Admission

An initial $500 deposit must accompany the acceptance reply with an additional $1000 deposit to secure the seat two weeks later. These deposits are applied to the first semester’s tuition and are nonrefundable.  

(A3.12f) Tuition for 2023-24 is $16,785 per semester (x 6 semesters). Find more information about Physician Assistant Tuition, Expenses and Financial Aid on Graduate Tuition and Fees. 

1. Mandatory clearances, which include criminal background checks, immunization tracking, child abuse screening, etc. Additional costs associated with drug screening varies upon clinical rotation: $270
2. Books, supplies and medical equipment Didactic phase: $1,500 
3. Students are required to cover housing and transportation costs related to all off-campus and clinical experiences. 
4. Student health insurance annual premium: cost varies*
5. Additional expenses will be incurred by students electing to participate in global service-learning or international clinical experiences.
6. PA Program Estimated Fees and Costs (2023-2024) document

*Medical Insurance: Upon enrollment into their programs, all students must provide proof of medical insurance and also provide information about their health and medical history. Students who do not provide proof of adequate health insurance will be required to purchase health insurance through the University. Information and applications are available at Student Health Services. 

Information on current costs is available at www.arcadia.edu/finaid. Financial aid is available to assist qualified students in covering tuition and related expenses, as well as living costs. Students in Arcadia University's Physician Assistant program are discouraged from outside employment while enrolled due to the rigors of the program. Students are considered for graduate assistantships based on their academic records once they are matriculated into the program.

Additionally, students can apply to receive up to $20,500 annually through the Federal Direct Stafford Loan at a fixed interest rate. In addition to the Stafford Loan, students can choose to borrow either a Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan or a private alternative student loan to cover remaining expenses. More information on available financial aid and how to apply.

The National Health Service Corps offers loan repayment programs for primary care physician assistants who agree to provide service in a priority health-professional shortage area (HPSA) for a two-year period following graduation. Other loan programs are available through the Allied Health Education Loan Program.

• Department of Veterans Affairs: full scholarships plus monthly stipends for second-year students. (Obligation is two years’ service at a V.A. medical center.) 
• Pennsylvania Society of Physician Assistants: PSPA student member essay contest with three annual scholarship awards of $2,000. 
• PA Student Scholarships
• National Health Service Corps Scholarships

All applicants must apply through the Central Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA) portal. The CASPA portal opens in late April. The application deadline is October 1 and admissions are on a rolling basis. Applying early in the admissions cycle is strongly recommended given the program’s rolling admission process.

Yes, as long as the institution is regionally accredited, prerequisite courses from a community college are accepted. Please note that some required courses may not be offered at two-year colleges due to the academic level of the curriculum.

Some prerequisite courses may be taken online, however, they must be taken at a regionally accredited institution. Please note, it is required that science prerequisite courses be taken with a lab component.

(A3.13c) Yes, as long as your undergraduate institution granted AP credits and they are listed on your transcript.

Patient care experiences should involve direct contact with and care for patients in a medical setting. Examples of experiences that qualify as direct patient care include work as an EMT, CNA, PT aide, and home health aide. The goal is to gain exposure to, and experience in, direct patient care. There are many scenarios in which this can be accomplished.

We highly recommend that prospective students keep a detailed log of hours, which may also include supervisor(s) name, dates/times, etc.

Administrative and research experiences, although valuable, do not qualify as patient care experiences. Hours spent shadowing physicians and/or physician assistants (PAs) are recommended, but are not accepted as direct patient care hours. Hours of patient care experience gained as part of a degree or certificate training program are also not accepted as patient care experience hours. Some examples of direct patient care experiences include:

• CNA
• Rehab Aide
• Physical Therapy Aide
• EMT
• Paramedic
• Medical Assistant
• Patient Care Technician
• Clinical Assistant
• Clinical Care Technician
• Clinical Medical Assistant
• Personal Care Assistant
• Personal Attendant
• Athletic Trainer
• Neurotology Assistant
• Ophthalmic Technician
• EKG Technician
• First Aid Responder
• Emergency Technician
• Phlebotomist

Applicants interested in the two-year PA program, without a preference for either campus, are encouraged to apply to both campuses. We recommend that applicants with a campus preference apply only to their campus of choice. Each applicant who applies to both campuses will be considered for one campus at the discretion of the Arcadia Physician Assistant program after a holistic review of his/her application.

