University of California San Diego Physician Assistant Program
La Jolla, California · Masters
Fees not published
2026–27 rates by quarter and by class year; no full-program total published
A closer look
A 29-month La Jolla PA program with 30 students, 500 broad healthcare-experience hours, and 3.00 overall and science GPA minimums.
Mission & approach
The University of California San Diego School of Medicine Atkinson Physician Assistant Education Program will recruit and retain learners who reflect the diverse population of California. Graduates will be prepared to provide safe, effective, person-centered healthcare in various settings to improve the health and well-being of the patients and communities we serve.
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
Holistic six-level review then virtual Multiple Mini Interview (vMMI). Weights: overall and science GPA (min 3.0 each), 500+ health care hours (autonomous high-level medical decision-making scored highest), 3 LORs (scored), personal statement and secondary-application narratives (rubric-scored), community service (desirable, scored up to 1000 hrs). Emphasis on serving diverse/underserved…
Summarized from the program’s admissions information. Confirm current selection criteria with the program.
Program admissions informationHow this program interviews
A six-level holistic review is followed by a virtual multiple mini-interview (vMMI); roughly 90 to 120 applicants are interviewed.
Source checked Jul 11, 2026. Interview formats and dates can change between cycles.
Program interview informationAdmissions & prerequisites
Admission requirements
Prerequisite coursework
Semester credits; quarter-credit equivalents noted per courseReview 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.
- Human anatomy and physiology route: Human Anatomy + Human Physiology OR Combined Human Anatomy & Physiology series
- Organic Chemistry / Biochemistry: Organic Chemistry OR Biochemistry
| Course | Credits | Lab | Min grade |
|---|---|---|---|
Biological Sciences (additional to anatomy, physiology, and microbiology)Course notes & alternatives8 semester credits or 12 quarter credits. Lab not required. Recommended upper-level biology is separate and not required. | 8Semester credits; quarter-credit equivalents noted per course | Not required | Not specified |
| Human Anatomy 3 semester or 4 quarter credits. Lab required. A full sequential Human A&P series may substitute for separate anatomy and physiology. | 3Semester credits; quarter-credit equivalents noted per course | Required | D |
| Human Physiology 3 semester or 4 quarter credits. Lab required. A full sequential Human A&P series may substitute for separate anatomy and physiology. | 3Semester credits; quarter-credit equivalents noted per course | Required | D |
| Combined Human Anatomy & Physiology series2 course(s) Alternative to separate Anatomy and Physiology: a full-year sequential series, two semesters or three quarters, totaling 6 semester or 8 quarter credits. Check with the program about this route. | 6Semester credits; quarter-credit equivalents noted per course | Required | D |
MicrobiologyCourse notes & alternatives3 semester or 4 quarter credits; lab required. | 3Semester credits; quarter-credit equivalents noted per course | Required | D |
ChemistryCourse notes & alternatives3 semester or 4 quarter credits; lab not required. | 3Semester credits; quarter-credit equivalents noted per course | Not required | D |
| Organic Chemistry Choose Organic Chemistry OR Biochemistry; 3 semester or 4 quarter credits. Lab not required. | 3Semester credits; quarter-credit equivalents noted per course | Not required | D |
| Biochemistry Choose Biochemistry OR Organic Chemistry; 3 semester or 4 quarter credits. Lab not required. | 3Semester credits; quarter-credit equivalents noted per course | Not required | D |
StatisticsCourse notes & alternatives2 semester or 3 quarter credits. Introductory statistics accepted; calculus does not qualify. | 2Semester credits; quarter-credit equivalents noted per course | Not required | D |
Policies that can change your plan
- Overall GPA
- Minimum 3.0 undergraduate or graduate GPA.
- Science GPA
- Minimum 3.0 undergraduate or graduate science GPA.
- Course age
- No expiration.
- Course policies
- International prerequisite coursework not accepted; U.S. regionally accredited online/community-college coursework accepted.
UCSD accepts prerequisite grades of A–D or equivalent; F, W, WF and DF are not accepted. Pass grades are accepted only for 2020–2021 coursework. Prerequisites do not expire. Complete courses, have grades posted, and report them to CASPA by August 1; verification is due September 1. Check with the program about combined A&P records.
When courses must be complete: Completed, graded, and reported to CASPA by August 1; no prerequisite courses in progress past the deadline.
Dates & application steps
The August 1, 2026 submission/complete deadline has passed; CASPA verification was due September 1, 2026. The next cycle is not yet published.
CASPA verification was due September 1, 2026; this cycle is closed.
This is the expected start of the entering class.
Know what the total includes
Published cost estimate
2026–27 rates by quarter and by class year; no full-program total publishedSame rate for all students; no full-program total is published.
UC San Diego charges every student the same tuition, billed by the quarter ($19,762.11 per quarter in 2026–27). The school does not publish a full-program total for one entering class, so we leave this blank rather than guess. Its 2026–27 budget lists tuition and fees together by class year: $81,904 for the PA27 and PA28 classes and $20,164 for the newest class (PA29). Ask the program for the total for your class.
Curriculum & clinical training
Didactic education
Eighty-eight units combine medical sciences, clinical reasoning, skills and a didactic capstone with campus and synchronous online instruction.
Clinical education
Seven core and three elective/selective rotations develop supervised practice; a protected block supports independent study and capstone/board preparation.
The La Jolla/San Diego curriculum includes 48 clinical units and rural/border-health training opportunities.
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: No graduates yet
First-time program results are not yet available; no graduates have been reported.
- Five-year first-time PANCE pass rate: No graduates yet
Five-year first-time results are not yet available.
Accreditation history
ProvisionalSources you can open
Links to the program’s own pages and the official directories we use.
- Program program page
- Program program page
- University of California San Diego curriculum and clinical training
- Program program page
- UC San Diego PA FAQ
- University of California San Diego program page
- Program program page
- Program program page
- ARC-PA currently accredited programs — sponsoring-institution directory
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.