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.
Applicants must meet the minimum requirements detailed below and outlined in the UNM PA Program advisement worksheet.
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.
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). The UNM PA Program does not have any required or preferred majors.
Required Coursework:
Highly Recommended Coursework:
All prerequisites must be taken at a regionally-accredited institution 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. Older coursework will need to be retaken to refresh your knowledge base; exceptions are not made to this time limit except in the case of Chemistry as described below. Psychology and Writing/Literature/Public Speaking/Linguistics prerequisites do not have age limits.
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 were taken online, applicants will have an opportunity to explain the reasoning for exceeding two courses in the application. Please see note below for COVID-19 related exceptions to online coursework expectations.
Applicants may apply with one outstanding required prerequisite course at the time of application, which must be completed by December 31 of the application year with a grade of “B” (not “B-”) or higher. This 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.
Substitutions for prerequisites may only be made as follows:
Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) credit will be accepted for Writing, Literature, Public Speaking, and Linguistics prerequisites only. Credit must have been awarded at the college level and must be shown on an official college transcript. 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. 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 o ur 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. Hours may be earned through a paid or volunteer position. The UNM PA Program does not project hours and does not recalculate hours following application submission.
Examples of patient care experience may include but are not limited to: certified nursing assistant, certified medical assistant, patient care technician, surgical technician, radiological technician, laboratory technician, emergency medical technician, PT/OT aide, phlebotomist, athletic trainer, 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.
See the UNM PA Experience Handout for more information.
Demonstrated involvement in community service work is encouraged but not required.
Three letters of recommendation are required. Letters of recommendation must be submitted directly to CASPA. 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 personal reference, such as an individual who has worked with you in a non-clinical setting (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 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. 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.
Applicants are required to complete the Casper Admissions Assessment through Acuity Insights (previously known as Altus Suite) as part of their application. Applicants will need to visit AcuityInsights.app to create an account and complete the following assessment:
The deadline to complete the Casper Assessment for admission to the UNM PA Program in the 2023 admission cycle is August 10, 2023. This deadline varies from year to year based on the Acuity Insights testing schedule. Completion of the Casper is not required prior to submitting the CASPA or UNM supplemental applications, though early testing is encouraged.
Ensure the UNM PA Program is selected for distribution of scores. Scores are valid for a single application cycle only; the assessment must be taken again each year.
Note: The Duet assessment is NOT required to apply to our program and will not be reviewed if completed. Only the Casper assessment is required.
Neither the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) nor the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) are required for admission to the UNM PA Program, and scores do not factor into the application review process in any way.
Applications are considered once all required materials (completed and verified CASPA application, 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, 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 admissions committee. 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 will be shared with selected applicants during each admissions cycle.
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 an accredited college or university in the United States and all minimum requirements must be met. Any prerequisite courses completed outside of the United States will not be 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 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. Highest consideration is given to applicants who:
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. 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 (link) 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.
Please click here to view the admission statistics.
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
