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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 July 15th at 11:59 pm ET. 

Applications must be fully verified through CASPA by August 15th at 11:59 pm ET. 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 and 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 with lab (8 hrs)*
    • Microbiology with lab (4 hrs)*
    • General Chemistry I & II plus labs (8 hrs)*
    • Psychology (3 hrs)
    • Statistics (2 hrs)
    • Medical Terminology (1 hr)

     

    Recommended Courses (required grade of C or higher)

    • Pharmacology
    • Biochemistry
    • Pathophysiology
    • Spanish
    • Genetics


    Click here for WSU Course Equivalents

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

     

    The PA Program reserves the right to change its prerequisites following closure of our admissions cycle on July 15th. 

    * Science-based courses

  • 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.

    Expiration of Prerequisite Courses

    Students with science-based* prerequisite coursework taken more than seven years prior to the application deadline must either repeat coursework or take the PA-CAT (Physician Assistant College Admission Test). Please note that the PA-CAT does not excuse any missing prerequisite coursework at the time of application. Applicants must have previously met the minimum prerequisite course grade requirement (B-) in their expired coursework to receive credit for the PA-CAT. Information about PA-CAT scoring and reporting is provided below.  

    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

    All prerequisite coursework must be taken for a letter grade. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, courses taken in the years 2020 and 2021 as pass/fail or CR/NC will be considered by the Admissions Committee on a case-by-case basis. 

    Substitutions

    Students granted admission must fulfill all application requirements; no 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. A score of 4 or higher is required in order for AP coursework to fulfill prerequisite coursework requirements. 

  • 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 inpatient settings 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

    Students with expired pre-requisite coursework may elect to take the PA-CAT (vs. retaking coursework). To learn more about how and where to take the exam, go to the Exam Master PA-CAT website.

    • Students must score, at minimum, in the 3rd quintile on the PA-CAT in order to validate expired prerequisite coursework.
    • PA-CAT scores are valid for two years.
    • To report scores, select Weber State University PA Program in your Candidate Score Portal.
    • Applicants must complete the PA-CAT by June 20th in order for scores to be reported by the program's application deadline of July 15th.
    • Scheduling the PA-CAT exam may take up to three weeks; please plan accordingly. 

     

    Taking the PA-CAT may be advantageous for applicants without expired coursework who are looking to be more competitive. 

COMPETITIVE CANDIDATES

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 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:

  • Science GPA >3.5 (as calculated by CASPA)*
  • >9 credit hours or more of recommended coursework*
  • PA-CAT composite scores in the 1st quintile*
  • Service in a leadership role for > 40 weeks
  • Diverse backgrounds: underrepresented minorities in medicine (Black/African American, Native American (American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian), Latinx, Pacific Islander, economically disadvantaged (as defined by the guidelines given in CASPA), history of military service, first-generation college students

Each of the above criteria are evaluated and weighted individually. Academic strength and leadership hours will be weighted at a higher level on an ascending scale (e.g. science GPA of 4.0 will receive more points than a science GPA of 3.5) during the application screening and review process.

*Academic Strength

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 July 15th 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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