Address & Contact

Our Address

Nazareth University 4245 East Ave Rochester, New York 14618

GPS

43.1025786, -77.5200682

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PROGRAM PROFILE

Nazareth University Physician Assistant Program

Rochester, New York · Master of Science

Application deadline Oct 1, 2026Passed · CASPA application must be verified by the deadline.
Tuition $116,250Same for residents and nonresidents
Tuition + fees $129,732
Published estimate; the program does not date it. Last checked September 13, 2026.
Class size 30 studentsThe program expects about 30 students, and ARC-PA allows a maximum of 30. Neither is a confirmed enrollment count.
Program length 24 monthsFull program
GRE requirement Not requiredNo standardized tests are listed as required.
Patient-care minimum 500 hoursPaid or volunteer direct hands-on care, completed by matriculation. Conditional admission is possible while hours remain.
Overall GPA minimum 3.20Based on your CASPA overall GPA. The program makes no GPA exceptions.
Science GPA minimum Not published · see policyA 3.20 GPA in biology, chemistry and physics courses (CASPA's BCP (biology, chemistry, physics) GPA) is required. This differs from the broader CASPA science GPA, and no separate all-science minimum is published. See Requirements.
PANCE pass rate No graduates yetFirst-time pass rateFive-year first-time: No graduates yet
U.S. News PA rank Unranked2025 PA edition · Peer-assessed reputationNo published rank for this program in this edition.
YOUR PROFILE & THIS PROGRAM

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Check three basics

Enter any GPA or patient care hours you know. We’ll compare them with this school’s published numbers. This is a starting point, not an eligibility decision.

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THE PROGRAM

A closer look

A full-time hybrid PA master’s program based in Rochester, with scheduled online classes, campus intensives and in-person clinical training.

Live online weekday classesRequired Rochester campus intensivesProgram-arranged clinical placements

Mission & approach

Prepare compassionate PAs for collaborative practice and care for diverse communities, especially underserved populations.

Smyth Hall at Nazareth University, home of the Physician Assistant program classrooms, laboratories and faculty offices
Smyth Hall, home of Nazareth University’s Physician Assistant Program. Image: Nazareth University.
Nazareth overview Checked 2026-09-13
BEYOND THE NUMBERS

Admissions insights

What this program looks for in applicants

Screening assigns points for academic performance, patient-care experience, statements and references; interviews contribute to final committee review.

Summarized from the program’s admissions information. Confirm current selection criteria with the program.

Program admissions information

How this program interviews

VirtualPanel

Interviews run June to October, during business hours, Eastern time, in a panel format.

Source checked Sep 13, 2026. Interview formats and dates can change between cycles.

Program interview information
YOUR STARTING POINT

Admissions & prerequisites

Admission requirements

Overall GPA3.20Based on your CASPA overall GPA. The program makes no GPA exceptions.
Science GPA3.20 biology/chem/physics GPA requiredA 3.20 GPA is required in biology, chemistry and physics courses (BCP (biology, chemistry, physics)). This differs from the broader CASPA science GPA, and no separate all-science minimum is published.
Patient care500 hoursPaid or volunteer direct hands-on care, completed by matriculation. Conditional admission is possible while hours remain.
GRENot requiredNo standardized tests are listed as required.
PA-CAT / CASPerNot requiredNo standardized tests, including the PA-CAT and CASPer, are listed as required.
Recommendations2 lettersOne former college/university instructor AND one supervisor of the required patient-care experience. No PA-specific evaluator is required.
ShadowingNot requiredShadowing of PAs, physicians or other clinicians is not required.
DegreeBachelor's degree needed by enrollmentA foreign degree equivalent may qualify, but prerequisite courses must be completed at regionally accredited U.S. institutions.
ApplicationCASPANo supplemental application. CASPA fees apply; no separate program application fee is published.
InterviewVirtual panelInterviews are held virtually, in a panel format.
International applicantsNot acceptedA foreign degree equivalent may qualify, but prerequisite courses must be completed at regionally accredited U.S. institutions.
English proficiency / TOEFLConfirm with programThe program-specific policy or minimum is unresolved; confirm with admissions.
Science GPA policy & alternatives

A 3.20 GPA in biology, chemistry and physics courses (CASPA's BCP GPA) is required. This differs from the broader CASPA science GPA, and no separate all-science minimum is published.

