Although the post of a Physician Assistant maybe significantly different from that of a doctor, they still aid in providing essential healthcare. A Physician Assistant may diagnose illnesses, prescribe remedies, and even help in administering treatment. As such, a significantly higher degree of academic success is considered vital so as to ensure that patients attain the best of care. Lets’ start with What GPA Do you Need To Get Into Physician Assistant School.
What’s important to note is, there’s no set generally accepted minimum G.P.A. requirement. However a lot of schools tend to use the 3.0 G.P.A. as a standard. What’s more is, besides the calculated overall cumulative G.P.A. most schools consider a bunch of other factors in evaluating an applicant’s academic prowess. More detail below.
GPA Requirement for Physician Assistant Schools
As mentioned earlier, there’s no universally accepted minimum GPA score. However, most institutions tend to set their GPA cut off at the 3.0 mark. You should contact the particular school you wish to apply to too learn more about their unique standards. Also, even though 3.0 may be an acceptable score, this doesn’t guarantee you admission. Rather than focus on beating the cut-off mark, as a potential candidate, you would be wise to find out the average GPA of admitted candidates and aim to beat that instead. This way you have a much higher chance of qualifying.
How Schools Consider Applicants G.P.A.
Besides checking out candidates calculated overall cumulative G.P.A, most schools consider and evaluate applicants’ academic success in usually four (4) ways;
- Your overall cumulative GPA
- Your science GPA
- Non-science GPA
- A cumulative GPA score derived from calculating your biology, chemistry and physics scores. Also known as BCP.
During the application process, most schools will look at your G.P.A. in these four ways mentioned above. Besides your overall G.P.A. a lot of institutions also want to gauge how well you performed solely in the sciences. For this reason, potential applicants are advised to begin tracking their G.P.A. in this regard.
Other Qualification Requirements
It is also important to note that a sound GPA is not the only qualification requirement for getting into a Physician Assistant program. A candidates application may still be revoked despite having an above average GPA, if found lacking other necessary qualification requirements. Below are some other important factors to be considered during your application;
- Healthcare Experience: This is a very essential aspect of your application. Institutions tend to prioritize applicants with a bunch of experience as it not only shows they know what they’re doing but also shows their level of commitment. As such, applicants with tons of experience may be prioritized over those with a not too significant lead in GPA scores. Some schools have a set minimum of healthcare hours required for applicants, unfortunately however, this number tends to vary widely between institutions.
- GRE General Test: Although not all schools may prioritize this, studies show that over half of Physician Assistant schools require the GRE test.
- A Degree: Of course, every program does demand that applicants attain at least, a bachelor’s degree from an accredited university or college.
- Course Requirements: Unfortunately, the course requirements tend to vary amongst programs. Nevertheless, below is a list of prerequisite courses common amongst most schools.
Starting with science prerequisites;
- Biology
- General chemistry
- Physiology
- Microbiology
- Anatomy
Non-science prerequisites;
- English
- Statistics
- And Psychology
- Recommendation Letter: You will be asked to provide a list of recommenders, ranging from 3-5. Make sure to select these people carefully as this step is bound to play a major factor in your application process.
These factors, together with your GPA, make up your application process, for the most part.
What are the Easiest PA Schools to get into?
Here’s a list of some PA schools you can get into quite easily;
- A.T. Still University of Health Sciences: At the number one spot, this institution is one of the easiest to get into, especially with its minimum GPA requirement of 2.50
- Barry University Physician Assistant School (minimum GPA requirement of 3.0)
- Loma Linda University Physician Assistant School (minimum GPA requirement of 3.0)
- Marquette University Physician School (minimum GPA requirement of 3.0)
- Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science Physician Assistant School (minimum GPA requirement of 2.75)
Can I Get into PA School with a 3.12 GPA?
As discussed earlier, this may very well depend on your prospective school’s unique requirements. If your prospective school’s minimum threshold is beneath your score, then it is very well possible. However, the other factors mentioned above, such as; GRE, recommendation letter, healthcare experience, also greatly influence your application process. As such, just scoring barely above the GPA cut-off does not guarantee admittance.
What is the Typical PA School Acceptance Rate?
It is no secret that Physician Assistant programs are quite hard to get into. Although the acceptance rate may vary by state, studies show that, the average acceptance rate for Physician Assistant Schools is around 20%.
Conclusion
A lot of aspiring candidates tend to stress too much on the GPA factor when considering applying to a Physician Assistant school. Focusing solely on getting their GPA above the minimum required by the program. This may not be the healthiest mentality. Instead, candidates are advised to achieve a GPA score above the average acceptance score of their prospective school, while also bolstering their application with regards to the other various requirements. This will help solidify and boost your chances of getting in.