Physician Assistant Admissions

Introduction - Physician Assistant Studies Program Admission Process

Included below is information pertaining to the admission requirements and process for the Notre Dame of Maryland University (NDMU) Physician Assistant Studies Program. The information will be presented in three distinct sections – Admission Requirements & Process, Technical Standards, and Frequently Asked Questions.  If you apply for the NDMU Physician Assistant Studies Program, please review all of this information carefully and proceed by applying through The Central Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA) link, which is provided below.

PLEASE NOTE: We will begin accepting applications through CASPA in May 2025for the cohort that will begin in fall 2026.  We will continue to accept applications until all seats are filled.

Admission Requirements & Process

The NDMU PA Studies Program gives preference to applicants who have completed the following requirements upon submission of their application:

• Fully completed undergraduate or graduate degree, prior to application
• Higher completed degree GPAs
• Fully completed prerequisite courses
• Higher prerequisite course grades and prerequisite GPA
• Prerequisite courses completed within the last 8 years
• A minimum of 500 hours of patient care experience (more hours are most favorable)
• A minimum of 40 hours of Physician Assistant shadowing (more hours are most favorable)
• Two or more letters of recommendation with a rating of “Recommend” or “Highly Recommend”
• Being an NDMU alumni is also favored (but will not exclude graduates from other colleges and universities in the application process)

The following requirements apply to each applicant who is seeking to enter the Notre Dame of Maryland University Physician Assistant Studies Program.  Please carefully review all information that is presented in this section to guide you in determining your eligibility for admission.  The requirements are non-negotiable. 

All applicants should understand that the Notre Dame of Maryland University Physician Assistant Studies Program will adhere to a rolling-admission process.  This means that an applicant who applies early during the allowed submission time period and who holds a completed bachelor’s degree, who has met, at the least, all minimum requirements to qualify for an interview, and who has a successful interview will be offered acceptance into the NDMU PA Program.  Applications will be reviewed until all seats (as allowed by ARC-PA accreditation requirements) have been offered and accepted.  (Applicants may be offered a position on the NDMU PA Studies Program’s waiting list. If an applicant agrees to accept a position on the waiting list, they may be offered a formal seat within the NDMU PA Studies Program at a future date, prior to the date of matriculation of the next scheduled cohort.)     

The Notre Dame of Maryland University Physician Assistant Studies Program matriculated its inaugural cohort in October 2023.        

I. Completed Degree(s): (Applicants May Satisfy the Requirement for a Completed Degree by Either of the Following Two Mechanisms)

• Completion of a baccalaureate degree or graduate degree (from a regionally accredited college or university).  Applicants who have not completed their degree are not eligible for matriculation into the PA program.

  Applicants who have completed their undergraduate degree (or graduate degree) within the United States must present an official transcript which demonstrates a specific and distinct grade for each course and an overall (cumulative) GPA.  (If a grade is listed as Pass / Fail, a “Pass” will be considered as equivalent to a “C” and a “Fail” will be considered an “F”).

OR

• Applicants who intend to use foreign educational experiences and degrees (those obtained outside of the United States), must have their higher education record, including all course work and completed degree(s), evaluated by World Education Services (WES).  In addition, the evaluation of any foreign transcript(s) must result in verification of the equivalent of a fully completed bachelor’s degree, or higher, as compared to United States educational system standards.  Each course that is evaluated must also be assigned a specific grade.  (If a grade is listed as Pass / Fail, a “Pass” will be considered as equivalent to a “C” and a “Fail” will be considered an “F”).

  Applicants who have not completed a bachelor’s degree or higher-level degree from a regionally accredited college or university within the United States must complete a TOEFL evaluation.  To be eligible for entry into the PA program, such applicants must attain a minimum score of 20 in each TOEFL category (Reading / Listening / Speaking / Writing).  Please refer to the following web site for more information regarding TOEFL
  https://www.ets.org/toefl

• “Holistic” or qualitative transcripts (those without grades assigned to each course and / or without an overall GPA) will be considered as invalid for the purpose of acceptance into the Notre Dame of Maryland University PA Program.