Prerequisite coursework

Semester credits

Review each course, its lab, and the program’s policies. Your links are planning records; the program decides equivalency.

CourseCreditsLabMin grade
Biology for science majors8semester creditsRequiredB-
Chemistry for science majors8semester creditsRequiredB-
Biochemistry OR organic chemistry
Course notes & alternatives

Biochemistry is preferred. The program's course-age policy mentions lecture and lab, but its 3-credit requirement does not clearly say a lab is needed; confirm with the program.

3semester creditsNot specifiedB-
Microbiology4semester creditsRequiredB-
Human anatomy and physiology for science majors
Course notes & alternatives

8 semester credits combined; introductory courses do not qualify.

8semester creditsRequiredB-
Genetics3semester creditsNot specifiedB-
Medical terminology1semester creditsNot specifiedB-
English composition or equivalent3semester creditsNot specifiedB-
General psychology or equivalent3semester creditsNot specifiedB-
Statistics3semester creditsNot specifiedB-

Policies that can change your plan

Grades and prerequisite GPA
Each prerequisite must be completed with a B- or better. The program does not list a separate prerequisite GPA; the 3.2 minimum applies to your biology, chemistry and physics (BCP) GPA.
Pending courses
You may have at most two prerequisites in progress (not counting medical terminology). All must be finished before you matriculate.
Course age
Courses must be no more than five years old for medical terminology, A&P, biochemistry/organic chemistry, microbiology and genetics. The program director may grant a waiver after reviewing a CASPA-verified application.
AP / CLEP
AP credit is accepted only for biology, chemistry, psychology, English and statistics. The program does not publish a CLEP policy; check with admissions.
Online courses
Online coursework from spring 2020 through summer 2021 is explicitly accepted. For other periods, confirm with the program.
Pass/fail
Not accepted. For spring or summer 2020 courses that had no letter-grade option, you need a recovered letter grade or instructor documentation of your numerical performance.
Advanced standing
No advanced placement or standing.
International eligibility
You must be a U.S. citizen, permanent resident or dual citizen; F-1 student visas are not an option. A foreign bachelor's equivalent requires a WES evaluation and must meet current international admission requirements.
Patient-care duties
Paid or volunteer work must involve direct physical patient interaction; a job title alone does not prove qualifying duties.
Technical standards
You attest to the technical standards at matriculation, and admitted students must meet health and background-check requirements.
Foreign-degree English proficiency
Applicants with a foreign degree must meet the university's international-admission policy, plus the PA program's citizenship/residency and U.S. prerequisite rules. The university lists IELTS 6.5, Duolingo 120, or TOEFL iBT 79 (4.5 on the newer scale). Confirm with the program whether these apply and which score version it accepts.
Interview preference
A guaranteed interview requires meeting all minimums plus either a Nazareth degree with at least 60 Nazareth credits or at least four childhood years in an HRSA-designated rural or underserved area. The preference adds no scoring points, and applicants who are unsuccessful cannot use it again in a later cycle.

Biochemistry is preferred; organic chemistry may substitute. Anatomy and physiology total 8 credits combined. Confirm whether the chemistry option needs a lab, since the course-age policy mentions lecture and lab.

When courses must be complete: Complete bachelor’s degree, prerequisites and 500 qualifying patient-care hours before matriculation.

Nazareth admissions Checked 2026-09-13
BUILD YOUR TIMELINE

Dates & application steps

CASPA verification deadlineOct 1, 2026 · Passed

Your application must be verified by CASPA and received by October 1.

