PA Traditional Admission Pathway

To apply to the UC Physician Assistant Program applicants must submit the following:

• Completed and VERIFIED application through the Central Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA)
• Two references. (Instructions for obtaining reference letters are available in the online CASPA application portal.) It is strongly recommended that at least one be from a physician or physician assistant and the other be from an instructor. References must be received by CASPA by the application deadline.
• Official Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores received and verified by CASPA. All test scores must be sent directly to CASPA by Educational Testing Service(ETS). UC’s CASPA-specific GRE Code is: 8830.
• Official transcripts must be submitted directly to CASPA for verification. The UCPAP will only accept transcripts of additional coursework that has been completed AFTER the application is verified by CASPA.
• Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0.

• Bachelor’s degree or higher prior to matriculation.

Applications will not be considered until all application materials (completed application, two (2) letters of reference, official transcripts, and official GRE scores) have been received by CASPA AND VERIFIED.  Please note that from the time your application is received by CASPA, verification may take as long as six (6) weeks.

Complete an Interview

To be considered for an interview, all of the above-mentioned materials must be received and VERIFIED prior to the application deadline of midnight on September 1^st.

Admission to the Physician Assistant Program is highly competitive. Applicants are evaluated and selected based upon the Admissions Committee’s assessment of the student’s perceived ability to successfully complete program training, demonstrated communication and interpersonal skills, emotional maturity and life experiences, awareness of physician assistant roles and responsibilities, and commitment to the mission and goals of the University of Charleston Physician Assistant Program.

After academic eligibility is determined (see Application Requirements) the non-academic portion of the application is evaluated by the Admissions Committee.

Only submitted and VERIFIED applications through CASPA will be considered. All qualifying applications will be scored and individuals with the strongest applications will be invited for interviews.

Traditional Admission applications will be evaluated in the following areas:

Academic Strength

Evaluation of academic strength is largely based upon transcripts including course selection and cumulative GPA and official GRE scores. Science GPA, semester load, and performance in course repeats will also be scrutinized.

Minimum academic requirements include:

• Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0
• Bachelor’s degree or higher from an accredited college or university prior to matriculation.
• Completion or feasible plan for completion of ALL required prerequisite coursework.

Health Care Experience

Applicants must demonstrate an understanding of the Physician Assistant role. Applicants who possess direct patient care experience will be most competitive. Applicants with no direct patient care experience are less likely to be selected for an interview and/or admission.

Examples of direct patient care include but are not limited to: medical/nursing assistant, military medic or corpsman, nurse (LPN, RN), paramedic/EMT, athletic trainer, surgical tech, radiologic tech, and phlebotomist. Other health care experiences that have minimal or no direct patient care responsibility (such as provider shadowing, administrative jobs, and home care) will be less competitive in the admissions evaluation process.

Social Engagement

We highly value candidates who demonstrate active involvement in their school and community. Both the quantity and quality of this involvement will be evaluated in the application process.

Examples include but are not limited to: community service activities, service for one’s church or religious establishment, participating in extracurricular activities at both the high school and college level, and pursuing leadership opportunities.

Personal Narrative

Personal narratives will be assessed by evaluating the ability of applicants to articulate their passion for becoming a Physician Assistant, strengths that will lead them to become an excellent practitioner, and career goals.

References

References provide the opportunity for the UC Physician Assistant Program to examine an external perspective of an applicant’s ability to succeed. Two (2) references are required. Applicants are encouraged to choose references that can speak to the selection criteria described above. It is strongly recommended that one of these references be from a physician assistant or physician and the other one from an instructor.

Supplemental Application

Following application analysis, select candidates will be invited to campus to participate in a remote interview process via Zoom.

All applicants for whom English is a second language must submit a copy of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) with a minimum score of 550 for the paper based test (PBT) and 80 for the internet based test (IBT).

Alternatively, this requirement can be met for UC students through evaluation and recommendation by the University of Charleston’s Director of International & ESL Programs.

Applicants who have completed coursework and/or obtained a degree from an educational institution outside the United States are required to have their educational credentials evaluated by any National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) accredited services such as World Education Services (WES) or Education Credential Evaluators (ECE). Evaluation reports should be sent directly from the credentialing service to the UC PA Program.

Advanced placement and exemption from application requirements will not be granted to international medical graduates.

Does the program grant advanced placement?