River Forest, Illinois
41.895, -87.81389
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River Forest, Illinois · Master of Medical Science in Physician Assistant Studies
A full-time, 24-month, 106-credit MMS program in River Forest, Illinois, beginning in January. The first year combines biomedical and clinical coursework, patient-assessment skills and anatomy; the second year adds core and elective clinical rotations.
Prepare competent, compassionate PAs for patient-centered care, teamwork, leadership, service and continued learning, with attention to social justice and diverse communities.
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Holistic, rolling review considers academic preparation, patient-related experience, recommendations and writing. Additional consideration goes to current Dominican students/alumni, veterans, first-generation applicants and applicants from backgrounds underrepresented in medicine or with economic/environmental disadvantage. These are selection considerations, not guarantees. Forty-five hours of PA shadowing and optional GRE results above the 50th percentile are preferred.
Summarized from the program’s admissions information. Confirm current selection criteria with the program.
Program admissions informationThe program says all selected applicants interview virtually through Zoom, beginning in June and continuing through summer/fall. PAEA identifies an MMI; the direct program page does not describe the station format. Follow the invitation for the current schedule and format. Offers arrive by phone and email; final decisions may continue through the end of January.
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 — separate-course routeCourse notes & alternativesThree lecture credits plus one human anatomy lab credit. Pair with Physiology below OR replace both rows with the complete Human A&P I/II series: six total credits including a one-credit human anatomy lab. | 4Semester credits | Required | C | Sign in to plan |
Human or Vertebrate Physiology — separate-course routeCourse notes & alternativesPair with four-credit Human Anatomy. The alternative Human A&P I/II series replaces both separate courses and needs six total credits with the anatomy lab. | 3Semester credits | Not required | C | Sign in to plan |
BiochemistryCourse notes & alternativesNo laboratory required; required in addition to Organic Chemistry. | 3Semester credits | Not required | C | Sign in to plan |
MicrobiologyCourse notes & alternativesMust be within the biology department and include a one-credit laboratory. | 4Semester credits | Required | C | Sign in to plan |
General Chemistry I and IICourse notes & alternativesTwo-course sequence totaling seven semester credits, including a one-credit lab. The source does not require a separate lab for each semester. | 7Semester credits | Required | C | Sign in to plan |
Organic ChemistryCourse notes & alternativesIncludes a one-credit laboratory. | 4Semester credits | Required | C | Sign in to plan |
GeneticsCourse notes & alternativesUpper-level course with a biology prerequisite. | 3Semester credits | Not specified | C | Sign in to plan |
Medical TerminologyCourse notes & alternativesMust be a college-credit course; a noncredit certificate does not establish this requirement. | 1Semester credits | Not specified | C | Sign in to plan |
Statistics or approved alternativeCourse notes & alternativesBiostatistics, Behavioral Statistics or Epidemiology also accepted. | 3Semester credits | Not specified | C | Sign in to plan |
PsychologyCourse notes & alternativesGeneral, Developmental or Abnormal Psychology accepted. | 3Semester credits | Not specified | C | Sign in to plan |
Choose one complete A&P route: Human Anatomy 4 credits including a one-credit lab plus Human or Vertebrate Physiology 3 credits without a required lab; OR a two-course Human A&P I/II series totaling at least 6 credits including a one-credit human anatomy lab. Do not add both routes. Each course can satisfy only one prerequisite. Science courses must be within seven years of the entering cohort; that limit is not published for every non-science course.
When courses must be complete: No more than two prerequisites may be pending at application; all must be complete by September 1. Identify pending courses and degrees in CASPA and provide registration proof if interviewed. CASPA GPAs are not recalculated after those courses finish. Complete the required U.S. bachelor’s degree before enrollment.
August 1, 2026 was the CASPA submission deadline for January 2027 entry and has passed. PAEA specifies Blue/Submit status; the program reviews files after verification, which can take additional time. No later cycle deadline is established here. The September 1, 2026 prerequisite deadline has also passed.
For the January 2027 entering cohort; no more than two courses could be pending at application.
January 2027 entry is listed by PAEA and the cohort-specific cost page. Exact orientation dates come from the program.
The program says all selected applicants interview virtually through Zoom, beginning in June and continuing through summer/fall. PAEA identifies an MMI; the direct program page does not describe the station format. Follow the invitation for the current schedule and format. Offers arrive by phone and email; final decisions may continue through the end of January.
