How to Apply

The Centralized Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA) opens its yearly cycle in the spring each year. The deadline for the BU program’s receipt of a complete CASPA application is September 1, 2025. To ensure that the application is processed to meet this deadline, please note CASPA recommends submitting materials at least four weeks in advance of the application deadline date. Only applications with a verified status (green) in CASPA will be considered. Once the CASPA application has been received by the program, an invitation to complete our supplemental application will be sent via email.

Once our program receives a completed application from CASPA, you will be asked to complete the required supplemental application. The due date for the supplemental application for the 2025-2026 application cycle is September 5, 2025 at 11:59 pm EST.

Completing the Supplemental

Once the verified CASPA application has been received, the following steps occur:

1. An email with the subject Boston University Account Claim will be sent to you from ITHelp@bu.edu with instructions to create a password.**
2. A second email with the subject PA Supplemental Application Request will be sent to you from paoffice@bu.edu with instructions to access our secure portal at https://mypa-application.bumc.bu.edu/ to complete the supplemental application. You will need your BU login name and password to access the website. We have implemented Duo two-factor authentication (2FA) to ensure that your information is protected.
3.  Complete your application by the September 5, 2025 deadline and submit the $50 fee, payable by credit card only. Please note that submitting the application fee payment does NOT automatically submit your application. You must also submit your supplemental application after completing all components. Application fees are non-refundable.

We recommend consulting the Admissions FAQ page to find answers to commonly asked questions about the supplemental. If any other questions, concerns, or issues arise regarding access to the Boston University PA Program Supplemental application, please contact our office.

**Please note if you have previously applied to the BU PA Program, you will not receive the email instructing you to create a password. Please log in to our Supplemental Application using your previously assigned BU Login and password. If you have forgotten your password, there is a link on the login site to reset your password.

We require three letters of recommendation, submitted through CASPA, from:

1) college professor or academic advisor – letter must be from a professor that you took a course with, or an academic advisor who can sum up your academic abilities and performance in courses.
2) physician (MD, DO) or physician assistant (PA-C) or nurse practitioner (NP) – letter must be from someone who observed you in a clinical setting.
3) employer supervisor or manager – letter writer must specify that they were your supervisor and oversaw your work.

Letter writers should have or had a professional relationship with applicants, and be able to comment on the applicant’s work ethic, professionalism, and abilities. Letters of recommendation from friends and relatives of the applicant will not be accepted. Applications without the required letters by the application deadline will be marked “incomplete” and will not be considered.

All applicants must take and submit CASPer scores. CASPer is a 65-minute computer-based test, to assist with our selection process. Successful completion of CASPer is mandatory in order to maintain admission eligibility. CASPer assesses for non-cognitive skills and interpersonal characteristics we believe are important for successful students and graduates of our program and will complement our other applicant screening tools.

All technical inquiries on CASPer should be directed to support@takecasper.com. All available test times are shown to applicants upon reserving a test. There are no “make up” tests. The last CASPer test date for our application cycle is August 26, 2025. Applicants may not take CASPer more than once per admissions cycle and results are only valid for that cycle. Please be sure to enter your CASPA ID accurately. Incorrect CASPA IDs will result in your CASPer score not uploading into our system. More information on the CASPer test can be found at www.acuityinsights.app.

For the upcoming 2025-2026 cycle, the minimum required CASPer score will be the 3rd quartile. Applications with scores below the 3rd quartile will not be considered.

For those who speak English as a second language and those who did not complete 4 years of undergraduate education in the United States, Canada or the United Kingdom, English language fluency exams are required.

The ETS code for submitting your TOEFL scores to CASPA is: 0400

TOEFL exam minimum requirements are:

• 26 (reading)
• 26 (speaking)
• 28 (writing)

The minimum academic admission standards for the program include a bachelors degree (BA/BS/AB/SB) conferred prior to application and the following requirements:

The minimum CASPA calculated science GPA is 3.2. Applications with science GPAs below 3.2 will not be considered.

^{*AP credit will be accepted in lieu of Intro/Gen Biology and Intro/Gen Chemistry. Must be noted on transcript.}

^{**General biology or zoology lab may be substituted with another biology lab (ie, microbiology, genetics , etc)}

• Course numbers – we realize that not all institutions use the same numbering system. A 300 or 400 course refers to a course that is usually taken by junior and senior students in the major. Upper-level courses often have their own prerequisite courses. For example, an upper level microbiology course might require a General Biology course.
• Upper level Biology courses may be in any subject.  We have found that the following upper-level courses are helpful for PA students but are not required:
  • Immunology
  • Anatomy
  • Microbiology
  • Genetics
  • Histology
  • Embryology
  • Cell biology
  • Molecular biology
  • Pharmacology
  • Endocrinology
  • Histology
  • Neuroscience – see section section on Neuroscience vs. Psychology
  • Extra physiology
• Chemistry courses should be those designated for chemistry majors rather than survey and non-degree chemistry courses.
• Organic Chemistry course should cover the following foundational areas:
  • Chemical bonds
  • Alcohols, esters, phenols, aldehydes, and ketones
  • Proteins
  • Enzymes
  • Carbohydrates and energy production
  • Fats and lipids.
• Biochemistry course needs to provide foundational knowledge in:
  • Enzymology
  • Cellular communication
  • DNA and RNA structure and synthesis
  • Energy and carbohydrate metabolism
  • Amino acid and protein synthesis
  • Digestion and hormonal control of metabolism
• Human or Animal Physiology, if taken at the 300 or 400 level, do not count towards the upper level biology course requirement. One course cannot fulfill both requirements.
• Biochemistry, if taken at the 300 or 400 level, do not count towards the upper level biology course requirement. One course cannot fulfill both requirements.
• Science GPA requirement of 3.2 is calculated by CASPA. There is no minimum overall GPA requirement.

