Explore admissions and advising for the UNM PA program.
Thank you for your interest in the University of New Mexico Physician Assistant Program. Admission to the PA Program is very competitive. We typically select up to 26 applicants to matriculate into each cohort. Selection is based on evaluation of applicants' qualities and experiences that advance the program's mission. Please review this page for information on the admissions process, and contact us via the information at the bottom of the page if you have further questions.
Interested applicants are strongly encouraged to attend a group advisement workshop prior to submitting a CASPA application.
Please click here to view our admission statistics, including average numbers for admitted applicants.
Applicants must meet the minimum requirements detailed below and outlined in the UNM PA Program advisement worksheet. The PA Program is not able to make exceptions to any requirements or deadlines.
The University of New Mexico Physician Assistant Program has implemented changes to minimum requirements for admission effective for the 2025-2026 admission cycle, opening in April 2025 with a deadline of August 1, 2025.
See below for all requirements effective for the 2025-2026 application cycle. Applicants are advised to continue to review our website regularly, as changes to requirements are possible over time.
Application for admission is made through the Central Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA). CASPA opens in late April each year. The UNM PA Program adheres to CASPA’s Green Deadline, which states that applications must be verified by 11:59 pm ET on August 1 of the application year. Accepted students begin the program the following summer.
Only applicants who submit complete applications and are verified by August 1 with all prerequisites and requirements met will be considered.
CASPA applications can only be verified once all payments, transcripts, and letters of reference have been received. The UNM PA Program encourages applicants to submit complete applications as early in the cycle as possible for maximum consideration. To ensure your application is verified by the August 1 deadline, submit your completed application at least four weeks before the deadline. Applicants are encouraged to check the status of their CASPA application on a weekly basis. Helpful information on the CASPA application process is available through the Physician Assistant Education Association. A CASPA fee assistance program is available.
A four-year baccalaureate degree or higher in any area of study from an institution accredited by the Commission on Colleges of a Regional Accrediting Organization in the United States must be completed and awarded by August 1 of the year you apply (not the year you would matriculate). Documentation of the completed degree in the form of an official transcript must be provided by August 1. Exceptions to this deadline will not be made. The UNM PA Program does not have any required or preferred majors.
Required Coursework:
Highly Recommended Coursework (not required):
All prerequisites must be taken at a regionally-accredited institution (community college or 4-year university) in the United States for a letter grade. The minimum grade for required prerequisites is “C” or better (not “C-”) and the minimum grade for highly recommended courses is “B-” or better. Science prerequisites (as indicated by an * above) and all highly-recommended courses must be taken within 10 years of application to be accepted. For the 2025-2026 application cycle, these courses must have been taken in spring 2015 or later to fall within 10 years of application. Older coursework will need to be retaken to refresh your knowledge base; exceptions are not made to this time limit. The Psychology prerequisite does not have an age limit.
No more than two prerequisite lecture courses and no prerequisite labs should be taken online. This is strongly recommended for applicants to submit the most competitive application possible. We recognize some applicants have unique circumstances; therefore, applicants will not be disqualified based on the number of prerequisites that were completed online. If more than two prerequisite courses or any prerequisite labs were taken online, applicants will have an opportunity to explain any extenuating circumstances in the UNM PA supplemental application.
Applicants may apply with one outstanding required prerequisite course at the time of application submission (not the application deadline), as documented on transcripts submitted to and verified by CASPA. This prerequisite must be completed by December 31 of the application year with a grade of “B” (not “B-”) or higher. Applicants who are admitted to the program will be contacted regarding documentation of course completion; updated transcripts are not needed and should not be submitted unless admitted. The outstanding prerequisite and any other coursework not completed at the time of application will not be calculated into GPAs. Only required prerequisites (not highly recommended courses) are counted toward the one outstanding prerequisite. Applicants whose materials show more than one outstanding prerequisite at the time of application submission will not be considered.
For institutions offering separate human anatomy and human physiology courses, the UNM PA Program will accept one semester/quarter of Human Anatomy with Lab and one semester/quarter of Human Physiology with Lab. Courses must be human-focused and part of a standard two-term Human Anatomy and Physiology with lab sequence. These courses must meet all other prerequisite coursework requirements.
Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) credit is not accepted. CLEP (College Level Examination Program) credit and other credit by exam is not accepted.
Prerequisite courses may be taken at any regionally-accredited community college or university. No distinction is made between community college and university coursework.
To compare courses from other institutions, please follow these steps:
The PA Program is not able to offer full transcript reviews.
