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Tuition: $1,012/credit*

• Total tuition cost: ​$109,113 for the 111-credit degree (2025-26 rate)
• Total College and program fees (includes costs such as equipment, memberships, access to electronic resources, lab fees): $6,344
• Total program cost (tuition and fees): $115,457**
• For a full description of all direct and indirect program-related costs for the length of the program, please view the
• For a full description of the policies and procedures for refunds of tuition and fees, view the St. Scholastica website for details.
• These figures are for estimation purposes only. Because tuition and fee rates and other expenses change each year, your costs for the 28-month degree will likely be higher than the total figures quoted here.
• Additional information about current tuition rates and fees is available on our financial aid pages and the .

** Tuition and fees are the direct costs of program attendance billed to you and paid to the institution. This figure does not factor indirect costs of attendance, which include personal living expenses and other required expenses. Actual indirect costs may vary widely depending on individual lifestyle expectations. (direct and estimated indirect expenses) for entire program: $199,857.

* Tuition rates are for the 2026-27 academic year. Additional fees and costs for course materials may apply. Total program cost and completion time varies depending on transfer credits and individual program plans. Tuition rates are subject to change. View the 2025-26 tuition and fees.

Program Mission

In accordance with our Benedictine values, the mission of Íøºì³Ô¹Ï’s PA Medicine program is to educate PA students within a comprehensive, interprofessional and innovative curriculum to meet the diverse healthcare needs of our region, specifically rural and medically underserved communities.

Our Unique Approach to Learning

Our PA program uses a pass/fail grading system, allowing you to develop clinical skills in a collaborative, team-based environment without the pressure of competition. Throughout the program, you will receive PA-specific support focused on rural healthcare preparation to help you succeed. As a graduate, you’ll be ready to deliver compassionate, high-quality care, especially in rural and underserved communities.

Program Goals*

1. The PA Medicine program will prepare students for practice in rural and medically underserved communities.
   Benchmarks:
   • 90% of PA Medicine graduates will have completed at least one rotation in a rural area or a medically underserved community* in the surrounding 6-state region**
     • *Rural and medically underserved community as defined by HRSA
     • **MN/WI/IA/SD/ND/MI is the 6-state region that mirrors our admissions preference
   • First-time PANCE pass rates will meet or exceed the national average
2. PA Medicine students will engage with the values of respect, community, hospitality, stewardship, and love of learning throughout the curriculum
   Benchmark:
   • 100% of matriculated PA Medicine students will participate in activities that reflect the Benedictine values throughout their training

*As part of our continuous program assessment process, goals are periodically revised. The goals listed here reflect updates implemented beginning with the 2026 cohort.

PANCE Results

All graduates of an accredited PA program must pass the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE) prior to obtaining a license to practice. This exam is developed by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA). View Íøºì³Ô¹Ï’s PA program’s .

*Per the NCCPA, the PANCE testing window ends each year near mid-December. Our classes graduate at the end of December. Therefore, it is appropriate for programs that graduate in December to compare their first-time taker pass rates with the national averages from the following calendar year.

Graduation and Attrition Rates

*Attrition rate calculation: Number of students who attritted from cohort divided by the entering class size.

**Graduation rate: Number of cohort graduates divided by the entering class size.

Comments

• Class of 2023: 1 student decelerated and graduated with the Class of 2024; 1 student withdrew
• Class of 2024: 1 student decelerated and graduated with the class of 2025; 1 student was dismissed; 1 student withdrew
• Class of 2025: 1 student withdrew

Policies

Program policies can be found in the . All policies apply to all students, faculty, staff, and the program director regardless of their location.

Student Employment

The PA Medicine program is extremely intense and rigorous. The program expects the student’s position in the program to be their primary responsibility and that any outside activity, including student employment, must not interfere with their abilities to accomplish the program expectations. Employment is strongly discouraged during the program. The College will not alter or adjust the program expectations, assignments, deadlines and responsibilities to accommodate working students.

Licensure

To become a certified PA following completion of a master’s program, you must pass the , a computer-based, multiple-choice test comprising questions that assess medical and surgical knowledge.

The PA clinical rotations at St. Scholastica are an important step in your educational journey. Through these experiences, you will work with experienced, licensed healthcare providers to further develop your knowledge and skills in the following areas:

• Patient care and communication
• Critical thinking and decision making
• Technical and procedural skills across a variety of medical settings
• Interprofessional teamwork

The Director of Clinical Education and the program arrange all of your clinical rotation experiences for you. Although you may not develop or arrange your clinical site/schedule, you may identify potential new sites and/or preceptors. For more information regarding this process, view the Preceptor/Site Contact Information on page 55 of the .

As healthcare providers try to combat the rising costs, the demand for PAs is increasing dramatically. In fact, The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that employment for between 2024 and 2034. As demand for healthcare services grows, PAs will be needed to provide care to patients.

The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc. (ARC-PA) has granted Accreditation-Continued status to Íøºì³Ô¹Ï PA Medicine Program sponsored by Íøºì³Ô¹Ï. Accreditation-Continued is an accreditation status granted when a currently accredited program is in compliance with the ARC-PA Standards.

