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: Not accepted

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 Aide
  • 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

  • Licensed or credentialed clinician: Preference will be given to those with direct patient care experience whose roles involve clinical responsibilities such as assessing patients, administering treatments or therapies, performing procedures, documenting care or working as part of a health care team in a patient-centered setting. *Examples of these roles are previously noted with an * under health care experience. 
  • Leadership Experience: Preference will be given to candidates who demonstrate leadership experience within a health care setting, community, student organization, or other area.

Examples include but are not limited to:

  • Military Service
  • College-level team captain (not intramural)
  • Teaching Assistant or Resident Assistant
  • Caregiver
  • Manager
  • Maintaining employment during college

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