA), the PA Education Association (PAEA), and the American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA). The technical standards are consistent with the technical standards set forth by the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).

The Penn State College of Medicine PA Program is committed to creating a respectful, accessible, and inclusive learning environment for all students and does not discriminate based on race, sex, age, sexual preference, gender identity, ethnicity, handicap, or socioeconomic status. Out of that commitment, and in accordance with both the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, the Program offers support to those individuals who may require a disability accommodation. If a candidate states they are unable to meet the technical standards due to a diagnosed disability, the Penn State College of Medicine will determine whether the candidate can meet the technical standards with reasonable accommodation. This includes a review of whether the accommodations requested would jeopardize patient safety or the educational process of the student or the institution, including all coursework and clinical rotations deemed essential to graduation.

A candidate with a documented disability who wishes to request academic accommodation is encouraged to contact the College of Medicine’s Student Advocacy Specialist in the Office of Health Advancement and Community Engagement.

All candidates, with or without reasonable accommodation, are required to meet the program’s technical standards; including patient care, medical knowledge, practice-based learning and improvement, interpersonal and communication skills, professionalism, and systems-based practice. These technical standards must be maintained from matriculation to graduation from the program.

The ability to meet the technical standards established by the program is essential for the fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies degree. In the event that a matriculated student is unable to fulfill these technical standards, with or without reasonable accommodations, the student will be reviewed with the Academic Progress Committee, and may be dismissed from the program with career counseling support in pursuing alternate careers.

All candidates must be able to independently meet the following standards:

Observation – A candidate must possess:

• vision, hearing, and touch, or the functional equivalent, in order to be able to integrate, analyze, and synthesize data in a consistent and accurate manner o the ability to perceive pain, pressure, temperature, position, vibration, equilibrium, and movement

• the ability to observe demonstrations, exercises, and patients accurately at a distance and close at hand

• the ability to note non-verbal as well as verbal signals

Communication – A candidate must be able to:

• communicate effectively in a professional manner with patients, families, caregivers, faculty and colleagues

• elicit and transmit patient information in oral and written English to all members of the healthcare team

• accurately describe changes in mood, activity and posture o read at a level sufficient to accomplish curricular requirements and provide clinical care for patients

• write or type appropriate medical documents according to protocol in a thorough and timely manner

Motor Function – A candidate must be able to:

• perform the basic and advanced clinical procedures that are requirements of the PA program curriculum

• execute motor movements required to provide and/or direct the provision of general care and emergency treatment to patients o perform routine physical examination and diagnostic maneuvers

• carry out treatment maneuvers, which may include lifting, transferring of patients and assisting during ambulation while assuring their own safety as well as the safety of the patient

• coordinate the use of both gross and fine muscular movements, equilibrium, and prolonged standing or sitting

• elicit information from patients by palpation, auscultation, percussion, and movement of limbs

Critical Thinking Ability – A candidate must be able to:

• independently access and interpret medical histories or files

• identify significant findings from history, physical examination, and laboratory data o provide a reasoned explanation for likely diagnoses and prescribed medications and therapy

• recall and retain information in an efficient and timely manner and be able to ascertain the relationship between this retained information and its application in clinical practice

• calculate, reason, analyze and synthesize

• incorporate new information from peers, teachers, and the medical literature in formulating diagnoses and plans

Behavioral and Social Skills – A candidate must be able to:

• demonstrate the maturity and emotional stability required for full use of their intellectual abilities

• exercise good judgment and professionalism in both the educational and clinical settings

• be honest, self-assess own mistakes, respond constructively to feedback and assume responsibility for maintaining professional behavior

• promptly complete responsibilities attendant to the diagnosis and care of patients under potentially stressful circumstances, emergency situations, and extended hours

• develop empathic, sensitive, and effective relationships with patients, families, caregivers, faculty and colleagues

• adapt to changing environments and to learn in the face of uncertainties inherent in the practice of medicine

• respond to supervision appropriately and act within the scope of practice, when indicated

Ethical and Legal Standards – A candidate must:

• behave in an ethical and moral manner consistent with professional values and standards

• understand the legal and ethical aspects of the practice of medicine and function within both the law and ethical standards of the medical profession

• meet the legal standards to be licensed to practice medicine.

Physical Demands

The U.S. Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT) defines the physical demands strength rating as the estimated overall strength requirement of the job. It represents the strength requirements which are considered to be important for average, successful work performance. The strength rating is expressed by one of five terms and the PA profession is considered light work (L).

A candidate must:

• possess the physical ability to learn and implement the various technical skills required by the program.

