Application Process

West Virginia University and the Division of Physician Assistant Studies are committed to the goal of equal educational opportunity for all students:  no candidate is denied admission because of race, religion, color, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, age, handicap or disability, veteran status, or national origin.  WVU enrolls a diverse student population.  While preference is given to West Virginia residents, qualified applicants from other states and countries are encouraged to apply.

To maintain the integrity of the admissions process, admissions faculty and staff are expected to excuse themselves from participation in application scoring or interviewing of candidates with whom they have a relationship outside of the PA program including but not limited to family, friends, and acquaintances of individuals they know well.

Applicants to the physician assistant program at West Virginia University must have attained a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited U.S. institution and completed all prerequisite courses prior to the date of matriculation.  Applications to the program are submitted through the Central Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA). 

We are not able to consider applications which are not verified by CASPA by the August 1 deadline. In order to assure that your application is verified by CASPA prior to the program’s August 1, 2024 deadline, we strongly recommend that all application materials are completed and submitted to CASPA by no later than June 1, 2024. Please pay close attention to the recommended application timeline in the CASPA Quick Start Guide and FAQs.

Application fees paid to CASPA cannot be refunded by the program.

For each admissions cycle, applicants are selected for an on-campus interview based on the relative strength of their CASPA application in meeting or exceeding the West Virginia University physician assistant studies program admission requirements as compared against the current applicant pool. Applicants who meet the minimum admissions requirements are considered for an interview based on the following criteria identified within their CASPA application:

  • Cumulative Undergraduate GPA
  • Cumulative Undergraduate Science GPA
  • Prerequisite GPA
  • GRE scores (Verbal and Quantitative)

Interviews will usually be offered to West Virginia residents and graduates of WVU who meet the minimum GPA requirements but the PA Admissions Committee may elect not to interview an unrealistic applicant.

Questions regarding an applicant’s qualifications for an interview will be referred to the program director.

Important Dates for Class Matriculating in January 2025

April 25, 2024                       CASPA cycle opens

August 1, 2024                     Deadline for application to be completed and verified by CASPA

June-August 2024                 In-person Interviews (at the discretion of the admissions committee, interviews may be conducted via Zoom)

September 1-15, 2024          Letters of acceptance for PA class of 2027 emailed (approximate dates)

January 9-10, 2025               Mandatory orientation PA class of 2027

January 9, 2025                    Deadline to submit post-acceptance requirements

January 13, 2025                  First day of spring semester classes