How to Apply

The Centralized Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA) opens its yearly cycle in the spring each year. The deadline for the BU program’s receipt of a complete CASPA application is September 1. To ensure that the application is processed to meet this deadline, please note CASPA recommends submitting materials at least four weeks in advance of the application deadline date. Only applications with a verified status in CASPA will be considered. Once the CASPA application has been received by the program, an invitation to complete our supplemental application will be sent via email.

Once our program receives a completed application from CASPA, you will be asked to complete the required supplemental application. The due date for the supplemental application for the 2022-2023 application cycle is September 6th, 2022 at 11:59 pm EST.

Completing the Supplemental

Once the verified CASPA application has been received, the following steps occur:

1. An email with the subject: Boston University PA Program CASPA Application Received will be sent to you. This email contains a link to a Pre-Registration Form. Please complete the form, entering the information requested.
2. After the Pre-Registration Form is completed, you will receive two additional emails:
   • A Web Login email that provides your username and a link to set up a BU Web Account. You must complete the web account setup in order to log in to the Supplemental Application website.
   • Supplemental Application Invite contains the web address to access the application for online submission. Enter your BU Web Account username and password to log in.
3.  Complete your application by the September 6th, 2022 deadline and submit the $45 fee, payable by credit card only. Please note that submitting the application fee payment does NOT automatically submit your application. You must also submit your supplemental application after completing all components. Application fees are non-refundable.

We recommend consulting the Admissions FAQ page to find answers to commonly asked questions about the supplemental. If any other questions, concerns, or issues arise regarding access to the Boston University PA Program Supplemental application, please contact our office.

We require three letters of recommendation, submitted through CASPA, from:

1) a professor or college advisor
2) a physician or physician assistant, and
3) an employer supervisor or manager, none of whom are relatives of the applicant

In order to confirm applicants have a clear understanding of the working relationship between physicians and physician assistants, the letter of recommendation from a physician or PA cannot be substituted with a letter from another health care provider (i.e. RN, NP, paramedic).

For the 2022-2023 admissions cycle, we will accept either Graduate Record Exam (GRE) scores or Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) scores. Test scores are required for all applications to be considered. There is no minimum score requirement.

The Admissions Committee uses a holistic and comprehensive review process which considers the standardized test scores in conjunction with other data including academic achievement, letters of recommendation, personal statement and the supplemental application. Also considered is work and life experience, extracurricular activities, special attributes, and the interview evaluation.

All scores must be sent directly to the CASPA Boston University PA Program code 0400.

We strongly encourage all applicants to take the GRE or MCAT on or before August 10 to ensure that scores are available for review on your CASPA application by the application deadline of September 1.

More information regarding the GRE can be found at www.ets.org.

All applicants must take and submit CASPer scores. CASPer is a 90-minute computer-based test, to assist with our selection process. Successful completion of CASPer is mandatory in order to maintain admission eligibility. CASPer assesses for non-cognitive skills and interpersonal characteristics we believe are important for successful students and graduates of our program and will complement our other applicant screening tools.

All technical inquiries on CASPer should be directed to support@takecasper.com. All available test times are shown to applicants upon reserving a test. There are no “make up” tests. The last CASPer test date for our application cycle is August 28, 2022. Applicants may not take CASPer more than once per admissions cycle and results are only valid for that cycle. More information on the CASPer test can be found at www.takealtus.com.

For those who speak English as a second language and those who did not complete 4 years of undergraduate education in the United States, Canada or the United Kingdom, English language fluency exams are required.

The ETS code for submitting your TOEFL scores to CASPA is: 0400

TOEFL exam minimum requirements are:

• 26 (reading)
• 26 (speaking)
• 28 (writing)

The minimum academic admission standards for the program include a bachelors degree (BA/BS/AB/SB) conferred prior to application and the following requirements:

The minimum CASPA calculated overall science GPA is 3.0.

• Course numbers – we realize that not all institutions use the same numbering system. A 300 or 400 course refers to a course that is usually taken by junior and senior students in the major. Upper-level courses often have their own prerequisite courses. For example, an upper level microbiology course might require a General Biology course.
• Upper level Biology courses may be in any subject.  We have found that the following upper-level courses are helpful for PA students but are not required:
  • Immunology
  • Anatomy
  • Microbiology
  • Genetics
  • Histology
  • Embryology
  • Cell biology
  • Molecular biology
  • Pharmacology
  • Endocrinology
  • Histology
  • Neuroscience
  • Extra physiology
• Chemistry courses should be those designated for chemistry majors rather than survey and non-degree chemistry courses.
• Organic Chemistry course should cover the following foundational areas:
  • Chemical bonds
  • Alcohols, esters, phenols, aldehydes, and ketones
  • Proteins
  • Enzymes
  • Carbohydrates and energy production
  • Fats and lipids.
• Biochemistry course needs to provide foundational knowledge in:
  • Enzymology
  • Cellular communication
  • DNA and RNA structure and synthesis
  • Energy and carbohydrate metabolism
  • Amino acid and protein synthesis
  • Digestion and hormonal control of metabolism
• Human or Animal Physiology, if taken at the 300 or 400 level, do not count towards the upper level biology course requirement.
• Biochemistry, if taken at the 300 or 400 level, do not count towards the upper level biology course requirement.
• Science GPA requirement of 3.0 is calculated by CASPA. There is no minimum overall GPA requirement.