Addition Information for All Applicants:

• Applicants who have completed a bachelor’s degree from any regionally accredited college or university are encouraged to apply.   The NDMU PA Program does not require an applicant to hold an undergraduate degree from Notre Dame of Maryland University to be eligible for admission.  Each application that is evaluated will be reviewed in an equitable and unbiased manner, utilizing the PA program evaluation tools that will be utilized to evaluate all applications.

• Applicants who have completed a bachelor or master’s degree through Notre Dame of Maryland University will be advantaged in the scoring of their initial application materials by an automatic addition of a specified number of admission criteria points.  As a result, Notre Dame of Maryland University graduates who apply to the PA Program will have an increased chance of being offered an interview.  However, the outcomes of the interview and overall final assessment of each applicant will determine if that individual is a “right-fit” candidate for the NDMU PA Studies Program.  An individual applicant will receive this advantage for being an NDMU graduate  This advantage equates to approximately a 5% increase in the academic (pre-interview) score.  

II. Academic Performance Standards & Required Prerequisites: Minimum Academic Requirements to Qualify for an Interview:

Completed degree GPA = 3.0 (Scoring will be assigned on a graduated scale; higher overall GPAs will receive higher scores.)  (NOTE:  We do not impose an age limit for the completed degree that will be submitted with the application.)

• Prerequisite Courses GPA = 3.0 (This will include all prerequisite courses completed by an applicant. Scoring will be assigned on a graduated scale; higher GPAs will receive higher rankings.  The determination of the prerequisite GPA will include all prerequisite courses completed by an applicant.)
• Prerequisite Courses = All courses, including medical terminology, must have an associated grade. Pass / fail grading will not be accepted.  Grades less than a “B” are not acceptable and will result in an applicant being disqualified for that application cycle.  Applicants may repeat prerequisite courses for grade improvement. Prerequisite GPAs will include ALL prerequisite courses taken, including the initial courses and those taken for grade improvement. (NOTE: All prerequisite courses must have been completed within the last 8 years.  Any prerequisite course that is older than 8 years will not satisfy our requirement for that prerequisite.)

Required Prerequisite Courses are as follows:

1. Anatomy & Physiology I (4 credits; face to face lab required)
2. Anatomy & Physiology II (4 credits; face to face lab required)
3. Microbiology (3 credits; face to face lab required)
4. Organic Chemistry or Biochemistry (3 credits; lab not required)
5. Psychology (3 Credits)
6. Statistics (3 or 4 credits)
7. Med Term (2 or 3 credits) 

Recommended Prerequisite Courses are as follows:

1. genetics (3 or 4 credits)

III. Patient Care Experience and Physician Assistant Shadowing: Completion of a minimum of 500 hours of (acceptable) patient care experience.  All patient care experience must be logged and substantiated by signed attestation of a supervising health professional who acted as your mentor. The mentor(s) must sign your completed patient care hours document, by hand, before you upload such documents into your CASPA application.

(Note: Direct Patient Care Experience May Occur with any of the following healthcare professionals: Addiction Counselor; Cardiovascular Technologist; Dentist; Dental Hygienist; Dental Assistant; Pharmacist; Chiropractor; Corpsman/ Medic / IDC; Forensic Pathologist; IMG with US Healthcare System Exp; RN; CRNP; Osteopathic Physician; Medical Doctor; Optician’ Optometrist; Paramedic AAS; Physical Therapist; Podiatrist; Anesthesia Tech; Cardiovascular Tech; Athletic Trainer; ER Tech; Surgical Tech; OT; COTA; PT; PTA; EMT; LPN; MA; Phlebotomist; CAN; PT or OT Tech; Pharm Tech; SLP; Respiratory Therapist; Licensed Social Worker; Diagnostic Imaging Technologist; Medical Scribe.)

