Tuition + fees $123,268
Published full-program tuition and required billed fees
A closer look
A 27-month Tampa PA program with January matriculation, a 48-student class, and no required patient-care minimum.
Mission & approach
To educate a diverse student population and prepare graduates to practice the art and science of medicine, providing high-quality, compassionate, patient-centered healthcare responsive to the needs of all individuals. Vision emphasizes increasing access to care and addressing barriers in healthcare delivery.
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Check three basics
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Admissions insights
What this program looks for in applicants
Academic achievement (overall GPA, BCP, GRE); quality of LORs from medical providers; direct-patient-care clinical experience; personal statement/essay; provider mentorship/shadowing; community service; interview performance; interpersonal skills, professionalism, motivation, communication, PA-profession knowledge, mission alignment.
Summarized from the program’s admissions information. Confirm current selection criteria with the program.
2026 PAEA Virtual Admissions Fair
The clearest advice from this program was to stop chasing whatever you imagine the “right” PA applicant looks like: the admissions team said a stronger application honestly shows your interests, service and experiences, rather than one built to fit a perceived mold. They described patient-care experience and academic performance as genuinely mattering together, so neither is a substitute for the other. Once enrolled, students elect a cohort executive board, and a Medical Spanish Club offers leadership roles while supporting care for Tampa's large Spanish-speaking community.
Shared at the fair on Jul 11, 2026; paraphrased program-level notes. This is a past event, not an upcoming session. Confirm current guidance with the program.
About these fair notes
PAEA Virtual PA Admissions Fair (CareerEco), July 11 2026 - program-level, paraphrased; qualitative only
How this program interviews
Competitive applicants are invited for a required interview, typically held June through October of the admissions cycle. The admissions committee assesses interpersonal skills, problem-solving ability, professionalism, motivation, academic potential, communication, and knowledge of the PA profession and health care system. The page does not specify whether the interview is individual, panel, or group, nor whether it is virtual or on campus.
Source checked Aug 1, 2026. Interview formats and dates can change between cycles.
Admissions & prerequisites
Admission requirements
Prerequisite coursework
Semester credits unless notedReview 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.
- Separate Anatomy/Physiology or combined A&P I and II: Human Anatomy with lab + Human Physiology with lab OR Human A&P I and II with labs
- Organic Chemistry or Biochemistry: Organic Chemistry OR Biochemistry
| Course | Credits | Lab | Min grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Human A&P I and II with labs2 course(s) | Not publishedSemester credits unless noted | Required | C |
| Human Anatomy with lab | Not publishedSemester credits unless noted | Required | C |
| Human Physiology with lab | Not publishedSemester credits unless noted | Required | C |
General Biology ICourse notes & alternativesLab recommended. | Not publishedSemester credits unless noted | Not required | C |
General Biology IICourse notes & alternativesLab recommended; listed advanced biology substitutions may be allowed. | Not publishedSemester credits unless noted | Not required | C |
| General Chemistry I with lab | Not publishedSemester credits unless noted | Required | C |
| General Chemistry II with lab | Not publishedSemester credits unless noted | Required | C |
| Microbiology with lab | Not publishedSemester credits unless noted | Required | C |
| Organic Chemistry Lab recommended. | Not publishedSemester credits unless noted | Not required | C |
| Biochemistry Lab recommended. | Not publishedSemester credits unless noted | Not required | C |
Policies that can change your plan
Tampa lists course counts, not credit minimums. Online, virtual and in-person coursework is accepted. Lab waivers or substitutions need admissions review. AP is accepted; CLEP is not accepted.
When courses must be complete: All prerequisites complete before application submission.
Dates & application steps
The prior-cycle deadline of 2026-08-01 has passed; the next deadline is not published.
This is the expected start of the entering class.
Know what the total includes
Published cost estimate
Published full-program tuition and required billed feesPublished nonresident full-program tuition
Full-program tuition is $107,703 and required billed fees are $15,565, for a direct total of $123,268. A broader estimate of $132,108 also includes outside and travel costs.
Curriculum & clinical training
Didactic instruction
100 quarter credits in assessment, clinical medicine, pharmacotherapeutics, diagnostics, professional practice and applied learning.
Clinical training
74 quarter credits with eight clinical rotations, clinical topics and a senior seminar.
The program is primarily on-campus and full-time, with some blended instruction. Clinical experiences emphasize direct patient care and may include telehealth. Phase lengths are given in quarters rather than months.
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: 98%
Class of 2026: 98% first-time pass rate (54 of 55 first-time takers). Earlier classes: 2025 98%, 2024 98%, 2023 100%, 2022 94%. The five-year first-time rate is 98%, found by adding up passers and takers across the 2022-2026 classes (239 of 245).
- Five-year first-time PANCE pass rate: 98%
Accreditation history
ContinuedSources you can open
Links to the program’s own pages and the official directories we use.
- ARC-PA currently accredited programs — sponsoring-institution directory
- Program program page
- South University, Tampa curriculum
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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