Due to COVID-19:
Applicants must have minimum GPAs of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale in both of the following calculations:
Undergraduate and graduate coursework factors into GPAs, including both degree and non-degree coursework. Only coursework completed at the time of application submissions will be factored into all GPAs. All attempts of courses that fall within the parameters of each GPA calculation are factored into GPAs for admission to our program, regardless of whether the course was repeated or the grade was "replaced."
Applicants must have completed a minimum of 1,000 direct patient care hours at the time of application, either in a patient care setting or a significant community care environment. Experience must involve patient care in a healthcare setting to be accepted. Hours may be earned through a paid or volunteer position. The UNM PA Program does not project hours beyond the application submission date and does not recalculate hours following application submission.
Examples of patient care experience may include but are not limited to: certified nursing assistant, medical assistant, patient care technician, surgical technician, radiological technician, laboratory technician, emergency medical technician, PT/OT aide, phlebotomist, athletic trainer, medical scribe, nurse, home health care provider. Hours completed as part of an educational training or certification program, such as clinical rotations, are not accepted toward the clinical experience requirement and should not be submitted as patient care/healthcare hours. Applicants should track their own experience to be entered into CASPA. No specific format for documenting hours outside of CASPA is required.
Applicants should also attempt to work with or shadow a PA to better understand the details of the occupation. Shadowing is encouraged but not required and does NOT count toward clinical experience. While the UNM PA Program is not able to facilitate shadowing opportunities, applicants are encouraged to utilize resources such as the UNM Office of Pre-Health Professions Student Development or similar services offered through their institution. Connections made through clinical work or volunteer experience may also provide opportunities to shadow providers.
See the UNM PA Experience Handout for more information on patient care, volunteer, and shadowing experience.
Demonstrated involvement in community service work (unpaid) is encouraged but not required.
Three evaluations/letters of recommendation are required. Letters of recommendation must be submitted directly to CASPA. The UNM PA Program will not accept letters of recommendation submitted directly to our program. Two letters of recommendation must be from clinical references. These clinical references are preferred to be from Physician Assistants, Medical Doctors, Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine, or Nurse Practitioners who can speak to your ability to become a PA, but may be from anyone who has worked with you in a clinical setting. One recommendation may be from a non-clinical reference, such as a non-healthcare employer, an organization with which you have volunteered, or a professor with whom you have worked closely (not a family member or friend).
Applicants are required to submit a current CV (curriculum vitae) or resume as part of their CASPA application. This document may be formatted in whatever style the applicant chooses.
In addition to completion of the CASPA application, all applicants are required to complete a UNM PA Program supplemental application and non-refundable fee. Your application is not complete and will not be considered until we receive a completed supplemental application and fee payment.
The UNM PA Program supplemental application is completed online. All sections of the supplemental application must be completed as instructed for the application to be considered. When our program receives a verified application through CASPA, applicants will be sent a link to complete the supplemental application and pay the supplemental application processing fee of $60.
The deadline to submit a completed supplemental application and fee is August 2 of the application year at 11:59 PM MT. Exceptions to this deadline cannot be made. Early submission within one week of receipt of supplemental application information is strongly encouraged for greatest consideration.
The UNM PA Program supplemental application processing fee cannot be waived for any applicants, including those who have received a CASPA application fee waiver.
Completion of the Exam Master Physician Assistant College Admission Test (PA-CAT) is required to apply to the UNM PA Program beginning with the 2025-2026 admission cycle. The PA-CAT is a specialized discipline-specific exam that is designed to measure applicant knowledge and application in key prerequisite science subjects typically required for PA school. The PA-CAT measures general academic ability and scientific knowledge necessary for success in the demanding Physician Assistant curriculum. The PA-CAT has been developed specifically for use by PA educators and their admissions departments as part of a holistic admissions process.
Visit the PA-CAT website at www.PA-CAT.com for more information and to register, pay, and schedule your exam date for the PA-CAT. Ensure the University of New Mexico PA Program is selected to receive your score report in your candidate score portal at www.PA-CAT.com. PA-CAT will send scores directly to us. PA-CAT scores must be received by our program no later than August 1. Early registration and testing is strongly recommended for best consideration.
The PA-CAT exam is being administered through Pearson VUE. Applicants are able to take the PA-CAT in a physical test center location or remotely via Pearson VUE’s remote proctoring service. After you register for the PA-CAT Exam at https://www.pa-cat.com/register-and-schedule/, you will then be able to schedule your test with Pearson VUE.
There is no minimum score required on the PA-CAT for admission to the UNM PA Program. As score reports are available for two years from the date of your test administration, applicants must have tested within two years of the August 1 application deadline for scores to be considered valid for that application cycle. Scores are considered as part of the holistic review process.
An application for partial fee waiver assistance for the PA-CAT is available.
