Physician Assistant Program Admission Requirements
The Master of Medical Science in Physician Assistant Studies (PA) program is designed to embody the diverse culture at Agnes Scott College and educate students to provide community-based healthcare. Committed to educating inclusive leaders to serve diverse patients and their communities, Agnes Scott College’s PA program will train students to practice evidence-based medicine through a rigorous, cohort-based 24-month curriculum.
The PA program seeks to admit students who complete a competitive CASPA application, demonstrate professionalism, dedication, and commitment to patient care. No GRE required for the admission review process.
The CASPA application is now open and closes March 1, 2025.
- Early application submission is highly encouraged.
- Admission decisions are made on a rolling basis, so early application submission is encouraged for this competitive program.
Admission Requirements
GPA Requirement
3.0 minimum cumulative overall grade point average - AND - 3.0 minimum BCP grade point average.
Cumulative overall GPA and BCP GPA are calculated based on all undergraduate and graduate coursework completed from all post-secondary institutions, whether or not a degree was received from a given institution as verified and calculated by CASPA
*Applicants with higher GPAs will be more competitive during the admission review.
Prerequisite Course Requirements
Competitive applicants will have successfully completed the following courses within the last ten years. All courses with a laboratory component must have been completed in-person.- Human Anatomy and Physiology w/laboratory (2 courses)
- Combined Human Anatomy and Physiology courses are acceptable provided the total credits earned equal a minimum of two courses
- General Biology w/laboratory (2 courses)
- General Chemistry w/laboratory (2 courses)
- Organic Chemistry w/laboratory (1 course)
- Additional chemistry -or- biochemistry (1 course)
- Statistics -or- biostatistics (1 course)
- Recommended, not required: Microbiology
- Applicants may apply with no more than TWO outstanding prerequisite courses. Exceptions to this requirement include currently enrolled Agnes Scott students applying as part of an Agnes Scott linkage program. Visit our website for linkage program details.
- All prerequisite courses must be completed by June 15, 2025 for admitted applicants to matriculate into this program.
- All prerequisite courses must be completed with letter grades of “C” or better (not C minus). Classes completed as "pass/fail" will not be considered.
- Courses for which credit was awarded by examination, such as AP courses, are not accepted toward any of the prerequisite courses.
- Advanced placement, IB, or transfer credit from previous healthcare coursework will not be accepted towards this program's degree requirements.
- All prerequisite courses with a laboratory component must have been completed in-person. Completion through online course instruction will not meet the prerequisite requirement.
Residency Requirements
Applicant must be a U.S. citizen or U.S. legal permanent resident to qualify for admission to the program.
- If baccalaureate degree is obtained from an institution outside of the United States, then applicants must complete at least one year (30 semester hours) of additional undergraduate or graduate course work at a regionally accredited U.S. institution prior to application.
Recommendation for Experience
Although not required for admission, more competitive applicants will meet the recommended minimum of 1,000 hours of direct “hands-on” patient care experience, completed as either paid or volunteer experience.- For experiences to be considered "direct "hands-on" patient care, it must involve hands-on contact with patients, and/or high level decision making in a medical environment. Examples include: EMT or paramedic, RN, LPN, nurse's aid, health-related Peace Corps volunteer, physical therapist, clinical researcher if patient contact involved, phlebotomist, radiology technician and non-remote medical scribe with direct patient access.
- Direct "hands-on" patient care, does not include observation or shadowing, non-clinical research experience, CPR or ACLS instructor, student intern hours, patient transporter, pharmaceutical or medical device representatives, pharmacy tech, lifeguard, medical secretary, insurance secretary, medical clerical positions, aerobics or yoga instructors, or personal trainers.
- Applicants with completed experiences should update the "Experiences" section within the "Supporting Information" portion of the application.
- When available, upload proof of patient care/clinical experience hours to the "Program Materials - Documents" section of the CASPA application. Documentation may include the type of contact and/or clinical experience, the location, dates, number of hours, and the supervisor's signature with contact information.
