Address & Contact

Our Address

Loma Linda University 24785 Stewart Street Evans Hall 201 Loma Linda, CA 92350

GPS

34.0530666, -117.2643048

Telephone
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PROGRAM PROFILE

Loma Linda University Physician Assistant Program

Loma Linda, California · Masters

Application deadline Oct 1, 2026Passed · Submitted by deadline
Tuition Resident Not publishedNonresident Not published
Tuition + fees $118,821
AY 2026–2027 cost schedule
Class size 50 studentsClass of 2027: 50 accepted students; the ARC-PA maximum entering class size is 50. Confirm the current entering cohort.
Program length 24 monthsFull program
GRE requirement Not requiredGRE and PA-CAT are not required.
Patient-care minimum 2,000 hours2,000 paid direct hands-on patient-care hours by August 1 of the matriculation year; shadowing, volunteering, and foreign medical positions do not count. 2,000 paid direct hands-on patient-care hours by August 1 of the matriculation year.
Overall GPA minimum 3.003.0 cumulative GPA at application.
Science GPA minimum 3.003.0 science GPA at application.
PANCE pass rate 95%First-time pass rate · Graduating cohort 2025Five-year first-time: 89% · 2021–2025
U.S. News PA rank #93 (tie)2025 PA edition · Peer-assessed reputation
YOUR PROFILE & THIS PROGRAM

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THE PROGRAM

A closer look

Mission & approach

Educate primary-care PAs who practice in collaboration with physicians, committed to excellence and compassion for the whole person and to quality healthcare for disadvantaged communities locally and globally.

Loma Linda University Evans Hall, home of the Physician Assistant program
Evans Hall at Loma Linda University, home of the Physician Assistant program. Photo: Arthur Kroetz.
BEYOND THE NUMBERS

Admissions insights

What this program looks for in applicants

Three-step (CASPA -> supplemental -> interview by invitation); holistic. Admission preferences for Seventh-day Adventists, LLU graduates, LLU Health employees, documented military service, residents of San Bernardino or Riverside County, and applicants with meaningful continuous community service consistent with the LLU mission.

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

Program admissions information

How this program interviews

Interviews are required and offered by invitation only; selected applicants are contacted by phone to arrange a date, and interviews run August through February. Format and delivery are not stated.

Source checked Aug 1, 2026. Interview formats and dates can change between cycles.

Program interview information
YOUR STARTING POINT

Admissions & prerequisites

Admission requirements

GRENot RequiredGRE and PA-CAT are not required.
Patient care2,000 paid direct hours by August 12,000 paid direct hands-on patient-care hours by August 1 of the matriculation year; shadowing, volunteering, and foreign medical positions do not count. 2,000 paid direct hands-on patient-care hours by August 1 of the matriculation year.
Overall GPA3.0 cumulative GPA at application.
Science GPA3.0 science GPA at application.
Recommendations3 letters, including one practicing MD/DO/PA who supervised paid direct care; no friend, relative, shadowing, or volunteer references.
International applicantsAccepted with conditionsInternational applicants are conditionally eligible with a credential evaluation, U.S. prerequisites, and financial and visa documentation.
English proficiencyConfirm with programEnglish testing is required when your native language is not English and your secondary education was outside the U.S. The program does not publish a numeric score, so check with it for the current TOEFL threshold.

Prerequisite coursework

Course sequences; confirm credit units

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

Choose one complete option in each group

Courses shown as alternatives in the table are not all required. Confirm the accepted route with the program.

  • Human anatomy and physiology route: Human Anatomy + Human Physiology OR Anatomy & Physiology I and II sequence
  • Chemistry route: General Chemistry I and II sequence OR Inorganic Chemistry + Organic Chemistry + Biochemistry
  • Sociology or cultural anthropology: General Sociology OR Cultural Anthropology
CourseCreditsLabMin grade
Human Anatomy1 course(s)

Separate Human Anatomy and Human Physiology courses, or a complete A&P I/II sequence; must cover all organ systems. Minimum credits are not published — check with the program.

Not publishedCourse sequences; confirm credit unitsRequiredC
Human Physiology1 course(s)

Required with anatomy when using separate courses. Minimum credits are not published — check with the program.

Not publishedCourse sequences; confirm credit unitsRequiredC
Anatomy & Physiology I and II sequence2 course(s)

Alternative to separate anatomy and physiology. Complete sequence with lab; must cover all organ systems. Minimum credits are not published — check with the program.

Not publishedCourse sequences; confirm credit unitsRequiredC
General Microbiology
Course notes & alternatives

Must cover bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protozoa. Minimum credits are not published — check with the program.

Not publishedCourse sequences; confirm credit unitsRequiredC
General Chemistry I and II sequence2 course(s)

One-year sequence with lab; an alternative to Inorganic Chemistry + Organic Chemistry + Biochemistry, each with lab. Credits are not published — check with the program.

Not publishedCourse sequences; confirm credit unitsRequiredC
Inorganic Chemistry

Part of the alternative one-year (minimum) chemistry sequence with Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry; all three courses require labs. Credits are not published — check with the program.

Not publishedCourse sequences; confirm credit unitsRequiredC
Organic Chemistry

Part of the alternative one-year (minimum) chemistry sequence with Inorganic Chemistry and Biochemistry; all three courses require labs. Credits are not published — check with the program.

