Admissions

ADMISSIONS REQUIREMENTS

Application

The University of New England Master of Science, Physician Assistant program participates in the Centralized Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA). All applicants are required to apply online through this service.

Degree Requirements

Completion of Bachelor’s Degree from a U.S. regionally accredited institution, or international equivalent, prior to matriculation.

• All applicants are required to submit official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended. Official transcripts should be sent directly to CASPA. Please see the CASPA application for additional information and instructions.  

GPA Requirements

• Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0, as calculated by CASPA (inclusive of all coursework taken with no forgiveness for retakes).*
• Minimum Biology, Chemistry, Physics (BCP) GPA of 3.0, as calculated by CASPA.*
  • BCP is the standardized GPA calculated by CASPA and includes all completed biology, chemistry, and physics coursework.
• Last 60 credit hour GPA, as calculated by CASPA, will also be considered.
• All applicants must meet minimum GPA requirements to be considered for admission. Due to the highly competitive nature of the program, meeting minimum admission requirements does not guarantee an interview or acceptance.

* Preference is given to applicants with 3.25 or higher GPA.

Prerequisite Coursework Requirements

Course Subject	Course Credits	Course Details
Biology I and II	8 semester or 12 quarter credits	Labs Required Equivalent to a two (2) semester course sequence.
General Chemistry I and II	8 semester or 12 quarter credits	Labs Required Equivalent to a two (2) semester course sequence.
Microbiology	4 semester or 6 quarter credits	Lab Required
NEW: Biochemistry	3 semester or 4.5 quarter credits	Lab Not Required
Anatomy & Physiology I or Human Anatomy	4 semester or 6 quarter credits	Lab Required Must have been completed within seven (7) years of matriculation.
Anatomy & Physiology II or Human Physiology	4 semester or 6 quarter credits	Lab Required Must have been completed within seven (7) years of matriculation. Animal Physiology/Exercise Physiology will not fulfill this requirement.
Psychology/Sociology	6 semester or 9 quarter credits	Behavioral Science courses are acceptable to fulfill this requirement Equivalent to two (2) courses.
English	6 semester or 9 quarter credits	Equivalent to two (2) courses.
Statistics	3 semester or 4.5 quarter credits	A college-level statistics course is acceptable to fulfill this requirement

Highly Recommended Courses

Additional consideration will be given to applicants who have successfully completed any of these courses.

• Pathophysiology
• Advanced Physiology
• Genetics
• Immunology
• Cell Biology
• Organic Chemistry w/lab

Other Important Prerequisite Coursework Notes

• All prerequisite courses must be successfully completed with a grade of “C” or better (“C minus” grades are not acceptable).
• Prerequisite courses may be in progress or planned at the time of application, although all courses must be completed with official transcripts submitted to CASPA no later than December 31, 2022.
• Official transcripts for coursework and/or degrees completed in the summer/fall term should be submitted to CASPA for verification during the CASPA Academic Update period.
• Official transcripts for coursework and/or degrees completed in the spring term should be submitted directly to UNE’s Office of Graduate Admissions prior to the start of the program.

All planned or in-progress coursework should be listed on the CASPA application at the time of application submission; not doing so will result in the applicant not meeting all admissions requirements and therefore will not be eligible for admission review.

Online courses offered through UNE’s Online Science Prerequisites as well as online courses from other regionally accredited U.S. colleges or universities are acceptable with program approval.

LETTERS OF EVALUATION

Three (3) letters of evaluation* are required- submitted via CASPA

• One (1) letter must come from a healthcare provider (allopathic physician, osteopathic physician, physician assistant, or nurse practitioner) is required.
• Two (2) letters from other healthcare providers, professors, supervisors, or co-workers. Letters should be requested from those who can speak to the applicant’s academic abilities and/or professional experiences.

^{*Letters from friends or family members are not acceptable.}

EXPERIENCE HOURS

All experiences should be documented in the CASPA application.

Applicants are required to complete a minimum of 500 hours of direct patient care experience:

• Hours can be completed through paid employment or volunteer work.
• Hours completed for academic credit, e.g. internship hours to complete a bachelor’s degree is acceptable.

Shadowing Requirement-10 hours of Physician Assistant (PA) shadowing prior to the application deadline is PREFERRED:  

• The University of New England's PA program typically requires a minimum of 10 hours of in-person PA shadowing. However, we understand that shadowing opportunities have been greatly reduced or eliminated since the pandemic began in early 2020. Accordingly, an exception will be made to this requirement for the 2022-2023 application cycle. Applicants who have not completed 10 hours of in-person PA shadowing at the time of application submission must instead provide a statement responding to the question, "How have you engaged with the PA profession during the pandemic?" This question is located within the CASPA application.
• Shadowing in more than one practice facility and practice area is recommended in order to gain a clear understanding of the PA role within a medical team.
• Shadowing can be completed virtually.
• Shadowing hours do not count toward direct patient care experience hours.  

PERSONAL STATEMENT

• Please refer to the CASPA application for the writing prompt and additional information.  

INTERVIEWS

Interviews are a required part of the application and admission process:

• Qualified applicants will be contacted and invited to interview by the Office of Graduate Admission.
• Interviews are done by invitation only.
• Alternate interviewing modalities (including virtual interviews) may be instituted as necessary to address ongoing public health concerns with COVID-19. The Office of Graduate Admissions will be in touch with updates, as necessary.  

INTERNATIONAL APPLICANTS

International applicants and those with foreign degrees and coursework are required to satisfy the following additional requirements:

• Official credential evaluation by World Education Service (WES), confirming degree and grade equivalency to that of a U.S. bachelor’s degree. The completed credential evaluation should be submitted directly to CASPA. Please refer to the International Admissions section of the UNE website for more information on the type of credential evaluation required for admission review.
• Applicants whose first language is not English must demonstrate written and spoken fluency through the successful completion of a UNE-approved English language proficiency test.
• Applicants should refer to the English Language Proficiency page on the UNE website for specific information and minimum score requirements.
• Please refer to the CASPA application for test score submission instructions.  

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

Prior to matriculation, accepted and deposited students will be required to complete the following compliance requirements:

• Completion of physical examination with proof of up-to-date immunization status. Please refer to UNE’s Student Health Center for detailed information.
• Satisfactory completion of a criminal background check and/or drug screen prior to matriculation, as well as periodically throughout the program (as required by clinical affiliations).
• All students must have a current American Heart Association Basic Life Support (BLS) certification at the time of matriculation. BLS certification status must remain current throughout the duration of the program.
• Proficiency with commonly used current information technology is required.
• All students must be able to meet the Academic and Technical Standards of the Physician Assistant profession.

Note: All materials submitted as part of the application become the property of UNE and will not be returned or released to anyone, including the applicant. This policy includes letters of reference, primary and secondary applications, personal statements, transcripts, and other supporting materials.

Due to continuing developments with the COVID-19 pandemic, some application requirements and processes may change during the cycle for the health and safety of the university, its employees, and prospective students/applicants. We appreciate your flexibility and consideration.

POLICY EXCEPTIONS

• Policies have been established to ensure fair and consistent admissions practice for all applicants.
• Exceptions to existing admission policies are rare and made on a case-by-case basis, only when it is deemed necessary and appropriate to maintain fair and consistent practice for all candidates.
• All academic (coursework and degree), health, and experience requirements presented in this summary are subject to change per accreditation mandates or clinical affiliation requirements.

ADVANCED STANDING

• No advanced standing is available.

EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING

• No credit is awarded for experiential learning.

Transfer credit is not accepted or awarded.