Required Admission Materials:
Submit a complete, verified CASPA application for the 2025 cohort by March 1, 2025. The application is now open, as of May 1, 2024.
- A review of an application will occur only after the application has been submitted, and all materials received and verified by CASPA.
- Incomplete files will not be reviewed by the Admission Committee. It takes approximately 2-4 weeks for applications to be processed and verified by the CASPA.
- See section below for Application Deadlines and Review Process.
Submit to CASPA:
Official transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate institutions you have attended, whether you completed a degree at that institution or not, must be submitted to CASPA. Details about how to submit transcripts to CASPA can be found here.
- Completion of a 4-year bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited U.S. college or university is required to enroll in the program.
Transcripts from institutions outside of the U.S.:
- If transcripts are from a non-U.S. institution, an official Evaluation of Foreign Credentials from is required along with copies of transcripts.
- All applicants that attended a non-U.S. institution must be able to document their degree as being equivalent to that of a four-year bachelor’s degree awarded by an accredited United States college or university. Applicants must have their foreign credentials evaluated by a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (naces.org).
- The evaluation must include: course by course description, documenting equivalence to a regionally accredited U.S. bachelor’s degree (or the number of years toward completion and grade point average).
- If baccalaureate degree is obtained from an institution outside of the U.S., then applicants must complete at least one year (30 semester hours) of additional undergraduate or graduate course work at a regionally accredited U.S. institution prior to application.
Two page single-spaced Agnes Scott Specific statement of purpose
In addition to completing the Essay in the "Supporting Information" section of the CASPA, applicants need to submit a separate Statement of Purpose specific to Agnes Scott College, following the question prompts as instructed in the application.
- Upload your Statement of Purpose in the "Program Materials - Documents" section of the CASPA application.
Three Letters of Recommendation
- Only academic or professional recommendations will be allowed.
- Academic recommendations are encouraged. If you have been out of school for 2+ years, professional recommendations are accepted.
- Letters must be current and no older than one year old at the time of CASPA submission.
- Recommended: One letter of reference from a healthcare professional (i.e., practicing PA, physician, nurse practitioner, healthcare supervisor).
Application Deadlines and Review Process:
The CASPA application is now open as of May 1, 2024 and closes March 1, 2025.
- Admission decisions are made on a rolling basis, so early application submission is encouraged for this competitive program.
- Applications are reviewed after the application is submitted, and materials are received and verified by CASPA. This verification process can take 2-4 weeks before being received by Agnes Scott.
Final Deadline: March 1, 2025
- Deadline definition: The following are the minimum materials that must be received by CASPA by the final deadline: application, transcripts and a minimum of two recommendations. Applications will only be reviewed by the Admission Committee once all remaining materials are submitted and applications are completed and verified in CASPA.
Application Review Process
The Admission Committee, which includes the faculty, director of physician assistant operations, and director of graduate admission, employs a holistic approach.
- Applicants with higher GPAs and those who meet the recommended minimum of 1,000 hours of direct “hands-on” patient care experience (paid and/or volunteer) will be more competitive during the admission review.
- Applicants are evaluated on how their personal values and experiences align to the program’s mission and values.
Once an application is verified by CASPA and marked as complete in our Slate CRM by the admission team, we follow a multi-step application review process:
- First, the admission team determines that minimum requirements are met by the applicant.
- Eligible applicants are invited to interview.
- Faculty, the director of physician assistant operations, and the director of graduate admission conduct a second and third read of the applicant.
- The interview day process consists of: introduction/orientation; group interview; team activity; campus tour; lunch; writing sample; and one-on-one interview. Interview day evaluators include faculty, director of physician assistant operations, admission staff and community physician assistants.
- The admission committee then meets to review each applicant and determine a final decision of admit, waitlist, or deny.
- Applications and application materials will only be considered once submitted, completed and verified through CASPA.
- Qualified candidates will be invited for a personal interview, with interviews being held from September 2024 through April 2025.
- Admitted students are required to submit a $500 non-refundable enrollment deposit and undergo a criminal background check* to fully enroll.
- *Admitted applicants will be responsible for the cost of the criminal background check.