Applying · Guide

Reapplying to PA school

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

Short answer

Reapplying is common. In PAEA's survey of students who started PA school in 2022, 28.7% said they had applied before. If you applied (or started an application) in CASPA in the 2023–24 cycle or later, much of it can carry forward, but your letters and essays don't, so you'll need new letters and a rewritten personal statement.

What carries over in CASPA, and what doesn't

  • Carries over automatically: your CASPA ID and name.
  • Carries over after you review and approve it: demographic information, colleges attended, U.S. coursework CASPA already verified (with the matching transcripts), and experiences and achievements. If you used CASPA's Professional Transcript Entry service, that coursework carries forward only if you submitted and approved it last cycle. Update hours and descriptions before you submit: CASPA lets you add experiences after submitting but not delete existing ones.
  • Doesn't carry forward: letters of evaluation, essays, payments and program-specific information. You'll request new letters, write your essays again, redo program questions, and pay CASPA's fees again ($185 for the first program, $65 for each additional one in 2026–27). Ask letter writers early: programs that use CASPA's "Completed" deadline need letters received by then.
  • Tests: Casper scores are valid for one cycle only, and you can take each Casper test type once per cycle, so programs that require Casper need a new test. CASPA's 2026–27 guide doesn't say whether official test scores carry over, so check your score status in CASPA and each program's test rules.
  • Grades: CASPA averages in every attempt at a repeated course, so a retake adds a grade rather than replacing one.

What PAEA's reapplicant checklist recommends

PAEA's checklist, based on advice from a panel of PA program admissions directors, says to:

  • Review your previous application and interview for specific areas to improve.
  • Consider retaking required or recommended standardized tests to improve scores.
  • Not submit the same personal statement again. Rewrite it to address weaknesses and explain how you've grown since your last application.
  • Submit well before the published deadline, and check each program's supplemental requirements.

Find the gap before you reapply

  1. Check each requirement again at every program on your list: GPA minimums, prerequisite grades and time limits, patient care hours, letters and tests.
  2. Compare yourself with each program's admitted students, where it publishes them.
  3. Add what was thin: more patient care hours, stronger grades in science courses, or new letter writers, ideally clinicians, who know your work.
  4. Don't count on a file review. Some programs, like UTMB, say they don't offer file reviews for reapplicants and point you to PAEA's checklist. Answer any reapplicant question in a program's supplemental application directly.
  5. Rewrite your personal statement to show what changed, without hiding weaknesses.
  6. Apply earlier. Some programs, like OHSU, review applications as CASPA verifies them; OHSU says verification can take up to two weeks and suggests applying three to four weeks before its deadline.

Related guides

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Quick answers

Is it common to reapply to PA school?

Yes. In PAEA's survey of students who started PA school in 2022, 28.7% said they had applied before.

What carries over when you reapply on CASPA?

If you applied (or started an application) in CASPA in the 2023–24 cycle or later, your CASPA ID and name carry over automatically. Your demographic information, colleges, U.S. coursework CASPA already verified (with its transcripts), and experiences and achievements carry over after you review and approve them. Letters of evaluation, essays, payments and program-specific information don't.

Should I reuse my personal statement when I reapply?

No. PAEA's reapplicant checklist says not to submit the same personal statement again, and to rewrite it to show how you've grown.

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.