ÌÇÐÄvlogÊÓƵ

Applicants from all academic disciplines are welcome to apply, provided they meet the preparatory course prerequisites.

The Physician Assistant Program uses the Application portal. CASPA will open on April 25, 2024, and close on Aug. 1, 2024, for our next cohort beginning January 2025. ÌÇÐÄvlogÊÓƵ does not have a supplemental application or supplemental application fee.

The PA Program does not require the GRE or other standardized tests. Clinical experience is not required prior to the application process.

All prerequisites must be completed at a regionally accredited college or university in the United States. AP, IB, CLEP, or other test credits are not accepted for prerequisites. It is recommended that prerequisites be completed within the last seven years.

Students enrolled in the PA Program will be required to complete all courses.

Due to the challenges of the curriculum, students enrolled in the program are strongly discouraged from attempting to maintain outside employment.

Admissions decisions are based on evidence of academic preparation, letters of recommendation, your resume, and if selected for final consideration, an on-campus interview.

For students who may reapply for the Spring 2026 cohort, please note that the Biological Science prerequisites must be completed within the last seven years and 9 of the 15 hours (3 of 5 courses) must be upper level (300/400+ or 3000/4000+).

Admissions Requirements

• A baccalaureate degree from an institution accredited by the Commission on Colleges of Regional Accrediting Organization is required. Applicants must earn a bachelor’s degree prior to matriculation.
• A minimum undergraduate or graduate degree cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale is required.
• A minimum science GPA of a 3.0 is required.
• All prerequisite courses must be completed at a regionally accredited college or university in the United States. For candidates holding foreign degrees, a total of 60 semester credits (approximately two years) at a regionally accredited U.S. college or university must be completed as well, prerequisite credit included. No exceptions.
• ALL PREREQUISITES must be completed by Aug. 15 of the year prior to the next cohort beginning. If you receive an interview, verification of completion of the prerequisites must be shown at the time of the interview in the form of an official transcript containing the coursework.

Required Documents for Application

2. Three letters of recommendation
3. Personal Resume
4. Official Transcripts from every college or university attended
5. CASPA Application fee - determined by the amount of CASPA programs that you are applying to

Prerequisites

Applicants from all academic disciplines are welcome to apply, provided they meet the preparatory course prerequisites.

The Physician Assistant Program uses the Application portal. CASPA will open late April 2025 and close on Aug. 1, 2025, for our cohort beginning January 2026. ÌÇÐÄvlogÊÓƵ does not have a supplemental application or supplemental application fee.

The PA Program does not require the GRE or other standardized tests. Clinical experience is not required prior to the application process.

All prerequisites must be completed at a regionally accredited college or university in the United States. AP, IB, CLEP, or other test credits are not accepted for prerequisites. Biological Science prerequisites must be completed within the last seven years and 9 of the 15 hours (3 of 5 courses) must be upper-level courses (300-400+ or 3000/4000+). All other course prerequisites are recommended to have been completed within the last seven years, but not required.

Students enrolled in the PA Program will be required to complete all courses.

Due to the challenges of the curriculum, students enrolled in the program are strongly discouraged from attempting to maintain outside employment.

Admissions decisions are based on evidence of academic preparation, letters of recommendation, your resume, and if selected for final consideration, an on-campus interview.

Admissions Requirements

• A baccalaureate degree from an institution accredited by the Commission on Colleges of Regional Accrediting Organization is required. Applicants must earn a bachelor’s degree prior to matriculation.
• A minimum undergraduate or graduate degree cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale is required.
• A minimum science GPA of a 3.0 is required.
• All prerequisite courses must be completed at a regionally accredited college or university in the United States. For candidates holding foreign degrees, a total of 60 semester credits (approximately two years) at a regionally accredited U.S. college or university must be completed as well, prerequisite credit included. No exceptions.
• ALL PREREQUISITES must be completed by Aug. 15 of the year prior to the next cohort beginning. If you receive an interview, verification of completion of the prerequisites must be shown at the time of the interview in the form of an official transcript containing the coursework.

Required Documents for Application

2. Three letters of recommendation
3. Personal Resume
4. Official Transcripts from every college or university attended
5. CASPA Application fee - determined by the amount of CASPA programs that you are applying to

Prerequisites

The following courses must be completed within the last 7 years.

