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Pat Capps Covey College of Allied Health Professions
Department of Physician Assistant Studies Department of Physician Assistant Studies
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• Admissions
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All materials must be received in the department by
November 1. This includes the CASPA application, Supplemental Application, and GRE scores. To apply, download the
Application Guide, which contains the Supplemental Application, prerequisite guidelines, and frequently asked questions. For application filing instructions, please visit the
How to Apply page.
The following requirements are necessary to be considered for admission into the program. Acceptance into the program is very competitive, and that accepted students typically exceed the minimum requirements.
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Completion of a Baccalaureate degree in any field with a minimum cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, as calculated by CASPA, from a regionally accredited institution prior to the starting date of the program. You may have courses in progress through the spring semester as long as they are completed when the program begins in mid-May.
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Completion of prerequisite course work completed with a grade of “C” or higher, with one semester of at least 3 credits each in:
- General Biology
- General Chemistry I and II
- Human Anatomy and Human Physiology OR Anatomy and Physiology I and II
- Microbiology
- Organic Chemistry
- Mathematics (College Algebra minimum)
- Statistics
- General Psychology
- Medical Terminology (2 credits acceptable)
Please note that:
- Courses for non-science majors will not be accepted for biology and science prerequisites.
- Labs are not required.
- Courses are not required to be taken within a timeframe.
- Courses can be taken at a regionally accredited community college.
- Online courses are acceptable if taken at a regionally accredited institution.
- Extra points are added for applicants take bonus courses: See Extra Points section at bottom.
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Completion of the General Graduate Record Examination (GRE) within the past five (5) years. The department accepts:
- A revised score of 150 in the Verbal and 150 in the Quantitative sections and a 3.5 in Analytical Writing OR
- Old combined score of 1000 in the Verbal and Quantitative and a 3.5 in Analytical Writing.
About the GRE: visit www.ets.org for more information. - The highest complete exam score is used in the ranking of applicants: We do not mix and match scores from different attempts.
- The GRE should be taken at least 14 days prior to the application deadline to ensure that official test scores are received by the deadline.
- Official scores should be sent to Institution Code 1880. Applicants can self-report unofficial scores on their CASPA, but this does not replace official score reports.
- Submission of completed application materials by November 1 as stated in How to Apply. International Students have additional application steps. Please see How to Apply for information. The Department of PA Studies will not review applications that are incomplete, received after the deadline, or do not meet the minimum standards.
Points will be added to the overall application for the following categories:
- Course work completed in Immunology, Genetics, Biochemistry, Physics, Pathophysiology, and Pharmacology.
- Specific background or experience as evidenced in the CASPA application:
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Rural/Underserved. Born in, graduated high school from, or resided in any rural county as referenced on ftp://ftp.hrsa.gov/ruralhealth/Eligibility2005.pdf
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Additional Degree or Training: additional degree, or three or more basic health training certifications or registrations, e.g., CPR, EMT, CNA, MA, PALS.
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Military or Government Service. Includes all branches of service, AmeriCorps and Peace Corps.
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Research, Publications, and Presentations. Includes all professional work.
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Disadvantaged Background
- Overcame significant adversities and struggles as detailed in the CASPA Personal Statement
- Worked with underserved population.
- Economically and/or environmentally disadvantaged, as defined by HRSA as:
An economically disadvantaged student is one who comes from an environment that has inhibited the individual from obtaining the knowledge, skill and abilities required to enroll in and graduate from a health professions school.
An environmentally disadvantaged student is one who (1) has the abilities needed to succeed in a health career, but comes from backgrounds and educational environments that have made it difficult for them to reach and fully demonstrate their academic potential; and (2) Are more likely than other students to provide care to underserved areas and populations following completion of their degree.
Direct patient care and shadowing a PA are recommended. Although we do not require a certain number of hours for either of these, you must show that you are interested in and capable of providing care to patients, and that you understand the role of a physician assistant. Examples of direct patient care are occupational therapy, physical therapy, respiratory therapy, Emergency Medical Technicians, Certified Nursing Assistant, Medical Assistant, or any related healthcare fields involving the hands-on care of patients.
Residency preference will be shown only in the instance when an Alabama resident/Service Area applicant and a non-resident applicant receive the same CASPA-generated score. Alabama residents and Service Area residents are classified as resident applicants, and all other applicants are considered non-resident applicants as defined in the University Bulletin. This preference will be applied to the interview invitation list and the accepted list.
