A.T. Still University of Health Sciences (Central Coast) 1075 E Betteravia Rd, Suite 20 ,Santa Maria, California 93454
34.95303, -120.43572
Santa Maria, California · Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies
A 24-month, 110-credit PA master’s program with a 66-credit didactic year and 44-credit clinical year focused on primary care in medically underserved communities. The California didactic campus is in a documented Santa Maria-to-San Luis Obispo transition.
The Central Coast Physician Assistant program educates culturally competent physician assistants from diverse backgrounds to serve the primary care needs of medically underserved communities.
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Holistic review preferences include first-generation applicants; direct patient-care experience, especially in underserved settings; community service; economically disadvantaged background; verified Central Coast residence; and qualifying Hometown Scholar or affiliate endorsements. Timely endorsed Hometown Scholars who otherwise qualify receive an interview, not admission.
Summarized from the program’s admissions information. Confirm current selection criteria with the program.
Program admissions informationThe current program page says interviews are virtual through Zoom and use an MMI format with a leadership Q&A and three individual faculty interviews. PAEA says Traditional and MMI and no required onsite interview. The direct program description controls delivery and detailed format.
Source checked Sep 13, 2026. Interview formats and dates can change between cycles.
Program interview informationReview each course, its lab, and the program’s policies. Your links are planning records; the program decides equivalency.
| Course | Credits | Lab | Min grade | Your coursework |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Human anatomy with in-person labCourse notes & alternativesMay be part of a combined Human A&P I/II sequence totaling 8 semester/12 quarter credits with both in-person labs. | 4semester credits; 6 quarter | Required | C | Sign in to plan |
Human physiology with in-person labCourse notes & alternativesExercise science, animal and mammalian physiology do not substitute. | 4semester credits; 6 quarter | Required | C | Sign in to plan |
Microbiology with in-person labCourse notes & alternativesIn-person laboratory required. | 4semester credits; 6 quarter | Required | C | Sign in to plan |
General chemistry I and II with in-person labsCourse notes & alternativesFull sequence required; survey chemistry does not substitute. | 8semester credits; 12 quarter | Required | C | Sign in to plan |
Biochemistry OR organic chemistryCourse notes & alternativesOne of the two, not both. A lab is not required. | 3semester credits; 4 quarter | Not required | C | Sign in to plan →This requirement needs an individual course review; completion has not been confirmed. |
College statisticsCourse notes & alternativesBiostatistics or psychology statistics accepted. | 3semester credits; 4 quarter | Not specified | C | Sign in to plan |
Medical terminologyCourse notes & alternativesMust be a college-credit course; certificate or work experience does not substitute. | 1semester or quarter credit | Not specified | C | Sign in to plan |
Required prerequisite coursework: human anatomy 4 semester/6 quarter credits with in-person lab; human physiology 4/6 with in-person lab; microbiology 4/6 with in-person lab; general chemistry I and II 8/12 with in-person labs and the full sequence; biochemistry OR organic chemistry 3/4 with no lab required; statistics or biostatistics/psychology statistics 3/4; and one credit of college medical terminology. All need C or higher. General psychology is not a separate prerequisite. Human A&P I/II may replace separate anatomy/physiology if it totals 8 semester/12 quarter credits and both labs are in person.
When courses must be complete: All prerequisites must be within seven years of the application date. Up to two may be in progress at application and must be documented complete with C or higher by July 1 before matriculation. For the October 2027 start, July 1, 2027 is the applicable completion date.
The Class of 2029 cycle ran April 23 through October 1, 2026. CASPA must reach Verified status by October 1 with the application, transcripts and all three program-required letters. This deadline is still upcoming on the September 13 check date. Qualified applicants then receive a mandatory secondary due October 31, 2026. PAEA independently labels the October 1 deadline Green-Verified.
After a Verified CASPA application, qualified candidates receive a mandatory secondary due October 31, 2026. PAEA lists a $70 fee and a fee waiver. The program page confirms the application and deadline but does not publish the fee amount.
The Class of 2029 admissions page requires the U.S.-accredited bachelor degree by September 1, 2027.
All prerequisites must be within seven years of the application date. Up to two may be in progress at application and must be documented complete with C or higher by July 1 before matriculation. For the October 2027 start, July 1, 2027 is the applicable completion date.
PAEA publishes October 2027; no exact day was verified.
The admissions page gives April 23, 2026; this date was already past when checked.
Confirm current entering cohort
The reviewed ATSU table does not yet publish Class of 2029 prices. For Class of 2028, tuition rows total $129,816 and required technology/equipment fees total $7,758, reconciling exactly to ATSU’s published $137,574 institutional total. Rates may change annually. PAEA lists $120,200 tuition without a visible cohort/basis, conflicting with ATSU’s Class of 2028 tuition rows. The official cohort-qualified amount controls; neither amount is presented as a confirmed Class of 2029 bill.
48,682 + 64,904 + 16,230 = 129,816 tuition; 1,484 + 1,484 + 2,590 + 2,200 = 7,758 fees; 129,816 + 7,758 = 137,574. No Class of 2029 extrapolation. No multi-cohort aid-budget sum.
Primarily in-person instruction with less than 10% asynchronous work.
Seven five-credit Community Medical Experience courses, two Transition to Practice courses totaling six credits and three one-credit clinical seminars.
The program is 24 months and 110 credits: 66 didactic and 44 clinical. Seven five-credit Community Medical Experience courses plus Transition to Practice I/II (2 and 4 credits) and three one-credit seminars total 44 clinical credits. The didactic phase is primarily in person, with less than 10% asynchronous work; San Luis Obispo delivery is conditioned on the planned relocation.
| Class | Published GPA | Published science-related GPA | Published experience hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| PAEA matriculant profile — cohort not identified | 3.40 | 3.20 | Not recorded |
PAEA, updated February 10, 2026, reports matriculant overall GPA 3.4 and science GPA 3.2. It does not label the cohort/year. Gender counts sum to 92, so the directory metrics are not relabeled as the planned 90-seat Class of 2029. The older 2024 fact sheet reports 3.27 overall and 3.16 science.
Published class statistics describe the named cohort or population. They are not admission minimums or acceptance probabilities.
Graduate outcomes
See first-time program performance with clearly dated national context.
Program reporting year not recorded; direct comparison unavailable.
Five-year first-time results are not yet available.
2025 graduating cohort
ATSU reports Class of 2025 entering 90, graduates 80, attrition 11.1% and graduation 88.9%; Class of 2024 entering 90, graduates 82, attrition 8.9%; Class of 2023 entering 90, graduates 90, attrition 2.2%. The source’s cohort accounting can include attrition/deceleration movement, so graduates are reproduced exactly and no missing numerator is inferred from simple subtraction.
ARC-PA first accredited the program and approved a maximum class size of 90.
ARC-PA retained the maximum class size of 90.
ARC-PA reported sufficient compliance, zero areas of noncompliance and one new observation.
The current ARC-PA directory and history both list January 2036.
ARC-PA lists first accreditation June 25, 2021, Accreditation-Continued after the January 2026 Final Provisional review, maximum class size 90 and next review January 2036. The history says zero areas of noncompliance and one new observation; the extracted evidence did not expose enough text to characterize that observation.
Follow the source for the policy or cohort you are reviewing. A check date is separate from the year a figure describes.
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.”
Unpublished policies and unverified cohort statistics are left open for confirmation.
