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Admissions

Before you apply, check our academic requirements and technical standards for becoming a physician assistant.

Admissions deadlines are:

15th
Jan

Long Island Campus
classes start August

1st
Dec

NUMC Extension
classes start January

*CASPA recommends submitting all required materials at least four (4) weeks prior to any PA Program deadline. All applications must be verified by the application deadline.

Admission to the program is extremely competitive with the admissions department receiving approximately 2,000 applications per campus, per year for fewer than 100 spots on each campus.

Who Should Apply

What are we looking for in a student? Besides a love of medicine and a desire to provide health care with compassion and empathy to patients of diverse ethnic, cultural, and religious backgrounds, you should be comfortable with the concept of the PA as a dependent practitioner, a role that demands intelligence, sound judgment, intellectual honesty, and the ability to relate to people.

Applicants to the BS/MS Physician Assistant Program must, by the time of enrollment, have completed a minimum of 90 college credits that includes specific prerequisite coursework.

Some factors to consider:

  • The intense 28-month, 7-semester professional, graduate-level program requires personal as well as financial sacrifices, and demands a high degree of self-sufficiency and well-developed study skills.
  • The rigorous nature of the program precludes maintaining outside employment. Due to the formidable challenge the PA program presents both in the didactic and clinical years, we highly recommend students not work while enrolled in the PA program. The success of each candidate is often directly related to their ability to focus solely on their commitment to their studies. (Standard A3.14h)
  • During the clinical phase, students must be adaptable to variations in scheduling, location of clinical sites, and scope of responsibilities.
  • The profession necessitates working with those who are ill, and interacting effectively and cooperatively with doctors, nurses, and other members of the health care team.

  • The PA Long Island/NUMC program is designed as a 28-month full-time program, culminating in a joint BS/MS degree. All students must complete the same coursework throughout the 28 months of the program, even if you already have a bachelor’s degree and took similar courses. Advanced placement is not granted for the Long Island and NUMC PA program.  All students must complete the full curriculum as delineated in its entirety (Standard A3.15c).  Please contact the Admissions department for any questions.

Ready to become a physician assistant? Start your application.