Physician Assistant students hard at work

Physician Assistant Program Admissions Requirements

  1. A bachelor’s degree from a four-year regionally accredited college or university. No specific major is required. An overall GPA of 3.0 or higher is recommended.
  2. Satisfactory completion (a letter grade of C or better) in the Medical Core Prerequisite courses. All coursework must be taken in the United States at a regionally accredited institution. A prerequisite GPA of 3.2 or higher is recommended.
  3. A science GPA of 3.0 or higher is recommended.
  4. A minimum of 1,000 hours clinical experience with direct patient contact completed by July 15 of the year planning to enter. Although applicants may be in-progress of completing hours at the time of application, applicants who have completed and/or exceeded the minimum 1,000-hour requirement at the time of application are deemed more competitive.  Beginning with the application cycle for 2025-2026 (entry in August 2026), these hours must be completed at the time of application.
  5. Standardized Tests: The MUPAP does not require a standardized test (e.g., GRE, PA-CAT, MCAT, or Casper) for admission. Extra consideration will not be given if test scores are submitted.
  6. The MUPAP recognizes academic success with review of (cumulative)total, science, and prerequisite GPA. Further, the MUPAP values diverse backgrounds within its cohorts and specifically identifies the below qualities in application review as contributing to the diversity of our program and profession.
    • Students who are from economically and/or environmentally disadvantaged backgrounds (determined from HRSA indicators on the application)
    • Military affiliation (active duty, veteran, reserves)
    • Extracurricular activities (i.e. student athlete, club/organization member/leader, quality volunteer experiences)
    • Completion of an honors program
    • Graduate of a master’s level science program with a 3.0 GPA or higher.
    • Rigorous post-bacc performance (with 25 or more semester hours and above a 3.0 GPA)
    • Cape Fear region resident
  7. No history of drug abuse or conviction of a felony.
  8. No history of dismissal from a PA, medical, or nursing school for academic or disciplinary reasons.
  9. Applicants who have attended and/or completed a foreign or domestic medical school must have achieved a 3.0 overall GPA (program will use WES evaluation for GPA calculation for foreign schools), no history of dismissal from the medical program, and/or no failures on the United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE).
  10. Advanced Placement: The program does accept advanced placement (AP) credit from high school for prerequisite coursework. The program does not grant advanced placement into the program based on previous educational experiences. For example, if a student has been enrolled in another medical program (i.e. PA school, medical school), coursework completed in the previous program will not replace any curricular components of our program, if accepted. All required curricular components of the program must be completed.
  11. Applicants who have completed their degree outside the US must follow policies for Foreign Graduates.
  12. Applicants must complete an application through the Centralized Application Service for PAs (CASPA). No supplemental application is required.
  13. Three letters of recommendation are required as a part of the CASPA application. Applicants are considered more competitive if they are determined by the evaluator to exceed “Average” marks (‘Good’ or ‘Excellent’) in the following categories:
    • Adaptability
    • Conflict Resolution
    • Empathy
    • Intellectual Ability
    • Interpersonal Relations
    • Oral Communication
    • Reaction to Criticism
    • Reliability
    • Self-Awareness
    • Team Skills
    • Written Communication
    • Overall evaluation
  14. Applicants must also meet the program’s Technical Standards.
  15. Completion of a successful interview with the Admissions Selection Committee.
  16. Applicants must review the Policies and Procedures page to ensure understanding of specific program policies and requirements separate of cognitive and non-cognitive admissions requirements.
  17. Background Checks: Only applicants who are accepted to the program and pay an enrollment deposit will be required to have a background check conducted by Certiphi. The average cost to the student is $75-$85, but not to exceed $150. Students will be automatically contacted by Certiphi, via email, within 24 hours of submitting an enrollment deposit. Applicants who have paid an enrollment deposit and who do not complete the background check process or have criminal or felony charges that are not permissible by MU, the MUPAP, or our clinical affiliates will automatically have their acceptance rescinded.