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PA Entrance Requirements

Admission to the PA program at Stephens College is earned through a competitive process.

Stephens College graduates who meet our prerequisites are offered an admissions interview; these individuals are not given preferential treatment in the final admission decisions and are held to the same standards as all other applicants.

Entrance Requirements

• Conferred bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution by August of the year prior to matriculation
• Overall GPA of at least 3.0
• Science GPA of at least 3.0
• Last 60 Credit Hour GPA of at least 3.0
• Prerequisite GPA of at least 3.0
• Three Letters of Recommendation
• Resume

International Applicants

• Stephens College does not issue student visas for PA students.
• Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited academic institution in the United States or a graduate degree from the United States by August 31 of the year prior to matriculation. No specific discipline or major is required.
• Applicants with non-U.S. degree, including international medical degrees, are ineligible to apply unless they also hold a qualifying degree listed above. We do not accept WES equivalencies in place of degree requirements.  
• All prerequisite coursework must be completed from a United States regionally accredited institution. Prerequisite courses completed at institutions that are not regionally accredited in the United States will not be accepted. 
• TOEFL iBT: If English is not the applicant’s first language, he or she must also submit TOEFL results (paper-based score of 550, computer-based score of 213, or Internet-based score of 79 required) or ESL Certificate of Completion.

Direct Patient Care Experience

• All applicants must have acquired a minimum of 750 hours of direct patient care experience by CASPA application submission. This experience varies and can be acquired on a full- or part-time basis. Paid, direct, hands-on patient care especially requiring certification is most competitive (e.g., CNA, EMT, Patient Care Technician, etc.).
• Volunteer hours while considered favorable, are not counted toward the 750-hour minimum.

Shadowing

• Stephens requires a minimum of 16 hours of shadowing by application submission.
• At least 8 hours of the required shadowing must be completed with a PA.
• The additional hours of shadowing can be completed with an MD, DO or PA.

Competitive Applications

The most competitive applicants exceed our admission requirements and demonstrate several characteristics listed below:

• Exceed the minimum required total cumulative, cumulative science, cumulative last 60 and cumulative prerequisite GPAs
• Exceed the minimum required shadowing hours
• Exceed the minimum required PA specific shadowing hours
• Exceed the minimum required direct patient-care hours in a position that is paid, with direct, hands-on medical care of patients; especially where a certification is required
• Displayed volunteer service hours and work
• Have three excellent letters of reference
• Submit any research or publications
• Completion of one or more of the following courses: Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, Immunology, Biochemistry, Pharmacology, Embryology, Endocrinology, Gerontology, Virology, Pathophysiology, Molecular Pathology, Evolution, Medical Ethics, Nutrition, Epidemiology, and Histology
• Letters of reference from an MD, DO and/or PA

The above characteristics do not guarantee an interview, nor do they preclude an invitation to interview.

Please also note that:

• We are unable to waive any admissions requirements for any applicant regardless of circumstance.
• We do not offer or accept advanced placement or waive any program prerequisite or course requirement.