PA Shadowing: "Shadowed" Physician Assistants must sign off on your hours to verify and validate the total Shadowed Hours submitted. Please clearly identify these documents as “PA Shadowing” and compile the signed forms into a single file and upload into the CASPA Portal, as directed within the CASPA portal. (A minimum of 40 Shadowing Hours is required.)

Physician Assistant Studies Direct Patient Care Hours Record or PA Shadowing Hours Record

All completed (hand signed) DOCUMENTATION of DIRECT PATIENT CARE and PA SHADOWING EXPERIENCE(s) must be upload through CASPA and included with your CASPA application.

IV. Personal Statement: An auto-biographical statement in which the applicant clearly and concisely addresses the following: What unique skills or attributes do you possess that will contribute to you becoming a collaborative, socially responsible Physician Assistant? Please provide real-world examples to support your answer.   

(Upload this document through CASPA; it should not exceed one page, double spaced with correct grammar, syntax, and spelling – size 11 or larger font.)

V. Letters of Recommendation: Three letters of recommendation with at least one, preferably two letter(s) being provided by a Physician Assistant.  Additional letter(s) of recommendation may be from a licensed Physician, Physician Assistant or other licensed healthcare provider. Letters of recommendation from three Physician Assistants is preferred.             

VI. Interviews: If, after review and scoring of all (pre-interview) requirements, an applicant is determined to be eligible for an interview, he or she will be contacted and notified of any need to complete additional documents and/or a supplemental application, prior to being assigned an interview appointment.

VII. Interview Day: Applicants who are offered an interview must be present on their assigned 
interview day.  If not, an offer for an interview may be withdrawn. (Note: The NDMU PA Studies program intends to host in-person interviews on the NDMU campus. However, the NDMU PA Studies Program reserves the right to conduct interviews via virtual means if/when the NDMU PA Program deems it is necessary to do so.)

VIII. Acceptance into Program: Each applicant who achieves an evaluation score (combined pre-interview 
and interview evaluation assessments) that meets NDMU PA Studies Program standards for admission will be contacted within a reasonable period of time, via e-mail, with a formal offer of acceptance into the NDMU PA Studies Program.   

Next steps, deposits required to hold a seat, outstanding admission requirements, and additional information regarding matriculation will be provided after acceptance.

IX. Notre Dame of Maryland University – Graduate Admission Requirements: All students who are accepted into the Notre Dame of Maryland University Physician Assistant Studies Program must also meet and comply with Notre Dame of Maryland University’s requirements for admission into graduate programs.  These requirements may be found through the following web address: https://www.ndm.edu/grad-prof-studies/admissions-aid/what-we-look-for

Admission Process Frequently Asked Questions

ARC-PA STANDARD A3.03 The program must define, publish, make readily available, and consistently apply a policy for prospective and enrolled students that they must not be required to provide or solicit clinical sites or preceptors.

The Notre Dame of Maryland University Physician Assistant Studies Program has a policy that prohibits prospective and enrolled students from being required to provide or solicit clinical sites or preceptors. The PA Program faculty and staff are responsible for obtaining and securing clinical sites and preceptors sufficient in number and quality to meet the educational needs of all of the program’s students.     

ARC PA STANDARD A3.05(a,b) The Program must define, publish, make readily available, and consistently apply a policy that PA students must not substitute for or function as:

a) Instructional Faculty

b) clinical or administrative staff 

NDMU PAS Policy: a) Regardless of a PAS student’s background, former education, or credentials previously obtained, No PAS Student enrolled in the NDMU PA Studies Program will act as or substitute for an instructional faculty member within the NDMU PA Studies program. b) no actively enrolled PA student may substitute for or function as a clinical or administrative staff member within or on behalf of the NDMU PA Studies Program or at an affiliated clinical site at which that student is participating in a clinical experience.