Fees not published
Full-program cost for the August 2027 entering cohort: check with the program.
A closer look
A primary-care and underserved-focused PA program for applicants committed to empathetic, primary-care medicine that serves the community, including rural and underserved populations.
Mission & approach
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Admissions insights
What this program looks for in applicants
Comprehensive multi-step review. Values alignment with mission (empathetic, primary-care-focused medicine serving the community), academic success, interest in primary care and rural/underserved populations, paid healthcare-relevant experience, teamwork/collaboration/integrity, commitment to PA profession, diversity of thought. Out-of-state applicants considered (typical matriculant ratio ~80:20…
Summarized from the program’s admissions information. Confirm current selection criteria with the program.
Program admissions informationHow this program interviews
Red Rocks conducts interviews in-person and/or virtually depending on current health recommendations, with in-person sessions run by the PA Program Admission Committee on the Arvada campus and no telephone interviews permitted.
Source checked Aug 1, 2026. Interview formats and dates can change between cycles.
Program interview informationAdmissions & prerequisites
Admission requirements
Prerequisite coursework
Semester credits or quarter-credit equivalentReview each course, its lab, and the program’s policies. Your links are planning records; the program decides equivalency.
Courses shown as alternatives in the table are not all required. Confirm the accepted route with the program.
- Anatomy and physiology route: Human/Mammalian Anatomy + Human/Mammalian Physiology OR Anatomy and Physiology
| Course | Credits | Lab | Min grade |
|---|---|---|---|
College Algebra or higherCourse notes & alternatives3 semester credits or 4 quarter credits. AP/CLEP may satisfy only this course if transcript verifies the awarded College Algebra-or-higher credit. | 3Semester credits or quarter-credit equivalent | Not specified | C |
StatisticsCourse notes & alternatives3 semester credits or 4 quarter credits; any department accepted. | 3Semester credits or quarter-credit equivalent | Not specified | C |
PhysicsCourse notes & alternatives3 semester credits or 4 quarter credits; algebra- or higher-level math-based course in Physics or Math department. | 3Semester credits or quarter-credit equivalent | Not specified | C |
Cell Biology or Cell PhysiologyCourse notes & alternatives3 semester credits or 4 quarter credits; upper-division course in science department. General biology or microbiology cannot substitute. | 3Semester credits or quarter-credit equivalent | Not specified | C |
GeneticsCourse notes & alternatives3 semester credits or 4 quarter credits; science department; plant genetics does not qualify. | 3Semester credits or quarter-credit equivalent | Not specified | C |
| Human/Mammalian Anatomy 3 semester credits or 4 quarter credits in a science department; upper-division course. | 3Semester credits or quarter-credit equivalent | Not specified | C |
| Human/Mammalian Physiology 3 semester credits or 4 quarter credits in a science department; upper-division course. | 3Semester credits or quarter-credit equivalent | Not specified | C |
| Anatomy and Physiology Alternative to separate 3-credit Anatomy and 3-credit Physiology: combined A&P totaling 6 semester credits or 8 quarter credits. | 6Semester credits or quarter-credit equivalent | Not specified | C |
Organic ChemistryCourse notes & alternatives3 semester credits or 4 quarter credits; Chemistry department; upper-division course. No lab requirement stated. | 3Semester credits or quarter-credit equivalent | Not specified | C |
Policies that can change your plan
- Minimum grade
- C
- Course age
- Prerequisites do not expire, but the program notes that students who took them within the last 5 years perform better academically.
- AP and CLEP credit are treated the same way.
- Yes
- Cycle/deadline
- The 2026 CASPA cycle closed September 1, 2026. The next cycle opens April 2027.
- Course substitutions
- All named prerequisites are required, and no substitutions are accepted.
- Lab
- No lab requirements are stated for the listed prerequisite courses.
- Units
- Most 3-semester-credit courses can be met with 4 quarter credits. Combined A&P must total 6 semester or 8 quarter credits.
For the 2027 application cycle, prerequisites must be completed by September 1, 2027. The 2026 cycle is closed and the 2027 cycle opens April 2027. Courses must be from U.S. institutions accredited by an agency recognized by the Department of Education, with a grade of C or higher and a cumulative prerequisite GPA of 3.0 or higher. Online courses are allowed; pass/fail and S/U grades are not. No age limit is stated for prerequisites. Cell Biology/Cell Physiology, Genetics, A&P, and Organic Chemistry must be upper-division. No additional general biology, general chemistry, psychology, or English courses are required.
Dates & application steps
The prior-cycle deadline of 2026-09-01 has passed; the next deadline is not published.
Only the entering month is given. Confirm the exact orientation date with the program.
Know what the total includes
Published cost estimate
Full-program cost for the August 2027 entering cohort: check with the program.Published figures differ, and no exact total for the August 2027 cohort is available.
Red Rocks does not publish a full-program tuition total for the August 2027 cohort, so the headline stays Not published. Its MPAS cost page lists tuition per credit hour of $571.30 for residents and $787.08 for nonresidents for Fall 2025 through Summer 2026, and the PA curriculum is 120 credits. Rates are set each year, so ask the program for the rate that will apply to your cohort.
Curriculum & clinical training
Initial didactic education
Full-time integrated coursework leads to an eight-week content and procedural integration block.
Return-to-campus instruction
Students return for further didactic instruction after their first two supervised clinical experiences.
Clinical education
Four- to six-week supervised experiences cover seven core disciplines and include a required rural/underserved placement.
The Arvada program spans 27 months and 120 credits. Classroom and clinical blocks are interleaved; the first two clinical experiences are part of total clinical training.
The admitted class
Published class statistics describe the named cohort or population. They are not admission minimums or acceptance probabilities.
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: 97%
- Five-year first-time PANCE pass rate: 96%
Accreditation history
ContinuedSources you can open
Links to the program’s own pages and the official directories we use.
- Red Rocks Community College program page 6
- ARC-PA currently accredited programs — sponsoring-institution directory
- Red Rocks Community College PA program requirements
- Red Rocks Community College program page 3
- Red Rocks Community College program page 4
- Red Rocks Community College program page 5
- Red Rocks Community College program page 1
- Red Rocks Community College curriculum and clinical training
- Red Rocks Community College program page 2
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.”
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