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Address & Contact

Our Address

Penn State University PO Box 850 Mail Code H152 Hershey, PA 17033

GPS

40.28606143028289, -76.65009372713791

Telephone

717-531-0003

Email

[email protected]

Web

Email PA Program

✔ What This Program Looks For in Applicants

Holistic review; academic metrics alone do not determine selection.

Interview PREFERENCE to: residence in rural/underserved community, educationally/economically disadvantaged background, first-generation, veteran/active-duty military, Pennsylvania residency, Penn State graduates, Penn State Health employees, advanced degree. Reviews cGPA, sGPA, PCE type+hours, leadership, research, volunteer/community engagement. Early Assurance partners: Franklin & Marshall, Hampton, Lebanon Valley, Lincoln, Gettysburg.

Summarized from the program’s official admissions / selection-process pages. Always confirm current details on the program’s website.

💬 How This Program Interviews

Format: Panel and one-on-one Where: Virtual

For the 2026-2027 cycle Penn State holds its interview day virtually and includes a one-on-one interview with the program director along with a faculty, staff, and alumni panel, a program presentation, and a session with current students.

Summarized from Penn State University’s own admissions and interview pages — verified 2026-08-01. Interview formats and dates change between cycles, so confirm with the program before you make travel plans. See the program’s interview page.

Penn State University PA Program Mission Statement

The Penn State College of Medicine Physician Assistant Program’s mission is to prepare graduates to be academically, clinically, professionally and culturally competent physician assistants who are devoted to serving patients in their communities through the application of clinical reasoning, critical thinking, and evidence-based practice to deliver compassionate and comprehensive care.

PA PROGRAM AT A GLANCE

  • Accredited Status:  Continuing Accreditation
  • Campus Location: Hershey, Pennsylvania
  • Degrees Offered: Masters
  • Class Start Month:  May
  • Class Duration: 24 months
  • Class Capacity: 30 (enrolls 30 students each May)
  • Seat Deposit: $1,000
  • International Students: Not Accepted
  • TOEFL: Required

TUITION

  • Total cost with required fees: $90,384 (resident) · $93,284 (nonresident)
  • Resident tuition: $90,384 — the program publishes tuition and required fees as one combined figure
  • Nonresident tuition: $93,284 — the program publishes tuition and required fees as one combined figure

PANCE PASS RATE

  • First-time PANCE pass rate: 100%
  • Five year first-time PANCE pass rate: 99%

APPLICATION INFORMATION

GPA

  • Overall GPA: 3.0
  • Science GPA: 3.0
  • Prereq GPA: 3.0
  • Average Applicant GPA Accepted:
    • Overall: 3.85
    • Science: 3.63
  • Prerequisite GPA: See Program Website
  • Prerequisite completion: must be completed within 5 year(s)
  • Prerequisite Coursework: General Chemistry (1 sem); Organic Chemistry (1 sem, or Biochem); General Biology (1 sem); Anatomy (1 sem); Physiology (1 sem); Microbiology (1 sem); General Psychology (1 sem); English (2 sem); Statistics (1 sem) — must be completed within 5 (Anatomy/Physiology/Microbiology only)

EXPERIENCE

SHADOWING

  • Not addressed by the program - the word 'shadow' appears nowhere in the visible text of the program home page, the admissions page, the Entering Class Profiles page, or the PA Student Handbook including its technical-standards section (independently verified by two agents 2026-08-19; the only raw-HTML matches are CSS box-shadow rules). Penn State makes no claim that shadowing is required, recommended, or not required. Prior stored value 'Recommended' asserted a program stance that does not exist and is removed.

EVALUATIONS

GRE

  • Required (MCAT, PCAT or DAT accepted in lieu)

CASPer

PA-CAT

PAEA Program Directory

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