Physician Assistant Knoxville Admissions
Applications
On April 25, 2024 CASPA (www.caspaonline.org) will open for applicants to apply to our PA program for the class starting in Fall 2025. Application deadline for this PA class is March 1, 2025.
A supplemental application is required of ALL applicants to the South College PA Program. This is in addition to the CASPA application. Your application to South College is not complete, and cannot be processed until we receive your supplemental application. There is a $95 application fee.
Students will need to submit supplemental applications and pay the associated fees for each campus they apply to.
*There is a $95 application fee (made out to South College) that must accompany the supplemental application.
Program Requirements
1. Completion of a baccalaureate degree (Science, Nursing, Health Science recommended) from a regionally accredited college or university in the United States, prior to matriculation.
2. Documentation of the following – Overall college cumulative GPA of a minimum of 2.75 on a 4.0 scale, completion of all prerequisite coursework with a cumulative GPA of a minimum of 2.75, and completion of all science prerequisite coursework with a cumulative GPA of a minimum of 2.75.
3. Applicants are encouraged to obtain patient care experience and shadowing hours, sufficient to recognize the physical and psychological demands of dealing with patients and to appreciate the challenges and rewards of being a health care professional. Health care experiences should provide the applicant with a knowledge and/or orientation to the signs and symptoms of a variety of ill or injured patients. Health care experiences will be evaluated on an individual basis, with an emphasis on direct patient care. In the screening process for admissions, points are awarded based on type of experience and hours earned.
4. Our program supports applications from veterans. For more information regarding our support, review the information on our Veterans page. In the screening process for admissions, points are awarded for Veterans with military healthcare training and experience.
5. In order for your application to be processed, we must receive the following items:
- Verified CASPA application that includes:
- Completion of the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) or Physician Assistant College Admission Test (PA-CAT) are required for your application to be processed. The GRE code for The School of Physician Assistant Studies is: South College, Knoxville: 1635. Please note that until your GRE is marked as official in CASPA we do not acknowledge the scores. The PA-CAT, log in to your account and share your scores with South College-Knoxville. We do not accept MCAT scores as a substitute.
- Completed Personal Statement
- 3 letters of recommendation – one letter must be from one of these specific Health Care Providers: (Physician Assistant (PA), Medical Doctor (MD), Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO), or Nurse Practitioner (NP)
- Completion of the PA Supplemental Application and fee (see admission application for details and a link)
- Current Basic Cardiac Life Support (BLS) from the American Heart Association is required upon matriculating in the program. (BLS classes will be offered during orientation) Most clinical sites do not recognize other institutions. NO SUBSTITUTIONS ARE ALLOWED.
- *Once CASPA applications are verified and received by the program, no changes will be made to the cumulative or science GPA. We regret we cannot honor individual requests for GPA recalculations.
Prerequisites Courses
- Human Anatomy and Physiology I and II with laboratory (minimum of 8 semester hours or 12 quarter hours)
- General Chemistry I and II with laboratory (minimum of 8 semester hours or 12 quarter hours)
- Biology I and II with laboratory (Mammalian, Cell, Molecular, or Human Biology). Upper Level Mammalian, Cell, Molecular, or Human Biology may be substituted for Biology II (minimum of 8 Semester or 12 quarter hours)
- Microbiology with laboratory (minimum of 3 Semester or 4.5 quarter hours)
- English (minimum of 6 semester hours or 8 quarter hours)
- Statistics, Algebra, Calculus, Finite Math, or other equivalent Advanced Mathematics (minimum of 6 semester hours or 8 quarter hours)
- Humanities and/or Social Science (minimum of 6 semester hours or 8 quarter hour)
- All science prerequisite courses must be completed within seven years from date of CASPA application.
Strongly suggested courses include: Genetics, immunology, organic chemistry, biochemistry, and other advanced biology or chemistry courses.
Selection for the Physician Assistant program is very competitive. It is anticipated that the successful applicant will generally exceed the minimum criteria for consideration for admission.
Applications are reviewed relative to undergraduate cumulative and pre-requisite course GPAs, health care experience (military or civilian), letters of recommendation, and GRE scores. Additional consideration is given to applicants with military medical experience. Personal interviews with the principal Physician Assistant faculty, practicing Physicians, and Physician Assistants from the community will be required for final admission and will be offered only to the most qualified individuals.
| Mean Scores | |
| Overall GPA | 3.71 |
| Science GPA | 3.64 |
| GRE scores (verb/quant/anal) | 153/153/4.1 |
| Patient Care Experience (hours) | 1501 |
Applying & Transfer of Credit
Applying
The South College Masters of Health Science Physician Assistant Studies Program participates in the Central Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA).
CASPA provides a web-based service that allows applicants to submit a single application to multiple participating PA programs.
All official transcripts, GRE Scores (Knoxville Code 1635), and letters of recommendation are sent directly to CASPA as part of the application process. Please visit CASPA at http://www.caspaonline.org/ for more information on how to apply for admission. We encourage you to visit CASPA’s Frequently Asked Questions section for answers to most common questions.
If you have not completed all required coursework at the time of your application with CASPA, any official transcripts including recently completed course work will have to be mailed directly to South College PA Program.
WE WILL SEND YOU AN EMAIL CONFIRMING YOUR APPLICATION ONLY WHEN YOUR APPLICATION IS COMPLETE (CASPA, SUPPLEMENTAL APPLICATION WITH APPROPRIATE FEES AND GRE SCORES RECEIVED).
Applicants with incomplete applications or applications that are not completed by the published deadline will not be considered.
You will be contacted if you are selected for a personal interview.
The admissions practices of our program are fair and equal for all applicants that provide a complete application that meets the minimum published requirements. Practices related to admissions are solely based on the performance presented in CASPA by the applicant for academics, GRE, healthcare experience and shadowing. We do not discriminate based on gender, race, ethnicity, age, religion, or financial status.
Transfer of Credit
Applicants to the program should be aware that all courses within the professional didactic and clinical curriculum are required. The Masters of Health Science Physician Assistant Program at South College does not recognize international medical experience, or transfer credits from another Physician Assistant Program or Medical School.
- For advanced placement to be granted for one or more admission requirements, the AP must show that college credit was awarded on their official transcript that includes the specific course, or an official advanced placement report sent by the high school or testing institution that shows the subject tested and that at 3.0 or above was earned for that tested event.
- Veterans who meet prerequisite requirements receive additional consideration in the review process.
- South College undergraduate students who meet prerequisite requirements are offered an interview.
Questions
For any admissions questions not answered by our website, please contact us at:
South College Knoxville
Physician Assistant Studies
Attn: PA Admissions
400 Goody’s Lane
Knoxville, TN 37922