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ADMISSIONS

Department of Physician Assistant Medicine 


Application to the Weber State University (WSU) Physician Assistant (PA) Program will be done through the Centralized Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA) system. The CASPA application cycle opens at the end of April each year.

The WSU PA program application cycle closes September 1st at 11:59 pm MST. 

Once applications are verified by CASPA, they will qualify for screening and review by the admissions committee. We strongly encourage candidates to apply early.

Please see our admissions process and required technical standards for more information.
 

Please note: Students are required to complete all components of the WSU PA Program Curriculum. There are no waivers for required program coursework and we do not accept previous professional level coursework or experience for advanced placement within the program. 

REQUIREMENTS & RECOMMENDATIONS
 

  • Degree Requirements

    Applicants must be awarded a bachelor's degree (or higher) from a regionally accredited U.S. institution of higher education prior to enrollment.

    GPA Requirements

    A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 and a science GPA of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale), as calculated by CASPA, are required.

  • Prerequisite & Recommended Coursework

    Prerequisite coursework must be taken for a letter grade. It is preferred for applicants to complete prerequisite science coursework* in-person.

    Prerequisite Courses (required grade of B- or higher)

    Human Anatomy and Physiology *
    • Human Anatomy and Human Physiology with labs *
    • Combined Human Anatomy and Physiology Series with labs *
    Microbiology with lab *
    General Chemistry Series or higher with labs *
    Psychology 
    Statistics
    Medical Terminology
    * Prerequisite science coursework

    Recommended Courses (required grade of C or higher)

    • Pharmacology
    • Biochemistry
    • Pathophysiology
    • Genetics
    • Immunology

    The WSUPA Program reserves the right to change its prerequisites between admissions cycles. 

    For information about WSU course equivalencies, please see the following resources: 

    Terms & Conditions for Prerequisites

    Coursework Completion

    All prerequisite coursework must be completed at a regionally accredited U.S. institution of higher learning prior to application to the program.
     

    Transcripts

    Prerequisite coursework must be verifiable through official transcripts. Due to the number of applications received, we are unable to review transcript content for prospective applicants. All course requirements and prerequisites are published on this website. 
     

    Pass/Fail or CR/NC Courses

    Prerequisite courses must be taken for a letter grade; courses taken on a "pass/fail" or "credit/non-credit" basis are not accepted. As an exception, courses taken during 2020 and 2021 (during the coronavirus pandemic) will require conversion to a letter grade to be submitted directly from the institution of record to the Admissions Committee. 

     

    Substitutions

    Students granted admission must fulfill all application requirements. AP coursework with a score of 4 or higher is required in order to fulfill prerequisite coursework. No additional substitutions for prerequisite coursework will be accepted, including but not limited to the following: credit for experiential learning, courses completed as part of a professional degree, and/or college-level examination program (CLEP) test

  • Clinical Healthcare Experience

    A minimum of 500 hours of paid clinical healthcare experience must be accrued within seven years of the application deadline and recorded as part of the official CASPA application. Experiences in hospital medicine and/or those in positions requiring autonomous, high-level, medical decision-making are scored highest. Hours obtained observing or shadowing, or as part of an educational program will not be counted towards the 500 hours. 

    Healthcare hours and clinical experience are subject to verification, and the program reserves the right to contact supervisors to confirm reported hours.

    PA-CAT

    All students are required to take the PA-CAT (Physician Assistant College Admission Test). No minimum score is required unless prerequisite science-based coursework was completed more than seven years prior to the application deadline. In such instances, applicants must score within the 3rd decile to demonstrate equivalent academic preparation and readiness for the curriculum.

     

    • To learn more about how and where to take the exam, go to the Exam Master PA-CAT website.

     

    • To report scores, select Weber State University PA program in applicants candidate score portal. 

     

    • Applicants must report scores to the porgram by the application deadline of September 1. It can take multiple weeks to schedule an exam; it is reccommended that applicants plan ahead and schedule their exam only. 

     

    • PA-CAT scores are valid for two years. 

     

 

COMPETITIVE CANDIDATE CRITERIA

competitive candidates will have evidence of the following 

The program aims to select candidates whose backgrounds and interests align with our mission, goals, and values. Candidates who have a science GPA >3.5 (as calculated by CASPA)* and complete three or more of the competitive criteria below will receive preference (additional points), making them more likely to advance to the faculty review portion of the admission process.

Criteria include:

• Alumni, faculty, and staff from Utah colleges and universities

• 3 or more of the recommended courses (listed above)

• PA-CAT composite scores in the 1st quintile

• Service in a leadership role for > 40 weeks

• > 4,000 hours of clinical healtcare experience in an in-patient medicine setting

• > 2,000 hours of clinical healthcare experience in positions requiring autonomous, high-level medical decision making. 

 

 

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

we welcome ALL students at WSU 

Candidates are considered for admission to the Weber State University PA Program without regard to their country of origin. For purposes of admissions and financial aid, U.S. permanent residents are considered equivalent to U.S. citizens.
 

  • DACA

    Deferred Action Childhood Arrivals

    Students with DACA status are currently eligible to apply for and obtain a license to practice as a physician assistant in Utah. Prospective applicants should consult the requirements of the licensing authority in any state in which they consider practicing to determine qualifications for licensure. 

    Information concerning licensure in Utah can be found at the Utah Department of Professional Licensing. Information about other states can be found on the NCCPA website. 

     

     

  • International Applicants

     

    International applicants are welcome to apply if they meet our admissions requirements. Applicants with international medical degrees are ineligible to apply unless they also hold a qualifying degree (bachelor’s or higher) from a regionally accredited U.S. institution of higher education prior to matriculation. We do not provide waivers or exceptions for applicants without a qualifying degree. 

    It is the responsibility of international applicants to maintain their F-1 student status while in the United States. For more information, please refer to the current section of the WSU International Student and Scholar Center (ISSC).

  • TOEFL

    Test of English as a Foreign Language

    Applicants for whom English is a second language must submit their TOEFL scores with their application. The test must have been taken within the two years prior to the September 1st application deadline for an applicant to be considered for an interview.

    Minimum required TOEFL iBT proficiency level scores must be "high-intermediate".

    Weber State University Educational Testing Services (ETS) code for submitting your TOEFL score to CASPA is 4941.
     

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