Applicants with a strong interest in public health who are considering the three-year dual degree program may choose to only apply to this program or may apply to the two-year program as well. Again, each applicant will be considered for one program at the discretion of the Arcadia Physician Assistant program after a holistic review of his/her application. 

The Arcadia University Department of Medical Science opened a campus in Christiana, Del., in the fall of 2006. The Christiana Campus is located in an executive center in the growing Newark area and provides a different learning environment. The campus is immediately adjacent to the Christiana Hospital and the Delaware Academy of Medicine Library, which provides access to all students. The campus includes classrooms and laboratory spaces, a Student Center, offices and meeting rooms. The Christiana students are provided access to the University of Delaware library facilities and Athletic and Recreational Center.

The Glenside campus is the historic home of Arcadia University and serves both undergraduate and graduate students. The Physician Assistant program is located in Brubaker Hall, which offers dedicated classrooms, laboratory space, offices and a student resource room. Students at the Glenside campus have access to student services on the campus, including the Landman Library. The PA program faculty are based primarily at one respective campus, but the faculty share teaching and course responsibilities at both campuses.

Both campuses follow the same curriculum and share lecturers. Combined, the two campuses offer the resources and advantages of a large program with the personal attention of smaller classes. Students come to Arcadia to pursue their careers as Physician Assistants of distinction.

The program is accredited for 56 students at the Glenside campus and 49 students at the Christiana campus for a total enrollment of 105. 

No.

Yes. However, you may have no more than two prerequisite courses outstanding at the time of application if you are in the regular applicant pool. Arcadia University undergraduate students who are assured admission candidates may have no more than one prerequisite course outstanding at the time of application.

Yes, it can be. 

No, however, all applicants must have completed their bachelor’s degree prior to matriculation into the program. If you have completed most prerequisites and are in the process of finishing your bachelor’s degree you may apply and be granted conditional acceptance. Proof of your degree will be required prior to matriculation.

No. The stated prerequisites are required of all applicants.

Arcadia welcomes applications from non-U.S. citizens. Official results with acceptable scores from the TOEFL IELTS, or Duolingo are required for all students for whom English is a second language, except for non-native speakers of English who hold degrees or diplomas from post-secondary institutions in English-speaking countries (e.g. the United States, Canada, England, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand). A course-by-course evaluation of all transcripts by an independent evaluation service based in the United States also is required. It is strongly recommended that all science prerequisites be taken at an accredited U.S. institution. Individuals applying for admission to the PA program who have completed their education outside the United States or Canada are required to submit to CASPA a World Education Service (WES) foreign evaluation of their coursework taken outside of the United States or Canada.  The scores must be sent directly from the Educational Testing Service (ETS) to CASPA in electronic format and be no more than two years old.

We are facing an unprecedented and challenging time in academia. Arcadia University has offered the student-centered approach of adopting a revised pass/fail grading policy for the Spring 2020 semester. The Physician Assistant Program recognizes that many undergraduate institutions from across the country have adopted this policy as well. Please note that a passing grade for any prerequisite course taken this semester will meet guidelines for admissions criteria. This will include guidelines for our assured admission pathways.

Please note that we will NOT accept Pass/Fail for any prerequisite courses required to enter the Program that have been taken after the spring semester of 2020. This applies to both the assured admissions pathway AND the regular applicant pool. If a student chooses the option of Pass/Fail for a prerequisite course after this time they will need to take it over so that we may see the final grade and factor that into their GPA. Please contact admissions with any questions.

Yes, students must plan on traveling outside of the Glenside, PA and Newark, DE areas for up to six (6) distant rotations which can be anywhere in the continental United States. "Distant" is defined as greater than 90 miles from the student's assigned campus. Students are responsible for travel, lodging, and other additional expenses that are associated with the distant rotations.

Students are not required to provide any of their clinical rotations. However, students are allowed to arrange up to three external clinical rotations that must be approved by meeting the requirements of the program.

No, at this time Arcadia does not invite applicants for in-person or virtual interviews. Arcadia meticulously evaluates prospective students through their essays and information included on CASPA. While an interview is not required for acceptance to the program, we do offer several opportunities for accepted students to speak with faculty and current students in person or virtually prior to the deposit deadline(s).