Advisement

Interested applicants are encouraged to participate in advisement to learn more about the UNM PA Program and ensure they understand the admission requirements. Please review the Admissions tab of this website and our advisement worksheet thoroughly prior to seeking advisement. 

PA Advisement Workshops

All prospective applicants are encouraged to attend one or more group advisement workshops. The PA Program holds regular workshops to provide students with all necessary information for applying to PA school. This is the first step of our advisement process. Workshops are open to all prospective and prior applicants, regardless of residency status. Please see below for upcoming advisement workshop dates.

New Mexico residents interested in scheduling a one-on-one advisement appointment must first attend a group advisement workshop within the last 2 years before scheduling.

Advisement Workshop Schedule

Registration is required for advisement workshops using the links provided below.

• Tuesday, January 7, 2025 2:00-3:00 PM Zoom Registration Link
• Thursday, February 6, 2025 9:00-10:00 AM Zoom Registration Link
• Wednesday, March 12, 2025 11:00 AM-12:00 PM Zoom Registration Link
• Tuesday, April 22, 2025 10:00-11:00 AM Zoom Registration Link 
• Wednesday, May 28, 2025 11:00 AM-12:00 PM Zoom Registration Link
• Thursday, June 26, 2025 2:00-3:00 PM Zoom Registration Link
• Thursday, July 10, 2025 10:00-11:00 AM Zoom Registration Link
• Thursday, August 28, 2025 9:00-10:00 AM Zoom Registration Link
• Tuesday, September 23, 2025 11:00 AM -12:00 PM Zoom Registration Link
• Monday, October 20, 2025 2:00-3:00 PM Zoom Registration Link

Please do the following prior to attending a PA Advisement Workshop:

• Review the PA program web pages thoroughly
• Complete the advising worksheet and have it with you at the advisement workshop
  
  

Individual Advisement Appointments

As a public, state-funded institution, the University of New Mexico PA Program strives to improve the health care of those in medically underserved and/or rural populations in the state of New Mexico.

For admissions/application purposes, and therefore individual advisement opportunities, the following applicants are considered New Mexico residents:

• Applicants who have physically resided in New Mexico for at least 12 consecutive months immediately preceding the submission of their application, or;
• Applicants who graduated from a New Mexico high school, but have been out of the state for the specific purpose of educational enrichment at an accredited institution or active military service, or;
• Applicants who are enrolled members of an American Indian nation, tribe and pueblo, located wholly or partially in New Mexico.

The UNM PA Program offers individual advisement for all New Mexico residents, as defined above, in alignment with our mission.

Appointments are available for New Mexico residents who have additional questions after attending a group session. Attendance at a group advisement workshop in the last 2 years is required prior to scheduling an individual appointment. This requirement is in place to ensure all interested students are able to receive access to all current, important information.

Pre-Application Advisement
Individual pre-application advisement is available for New Mexico residents who have questions about the program or admission process that are not answered on our website or in the group advisement workshop. The UNM PA Program does its best to offer this service throughout the year, though availability is limited during our admission cycle, from approximately April through October. This service is available for applicants who do not have an active application for admission; individual advising is not available for in-progress applications.

Post-Application Advisement
While many physician assistant programs are not able to provide individualized feedback to applicants who are not admitted, the UNM PA Program is dedicated to offering this post-application advising service to New Mexico residents in order to help strengthen their applications for future cycles. All New Mexico residents who apply to our program and are not admitted are welcome and encouraged to utilize this post-application advisement resource. Individual post-application advisement appointments are typically offered from approximately January through March. During these appointments, previous applicants may receive personalized feedback on their application from the immediately preceding admission cycle. Individualized post-application feedback is available for New Mexico residents only, in alignment with our mission. Non-residents are encouraged to review data on matriculated UNM PA students to aid in the self-assessment process. Please see below for additional information for reapplicants.

Scheduling Advisement
New Mexico residents may schedule individual advising appointments here. First select the type of appointment (pre-/post-application advisement) near the top of the page to see availability. If no appointments are listed during the time periods noted above, please continue to check back for additional appointments to be added. Attendance at a group advisement workshop in the last 2 years is required prior to scheduling an individual appointment.

Email Advisement

Prospective students who have general questions about the UNM PA Program or our admissions requirements are welcome to email the program to receive guidance via email. Email advisement is available throughout the year. Attendance at a group workshop is encouraged but not required prior to receiving general advisement via email. Please include your full name and completed PA advising worksheet from our website in your message. Please note we are not able to provide advisement via phone.

Reapplicants

Admission to the UNM PA Program is an extremely competitive process. We welcome and encourage applicants who were not admitted to strengthen their application and reapply for admission to our program. Please note that there is no guarantee that making improvements to one’s application will result in selection for an interview or admission into the program.

Reapplicants are encouraged to reflect on general advice from the Physician Assistant Education Association and carefully review our program's requirements and admissions data before beginning the reapplication process. Reapplicants should consider their entire application and be prepared to make significant improvements to their credentials to strengthen their candidacy for future cycles. 

Interview invitations are not guaranteed for reapplicants, including for those who have interviewed with our program previously. Our holistic review process takes many factors into consideration, and each admission cycle is different, with significant variation in applicant pools from year to year.

Visits

Applicants who are invited to interview with our program typically have an opportunity to tour our Health Sciences campus and PA Program spaces as part of the interview experience. We are not able to offer PA Program-specific tours/visits outside of the admissions interview process. Prospective students are welcome to work with the UNM Admissions Office for scheduled or self-guided tours of the main university campus.