Admissions Criteria

Admission Criteria for the Elon University Charlotte PA Program

Overall:

Each applicant must complete a baccalaureate degree in the United States from a regionally accredited college or university. International degrees that have been evaluated as United States regionally accredited equivalent may fulfill this requirement. All prerequisites must be completed at a regionally accredited college or university.

  • Overall GPA: Recommend 3.2 or higher
  • Science GPA: Recommend 3.0 or higher
  • GRE: Not required
  • AP Courses: Advanced Placement not granted/awarded. AP courses or placement exams cannot be used to satisfy prerequisites.

Required Prerequisite Courses:

All science prerequisite courses must have been completed within 10 years of enrolling in the program (2017 or later for the 2026-2027 admissions cycle). *Courses taken in fall 2016 will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

  • Human Anatomy & Physiology (7 semester hours): Anatomy (3 credits), Physiology (3 credits).Combined Anatomy and Physiology courses are acceptable provided the total credits received is a minimum of 6 semester hours.
    Lab (1 credit): either anatomy lab or physiology lab accepted.
  • Chemistry (8 credit hours): Two semesters of chemistry with lab. One semester must be either organic chemistry or biochemistry
  • Additional upper-level science (6 credit hours):
    • Require 1 of the following courses: genetics, immunology or neurobiology/neuroscience
    • Require 1 additional upper-level physical or life science course. Social or behavioral science does not fulfill this requirement.
  • Statistics (3 credit hours): Any college level statistics course will satisfy this requirement. Courses can include business statistics, biostatistics, statistical methods or any traditional mathematics statistics.

*Note: Graduate level coursework may also satisfy prerequisites. 

Additional Requirements:

  • Health Care Experience: 2000 hours of “hands on” experience in a health care setting. Telehealth/virtual experience does not count toward hours.

Examples include but are not limited to:

  • Medical Assistant
  • Certified Nursing Assistant
  • Laboratory Technician
  • Phlebotomist
  • Physical Therapy Assistant
  • Scribe
  • Clinical Research Assistant
  • Paramedic or Certified Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)*
  • Physical Therapist (PT)*
  • Occupational Therapist (OT)*
  • Respiratory Therapist (RT)*
  • Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP)*
  • Registered Dietitian (RD)*
  • Registered Nurse (RN)*
  • Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN)*

*Please refer to preferences below.

  • Community Engagement/Volunteer Experience: 250 volunteer hours.

Examples of strong community engagement experiences include but are not limited to:

  • Habitat for Humanity
  • Food pantries
  • Peace Corp
  • Special Olympics
  • Student organizations
  • Work with underserved populations
  • Global experience
  • Letters of Recommendation: 3 recommendation letters are required.
  • One from a licensed  health care practitioner
  • One from a professor/instructor who has taught the candidate
  • One from either a professional or academic reference
  • Interview: Invitations to interview will be extended via email to qualified candidates. An interview is required for admission and all interviews will be conducted virtually.

Preferences

  • Strength and Substance of Letters of Recommendation
  • Academic Trajectory and Grade Trends
  • Rigor and Relevance of Graduate-Level Coursework
  • Quality and Insightfulness of the Personal Statement
  • Community Engagement: Hours, Impact and Meaningfulness of Service:
    • underserved or diverse populations
    • health-related areas
    • serving on an organized sports team (note intramural)
    • involving language skills other than English
    • mission-based or faith-based community engagement
    • global experiences, including study abroad or mission work
    • involvement in student organization
  • Leadership Experience and Level of Responsibility:
    • leadership/named role within a student organization
    • college-level team captain or coach
    • health outreach or community engagement leadership position
    • experience as a caregiver
    • transformative impact, involving change or improvement in a system or process
    • health care operational leadership role or related experience
    • award from national organization/university
    • sustained period of part-time employment while earning college credit
    • military service
  • Connection to the PA Profession and Clear Understanding of the PA Role:
    • clinical licenses held with direct patient care responsibilities
    • research experience
    • presentations or publications
    • observation hours
    • current professional certification/role (EMT, CPR, CNA, medical technician)
  • Health Care Experience: Breadth, Depth and Patient Interaction

    For questions about prerequisites or admissions criteria, please contact graduate admissions at gradadm@elon.edu.