Admissions Requirements
Due to the limited number of available seats, the selection process for admission to the physician assistant program is extremely competitive. We accept applications for admission from first time in college and transfer undergraduate students, as well as graduate students. First time in college students as well as transfer undergraduate students without a prior bachelor’s degree, can matriculate into the first or second year of the program (pre-professional phase), based on prior coursework completion. Those students will be awarded a BS/MS upon completion of the program. Graduate students (those that have completed a bachelor’s degree) can apply to matriculate into the accredited professional phase of the program, which includes the didactic and clinical phases. These students will be awarded an MS degree upon completion of the program. Students may not transfer into the accredited professional portion of the program at any point after the start of the didactic phase.
Please note: all students (FTIC, undergraduate transfer, graduate) will take the same coursework in the didactic and clinical phase of the program, regardless of entry point outlined above.
Qualified applicants are determined on the basis of several criteria:
- Interpersonal and intrapersonal, verbal and written communication skills
- Written application materials
- Results of personal interview
- Ability to master the rigorous academic content of the program
- Understanding and knowledge of the PA role within an interprofessional healthcare team
- Emotional maturity and understanding of and motivation to enter the profession
- Commitment to social justice and community engagement
At D'Youville, we are committed to selecting students who are academically well-rounded and committed to meeting the challenges of high-quality education. For first-time in college students, if you have been successful in a traditional college preparatory program in high school, you should be well-prepared for the academic challenges at D'Youville. While we don't require you to submit ACT or SAT test scores, if you have taken or intend to take a standardized test we encourage you to submit your scores if you'd like them to be evaluated as part of your application.
First Time in College Student Requirements
- Submitted application for admission by November 1.
- Official high school transcripts.
- A minimum class average 85 with successful completion of high school graduation requirements and three years of math.
- Math and science subjects must have a minimum grade of at least 83 (B).
- One-year high school science courses in biology/living environment and chemistry.
- Applicants with higher GPAs and more rigorous courses will be considered more competitive candidates.
- Three letters of recommendation.
- Admissions essay addressing all of the questions (below). Essays should not exceed 750 words.
- Why have you chosen the physician assistant profession over other healthcare professions?
- Describe what makes you distinctly qualified to pursue the physician assistant professional degree at D'Youville.
- Identify the methods you used to research the physician assistant profession.
- Provide examples of how you found the physician assistant profession to be different from other healthcare professions.
- Compliance with technical standards of the profession as noted in the application.
Not Required (but utilized in a holistic review for admission if provided; may make an applicant more competitive):
- Standardized SAT/ACT test scores
- Direct patient interaction hours, either through volunteer activities or employment activities.
- Documentation of direct patient interaction (DPI), either through volunteer activities or employment activities, is strongly encouraged. While there are no current minimum requirements, candidates who have completed higher numbers of DPI hours will be considered more competitive.
Commitment to Social Justice/Community Engagement
The program seeks to enroll students who demonstrate a commitment to social justice and community engagement and will consider evidence of such a commitment in the applicant’s submitted materials. Applicants with a demonstrated commitment will be considered more competitive.
Transfer Admission (Undergraduate) Required Review Criteria
Admission to the Physician Assistant program is offered to a select group of undergraduate transfer students who meet the following criteria. Applications and all required documents must be submitted and verified by CASPA by October 1st. Please be aware that verification of applications can take up to 4 weeks.
- Cumulative GPA and Science GPA of 3.00 or higher on a 4.0 scale
- Undergraduate transfer students who complete a majority of prior academic work at a 4-year school and/or were pursuing a healthcare degree will be considered more competitive candidates.
- Applicants with higher GPAs and more rigorous courses will be considered more competitive candidates.
- Official transcripts from ALL previously attended colleges/universities
- Earned grade of B- or better in all science courses (which can only be transferred in for direct credit to the program if they are less than six years old at the time of acceptance into the department). Specific upper-level science courses need to be taken within 18 months; please see the D'Youville course catalog regarding coursework , including:
- Human Gross Anatomy – 6 credits
- Pathophysiology – 3 credits
- Biochemistry – 3 credits
- Three letters of recommendation.
