Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies Admissions & Deadlines

Admission Selection Criteria 2022-2023 Application Cycle

entree to the PA program is extremely competitive. The program bases its admissions decisions on the pursue : candidates ’ general and skill course GPA, character and quality of prior health worry experience, experience working with or shadowing PAs, leadership and community service activities, professionalism, communication skills, letters of reference, and personal statement quality. The following are specific admissions requirements to keep in mind .

Requirements for Admission to the PA Program

• A bachelor’s degree from a U.S. regionally accredited college or university completed prior to matriculation into the program.
• A minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale is required each, for both the total and science GPAs. The higher a candidate’s GPAs, the more competitive the application. GPAs of  3.3 or higher in both total and science are competitive. GPAs of 3.5 and higher for both total and science are highly competitive.  
• Completion of the following prerequisite courses at a U.S. regionally accredited college or university prior to matriculation into the program.  
  • Human Anatomy
  • Microbiology
  • Human Physiology
  • Psychology/Behavioral Science
  • Biochemistry
  • Statistics
    • We recommend that all prerequisites be taken within seven years of planned program start date.  Human anatomy, human physiology, microbiology and biochemistry must be taken within seven years of planned program start date.
    • You may have up to two outstanding prerequisite courses at the time of application submission.
• Documented hands-on, direct patient contact experience in a health care setting, accrued with seven years of application submission.
  • A minimum of 1,000 hours of direct patient contact experience (via paid employment) is required at the time of application submission.  Having more than 1,500 hours is competitive, and more than 2,500 hours is highly competitive.
  • Experience working with Advanced Practice Providers or physicians is preferred.
  • Hours accrued during the completion of previous academic degrees, certifications or training do not count towards health care experience hours
• Three professional letters of reference.   We recommend references be from educators, PAs, MDs, or other professionals that candidates have worked with who can speak to their medical skills, academic performance potential, commitment to service, and leadership skills. At least one reference should be from a physician, PA, or other health professionals, and one should be from a college or university instructor. Personal references from family and friends are not competitive for admission to the program.
• A completed application submitted to the Central Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA).  Access CASPA here: https://caspa.liaisoncas.com/
• An interview with members of the PA program faculty and other university faculty and leaders is required for final admissions decisions.
• Candidates are required to complete a supplemental application and submit a $40 supplemental application fee only if they are invited to a program interview. Information regarding this requirement is provided upon interview invitation.
• All applicants must meet the minimum requirements to perform the essential functions of a PA.  See the Technical Standards sheet for more information.  
• Admission is contingent upon successful completion of a health assessment, criminal background check and drug screening processes prior to matriculation.  Information regarding this requirement is discussed during interviews.
• Applicants with coursework or a bachelor’s degree conferred outside of the United States must submit a course equivalence evaluation by either World Education Services (WES) or Education Credentials Evaluators (ECE).
• TOEFL scores, if English is not your native language.  Information regarding this College of Health Sciences standard is available here: https://shayski.com/college-health-sciences/about-college/information-applicants/toefl-international-applicants. 

Temporary Changes to the Program’s Admissions Standards for the 2022-2023 Cycle:

• We will accept passing grades taken in a Pass/Fail system for any course taken from May to December 2020.  This may impact your GPA calculations.
• We will accept passing grades taken in a Pass/Fail system for up to two prerequisite courses taken from May to December 2020.  You must have letter grades for four of the six required courses.
• Candidates are encouraged, but not required, to complete the CASPer assessment. CASPer Information is available at https://takecasper.com/.  Taking the CASPer assessment is not a requirement for admission for 2022-2023.
• Leadership and/or community serve involvement is highly valued for admissions circumstance and contributes to the competitiveness of a candidate ’ s application .
• We will accept virtual shadow hours completed from 2020 to the portray .
• All interview sessions will be held about.

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attendance in the plan is on a full-time basis merely. No advance stand or transfer credits are awarded, careless of a campaigner ’ s former professional or academic experience .
Providing clinical placement sites or preceptors is not a agent of consideration for admission to the broadcast. The PA faculty have sole province for securing sites for clinical rotation placements. Students may recommend a fresh locate for clinical rotation, but that does not guarantee that the web site will be available for placement .
The PA program admits students into the class on a wind footing, which means at each interview school term, offers are made to fill seats in the class. Under a wheel admissions serve, it is possible to fill all interview spots before the close of the entree cycle. Applicants are encouraged to submit all lotion materials arsenic early as possible .
due to the competitive nature of the application procedure, meet posted admission criteria to the program does not guarantee an interview put up for the program

Additional Factors for Admissions Consideration

Rush University and the PA Program are committed to creating a class environment that mirrors our diverse community and that supports access and inclusion among our students. While all candidates must meet post minimum admissions criteria, candidates with any of the follow factors indicated on their CASPA application are given priority consideration towards an admissions interview and are reviewed on a case by event footing :

• Military veterans
• Persons from an underrepresented minority group in the health care sciences
• Persons from economically disadvantaged backgrounds
• First person to attend a higher education training program
• Recommended graduates from the Rush Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences program

eminence : Rush University presently defines URM in the healthcare sciences as Black/African American, Hispanic/Latin, native American, and Hawaiian/Pacific Islander.

Completing My Application to the Rush University PA Program

The application cycle is open from April 29 to October 1 of each class .
Applications must be submitted on-line via CASPA at : hypertext transfer protocol : //caspa.liaisoncas.com/applicant-ux/ # /login
CASPA application requires :

• Submission of official transcripts for all college course work completed
• Three letters of recommendation
• A personal statement
• Payment of an application fee as outlined by CASPA

For More Information

For extra information, review the Rush PA program information mailboat .
For inquiries related to the CASPA admissions process, contact CASPA immediately.

For questions about the Rush University doctor adjunct platform, contact pa_admissions@rush.edu .
For information about Rush University or the admissions policies of the College of Health Sciences at Rush University, contact the admissions function directly at (312) 563-6626 .
You can attend an approaching open house event to find out more data about the PA program. See the CHS events calendar   for information related to approaching PA Program Open House events .