Accreditation remains in effect until the program closes or withdraws from the accreditation process or until accreditation is withdrawn for failure to comply with the Standards. The approximate date for the next validation review of the program by the ARC-PA will be September 2031. The review date is contingent upon continued compliance with the Accreditation Standards and ARC-PA policy.

The program’s accreditation history can be viewed on the .

Visit our admissions page for information about transcripts, online application, international admissions, financing, and the Center for Equal Access.

Application Deadlines

Applications open late April in .

Deadline: Aug. 1

Eligibility

• Completion of a bachelor’s degree at a regionally accredited college or university
• Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0, as calculated by CASPA. Preference: 3.3 or better.
• Minimum prerequisite GPA of 3.0 (CSS calculated. Retakes: average of grades earned). Preference: 3.3 or better.
• All prerequisites must have a minimum grade of “C”
• A minimum of 750 hours of paid direct patient/client work experience (PCE) is required at the time of application submission. Typical experiences may include CNA, personal care attendant through an agency, EMT, paramedic, scribe, or other healthcare professional. The key part of this requirement is that the experience must involve direct, face-to-face service with the patient/client.
• The GRE is not required. Any standardized test scores will not be considered (i.e. GRE, MCAT, Casper, PA-CAT, etc.).
• Applicants must be able to demonstrate knowledge of the role and responsibilities of a PA
• All students must also review the  (pdf) required for program entry

Prerequisites

Prerequisite course grades must be C or better with a prerequisite GPA of 3.0 or above. All courses must be a minimum of 3 semester credit hours, with the exception of Medical Terminology, which can be a minimum of 1 semester credit hour.

• Organic Chemistry
• Biochemistry
• Human Anatomy and Physiology I and II
• Microbiology or Medical Microbiology
• General, Developmental, or Abnormal Psychology
• Medical Terminology
• Statistics

Please note:

• Labs are recommended in science-related courses, when applicable
• All prerequisites must have been completed within 10 years from the year of application
• Any student may request a waiver of the prerequisite ten-year time frame requirement through a written request to the Graduate Admissions Office. This request must be received by the Graduate Admissions Office by July 1 to allow ample time for review prior to the Aug. 1 application deadline. The Admissions Chair may determine prerequisite course equivalencies and grant waivers for time limitations without full PA Admission Committee involvement. Other waiver requests may require a committee vote. Waiver of GPA, course grade minimum, and course prerequisite requirements will not be considered. The Admissions Chair notifies the applicant and the Graduate Admissions Counselor of waiver decisions in writing.
• All prerequisites must be completed, via official transcript, by Aug. 1 of the program start year. Because prerequisite courses establish the framework for the PA program, all prerequisite courses must be completed at an institution of higher learning.
  
• Applicants must report every college course attempted in the Coursework section of the CASPA application, including those courses later repeated for a higher grade. CASPA GPAs include ALL courses completed with grades/credits, even if they were later repeated for a higher grade.
• Due to the high volume of interest in the PA Medicine program at Íøºì³Ô¹Ï, the Office of Graduate Admissions does not review unofficial transcripts to determine the completion of prerequisite coursework. If you have specific questions about a particular course, please reference the prerequisite equivalency tables to determine if the course meets the stated requirement.

Policy regarding Pass/No Pass (P/F, C/NC, S/U) and online coursework due to COVID-19 impact

Any prerequisite course taken for credit (pass/fail, credit/no credit, satisfactory/unsatisfactory, etc.) between spring 2020 — spring 2021 will be accepted; however, it will not count toward the prerequisite GPA. We have always accepted grades from regionally accredited online courses and will continue to do so.

Selection Process

The admissions committee will consider:

• Cognitive factors: cumulative and prerequisite GPA. Additional consideration is given to applicants who exceed the minimum GPA requirements.
• Admissions preference will be given to applicants:
  • With a St. Scholastica undergraduate degree
  • From the upper Midwest (Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Michigan, North Dakota, and South Dakota, with an emphasis on students from Minnesota and Wisconsin)
  • With experience living in or having grown up in a rural community
  • With student career goals that fit the program’s mission
  • With an interest in improving the human condition as demonstrated by healthcare and volunteer experiences that indicate a commitment to service
• Desired applicant qualities include professionalism, strong interpersonal communication skills, self awareness, and dedication to lifelong learning

Veteran Preference

Íøºì³Ô¹Ï has a long-standing history of supporting veterans in reaching their career goals. The PA Medicine program at St. Scholastica is committed to our nation’s veterans. We offer admissions preference to all veteran applicants. While this does not guarantee admission, it is an acknowledgment of the College’s dedication to veterans and their needs.

View Veterans Information

Online Application

1. Submit a . The program does not interview applicants for admission.* We may contact you by email or phone to clarify the information in your CASPA application.
2. Transcripts: Official transcripts from every post-secondary institution attended or where credit was earned must be sent to CASPA. Instructions are indicated on the .
3. In the CASPA application, enter contact information for two people to submit recommendation information/letters on your behalf. Applicants will be asked to provide a personal statement and a response to three program-specific essay questions.
4. After the application deadline, only completed and verified applications from CASPA will be reviewed.

*Interviews may contribute to bias in the candidate selection process. To minimize this effect, the St. Scholastica PA Medicine program uses a holistic admissions approach and does not interview applicants. We have found this supports a more inclusive student body.

Accepted Students