Additional assessments, including but not limited to the Acuity Insights Casper Assessment, Graduate Record Exam (GRE), or Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) are not required for admission to the UNM PA Program. Completion/scores for these exams are not accepted in lieu of the PA-CAT and do not affect an applicant’s candidacy in any way.
Contact PA-CAT directly at support@pa-cat.com with any questions about the PA-CAT assessment.
Applications are considered complete once all required materials (completed and verified CASPA application, PA-CAT scores, UNM PA Program supplemental application, and UNM PA Program supplemental processing fee) are received by the program. Early submission of all materials is highly encouraged.
Application review begins at the start of the cycle and continues throughout. The review process is very time consuming. Please be patient as we process the high number of applications. We will share information with applicants as soon as it is available.
To ensure communications are received, applicants are advised to safe-list the following email addresses and email domains: HSC-PAProgram@salud.unm.edu, caspainfo@caspaonline.org, support@caspa.myliaison.com, donotreply@webadmit.org, and @sendgrid.me. It is also recommended to check junk/spam folders regularly to be sure important information is not missed.
A portion of qualified applicants are invited for an interview with the UNM PA Program. Admission to the UNM PA Program is highly competitive; meeting minimum requirements does not guarantee an interview. Interviews are offered on a rolling basis and are typically conducted between late summer and late fall. Interview format information is not available in advance and will be shared with selected applicants during each admissions cycle.
Following the interview, applicants may be offered admission, notified that they are not able to be admitted at that time but remain in consideration, or advised that they are not accepted for admission in the current cycle. Applicants who remain in consideration or are declined are encouraged to work on strengthening their application for a future admission cycle. See the Advisement page of our website for guidance for reapplicants.
Accepted students will pay a non-refundable $750 seat deposit. Candidates must accept the offer in writing and pay the non-refundable seat deposit by the deadline given in the offer email to secure their seat in the program. Deposits are credited to students’ bursar accounts upon matriculation and applied toward the first term’s bill.
Applicants must, at a minimum, complete their most recent 60 credit hours of undergraduate or graduate studies at a regionally accredited college or university in the United States. All minimum requirements must be met. Any prerequisite courses completed outside of the United States will not be accepted. Evaluations from WES or other credential evaluations are not accepted. English language test scores are not required.
The UNM PA Program recognizes that some individuals may apply to our program with other medical training and/or certifications. However, the PA Program will not allow advanced placement/standing of students into our program. Any student seeking admittance into the UNM PA Program will apply through the standard application process, must meet all requirements for admission, and will adhere to all attendance and course policies.
The UNM PA Program has set forth standards for admission that establish the requisite abilities considered essential for students admitted to this program to achieve the levels of competency stipulated for graduation by faculty, the professional program accrediting agency (Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant [ARC-PA]) and the state of New Mexico. All students admitted to this program are expected to have demonstrated the attributes and have met the expectations listed in the UNM PA Program Handbook with or without accommodations.
The UNM PA Program employs a holistic review process.
The following items are considered in the review of applications. Please see above for additional details on each.
Highest consideration is given to applicants who:
Please see our program’s admission statistics for averages and ranges of matriculated students from the last 5 years to assist in your self-evaluation.
A separate application to UNM is required upon acceptance into the program. Applicants should not apply to UNM prior to receiving notification of program acceptance and instructions from the PA Program.
Students are admitted once a year with classes beginning during summer, typically around late June/early July. All admitted applicants are subject to a required background check following admission to the program. Additionally, drug screening is required of all students. Please reference the UNM PA Program Student Handbook on our website for further information. There may be a cost to students associated with these items.
Applicants should be aware that criminal background check findings may affect licensing eligibility. More information on New Mexico policies may be obtained through the New Mexico Medical Board.
The UNM PA Program reserves the right to verify all employment, clinical experience, and volunteering included in any submitted materials.
Upon admission to the UNM PA Program, students should carefully review the UNM PA Program Student Handbook for important information on policies pertaining to academic standards, progression, employment, and other policies that pertain to all students, principal faculty, and the program director.
Students admitted to the UNM PA Program may petition the Admissions Committee for a one-year deferral only in the case of unusual circumstances for unforeseen and life-changing events. Deferral petitions must be submitted in writing to the PA Program as early as possible and prior to the start of orientation and must include a sufficient amount of detail. Requests will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis with various factors taken into consideration. If the deferment is granted, then a seat will be held in the next cohort. The deposit will not be refunded, and all onboarding processes for admission into the next cohort must be met.
Physician Assistant Program
Domenici 3010
MSC 09 5040
1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM 87131
Phone: 505.272.9864
Email: HSC-PAProgram@salud.unm.edu