Neuroscience and psychology courses are generally not included in the CASPA science GPA calculation. However, some neuroscience courses may count towards the upper level biology requirement:

• All prerequisite coursework must be completed in-person or hybrid. Online courses do not count towards prerequisite course requirements. Prerequisite courses must be completed with a final grade by the September 1 application deadline in order to be considered for an interview.
• COVID Addendum:  For courses taken in Spring 2020, Summer 2020, Fall 2020, Spring 2021, Summer 2021, Fall 2021, Spring 2022, summer 2022 semester, the program will allow prerequisite courses which had started in-person and moved to remote online teaching due to COVID or those courses which were originally planned to be in person and were moved to remote online teaching due to COVID. Courses which were not planned to be in-person and were designed to be only online, or courses from online universities do not count towards prerequisite course requirements. Prerequisite courses must be completed by the September 1  application deadline in order to be considered for an interview.
• Official transcripts for completed coursework should be sent to CASPA only. Please do not send copies of completed transcripts to the PA Program.
• In the event that required prerequisite coursework is “in progress” at the time an application is submitted to CASPA, it is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that course information is updated upon completion and verified by CASPA by the September 1 deadline.

While there is no prerequisite for health care experience, successful applicants must demonstrate an understanding of the PA profession and its contribution to the delivery of health care in the United States. We do not have an admission requirement related to a particular number of hours spent with patients. For students applying to the program with previous healthcare experience, one type of experience is not considered to be valued more highly than another.

PA students must have sufficient sensory capacity to observe in the lecture hall, the laboratory, the outpatient setting, and at the patient’s bedside. Sensory skills adequate to perform a physical examination are required. This includes functional vision, hearing, smell, and tactile sensation.

Students must be able to:

• communicate with patients and others in both academic and healthcare settings
• display effective writing, reading and verbal skills
• perceive and describe changes in mood, activity, and posture
• interpret non-verbal communication signals

Students should have sufficient motor function to:

• diagnose patients by palpation, auscultation, percussion, and other diagnostic maneuvers
• execute movements with reasonable dexterity in order to provide general care and emergency care to patients, including but not limited to:
  • cardiopulmonary resuscitation
  • administration of intravenous medication
  • application of pressure to stop hemorrhage
  • opening of obstructed airways
  • suturing of simple wounds
  • performance of simple obstetrical maneuvers
  • negotiate patient care environments and must be able to move between settings, such as clinic, classroom building, and hospital
  • maintain sufficient physical stamina to complete the rigorous course of didactic and clinical study. Long periods of sitting, standing, or moving are required in classroom, laboratory, and clinical settings.

Students must be able to:

• measure, calculate, reason, analyze and synthesize problem-solving skills
• interpret three dimensional relationships and understand the spatial relationships of anatomy structures
• critically read and interpret medical literature

In order to complete the Physician Assistant Program, candidates must be able to demonstrate mastery of these skills and the ability to use them together in a timely fashion in medical problem-solving and patient care.

Student must:

• possess the emotional health required for full utilization of their intellectual abilities, the exercise of good judgment, and the completion of all academic and patient care responsibilities
• develop mature, sensitive and effective relationships with patients, faculty and other members of the health care team
• function in the face of uncertainties inherent in clinical practice and adapt to changing environments

A student must demonstrate the above competencies with or without reasonable accommodation.  Whether or not a requested accommodation is reasonable will be determined on an individual basis.  Boston University will determine and provide reasonable accommodations to qualified students with a disability to enable them to meet these technical standards.  For more information regarding BU policies for accommodations, please visit the Office of Disability Services.

General university requirements include compliance with the immunization policies for health professionals. Students are not permitted to register if they are not compliant with the policies. Please visit the BU Student Health Services website for more information prior to matriculation: https://www.bu.edu/shs/getting-started/incoming-health-requirements/#gf_31

All matriculating students at Boston University are required to be to vaccinated against COVID-19 unless they have an approved waiver. The latest Boston University COVID-19 information can be found here. It is important to note that none of our clinical sites will accept exemptions. Students with unvaccinated status will not be able to complete rotations and will not be able to complete the program.

Failure to complete the required internships as a result of unvaccinated status will not entitle a student to a tuition refund.

Please be aware that most clinical sites require a criminal history records check for students placed at these sites. For students discovered to have a felony conviction in their record, placement options will be limited. In addition, many employers and state licensing boards also have policies regarding criminal histories which may limit employment and licensure options. The BU PA Program is not responsible for conducting such background checks and cannot ensure that students with felony convictions on their record will be eligible for clinical site placement. Offers of admissions are contingent on a satisfactory criminal background check.

Failure to complete the required internships as a result of a felony conviction will not entitle a student to a tuition refund.

Some of our clinical rotation sites require students to have a US issued social security number. If you do not have a SSN and do not qualify for one, it will limit rotation sites available to you during the clinical phase.