Admission Requirements & How to Apply: M.S. in Physician Assistant Studies
About M.S. in PA Admissions
- For the Class starting January 2026 (pending approval), anticipated applications open: May 2025
- Apply online through the Central Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA). Applications are reviewed in the order received, with rolling admissions.
- All applicants must complete the same admissions processes and meet all application and program requirements without exception. (i.e., No admissions or program processes or requirements are waived for any applicant regardless of background and qualifications.)
- Anticipated Application Deadline: November 2025
Admissions Requirements
To be considered applicants must have:
- Bachelor’s degree: in any field from a regionally accredited U.S. institution.
- Completion of prerequisite courses: with a grade of B or better at a regionally accredited U.S. college or university.
- Human Anatomy & Physiology I & II with Labs
- Microbiology with Lab or Biochemistry with Lab
- Organic Chemistry with Lab
- Human Genetics (intro or survey course acceptable)
- Statistics or Biostatistics
- Medical Terminology (must be at least 2 credits)
- General, Abnormal or Developmental Psychology or Cultural Anthropology, or Sociology
- Physics (preferred but not required)
- The program does not accept College Level Examination Program - CLEP - for any prerequisite requirements.
- All applicants are required to complete all prerequisite and other admission requirements regardless of past academic or clinical experience; the program does not award or grant advanced placement and all courses in the curriculum must be successfully completed to be eligible for graduation.
- If an applicant repeated a prerequisite course for a higher grade, the previous course lower grade may be excluded from the program’s GPA calculation.
- Cumulative Undergraduate GPA: minimum 3.2 (on 4.0 scale)
- Biology-Chemistry-Physics GPA: minimum 3.2 (on a 4.0 scale)
- Clinical / Patient Care Experience: minimum 500 hours of paid and/or volunteer patient care experience. Eligible clinical/patient experiences in a health care field with direct patient care including but not limited to work as a nursing assistant, medical assistant, physical therapy assistant, occupational therapy assistant, optometrist assistant, certified doula, hospice care, nurse, emergency medical technician, or scribe.
- State and National Background Check
- Immunization Requirements: in accordance with CDC and New York state recommendations for healthcare providers.
- Technical Standards Attestation: Verification and attestation of the ability to meet technical standards with or without accommodations as ascribed by the ADA
M.S. in Physician Assistant Studies
How to Apply
Apply online via the Centralized Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA), including:
- Personal Statement and Response to writing prompt, completed as part of the admissions application.
- Three Letters of Recommendation one from a physician or PA, one from a past or present professor, and one from a person who can attest to personal character and work ethic (for example, a work or volunteer supervisor); letters from family/extended members are not accepted.
Application Review Process
Application Screening: Northeast College will review fully completed CASPA applications and score candidates based on meeting of all admission requirements and applicant competitiveness and appropriateness for interview. Most competitive candidates will exceed our admission requirements in the following ways:
- Higher Cumulative GPA (e.g., GPA >3.4)
- Higher BCP GPA (e.g., GPA >3.4)
- Completion of prerequisite science courses from a 4-year college/university
- Completion of prerequisite science courses designed for science majors (e.g., biology, chemistry)
- Strong references
- Strong personal statement and response to writing prompt completed in CASPA
- Demonstrated knowledge of the PA profession
- Demonstrated knowledge of and preparedness for the pace and rigor of PA education
- Demonstrated knowledge of and commitment to patient-centered care
- Demonstrated professionalism and strong interpersonal skills
After review, applicants will be determined to be (A) Not Accepted for Interview (i.e., the applicant did not meet program admission requirements, or the applicant was not as competitive as other applicants applying around the same time to warrant an interview), or Accepted for Candidate Interview (i.e., the applicant met all program admissions requirements and was competitive relative to other applicants to warrant a program interview).
Interviews: Candidate interviews are a competitive process completed virtually by videoconference. The interview sessions include scoring candidates based on their relative competitiveness for admission and will include:
- An opening session with all candidates for faculty and candidate introductions, detailed information on the program, and a question-and-answer session.
- Completion of one or more essays based on writing prompts provided during the interview.
- A candidate small group session.
- Individual interviews with program team.
- A closing question-and-answer session.
Acceptance & Next Steps
Students are accepted on a rolling basis once the application, review and interviews steps are completed. Following the interview, candidates will be informed of the program’s decision and accepted students will take next steps:
- Submit non-refundable program deposit by deadline.
- Complete pre-matriculation paperwork, background check, medical clearance and immunization/Tb testing verification.
- Next Steps: Attend recommended optional synchronous online pre-enrollment workshop led by Dr. Richards focused on student success in a PA program.
Healing Through Doing.
Northeast's PA program focuses on evidence-informed holistic, person-centered and compassionate care to powerfully prepare you for a future PA career in any medical specialty.