PA Traditional Admission Pathway

The Traditional Admission Pathway is intended for applicants who will have a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university by the time they matriculate into the UC PA Program. Applicants who are still completing their bachelor’s degree may apply if they provide a feasible plan to complete the degree before matriculation.

Applicants submit their application through the Centralized Application Service for Physician Assistants CASPA.

Traditional Admission CASPA Application Requirements

A Traditional CASPA application will only be reviewed after all the following requirements are met:

• A CASPA-verified status must be obtained by September 1st.
• An overall CASPA-defined GPA of 3.0 or higher is required.
  • Applicants with a GPA between 2.95 and 2.99 may be considered if enrolled in additional coursework that could raise their cumulative GPA to 3.0.
• Two letters of recommendation received by CASPA by September 1st. Letters from a provider (MD, DO, or PA) and an instructor are recommended.
• An official GRE score sent to CASPA code 8830 by September 15th. While GRE scores contribute to the overall strength of an application, there is no minimum GRE score requirement.
• An official Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score (if applicable) for applicants whose primary language is not English, unless waived by the program. Minimum accepted TOEFL scores:
  • Paper-Based Test (PBT): 550
  • Internet-Based Test (IBT): 80
• The TOEFL can be waived if the applicant earned a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited U.S. college or university. Should the Admissions Committee deem that the applicant has not demonstrated English proficiency, the applicant will be asked to take and submit an official TOEFL score to be further considered for a seat in the program.
• If the minimum TOEFL scores are met and an applicant demonstrates a deficiency in written or verbal communication, the Admissions Committee reserves the right to no longer consider them for a seat in the program.
• Official transcripts from all colleges and universities must be included in the CASPA application.
• International transcript evaluations (if applicable) for applicants with coursework and degrees completed outside of the U.S.
  • International transcripts must be evaluated by an approved member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) and submitted to CASPA by September 1st.
  • Transcripts from U.S. Territories do not need to be evaluated if the transcripts are in English.
  • Transcripts from Canadian institutions need to be evaluated by a NACES member.

Once all of the required materials listed above have been received in CASPA, applications will be reviewed in accordance with the program’s Admission Policy. Interview invitations will be extended to the strongest candidates. Conditional seat offers may be extended if the following are documented in CASPA as completed, in progress, or supported by a feasible plan for completion by the date of matriculation.

Bachelor’s Degree

• A U.S. bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution or an equivalent international degree per NACES evaluation.
• If the bachelor’s degree is not yet earned, include a feasible plan to complete it by matriculation in the UC PA Supplemental CASPA section.
• Admission offers are contingent upon completion of a bachelor’s degree.
• Failure to complete the degree before the matriculation date will result in the rescission of the admission offer.

Prerequisites:

• Indicate prerequisites in the Program Materials section of CASPA.
• If prerequisites are not yet completed, include a feasible plan to complete them by matriculation in the UC PA Supplemental CASPA section.
• Prerequisites must be completed at a regionally accredited college or university.
• Admission offers are contingent upon completion of all prerequisites.
• Prerequisite coursework must be completed prior to matriculation.
• Failure to complete required coursework before the matriculation date will result in the rescission of the admission offer.
• A minimum grade of “C” or higher is required for all Traditional Admission prerequisite courses. C-minus grades are not accepted.
• The program will verify whether selected courses meet prerequisite requirements.
• Applicants may be asked to submit course syllabi for review.
• Quarter-hour credits will be converted to semester credit hours using CASPA’s conversion ratio: 1.0 quarter hour = 0.667 semester hours.
• All prerequisites must meet the minimum semester credit hour requirements.
• AP and CLEP credits may fulfill prerequisite requirements; however, they will not contribute to the prerequisite GPA.
• Online courses and laboratory components are accepted.
• Community college credits are accepted.
• The UC PA Program does not accept prerequisite coursework completed through StraighterLine, Portage Learning, or Sophia Online Learning.

International Prerequisites (if applicable):

• Upload English-written syllabi for international prerequisite courses to the CASPA Document section.
• The program will determine if these courses meet requirements.
• The program reserves the right not to accept international prerequisites.

Note: The UC PA Program may consider additional coursework to satisfy prerequisite requirements on a case-by-case basis and may request additional documentation.

 

You can find answers to frequently asked questions in the Frequently Asked Questions section.