| Selection Date | Cohort Start Date |
|---|---|
January 2026 | August 2026 |
Applicants who have already completed the required prerequisite coursework and have already completed a bachelor’s degree, or will be completing the final semester of their bachelor’s degree during the spring semester of the application cycle to which they are applying, must meet the technical standards established by the Physician Assistant Studies major to be considered for selection. Admission to the College will be completed upon acceptance into the major.
Centralized Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA)
Penn College utilizes the Centralized Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA ) in its application process. A completed application must be received by the January 15, 11:59 PM EST application deadline. NOTE: CASPA requires applicants to submit at least two letters of evaluation as part of the application process—Penn College does not utilize these letters in its selection decision.
Selection Date & Application Deadline
All selection requirements must be completed and entered into CASPA by January 15th to be considered for entry into the professional phase of the program, which begins in August.
To be considered for selection, all applicants must:
1. Meet one of the following two (2) curricular requirements:
- Have earned a bachelor’s degree from an accredited United States-based institution and satisfactorily completed all prerequisite science courses (see Category 1 below for prerequisite science course requirements).
- Scheduled to complete a bachelor’s degree in the spring semester of the application cycle, applicants may apply with a maximum of 2 prerequisite courses outstanding (see Category 1 below for prerequisite science course requirements).*
2. Achieve a Casper test z-score of -1 (minus one) or higher.
3. Complete and log 500 hours of prior experience hours, including 16 hours spent shadowing a practicing healthcare provider (PA, NP, MD, and/or DO) in CASPA.
*If a student who is scheduled to complete their bachelor’s degree in the spring semester of the application cycle is selected into the program, the selection offer will be contingent upon successful conferral of the bachelor’s degree by June 1 of the selection year. An official transcript confirming the awarded degree must be received by the Admissions Office prior to July 1, or the selection offer will be rescinded.
Selection Requirements
This major has limited seating capacity of 30 students per cohort. Entrance into the major will be determined through a selective admission ranking process to determine the top candidates for admission based on the following four criteria:
Category 1: Prerequisite Science Grade-Point Average (70%)
From the following required courses:
- Biology: two courses with labs,
Acceptable courses include:- 100-level introductory series courses (e.g., General Biology I & II, Introduction to Biology I & II, Principles of Biology I & II, etc.)
- Cell Biology
- Molecular Biology
- Evolution and/or Ecology
- NOTE: Genetics and microbiology are not acceptable as they are separate requirements.
- Anatomy & Physiology: two courses with labs,
Acceptable courses include:- A&P I & II with labs
- Separate Anatomy (with lab) and Physiology (with lab) courses
- Microbiology with lab
- General Chemistry: two courses with labs
Acceptable courses include:- General Chemistry I & II
- Principles of Chemistry I & II
- Organic Chemistry with lab
- Biochemistry
Acceptable course include:- Chemistry of Life
- Genetics
Courses that are not published in Penn College's Transfer Course Equivalency Search may not be accepted.
All prerequisite science courses must be completed at an accredited United States-based institution without exception.
All prerequisite science courses must be completed during the eight-year period immediately preceding the selection year. For applicants applying to the January 2026 selection for an August 2026 program start, all prerequisite coursework must be from 2018 or newer. The PA Program Director, in consultation with the Dean of Nursing & Health Sciences, reserves the right to grant rare exceptions to the eight-year limit on a case-by-case basis, if necessary to fill the cohort.
The prerequisite science grade-point average (GPA) must be no less than 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
When a prerequisite science course is repeated during the eight-year period preceding the intended year of selection, the grade earned on each attempt (even those falling below a 2.0) will be included in the science grade-point calculation used for selection. Grades earned prior to the eight-year period are not included in these calculations.
Category 2: Cumulative Grade-Point Average Calculation (15%)
The cumulative grade-point average (GPA) from all college coursework from the institution where you completed your bachelor's degree.
Category 3: Casper Test (15%)
The following point system will be used for scoring the Casper test results:
| Casper Z-Score | Points Awarded |
|---|---|
| (-1.0) to (-0.5) | 9 |
| > (-0.5) to 0 | 10 |
| > 0 to 0.5 | 11 |
| > 0.5 to 1.0 | 12 |
| > 1.0 to 1.5 | 13 |
| > 1.5 to 2.0 | 14 |
| > 2.0 | 15 |
Students seeking selection must complete the Physician Assistant (CSP-10101 - U.S. Professional Health Sciences) version of Casper test through Acuity Insights . Students may only take Casper test once during the open application cycle, and test results are only valid for that cycle. Penn College does not require applicants to complete Acuity Insights’ Duet assessment and does not utilize Duet results in its selective admission process.
Category 4: Prior Experience (0%)
Required but not scored.
All applicants must document at least 500 prior experience hours including 16 hours spent shadowing a practicing healthcare provider (PA, NP, MD, DO) in CASPA prior to the January 15th application deadline. These hours can be any combination of Patient Care Experience, Healthcare Experience, and/or Shadowing, as defined in the Experiences section of the CASPA Applicant Help Center.
Only prior experience hours obtained within the past five calendar years will be accepted. All submitted hours will be reviewed for suitability by the Physician Assistant program selection committee. The committee may not accept all experience hours submitted. Provide all relevant hours from the past five years (not just the minimum 500) along with a detailed description of key responsibilities for each experience.
Please be aware that virtual shadowing hours will not be counted towards the 16-hour requirement. Additionally, any school-related activities coursework or prior rotations that contributed to grade completion will not be considered as prior experience hours.
Applicants can track hours earned prior to the application cycle via the Experience Tracking Sheet . Applicants will enter experience hours into CASPA during the application cycle for which they are applying for selection.
Typically, any changes to these admission requirements are made prior to the student’s enrollment at Penn College; however, in special circumstances, such as an observed change in program outcomes, the College President may approve more immediate changes to ensure student success. In such cases, students will receive timely written notice of the change.