• possess an adequate range of body motion and mobility, with or without accommodation, to perform the following essential functions: prolonged periods of sitting and/or standing, occasional bending and stooping and the ability to lift and carry books and other items such as medical instruments weighing up to ten (10) pounds with or without accommodation.

• be able to exert up to twenty (20) pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 10 pounds of force frequently, and/or a negligible amount of force constantly (constantly is defined as an activity or condition that exists 2/3 or more of the time) to lift, carry, push or pull or otherwise move objects including the human body.

• physical demand requirements are in excess of those for sedentary work. Light work requires walking or standing to a significant degree but may also involve sitting for prolonged periods of time. (View Physical Demands Strength Rating)

Healthcare and Patient Care Experience Hours ^A3.12d

Applicants must have a minimum of 500 healthcare experience hours (paid or volunteer) prior to matriculation into the PA program. These hours can be in progress or planned during the application and interview cycle. While the program is flexible in accepting a wide variety of hours to help satisfy the 500-hour requirement, hours as a personal trainer or lifeguard are not accepted.

For admissions related questions, please contact 717-531-0003, ext 285595, or PSUPAProgram@pennstatehealth.psu.edu.

Early Assurance Pathway ^A3.12a

In support of Penn State’s commitment as Pennsylvania’s land-grant university to recruiting and educating students from across the Commonwealth, the Penn State College of Medicine Physician Assistant Program maintains Early Assurance Pathway (EAP) agreements with select partner institutions.

The Early Assurance pathway provides highly qualified students from participating institutions an opportunity to be considered for conditional admission to the Penn State PA Program approximately one year earlier than through the traditional admissions process. This pathway is not an accelerated degree program and does not alter the length or requirements of the PA curriculum.

Current Early Assurance partner institutions include:

• Lebanon Valley College

• Gettysburg College

Eligible students from these institutions may apply directly to the Penn State PA Program through the established Early Assurance process and are not required to apply through the Centralized Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA) for consideration through this pathway.

Early Assurance applicants must meet the academic, experiential, and other eligibility requirements established by the Penn State PA Program and the applicable institutional agreement. Students interested in Early Assurance should contact their institution’s pre-med, pre-health, or pre-PA advisor for specific eligibility requirements, application procedures, and deadlines.

Participation in the Early Assurance pathway does not guarantee admission to the Penn State PA Program. Applicants must successfully complete the Early Assurance application and selection process and satisfy all requirements associated with conditional admission and subsequent matriculation.

Applicants who are not eligible for an Early Assurance pathway must apply through CASPA and follow the Penn State PA Program’s published requirements, procedures, and deadlines for the regular admissions process.

Number of Seats filled by EAP applicants in the 26-27 Admissions Cycle: 0

The PA Program at Penn State College of Medicine has updated its admissions policies, understanding COVID-19 may have impacted your educational experience.At this time, we have updated our policies as follows:

• GREs continue to be an admissions requirement. This remains unchanged.

  • We have never had a minimum GRE requirement and the range of an acceptable score varies. This can be viewed on our .

• While our grading preference remains taking a letter grade for courses, the Penn State PA Admissions Committee revised its grading policy for courses taken in the Spring 2020 and Summer 2020 semesters to accept Satisfactory or Pass grades in lieu of letter grades for both pre-requisites and other courses. Again, our preference is that a candidate reports a letter grade, but if your school did not give you the option to take a letter grade, we will accept Satisfactory or Pass grades for all courses, including pre-requisites, during these two semesters.

• We do not have a minimum letter grade requirement for individual pre-requisite courses; this remains unchanged.

• We have always accepted online courses and labs, including sciences, from regionally accredited institutions; this remains unchanged.

• You will be given the option to detail any academic, professional, personal hardships faced because of COVID-19 by way of an Impact Essay within CASPA.

• Healthcare hours required to matriculate remains at a minimum of 500 hours; many virtual experiences are accepted towards the minimum requirement.

The 2026-2027 admissions interview cycle will be conducted virtually.

We are confident that what has been developed for this year's interview experience will enable candidates to experience the Penn State PA Program virtually to the best extent possible while also providing candidates ample opportunity to share who they are.

Our admissions committee will learn a great deal before a request to interview is offered based on all aspects of the CASPA and secondary applications. Our committee takes great pride in reading and reviewing each candidate's file prior to interviewing.

It is the goal of the PA admissions committee to provide a seamless, safe and informative experience from the candidate’s current location.

Interview sessions provide a personalized experience with the program and involve the following activities:

• Program director interview

• Faculty/staff/alumni panel

• Program presentation

• Current student session