2026–2027
Virtual interviewsDate needs confirmation

Interviews are held during business hours, Eastern time; your invitation will give your appointment.

Final admission decisionsDate needs confirmation

Decisions are published as a month and day each year, with no time of day given.

Next program entryJanuary 2027

Entry month per PAEA (Physician Assistant Education Association); the exact orientation date for this cohort is not published.

THE FINANCIAL PICTURE

Know what the total includes

Published cost estimate

Published estimate; the program does not date it. Last checked September 13, 2026.
Resident tuitionConfirm with program
Nonresident tuitionConfirm with program
Required program fees$13,482
Tuition + required feesExcludes living and other expenses
$129,732

Tuition plus mandatory fees totals $129,732. Living and travel costs depend on your clinical placement. The program's cost sheet lists a $1,500 laptop but leaves it out of its totals, so treat the totals as estimates, not complete budgets.

See additional expenses & assumptions
Didactic-year tuition$67,500
Clinical-year tuition$48,750
Didactic mandatory fees$2,182
Clinical mandatory fees$11,300
Estimate for a clinical-year student living within 50 miles of Rochester. Excludes the $1,500 laptop the program lists.$178,430
Estimate for a student who travels to Rochester only for callbacks. Excludes the $1,500 laptop the program lists.$165,496
Estimate for a student who temporarily relocates for all clinical rotations. Excludes the $1,500 laptop the program lists.$201,496

The program does not print a cohort or year on its cost schedule, and rates can change. Tuition is the same in every location scenario; clinical housing and travel account for the differences. A $1,000 deposit is due within 14 days of acceptance, credited to tuition and nonrefundable.

Nazareth costs Checked 2026-09-13
HOW YOU’LL LEARN

Curriculum & clinical training

0112 months

Didactic

Scheduled online classes plus orientation and campus learning each semester.

0212 months

Clinical

Seven core rotations and two electives, with professional-practice coursework.

93 credits across six semesters: 54 didactic and 39 clinical. Core clinical areas are family medicine, internal medicine, emergency medicine, surgery, pediatrics, obstetrics/gynecology and psychiatry. In the clinical year, students return to campus for 3 weekday sessions after each semester.

Nazareth handbook Checked 2026-09-13
WHO STUDIES HERE

The admitted class

No dated cohort average available

Published class statistics
Overall GPANot recorded
Science GPANot recorded
Patient-care hoursNot recorded
Compare published cohorts
ClassPublished GPAPublished science-related GPAPublished experience hours
No dated cohort average availableNot recordedNot recordedNot recorded

Averages reported without a cohort date: overall GPA 3.51 and science GPA 3.40. These are descriptive figures, not minimums or a confirmed January 2027 class profile. The program has not posted an attrition table.

Published class statistics describe the named cohort or population. They are not admission minimums or acceptance probabilities.

OUTCOMES & OVERSIGHT

The program’s track record

Graduate outcomes

PANCE pass rates

See first-time program performance with clearly dated national context.

  • First-time PANCE pass rate: No graduates yet

No PANCE results have been published. The inaugural cohort is enrolled; accreditation-history wording from September 2025 predates enrollment.

First-time program results are not yet available; no graduates have been reported.

  • Five-year first-time PANCE pass rate: No graduates yet

Five-year first-time results are not yet available.

Accreditation history

Provisional
First accreditedSeptember 20, 2025
Next reviewTo be determined
  1. September 2025Accreditation-Provisional

    Initial provisional accreditation; ARC-PA found no areas of noncompliance and set a maximum class size of 30.

Nazareth accreditation Checked 2026-09-13
CHECK THE EVIDENCE

Sources you can open

Links to the program’s own pages and the official directories we use.

About the U.S. News rank

The U.S. News PA rank uses the 2025 PA edition, matched to the listed program and campus. It reflects peer-assessed reputation, not admissions odds or a personal fit score. Programs without a separate entry are labeled “Unranked.”

YOUR NEXT STEP

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