- Admissions essay specifically addressing the topic of why the student wants to pursue a career as a Physician Assistant.
- Compliance with technical standards of the profession as noted in the application.
Not Required (but utilized in a holistic review for admission if provided; may make an applicant more competitive):
- Documentation of completed hours of direct patient interaction either through volunteer activities or employment activities.
- Documentation of direct patient interaction (DPI), either through volunteer activities or employment activities, is strongly encouraged. While there are no current minimum requirements, candidates who have completed higher numbers of DPI hours will be considered more competitive.
Commitment to Social Justice/Community Engagement
The program seeks to enroll students who demonstrate a commitment to social justice and community engagement and will consider evidence of such a commitment in the applicant’s submitted materials. Applicants with a demonstrated commitment will be considered more competitive.
Graduate Required Review Criteria
Admission to the accredited professional phase Physician Assistant program is offered to a select group of graduate students who meet the following criteria. Applications and all required documents must be submitted and verified by CASPA by October 1st. Please be aware that verification of applications can take up to 4 weeks.
- Received a baccalaureate degree or higher from a regionally accredited college or university, with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 grading scale and a minimum science GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 grading scale as calculated by CASPA at the time of application.
- Graduate students who complete a majority of prior academic work at a 4-year school and/or earned baccalaureate degree in science field or other healthcare field will be considered more competitive candidates.
- Applicants with higher GPAs and more rigorous courses will be considered more competitive candidates.
- Official transcripts from ALL previously attended colleges/universities.
- Earned grade of B- or better in all science courses
- Introductory and survey courses are not accepted to fulfill the required science prerequisites.
- Applicants must earn a grade of B- or better in each of the following required subjects:
- Human Anatomy & Physiology (I & II) including laboratory – 8 semester hours*
- General or Developmental Psychology – 3 semester hours
- General Inorganic Chemistry (I & II) including laboratory - 8 semester hours
- Organic Chemistry including laboratory - 3 semester hours
- Microbiology including laboratory - 3 semester hours
- Statistics – 3 semester hours
- English (including 3 semester hours of English Composition) – 6 semester hours
- *Applicants who take the combination class of Human Anatomy & Physiology I (A&P I), then must complete the sequence by taking Human Anatomy & Physiology II (A&P II).
- Note: Students who have not completed pathophysiology and/or graduate-level gross anatomy will be required to complete those courses at D'Youville prior to starting the didactic phase of the program.
- Three letters of recommendation.
- Admissions essay specifically addressing the topic of why the student wants to pursue a career as a Physician Assistant.
- Compliance with technical standards of the profession as noted in the application.
Not Required (but utilized in a holistic review for admission if provided; may make an applicant more competitive):
- Documentation of completed hours of direct patient interaction either through volunteer activities or employment activities.
- Documentation of direct patient interaction (DPI), either through volunteer activities or employment activities, is strongly encouraged. While there are no current minimum requirements, candidates who have completed higher numbers of DPI hours will be considered more competitive.
Commitment to Social Justice/Community Engagement
The program seeks to enroll students who demonstrate a commitment to social justice and community engagement and will consider evidence of such a commitment in the applicant’s submitted materials. Applicants with a demonstrated commitment will be considered more competitive.
Advanced Placement
The D’Youville PA program’s curriculum is administered in a sequential fashion with each subsequent semester of coursework building upon the previous one. Consequently, the program does not consider applicants for advanced placement.
Interview and Acceptance
Following a review of application materials, select applicants are invited for an interview by the PA department faculty. Not all applicants who meet the minimum application requirements will be invited for an interview.
Preference for Specified Individuals or Groups Preference for Specified Individuals or Groups
The program does not maintain admission and enrollment practices that favor specified individuals or groups (e.g., military experience) except for those that are specified on the Admissions Requirements listed above