Entrance Requirements

Stephens College graduates who meet our entrance criteria are offered an admissions interview; these individuals are not given preferential treatment in the final admission decisions and are held to the same standards as all other applicants.

 

Requirements

• Conferred bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution by May of the matriculation year
• Overall GPA of at least 3.0
• Science GPA of at least 3.0
• Last 60 Credit Hour GPA of at least 3.0
• Prerequisite GPA of at least 3.0
• Three Letters of Recommendation
• Resume

 

International Applicants

• Stephens College does not issue student visas for PA students.
• Stephens College will accept students with bachelor’s degrees conferred outside of the U.S. However, to have their applications reviewed, applicants with non-U.S. bachelor’s degrees must also have earned master’s degrees in the area of science or health science from a regionally accredited U.S. institution.
• TOEFL iBT: If English is not the applicant’s first language, he or she must also submit TOEFL results (paper-based score of 550, computer-based score of 213, or Internet-based score of 79 required) or ESL Certificate of Completion.
• International medical graduates with 500 hours of health care experience outside of the U.S. must also have acquired at least 250 hours of patient care experience in the U.S. by the time of application submission.

 

Direct Patient Care Experience

• All applicants must have acquired a minimum of 750 hours of direct patient care experience by CASPA application submission. This experience varies and can be acquired on a full- or part-time basis. Paid, direct, hands-on patient care especially requiring certification is most competitive (e.g., CNA, EMT, Patient Care Technician, etc.).
• Volunteer hours while considered favorable, are not counted toward the 750-hour minimum.

 

Shadowing

• Stephens requires a minimum of 16 hours of shadowing by application submission.
• At least 8 hours of the required shadowing must be completed with a PA.
• The additional hours of shadowing can be completed with an MD, DO or PA.

 

Competitive Applications

The most competitive applicants exceed our admission requirements and demonstrate several characteristics listed below:

• Exceed the minimum required total cumulative, cumulative science, cumulative last 60 and cumulative prerequisite GPAs
• Exceed the minimum required shadowing hours
• Exceed the minimum required PA specific shadowing hours
• Exceed the minimum required direct patient-care hours in a position that is paid, with direct, hands-on medical care of patients; especially where a certification is required
• Displayed volunteer service hours and work
• Have three excellent letters of reference
• Submit any research or publications
• Completion of one or more of the following courses: Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, Immunology, Biochemistry, Pharmacology, Embryology, Endocrinology, Gerontology, Virology, Pathophysiology, Molecular Pathology, Evolution, Medical Ethics, Nutrition, Epidemiology, and Histology
• Letters of reference from an MD, DO and/or PA

The above characteristics do not guarantee an interview, nor do they preclude an invitation to interview.

Please also note that:

• We are unable to waive any admissions requirements for any applicant regardless of circumstance.
• We do not offer or accept advanced placement or waive any program prerequisite or course requirement.