Applying · Guide

PA school acceptance rate

By The Prereq Club, a pre-PA student and her mom (not PAs or admissions advisers). Every figure below names its source and the month we checked it: October 2026.

Short answer

About 38% of PA school applicants started PA school in the 2024–25 cycle. PAEA counted 34,625 CASPA applicants and 13,195 matriculants that cycle. That's per person, not per application: the average 2024–25 applicant applied to 8.45 programs (PAEA), and single programs can be far more selective. It isn't your personal chance of getting in.

Applicants and matriculants by cycle

CASPA cycleApplicantsMatriculantsMatriculants per applicant
2021–2230,04912,03540.1%
2022–2331,37312,75140.6%
2023–2433,20112,63638.1%
2024–2534,62513,19538.1%
2025–2635,280Not yet published–

Counts are from PAEA's applicant and matriculant reports. The percentages are our own arithmetic (matriculants ÷ applicants); PAEA's CASPA reports don't publish a per-applicant acceptance rate. The counts cover only CASPA. In PAEA's 2021–22 review of program websites, 95.6% of programs participated in CASPA, and some programs admit some students outside it, so students who started at programs or tracks outside CASPA aren't counted. PAEA defines matriculants as students a program accepted and marked "matriculated," so people who were accepted but didn't enroll aren't counted. This is a national average, not your personal odds.

Single programs can be much more selective

A national rate blends every program together. Some programs publish their own numbers. OHSU, for example, reported 1,453 applicants, 148 interviews and a class of 42 for its 2025 entering class, which is about 3 seats per 100 applicants. OHSU's accreditor approved raising its maximum class to 60 starting in 2026, and the program now says it enrolls 60 students a year, so later ratios may differ. Check the class profile of each program you're considering, where it publishes one.

Who gets in, compared with who applies

  • GPA: In 2024–25, matriculants' average cumulative undergraduate GPA was 3.68, compared with 3.47 for all applicants (PAEA). See PA school GPA requirements.
  • Reapplicants: PAEA's CASPA applicant report lists 28% of 2024–25 applicants, and 29% of 2025–26 applicants, as reapplicants. Not getting in on the first try is common; see reapplying to PA school.
  • Interviews: PAEA surveyed students who started PA school in 2022; respondents came from about half of PA programs. They applied to a median of 8 programs, were offered a median of 3 interviews, and were accepted at a median of 25% of the programs they applied to. Everyone surveyed got in, so applicants who didn't get in aren't included.

What you can control

  1. Meet every requirement at each program on your list: GPA minimums, hours, prerequisites and deadlines.
  2. Compare yourself with admitted students, not just minimums (see how many hours you need).
  3. Choose how many programs to apply to based on fit and budget (see how many programs to apply to).

No number of applications, hours or GPA guarantees admission.

Related guides

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Quick answers

What is the acceptance rate for PA school?

In the 2024–25 CASPA cycle, PAEA counted 34,625 applicants and 13,195 matriculants (students who enrolled at a CASPA program), so about 38% of applicants started PA school that cycle. That's per applicant, not per application or a personal chance: the average 2024–25 applicant applied to 8.45 programs, and individual programs can admit only a few students per 100 applicants.

How many people apply to PA school each year?

PAEA counted 35,280 applicants through CASPA, the application service most PA programs use, in the 2025–26 cycle, up from 30,049 in 2021–22.

Is it common to reapply to PA school?

Yes. PAEA's CASPA applicant report lists 28% of 2024–25 applicants and 29% of 2025–26 applicants as reapplicants. Among students who started PA school in 2022, 28.7% had applied before (PAEA survey).

Sources (all opened October 2026)

Rules can change from one cycle to the next. Before you count on any of this, check each program's own admissions page or email the program. This guide is educational only and isn't admissions advice.