PA Program Admissions Process

What to expect in the PA Admissions Process

Applicant Submissions

• CASPA application
• Rowan-Virtua SOM Supplemental Application

Pre-screening Process

The Rowan-Virtua SOM Admissions team receives all applications from CASPA and completes an objective pre-screening. At this time, the application is reviewed for required components. Required components to move beyond this phase includes review of Overall GPA, Overall prerequisite GPA, and letters of recommendation. Applicants will be denied at this point if they do not meet these minimum requirements. Prerequisite course work, direct patient contact hours, degree completion, and community service hours can be in progress at the time of application, but all students must meet all of the admission requirements prior to matriculation. CASPA will prompt applicants to provide a plan for prerequisite completion.

Faculty Screening Process

All applications who meet the minimum requirements of the pre-screen phase are assigned to a PA faculty member for a second review of minimum requirements and a review of the CASPA application in its entirety. The review of the CASPA application includes review of both required components and other submitted information within the application. For example, while the GRE is not required, the committee is not blinded to submitted scores. Other examples of this include shadowing experience if submitted by the applicant.

The faculty screening process considers the entire application holistically, with careful consideration for overall GPA, Overall prerequisite GPA, direct patient healthcare experience, community service experience, letters of recommendation, and the personal statement/essay submitted in CASPA.

At the conclusion of the in-depth holistic review of the application, the faculty member determines whether or not the applicant is invited to interview with the Rowan-Virtua SOM PA Admissions Committee.

Interview Days

Applicants who are invited to interview with the Rowan-Virtua SOM’s PA Admissions Committee will be offered an interview. Due to the rolling nature of the admissions process and how quickly interview day slots are filled, it is suggested that applicants invited to interview schedule an interview day as early as possible.

Interview days include program presentations, a campus tour, an individual interview, written essay prompts, and a group problem-solving activity.

Committee Selection

Within approximately two weeks of the conclusion of the interview day, the Rowan-Virtua SOM PA Admissions Committee convenes to holistically review all applicants. All information discussed above in the screening process is considered, in addition to outcomes related to the personal interview, writing assignments at the interview day, and participation in the interview group activity. Outcomes of the applicant selection process will subsequently be communicated to the applicant by the Rowan-Virtua SOM PA Admissions team.

The PA Admissions Committee reviews all applications holistically. Careful attention is paid to the application requirements listed and the interview day which work to assess an applicant's ability to work as a team member, ability to problem solve, written communication skills, awareness of the profession, personal growth, self-awareness and self-reflection, motivation for the profession, academic ability, integrity, interpersonal skills, critical thinking skills, problem solving, verbal communication, ethics, organizational skills, motivation, time management, health promotion and well-being, professionalism and alignment with the program’s mission, values, and goals.

Reserving a seat with deposit

If offered acceptance, the applicant will have 10 days to submit a $1,000 deposit to reserve a seat in the program. The deposit is non-refundable and will be applied to your first semester's tuition.

Applicants placed on the continuing candidate list will be reviewed in subsequent committee meetings and will be informed of any status updates as applicable.

For admissions and program related questions, visit our Frequently Asked Questions. For any additional questions, please contact us: AdmissionsPA@rowan.edu