Interviews are held in person on OCU's campus. Interview dates for the January 2025 cohort are September 26, 2024-October 1, 2024.

Approximately 150 of the most qualified applicants will be invited for a personal interview conducted at ÌÇÐÄvlogÊÓƵ. Maintaining a high standard of academic excellence, knowledge of the health care system, personal maturity, self-assurance, good interpersonal skills, volunteering in the community, shadowing a PA, and work experience will weigh strongly in the admission decision.

Graduates of ÌÇÐÄvlogÊÓƵ who have an overall and science GPA greater than or equal to 3.50 will be guaranteed an interview for a position in the program.

Essential Applicant Qualities

Excellent interpersonal skills:

• Accurate use of conversational English
• Displays appropriate body language
• Ease of conversation

Maturity:

• High level of personal responsibility (external vs internal responsibility)
• Independently driven

Good life experiences:

• Positive or negative events or experiences that build character (illness, socioeconomic factors, sports participation, employment history)

Knowledge of the profession:

• Discussions with physician assistants or supervising physicians about the profession
• Able to identify possible drawbacks to choosing the profession

Leadership Skills:

• Holding a position as an officer in an organization
• Coordinating a community event
• Supervisory role in the workplace

Strong Academics:

• Major or area of study
• GPA and science GPA
• Institution
• Elective course

Strong upper science:

• Sciences at 3000 level or above
• Accompanying lab course

Strong last 60 hours:

• Important to consider for students with poor early grades in irrelevant course studies
• Consideration should be given to the number of science courses taken in the last 60 hours

The PA Program follows the OCU Graduate Admissions Policy as stated below:

Admission to attend ÌÇÐÄvlogÊÓƵ is considered to be a privilege rather than a right. The university does not discriminate against any individual because of age, sex, race, marital status, physical disability, or religious affiliation.

ÌÇÐÄvlogÊÓƵ is interested in graduate students who want to learn. The Admission staff will carefully consider each application. Important factors that will be considered are undergraduate records, recommendations from academic counselors or persons able to comment on your professional abilities, character, and personality, as well as the interest and goals of the applicant in relation to the graduate programs offered by the university.

The Office of Admissions reserves the right to request any additional information before making a decision on admission. All transcripts, test scores, correspondence, or other materials submitted in conjunction with an application for admission become the permanent property of the university and will not be returned. Providing false or incomplete information on this application may result in a denial of admission or a cancellation of registration.

In addition to this policy, the PA Program considers the following criteria in the selection of students for the PA Program. The Admissions Committee will evaluate the applicant’s academic record (overall GPA, science GPA, last 60 hours GPA, level of difficulty) as well as individual qualities that include interpersonal skills, maturity, life experiences, knowledge of the profession, community service, and leadership skills.

GENERAL DISCLOSURE: 

The U.S. Department of Education requires the Physician Assistant (PA) program to provide professional licensure information to students regarding academic programs that lead to a professional licensure or certification that is required for employment. Professional licensure/certification requirements vary from state to state, which may affect a student’s ability to apply for a professional license/certification upon the completion of the program.

PA PROGRAM: 

The ÌÇÐÄvlogÊÓƵ Physician Assistant program is accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA). Graduates of the OCU PA program will be eligible to take the Physician Assistant National Certification Examination (PANCE) administered by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA). Requirements to apply for a PA license to practice in all 50 states and U.S. territories (American Samoa, District of Colombia, Commonwealth of the Northern Marianna Islands, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands) include graduation from an ARC-PA accredited Physician Assistant program in the United States and passing the NCCPA national certification examination. For more information regarding state qualifications and initial licensure requirements, refer to the American Academy of Physician Assistants website at  and each state or U.S. territory licensure board website.  

STATE BY STATE: 

Current as of July 2024. It is the responsibility of the student to confirm licensure eligibility. 

MEETS EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS:                                      

ÌÇÐÄvlogÊÓƵ, Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Northern Mariana Islands, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virgin Islands, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming 

DOES NOT MEET EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of Palaus

Please follow the link to the state-by-state licensure requirements for each program: /academics/overview/professional-licensure-disclosure