2 years
(6 terms, including 2 summer terms)
2 years
(6 terms, including 2 summer terms)
Students can also enter the physician assistant profession through the on-campus program. Learn more about the Physician Assistant Studies program.
April 24, 2025
July 31, 2025
Apply through the Centralized Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA).
The application fee is set by CASPA.
Prerequisite Coursework
There is no expiration date for prerequisite courses. Please review this detailed prerequisite rubric to ensure your courses satisfy our prerequisite requirements. If applicants still have questions after the self-assessment, they may request an unofficial prerequisite evaluation. To request an unofficial evaluation, please complete and email the following items:
Official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended will be required. Applicants are encouraged to discuss transcript concerns with the enrollment specialist prior to submitting their application to CASPA. All transcript evaluations will take place within CASPA. The program will reach out to the applicant if there are any concerns related to transcript requirements.
NOTE: The GRE General Test is not required for admission to the program.
Applicants are required to provide transcripts from all U.S. universities, colleges or other higher education institutions attended.
Admitted students will need to submit official transcripts to the SHRS Admissions Office prior to enrolling in classes.
A minimum of 500 hours of direct, “hands-on,” patient care experience is required by the admissions requirement deadline. Eligible experiences include work as registered nurse (RN), emergency medical technician (EMT), paramedic, medical assistant and physical or occupational therapy assistant.
Contact the PA enrollment specialist if you are unsure if your experience will satisfy this requirement.
Current Pitt Students: View this SharePoint Site for more information about local Pittsburgh shadowing, volunteering and other hands-on opportunities. Pitt Passport required.
Students will only be evaluated by Pitt regarding the following statements in CASPA:
Three (3) professional letters of recommendation are required for the application.
Please see examples of who can and should write these letters and content below:
Students admitted to the program must review the Technical Standards for admission and graduation and submit a signed form at the time of matriculation verifying satisfactory performance of the essential skills.
The entire application (including prerequisite courses, letters of recommendation and statements) must be received and verified by CASPA no later than 11:59 p.m. (ET) on the deadline. Applications not verified or any required application materials not submitted by the deadline will not be considered and will disqualify the application.
The admissions committee will then rate and review all completed applications. The highest-rated applicants will receive invitations to online interviews in September. Applicants will be notified of a decision (offer of admission, waitlist, or denial) in October after all applicants have completed their interviews.
The application and admissions processes for the program does not favor specific groups or individuals based on their personal or social identities.
Admissions decisions are made in accordance with these practices:
The following requirements are necessary for applicants from outside of the U.S.
For questions about the international student requirements, please reach out to the SHRS Admissions Office.
Given the nature of the online format for the didactic year of the Physician Assistant Studies Hybrid program, all applicants and matriculants need to identify as U.S. citizens, have documentation of permanent residency or have dual citizenship status.
While an F-1 Academic Student Visa is permissible for in-person courses, this Visa only deems such students eligible for one online course per term, hence excluding participation in this hybrid format. International students are encouraged to pursue the University of Pittsburgh on-campus Physician Assistant Studies program, as an Academic Student Visa can be honored with residential training.
Students who have completed the equivalent of a baccalaureate degree or higher at an institution outside of the United States are required to provide an academic credential evaluation from Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc. or World Education Services (WES), Inc. with their application.
The ARC-PA has granted Accreditation-Provisional status to the University of Pittsburgh Physician Assistant Studies Hybrid Program sponsored by the University of Pittsburgh.
Accreditation-Provisional is an accreditation status granted when the plans and resource allocation, if fully implemented as planned, of a proposed program that has not yet enrolled students appear to demonstrate the program’s ability to meet the ARC-PA Standards or when a program holding Accreditation-Provisional status appears to demonstrate continued progress in complying with the Standards as it prepares for the graduation of the first class (cohort) of students.
Accreditation-Provisional does not ensure any subsequent accreditation status.
It is limited to no more than five years from matriculation of the first class. The program’s accreditation history can be viewed on the ARC-PA website at http://www.arc-pa.org/accreditation-history-university-of-Pittsburgh-hybrid/.