Confirm current entering cohort
For January 2027 matriculants, published tuition is $116,918 at $1,103 per credit across 106 credits. Listed mandatory fees total $3,257, so tuition plus those fees is $120,175. The estimated full cost of attendance is $216,499.10, including living expenses and other allowances; individual spending and future rates can change.
Mandatory fees sum to $3,257: $1,500 student + $1,032 lab + $600 clinical + $25 matriculation + $100 degree. Other allowances sum to $13,273.10, excluding living costs. The $1,500 seat deposit is credited against tuition, not an extra charge; it differs from the $25 matriculation fee. PAEA says resident and nonresident tuition do not differ. Financial aid and GI Bill/Yellow Ribbon participation are available subject to eligibility; contact [email protected].
January–December across 18 spring, 21 summer and 21 fall credits. Clinical medicine, pharmacology, diagnostic reasoning, patient assessment, anatomy, pathophysiology, professional practice, evidence-based medicine and Medical Spanish.
January–December: two-credit clinical bridge, ten four-credit rotations, two-credit capstone seminar and two one-credit evidence-based medicine courses. Core rotations cover emergency, internal, family and behavioral medicine, pediatrics, women’s health/OB-GYN and surgery; three rotations are electives.
The published sequence totals 106 credits. Anatomy combines virtual Anatomage-table work with traditional cadaver study. Rotation order varies. Graduate competencies include evaluating clinical evidence, patient advocacy and diagnosis of common primary-care medical and behavioral problems.
| Class | Overall GPA | Science GPA | Combined HCE/PCE hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 3.76 | 3.68 | 3,198 |
| 2024 | 3.83 | 3.80 | 2,451 |
| 2025 | 3.65 | 3.57 | 3,583 |
| 2026 | 3.83 | 3.78 | 2,702 |
| 2027 | 3.86 | 3.83 | 2,469 |
Class of 2027: 30 students, average age 23, 40% from outside Illinois, 27% underrepresented in medicine, 3% veterans, 30% first-generation, 10% male/90% female and 3% with prior graduate degrees. Its averages are cumulative GPA 3.86, science GPA 3.83 and 2,469 combined HCE/PCE hours. Experience averages are not direct-PCE-only figures. PAEA’s unlabelled 3.83/3.78 averages match the older Class of 2026, not the current Class of 2027 table. GRE averages are not provided for Classes 2026/2027; the exam became optional with the 2024–2025 application cycle.
Class averages describe an admitted cohort. They are not minimums or acceptance probabilities.
Graduate outcomes
See first-time program performance with clearly dated national context.
The July 6, 2026 NCCPA report lists Class of 2025 first-time results of 27/30 (90%), national 91%, and ultimate 100%. The latest five program-assigned class labels, 2021–2025, pool 134/148 first-time passes (90.5%, calculated); these are five cohorts, not five distinct graduation years. Class of 2021 and Class of 2022 both show graduation year 2022. For five distinct graduation years 2021–2025, all six listed classes pool 161/176 first-time passes (91.5%, calculated). The annual table uses graduation years: the two classes graduating in 2022 combine to 53/61 (86.9%, calculated), while all other annual rates are the published rounded figures. The report also lists Class of 2020 with graduation year 2021: 27/28 first-time (96%), national 93%, ultimate 100%. Do not substitute all-attempt or ultimate results for first-time results.
Program reporting year not recorded; direct comparison unavailable.
Program reporting period not recorded; direct comparison unavailable.
2025 graduating cohort
For Classes 2021–2025, published entering sizes are 30 each, graduates 30/30/28/29/30, and attrition 0%/0%/6.67%/3.33%/0%. The 2023 graduation-rate cell says 96.67%, but its published 28 graduates out of 30 calculates to 93.33%; this is an unresolved source inconsistency. The other printed graduation rates are 100%/100%/96.67%/100% for 2021/2022/2024/2025. Attrition means permanent loss from the course of study.
ARC-PA history records the program’s initial accreditation.
Continued status followed the final provisional review.
ARC-PA did not approve the proposed increase; the current maximum remains 30.
ARC-PA accepted the required analysis of the 2022 cohort result with no further information requested.
ARC-PA accepted the report concerning a count above the approved entering class size, with no further information requested.
Accreditation-Continued. ARC-PA’s current history lists initial accreditation in September 2016, maximum class size 30 and next review July 2030; the program website still says September 2030. ARC-PA accepted the January 2026 class-size report and March 2024 analysis of the 2022 cohort’s low PANCE performance, with no further information requested. A proposed class-size increase was not approved in June 2023.
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.