Not publishedCourse sequences; confirm credit unitsRequiredC
Biochemistry

Part of the alternative one-year (minimum) chemistry sequence with Inorganic Chemistry and Organic Chemistry; all three courses require labs. Credits are not published — check with the program.

Not publishedCourse sequences; confirm credit unitsRequiredC
General Psychology
Course notes & alternatives

Must be a general course covering topics across the lifespan; accepted variants include intro psychology, human growth/development, and developmental psychology (lifespan coverage required). Credits are not published — check with the program.

Not publishedCourse sequences; confirm credit unitsNot specifiedC
General Sociology

Alternative: Cultural Anthropology. Credits are not published — check with the program.

Not publishedCourse sequences; confirm credit unitsNot specifiedC
Cultural Anthropology

Alternative to General Sociology; a cultural component is required. Credits are not published — check with the program.

Not publishedCourse sequences; confirm credit unitsNot specifiedC
College Algebra or higher
Course notes & alternatives

Pre-calculus, trigonometry, calculus, or AP algebra or higher may qualify; statistics does not satisfy this requirement. Credits are not published — check with the program.

Not publishedCourse sequences; confirm credit unitsNot specifiedC
College English / Literature and Composition sequence2 course(s)
Course notes & alternatives

Freshman literature and composition sequence; the program describes it as a one-year sequence. Credits are not published — check with the program.

Not publishedCourse sequences; confirm credit unitsNot specifiedC

Policies that can change your plan

Science course age
Science prerequisites must be within 10 years of application.
Online science courses
Science lectures and labs must be in person, except courses completed Spring 2020–Fall 2022.
Course institution and grades
Coursework must be from an accredited U.S. institution and letter graded.
Paid patient-care experience
Complete 2,000 qualifying paid direct-care hours by August 1 of the year of matriculation. Confirm accepted duties; Loma Linda lists scribe among accepted examples.
Algebra requirement
College algebra or higher is required. Statistics is recommended but does not satisfy algebra.
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Science prerequisites must be within 10 years of application. Science lectures and labs must be in person (except Spring 2020–Fall 2022), at an accredited U.S. institution, for a letter grade. All prerequisites require a C or better; C-minus is not accepted. Confirm specific course content and equivalency with the program.

When courses must be complete: When you apply, you may have at most two outstanding prerequisites, and no more than one can be a science course. Finish them with a C or better (not C-minus) by the spring term of your matriculation year.

BUILD YOUR TIMELINE

Dates & application steps

Application deadlineOct 1, 2026 · Passed

Applications must be submitted by the deadline.

2026–2027
THE FINANCIAL PICTURE

Know what the total includes

Published cost estimate

AY 2026–2027 cost schedule
Resident tuitionConfirm with program
Nonresident tuitionConfirm with program

Estimated tuition plus fees: $118,821 (AY 2026–2027 schedule). Tuition alone is not broken out, and future-year charges may change.

Required program feesConfirm with program
Tuition + required feesExcludes living and other expenses
$118,821

Estimated tuition plus fees: Year 1 $71,323; Year 2 $47,498; total $118,821, based on the AY 2026–2027 schedule. These are estimates, not a guaranteed total for your entering cohort. Tuition and mandatory fees are not broken out separately. Books, housing, transportation and other expenses are extra, and future-year amounts may change.

HOW YOU’LL LEARN

Curriculum & clinical training

0112 months

Didactic study

Applied medical sciences, clinical medicine, diagnostic techniques, assessment, pharmacology, and community-focused care prepare students for practice.

0212 months

Clinical education

Eight supervised rotations cover seven core specialties and an elective, with professional issues and capstone coursework.

The full-time program requires 131 units over 24 months. The department provides placements. Local sites are within 100 miles; up to three distant rotations require approval. Students generally arrange housing and transportation.

WHO STUDIES HERE

The admitted class

Class of 2027

Published class statistics
Overall GPA3.76
Science GPA3.75
Patient-care hours4,455

Overall GPA, science GPA and average patient-care experience are published for the Class of 2027. Averages are comparisons, not admission cutoffs.

Compare published cohorts
ClassPublished GPAPublished science-related GPAPublished experience hours
Class of 20273.763.754,455

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: 95%

Graduating cohort · 2025

National calendar-year context · 202591.5%
  • Five-year first-time PANCE pass rate: 89%

Program reporting years · 2021–2025

Derived weighted first-time aggregate from the five official annual rows; not a standalone published five-year percentage.

National first-time reference · 2021–202592%

Annual first-time results

Program first-time rates and national calendar-year context
Program yearProgramNational calendar year
2025Graduating cohort95%59 of 62 first-time candidates2025 · calendar-year context91.5%
2024Graduating cohort89%32 of 36 first-time candidates2024 · calendar-year context92.4%
2023Graduating cohort92%34 of 37 first-time candidates2023 · calendar-year context92%
2022Graduating cohort90%35 of 39 first-time candidates2022 · calendar-year context91.9%
2021Graduating cohort75%27 of 36 first-time candidates2021 · calendar-year context93.2%

Graduation & attrition

2025 graduating cohort

Published attrition4.6%
Entering students65
Graduates62

The one-time 2025 class-size increase allowed transfer students from the University of La Verne; it is not the current entering capacity.

Accreditation history

Continued
First accreditedSeptember 15, 2000
Next reviewJuly 2027
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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