Tuition + fees $78,955 / $169,973 nonresident
Current-rate projected full-program tuition and required fees
A closer look
A 36-month PA program at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus with a 44-student cohort and extensive healthcare-experience preparation.
Mission & approach
The mission of the Child Health Associate/Physician Assistant Program is to provide an innovative learning environment to educate socially conscious physician assistants dedicated to the holistic care of diverse and underserved patient populations across the lifespan with an emphasis on primary care and expanded training in pediatrics.
Check my fit with this school
Check three basics
Enter any GPA or patient care hours you know. We’ll compare them with this school’s published numbers. This is a starting point, not an eligibility decision.
The quick check needs JavaScript.
Admissions insights
What this program looks for in applicants
Highly competitive, mission-driven holistic review. Preference for: high overall & science GPA; no W/Incomplete in Chem/Bio; all Chem/Bio grades > C+; healthcare exposure via volunteer/work; PA-profession understanding via shadowing & essays; extensive community/volunteer experience; alignment with CHA/PA mission through experience with underserved and/or rural populations in primary/pediatric…
Summarized from the program’s admissions information. Confirm current selection criteria with the program.
Program admissions informationHow this program interviews
Interview day at CU Anschutz combines a 15-minute individual interview, a 25-minute group interview, and a 25-minute group exercise, each led by different faculty, graduate, preceptor, or outreach panel members.
Source checked Aug 1, 2026. Interview formats and dates can change between cycles.
Program interview informationAdmissions & 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.
| Course | Credits | Lab | Min grade |
|---|---|---|---|
Chemistry courses2 course(s)Course notes & alternativesTwo courses totaling seven credits; one must have a lab. | 7Semester credits unless noted | Not specified | C |
Anatomy and Physiology courses2 course(s)Course notes & alternativesTwo courses; separate Anatomy/Physiology or combined A&P I/II. | 6Semester credits unless noted | Not specified | C |
Upper-division Biology courses2 course(s)Course notes & alternativesTwo upper-division courses within five years. | 6Semester credits unless noted | Not specified | C |
Psychology courses2 course(s)Course notes & alternativesTwo courses before matriculation. | 6Semester credits unless noted | Not required | C |
StatisticsCourse notes & alternativesBefore matriculation. | 3Semester credits unless noted | Not required | C |
Policies that can change your plan
- Five-year rule
- Upper-division Biology courses must be within five years of the application deadline.
- Timing
- Science prerequisites are required before you submit; psychology and statistics are required before you matriculate (start the program).
Chemistry, A&P, and upper-division Biology must be completed and shown in your CASPA-verified application; Psychology and Statistics can finish before matriculation. One Chemistry course needs a lab. AP/IB and pass/fail prerequisites are not accepted.
Dates & application steps
The prior-cycle deadline of 2026-09-01 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
Current-rate projected full-program tuition and required fees$169,973 documented program schedule · Projected full-program tuition at current published rates
At current rates, full-program tuition and required fees are $78,955 for residents and $169,973 for nonresidents. Rates may change before later terms are billed.
Curriculum & clinical training
Didactic and integrated clinical education
Organ-system blocks, cases, laboratory work and simulation integrate early clinical experience.
Clinical education
Ten one-month rotations, professional modules and a final campus return support clinical readiness and capstone completion.
The Aurora-based Child Health Associate/Physician Assistant (CHA/PA) route requires a rural or underserved rotation outside the Denver metropolitan area; clinical-year sites may be anywhere in Colorado. The program describes its length as 36 months; confirm the exact July–May cohort calendar with the program.
The admitted class
Entering Summer 2026
Published class statisticsSummer 2026 admitted students. The 2,112 patient-care hours and 192 healthcare-related hours are medians, not means.
Compare published cohorts
| Class | Published GPA | Published science-related GPA | Published experience hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entering Summer 2026 | 3.72Mean Overall/cumulative GPA | 3.65Mean Science GPA | 2,112Median patient-care hours |
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: 79%
- Five-year first-time PANCE pass rate: 91%
Accreditation history
ContinuedSources you can open
Links to the program’s own pages and the official directories we use.
- Program program page
- University of Colorado program page-qualified class profile
- University of Colorado curriculum and clinical training
- University of Colorado PA admissions requirements
- ARC-PA currently accredited programs — sponsoring-institution directory
- Program contact page
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.”
How competitive are you for this program?
Match AI compares your full profile with this program and every other one, then sorts your list into Reach, Target and Safety.