» Admission

The CASPA application period for Spring 2022 is from April 29, 2021 – August 1, 2021.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit their applications and supporting documents as early as possible. Applicants are responsible for following up with CASPA to ensure all necessary documents are received. After CASPA confirms receipt of all necessary documents and completes the application, students must forward any updated transcripts for courses in progress at the time of application to the Office of Graduate Admission.

Once your application is verified by CASPA and received by Chapman University, no additional updates will be viewed in the admissions process except for transcripts showing completion of non-science requirements.

Admission to the Chapman University MMS PA Studies Program is competitive. Our selection criteria is based on an admissions rubric where points are given based on a combination of your CASPA application, academic performance (cumulative GPA, science GPA, and GRE), letters of recommendation, shadowing hours, patient contact hours, community service, diversity of life experiences, HRSA indicators, personal statement of intent and performance during an in-person interview.

Persons who have been dismissed from any PA program are not eligible for admission to Chapman University's MMS PA Studies Program.

The supporting documents include:

• All official transcripts; must include degrees posted
• GRE scores
• TOEFL scores (if Bachelor’s Degree was completed at an institution where English is not the primary language of instruction)
• Three letters of recommendation – one must be from a practicing PA, MD or DO
• Patient Contact experience(s) hours
• Observational/shadowing experience(s) hours
• Personal statement of intent

Deadline

The application deadline for classes beginning January 2022 is August 1, 2021. All applications must be e-submitted, verified, and all documents received by the August 1, 2021 deadline.

Your application is considered complete when CASPA has received all of the following:

1. electronic application;
2. all official transcripts;
3. three letters of recommendation: one must be from a PA, MD or DO.
4. official GRE scores
5. CASPA processing fee

Admission Process

For the 2021 Admissions Cycle (for classes beginning January 2022)

CASPA will open on April 29, 2021

• Step 1: Submit application and official transcripts via CASPA no later than August 1, 2021.
• Step 2: Beginning in June 2021, a select group of qualified applicants will be contacted by phone or email, and invited for an on-campus interview.
• Step 3: Complete the interview process.
• Step 4: Admissions decisions will be made on a rolling basis until all class seats have been filled.
• Step 5: Once accepted, submit a letter of confirmation with a non-refundable deposit of $1,000 to the program to secure your seat in the upcoming class.
• Step 6: Complete a successful background check, provide a negative drug test, meet all health and immunization requirements and submit proof of BLS certification from an approved AHA course.

Please Note:

• Inability to demonstrate a clear background check may result in failure to matriculate into the program, and/or may negatively affect your ability to participate in clinical rotations or become a licensed PA in any State.
• Our program requires all students to comply with the CDC vaccinations and health clearance requirements outlined in the AAMC Standardized Immunization Form. This must be completed by each admitted student’s healthcare provider. The form is available here: AAMC Standardized Immunization Form
• The program will send specific deadline requirements to accepted students. If there are any problems or questions with uploading information, please contact CastleBranch. Students are notified if there are any deficiencies in required documentation at which time the student is responsible for correcting any deficiencies.
• For those who do not have certain immunizations, it may take up to 6 months to receive the full series and have titers drawn. Accordingly, please make sure you allow yourself enough time to complete this requirement.

If you have a nonresponsive to the Hepatitis B vaccine series, (i.e. you have had the vaccine but your titers do not show immunity to Hepatitis B), please contact your medical provider for CDC recommendations.

All prerequisite coursework must be obtained from a regionally accredited college or university in the United States with a grade of “C” or better, with the exception of Medical Terminology which may be taken as a pass/fail course.

All science prerequisites must be completed and the grade needs to be reflected on your transcript at the time of receipt by Chapman University, otherwise, your application will be flagged as “does not meet minimum requirements.”

Non-science courses can be “in progress,” but they must be completed by the time of matriculation, and priority will be given to applicants with all prerequisites completed.

Applicants will be denied if they do not meet the minimum admission requirements.

Quarter to semester unit conversion chart

Prerequisite Coursework

Program Tuition

• FALL 2020- $19,275.00
• *SPRING 2021- $20,045.00
• *SUMMER 2021- $20,045.00

*Rate change in Spring for Physician Assistant only

Tuition Refund Schedule for Rinker Health Science Students

Program tuition is subject to change and typically updated annually. For more information on Tuition, Student Health Insurance, Financial Aid, Refunds, and other student charges, visit the Student Business Services website.

Students are responsible for health insurance, transportation, parking, room and board, textbooks, laptops, medical equipment, and supplies. There are no out-of-state resident fees.

