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Physician Assistant Studies Admission Requirements

The CASPA application MUST be completed and "verified" by the deadline in order for the application to be fully reviewed

Deadlines – Priority Deadline January 15, Regular Deadline March 1

Meeting or exceeding the admission requirements does not guarantee an interview or admission to the program.  Applications are being accepted through CASPA.

  • Baccalaureate degree (or foreign equivalent) from an accredited institution.
  • Official transcripts from all institutions attended (this includes transcripts that reflect transfer credit)
  • Minimum cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale
  • Prerequisite minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale

  • Healthcare Experience of a minimum of 500 hours. This can be fulfilled in a number of paid or volunteer experiences including, but not limited to:

    • Medical Scribe
    • Medical Assistant
    • Nursing Assistant
    • Nurse
    • Physical Therapist or PT Aide
    • Pharmacy Technician
    • Patient Care Technician
    • EMT

    *Please reach out to our admissions office for a list of other patient care experiences that also qualify.

    All applicants must either shadow a physician assistant for at least 20 hours or work/volunteer with a PA as part of your clinical experience for a minimum of 20 hours.

  • GRE General Exam – competitive candidates are those who achieve scores approaching 40th percentile and above in each test area. MCAT scores cannot be substituted for GRE.  The CASPA GRE code is 3150.
  • Three letters of recommendation – one should be from a course professor and one must be from a PA-C that you either worked with or shadowed
  • Professional Resume or CV
  • Official TOEFL or IELTS scores. English Test is required of all international students. Students who have a baccalaureate degree from schools outside of the United States or Canada must also have their transcripts reviewed by WES.
  • Personal interview – it is expected that interviews will be granted to candidates who exceed admission criteria. Being granted an interview with the Admissions Committee does not guarantee admission to the PA Program.
  • $75.00 supplemental application fee (non-refundable)

Prerequisite courses: qualified candidates required to have a C or better in each prerequisite course. Qualified candidates will not have more than two grades of C in their prerequisite courses. Prerequisite courses must be on-campus courses in the US.

  • Human Anatomy*
  • Human Physiology*
  • General Biology*
  • Microbiology*
  • General Chemistry I and II*
  • Biochemistry (or combined Organic Chemistry/Biochemistry)**
  • Statistics (or Calculus)
  • General Psychology (or Developmental, Abnormal Psychology)
  • Medical Terminology***

*All science courses, except Biochemistry, must have a laboratory component; Human Anatomy and Human Physiology may be taken as a combined course, i.e., Human Anatomy and Physiology I and II. All prerequisite courses must be taken within the past 10 years of application. Acceptable substitutes for Human Anatomy include – Functional Anatomy, Comparative Anatomy, and Vertebral Anatomy. Acceptable substitutes for Human Physiology include Systems Physiology, Mammalian Physiology.

AP credit is acceptable as meeting the math (calculus or Statistics), psychology or general chemistry requirements, contingent on successful passage of the AP examination (minimum score of 4 out of 5). An official transcript from the College Board must be submitted to the University if accepted into the program. No more than two courses with AP credits will be considered.

** Fundamentals of Biochemistry or General Biochemistry is preferred over Introduction to Biochemistry, which typically does not have the depth and breadth required for PA school. If you have taken an Introduction to Biochemistry Course in fulfillment of this requirement, please forward the course syllabus to our admissions team for review. 

***Medical terminology may be taken as an on-line course.

Preference given for candidates who display:

  • Strong academic background (as evidenced by highly competitive GPA, no repeated courses, course withdrawals, or incompletes)
  • Ability to manage rigorous coursework (as evidenced by overcoming challenging life experiences; challenging semesters with high-level science courses; strong time management skills)
  • Willingness to undergo intensive PA curriculum
  • Varied healthcare experiences

In alignment with Kean University’s and the PA Studies program missions, we value diversity in our students and encourage candidates to apply who are

  • underrepresented groups in medicine,
  • first generation college students, and/or
  • from an economically disadvantaged background.

The PAS Program will only accept hybrid/online prerequisite courses for taken during the following semesters: Spring 2020, Summer 2020, Fall 2020, Spring 2021, and Summer 2021. Students must have a grade for these courses; P/F grades will not be considered. Courses prior and subsequent to these dates must be on campus courses in the US.