• All prerequisite coursework must be completed in traditional classroom and laboratory settings. Online courses do not count towards prerequisite course requirements. Prerequisite courses must be completed by the September 1 application deadline in order to be considered for an interview.
• COVID Addendum:  For students taking courses in Spring 2020, Summer 2020, Fall 2020, and Spring 2021 semester, the program will allow prerequisite course which had started in-person and moved to remote online teaching due to COVID or those courses which were originally planned to be in person and were moved to remote online teaching due to COVID. Courses which were not planned to be in-person and were designed to be only online, or courses from online universities do not count towards prerequisite course requirements. Prerequisite courses must be completed by the September application deadline in order to be considered for an interview.
• Official transcripts for completed coursework should be sent to CASPA only. Please do not send copies of completed transcripts to the PA Program.
• In the event that required prerequisite coursework is “in progress” at the time an application is submitted to CASPA, it is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that course information is updated upon completion and verified by CASPA by the September 1 deadline.

While there is no prerequisite for health care experience, successful applicants must demonstrate an understanding of the PA profession and its contribution to the delivery of health care in the United States. We do not have an admission requirement related to a particular number of hours spent with patients. For students applying to the program with previous healthcare experience, one type of experience is not considered to be valued more highly than another.

PA students must have sufficient sensory capacity to observe in the lecture hall, the laboratory, the outpatient setting, and at the patient’s bedside. Sensory skills adequate to perform a physical examination are required. This includes functional vision, hearing, smell, and tactile sensation.

Students must be able to:

• communicate with patients and others in both academic and healthcare settings
• display effective writing, reading and verbal skills
• perceive and describe changes in mood, activity, and posture
• interpret non-verbal communication signals

Students should have sufficient motor function to:

• diagnose patients by palpation, auscultation, percussion, and other diagnostic maneuvers
• execute movements with reasonable dexterity in order to provide general care and emergency care to patients, including but not limited to:
  • cardiopulmonary resuscitation
  • administration of intravenous medication
  • application of pressure to stop hemorrhage
  • opening of obstructed airways
  • suturing of simple wounds
  • performance of simple obstetrical maneuvers
  • negotiate patient care environments and must be able to move between settings, such as clinic, classroom building, and hospital
  • maintain sufficient physical stamina to complete the rigorous course of didactic and clinical study. Long periods of sitting, standing, or moving are required in classroom, laboratory, and clinical settings.

Students must be able to:

• measure, calculate, reason, analyze and synthesize problem-solving skills
• interpret three dimensional relationships and understand the spatial relationships of anatomy structures
• critically read and interpret medical literature

In order to complete the Physician Assistant Program, candidates must be able to demonstrate mastery of these skills and the ability to use them together in a timely fashion in medical problem-solving and patient care.

Student must:

• possess the emotional health required for full utilization of their intellectual abilities, the exercise of good judgment, and the completion of all academic and patient care responsibilities
• develop mature, sensitive and effective relationships with patients, faculty and other members of the health care team
• function in the face of uncertainties inherent in clinical practice and adapt to changing environments

A student must demonstrate the above competencies with or without reasonable accommodation.  Whether or not a requested accommodation is reasonable will be determined on an individual basis.  Boston University will determine and provide reasonable accommodations to qualified students with a disability to enable them to meet these technical standards.  For more information regarding BU policies for accommodations, please visit the Office of Disability Services.

General university requirements include compliance with the immunization policies for health professionals. Students are not permitted to register if they are not compliant with the policies. Please visit the BU Student Health Services website for more information prior to matriculation: https://www.bu.edu/shs/getting-started/incoming-health-requirements/#gf_31

All matriculating students at Boston University are required to be to vaccinated against COVID-19 unless they have an approved waiver. The latest Boston University COVID-19 information can be found here. It is important to note that none of our clinical sites will accept exemptions. Students with unvaccinated status will not be able to complete rotations and will not be able to complete the program.

Failure to complete the required internships as a result of unvaccinated status will not entitle a student to a tuition refund.

Please be aware that most clinical sites require a criminal history records check for students placed at these sites. For students discovered to have a felony conviction in their record, placement options will be limited. In addition, many employers and state licensing boards also have policies regarding criminal histories which may limit employment and licensure options. The BU PA Program is not responsible for conducting such background checks and cannot ensure that students with felony convictions on their record will be eligible for clinical site placement. Offers of admissions are contingent on a satisfactory criminal background check.

Failure to complete the required internships as a result of a felony conviction will not entitle a student to a tuition refund.