Fees 

*Littman Classic III or the Littman Cardiology IV Diagnostic stethoscope is recommended by the program

**PA students are required to have Health Insurance, therefore the University bills health insurance as a part of the registration. For more information on the waiver or how to enroll in the health insurance plan please visit the Student Health Insurance webpage.

***A certified background check, drug screening, and medical insurance are required of all accepted applicants prior to matriculation into the program. Additional certified background checks and drug screenings may be required by clinical sites or preceptors.

Fee Refund Policy

Graduate student fees for the Physician Assistant Studies Program are non-refundable.

Accreditation standards require that admission criteria into a PA program are established by the program faculty but must include Technical Standards for Admission developed by the accrediting agency, the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA).

The program signifies that the graduate is prepared for entry into the practice of medicine. It shows that the graduate must have the skills and knowledge to function in a broad variety of clinical situations and to render a wide spectrum of patient care. It is essential for good patient care to require minimum standards for the education of the physician assistant.

In the admission process, the University must judge not only the scholastic accomplishments and potential of the applicant, but also consider the applicant's current physical and emotional status, cumulative and progressive disability, and drug-induced impairments that may pose obstacles to the safe application of the student's knowledge and skill or prevent effective interaction with patients and co-workers.

In accordance with University policy and as delineated by federal and California law, the University does not discriminate in admission, educational programs or employment against any individual on the basis of that individual's handicap or disability and will make good faith efforts at providing reasonable accommodation as required.

Candidates for the program must possess the intellectual ability to learn, integrate, analyze and synthesize data. They must have functional use of the senses of vision, hearing, equilibrium, and taste. Their exteroceptor (touch, pain, and temperature) and proprioceptor (position, pressure, movement, stereognosis, and vibratory) senses must be sufficiently intact to enable them to carry out all the activities required to complete the activities described below. Candidates must have sufficient motor function capabilities to meet the demands of the PA program and the demands of total patient care. They must be able to complete the didactic and clinical curriculum in its entirety.

The candidate for the PA program must possess ability, aptitude and skills in five areas: observation, communication, motor, intellectual, behavioral and social.

1. Observation: The candidate must be able to observe demonstrations and experiments in the basic sciences, visual presentations in lectures and laboratories, laboratory evidence and microbiologic cultures, microscopic studies of microorganisms, and tissues in normal and pathologic states. A candidate should be able to observe a patient accurately and completely at a distance and close at hand. Observation necessitates the functional use of the sense of vision and somatic sensation and is enhanced by a sense of smell.
2. Communication: A candidate should be able to speak, to hear, and to observe patients in order to elicit information, perceive non-verbal communication, describe changes in mood, activity and posture. A candidate should be able to communicate effectively and sensitively with patients. Communication includes not only speech but reading and writing. Communication in oral and written form with the health care team must be effective and efficient.
3. Motor: Candidates should have sufficient motor function to elicit information from patients by palpation, auscultation, percussion and other diagnostic maneuvers. A candidate should be able to carry out basic laboratory tests (urinalysis, CBC, wet mount, gram stain, etc.), carry out diagnostic and therapeutic procedures (phlebotomy, venipuncture, placement of catheters and tubes), and read ECG's and X-rays. A candidate should have motor function sufficient to execute motor movements reasonably required to provide general care and emergency treatment for patients. Examples of emergency treatment reasonably required of a physician assistant are cardiopulmonary resuscitation, the administration of intravenous medications, the application of pressure to arrest bleeding, the opening of obstructed airways, the suturing of simple wounds and the performance of simple obstetrical maneuvers. Such skills require coordination of both gross and fine muscular movements, equilibrium, and functional use of the senses of touch and vision.
4. Intellectual: Conceptual, Integrative and Quantitative Abilities: These abilities include measurement, calculation, reasoning, analysis, and synthesis. Problem-solving, the critical skill demanded of PA's requires all these abilities. The candidate must also be able to comprehend three-dimensional relationships and to understand the spatial relationships of structures.
5. Behavioral and Social Attributes: A candidate should possess the emotional health required for full utilization of his/her intellectual abilities, the exercise of good judgment, the prompt completion of all responsibilities attendant to the diagnosis and care of patients, and the development of mature, sensitive and effective relationships with patients. Candidates should be able to tolerate physically taxing workloads, and to function effectively under stress. They should be able to adapt to changing environments, to display flexibility and to learn to function in the face of uncertainty inherent in the clinical problems of many patients. Compassion, integrity, concern for others, interpersonal skills, interest and motivation are all personal qualities that are assessed during the Admission and education processes.

