Application Requirements

To be considered for admission to the program, applicants must:

  • Hold or be working toward a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited U.S. college or university. Each applicant must have completed a bachelor’s degree prior to matriculation.
  • We do not enroll students who already have completed a medical course of study in a foreign institution or students who have completed a medical doctor degree program (MD/DO)
  • Complete all undergraduate coursework before beginning the PA Online Program
  • Have completed a minimum of 500 paid patient-care experience hours
  • Have a cumulative undergraduate science GPA of at least 3.0 and a cumulative undergraduate GPA of at least 3.0
  • Have completed core undergraduate prerequisite science courses at a regionally accredited U.S. college or university with a grade of B or higher, which include:
    • Statistics
    • Biochemistry or Organic Chemistry
    • Human Anatomy
    • Physiology
    • Microbiology
  • Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident. We allow applicants from every U.S. state and the District of Columbia.
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Selection

The Yale PA Online Program accepts students with a wide range of educational backgrounds and patient-care experiences.  No preference is given to applicants who have majored in science over those who have majored in other fields of study.  We believe a variety of patient-care and educational experiences contributes to the diversity of the program.

The Yale PA Online Program gives preference to applicants who reside in a designated Health Professional Shortage Area or Medically Underserved Area, graduated from a high school at which many of the enrolled students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunches, are first-generation college students, or meet the CASPA definition for economically disadvantaged.

Application Requirements

CASPA Application

Applicants should complete their application in the Central Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA)—an application service for graduate-level PA programs.

Transcripts

Official transcripts are required from all postsecondary institutions attended.

Instructions on how to submit official transcripts to CASPA can be found on the CASPA site.

Application Fee(s)

In addition to the CASPA application fee, we require a Yale PA Online Supplemental Application Fee: 

Payment of this $50 fee (see link below) must be received by 11:59 pm Eastern Time on October 1st. If you have not already paid your supplemental application fee from the direct link in your CASPA application, you may pay by following the instructions in the link below.

Yale Physician Assistant Online Program Supplemental Fee Payment

Fee waivers: 

• Applicants who received a CASPA fee waiver also will receive a fee waiver for the supplemental application fee.

Patient-Care Hours

Applicants must complete a minimum of 500 hours of patient-care experience (paid) at the time of application submission. Instructions on how to enter this information into the application can be found on the CASPA Experience page.

Current patient-care experience (including volunteer experience) is strongly recommended.

Evaluations

We require a minimum of three evaluations to complete the application. One evaluation must be from an academic reference who can provide a meaningful assessment of your academic record. Another must be from a health care industry professional (preferably a supervisor) ​who has worked with you in a paid work capacity. Additionally, you must include one other professional reference of your choosing. Personal references will not be accepted. ​References from individuals you have shadowed can be considered for the other professional reference, but not the health care reference.

Additional Recommendations

Leadership experience, volunteer experience, and shadowing, including virtual shadowing, of physician assistants are strongly encouraged. 

Interview

Interviews are extended only to a select number of applicants who meet the admissions criteria. An admissions counselor will contact these applicants to schedule online interviews. The interview is required for those contacted.