Admission Requirements

Application Deadlines 

Priority Deadline: January 15 

Regular Deadline: March 1 

To be considered for admission, both the CASPA application and the Kean University CAS Supplemental Application must be submitted and verified by the applicable deadline. 

Apply Now through CASPA  

Complete Kean University CASPA Supplemental Application 

Minimum Admission Requirements (A3.12a-d) 

Applicants must meet the following minimum requirements: 

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution (or foreign equivalent) 
• Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 
• Minimum prerequisite GPA of 3.0 
• Minimum of 500 hours of direct patient care experience 
• Minimum of 20 hours shadowing a Physician Assistant (or work/volunteer experience with a PA) 
• GRE scores submitted through CASPA (Code: 3150) 
• Three letters of recommendation 
• One academic reference 
• One PA-C reference 
• Professional resume or curriculum vitae (CV) 
• Supplemental application fee: $75 

Meeting minimum requirements does not guarantee an interview or admission. 

Direct Patient Care Experience 

Applicants must complete a minimum of 500 hours of healthcare experience. 

Examples include: 

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

Additional experiences may qualify. Please contact pastudies@kean.edu for guidance. 

International Applicants 

International applicants must submit: 

• Official TOEFL or IELTS scores 
• WES course-by-course transcript evaluation for all international coursework 

Selection Process (A3.13) 

Competitive applicants typically demonstrate: 

• Strong academic performance 
• Success in rigorous science coursework 
• Meaningful healthcare experience 
• Professional maturity and communication skills 
• Commitment to the physician assistant profession 

Selected applicants may be invited to interview with the Admissions Committee. 

An interview invitation does not guarantee admission to the program. 

Prerequisite Coursework  

Applicants must complete all prerequisite coursework with a grade of C or better prior to matriculation. 

Qualified applicants will have no more than two grades of C within the prerequisite coursework. 

All prerequisite courses must be completed within 10 years of application. 

Required Prerequisite Courses 

*Science Course Requirements* 

All science courses, with the exception of Biochemistry, must include a laboratory component. 

Human Anatomy and Human Physiology may be completed as a combined sequence (Anatomy & Physiology I and II). 

Acceptable Anatomy substitutes include: 

• Functional Anatomy 
• Comparative Anatomy 
• Vertebrate Anatomy 

Acceptable Physiology substitutes include: 

• Systems Physiology 
• Mammalian Physiology 

**Biochemistry Requirement** 

General Biochemistry or Fundamentals of Biochemistry is preferred. 

Students who have completed an Introduction to Biochemistry course may be asked to submit a course syllabus for review by the Admissions Committee. 

***Medical Terminology Requirement*** 

Medical Terminology may be completed through an online course. 

AP Credit Policy 

Advanced Placement (AP) credit may be used to satisfy: 

• Statistics or Calculus 
• Psychology 
• General Chemistry 

Requirements: 

• Minimum AP examination score of 4 
• Official College Board transcript required upon acceptance 

No more than two prerequisite courses may be satisfied through AP credit. 

Advanced Placement into the PA Program 

The Physician Assistant Studies Program does not grant advanced placement, transfer credit, or credit for prior experiential learning toward the professional PA curriculum. All admitted students must complete the full curriculum in sequence. 

Online and Hybrid Coursework Policy 

Online or hybrid prerequisite courses are accepted only if completed during: 

• Spring 2020 
• Summer 2020 
• Fall 2020 
• Spring 2021 
• Summer 2021 

Courses completed during these terms must have a letter grade. Pass/Fail grades will not be accepted. 

All prerequisite coursework completed outside these semesters must be taken in person at an accredited U.S. or Canadian institution of higher learning. 

Technical Standards (A3.12e) 

The Physician Assistant Studies Program is committed to providing equal educational opportunities to all qualified students. Candidates for admission, progression, and graduation must possess the abilities and skills necessary to complete the program curriculum and perform the essential functions of a physician assistant. 

Technical Standards describe the cognitive, behavioral, communication, sensory, and motor abilities required for successful completion of the program. 

Applicants are encouraged to review the Technical Standards document carefully before applying.  

Technical Standards PDF

Questions regarding accommodations should be directed to the Office of Accessibility Services and the PA Program Admissions Office.