• Completion of a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited university or college prior to matriculation into the Chapman University MMS PA Studies Program;
• Completion of all prerequisite coursework with a “C” or better;
• Overall cumulative GPA minimum 3.2;
• Cumulative science GPA minimum 3.2;
• All applicants must complete the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). No minimum GRE score is required, although your score will be taken into consideration in the overall assessment of your application. The GRE must have been taken with the last 5 years from the application deadline (no later than August 1, 2016). The official GRE score report must be received by CASPA no later than August 1, 2021, for your application to be considered for admission. Chapman University’s institution code is 3681. A department code is not needed.
• U.S. Citizenship or Lawful Permanent Resident (Green Card Holder)
• A TOEFL score is required if the bachelor’s degree was completed at an institution where English was not the primary language of instruction. TOEFL score must meet a minimum standard requirement of 80.
• Technical Standards: qualified applicants must have abilities and skills in the following areas: observation, communication, motor, intellectual, conceptual, integrative, qualitative, and behavior/social.
• Three letters of recommendation (one must be from a practicing PA or physician);
• 1,000 hours of direct patient contact in a healthcare-related work experience, voluntary or paid; click here to view the approved patient contact list
• Personal statement/Narrative: Please describe your motivation towards becoming a PA. 5000 characters limit = approximately 625 words;
• Personal interview: After initial assessment and screening of applications, selected candidates will be invited to interview on campus in Irvine, CA.
• Observational/shadowing experience with a licensed and practicing PA, MD, or DO is preferred. Shadowing hours will not count towards the 1000 required direct patient contact hours. Applicants must enter any shadowing experience and the healthcare-related area of the official CASPA application. Observational experiences to be arranged by the student. The PA Studies program will not arrange nor recommend observational sites. Clinical work experience, as well as any formal health career training (EMT, CAN, LVN, RN, RT, PT, MT, etc.), cannot be substituted for observational/shadowing hours.
• Background Check: Successful completion 
• Drug Test: Negative result

This is a guide for courses at Chapman University that can be used to satisfy the Masters of Medical Science PA Studies Program prerequisites.

We are unable to accept international students, including DACA students, into the program at this time. If you have any questions, please contact intladmit@chapman.edu.

Foreign Coursework

All Foreign Academic records must be translated to English and certified by University Language Services and submitted to CASPA. If foreign transcripts are in English applicants still need to submit the foreign transcript to CASPA and also have them evaluated by one of the following services: World Education Services (WES), International Education Research Foundation (IERF), and Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE).

All foreign coursework and degrees must be evaluated for North American equivalencies with calculated GPAs on a 4.0 scale by one of these services and submitted to CASPA. We will only recognize the degree, course credentials, and GPA that they have evaluated.

Depending on the circumstances, the applicant might have to begin with the language services because WES, IERF, and ECE will not evaluate the credential or coursework or calculate GPA without an English translation. All of these services are the responsibility of the applicant.

Matriculant Student Data

Matriculant Data Averages - Last Three Years

Graduating Student Data

Chapman University currently holds a 100% first-time pass rate for its 2019 and 2020 cohorts.

NCCPA PANCE Exam Performance Summary Report - Last Three Years
NCCPA PANCE First Time Taker Summary Report - Last Three Years

*Attrition rate calculation:  Number of students who attritted from cohort divided by the entering class size.

**Graduation rate:  Number of cohort graduates divided by the entering class size.

SCHOLARSHIP

The Chapman University PA Studies Program is pleased to be able to award a number of merit-based scholarships to incoming students who have demonstrated excellence in the following areas: Academics, Community Service, Diversity, Leadership, and Research.

Simon Scholar PA Scholarship Program

The new Simon Scholar PA Scholarship Program creates pathways for underserved Orange and San Diego County students facing adversity by offering full tuition scholarships. This scholarship supports eligible students who wish to earn their Masters in Medical Science degree (MMS) at the Chapman University Physician Assistant program. Learn more about the Simon Scholar PA Scholarship Program here.

FINANCIAL AID

The Graduate Financial Aid Office supports Chapman University’s mission and vision of being a student-oriented institution that provides personalized education to all students. To learn more about financial aid or to apply, please visit the Graduate Financial Aid Office website.

MMS-PA/BS Bridge

Update - At this time the bridge program is undergoing revisions and will be updated for the 2022-23 admissions cycle.

The Bridge Program guarantees highly qualified Health Science majors at Chapman University the opportunity to interview for acceptance into Chapman's PA Studies Program, contingent upon satisfactory completion of the Bridge Program. View the Bridge Program criteria here.

The program hosts virtual information sessions each spring to provide information about the program and the application process. 

To register for an information session, please visit our PA Program Events Page.