1. Degree Requirements
Applicants must complete a Bachelor’s Degree at a college or university that is accredited by one of the regional accrediting bodies, such as the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. To determine if a college or university is regionally accredited, visit chea.org.
The School of Physician Assistant Studies does not accept foreign degree equivalency evaluations. We do not make exceptions. All coursework must be completed at a school that is accredited by one of the regional accrediting bodies.
2. Prerequisite Coursework
All prerequisites must be completed by the end of the fall semester in the year of application. A maximum of two prerequisite courses (one non-science and one science) may be planned or in-progress at the time of application. Coursework must be confirmed by official transcripts.
Required Courses
Human Anatomy and Physiology (including labs)
- Minimum of 6 semester hours
- To meet this requirement, applicants must complete one of the following sequences:
1. Human Anatomy and Physiology 1 with lab and Human Anatomy and Physiology 2 with lab OR
2. Human Anatomy with lab and Human Physiology.
* In exceptional cases, other course sequences or combinations may also meet our requirements. However, it is the applicant’s responsibility to verify that the course(s) meet our prerequisites.
Microbiology and Microbiology Lab
- Minimum of 3 semester hours
General Chemistry I/II and General Chemistry Lab I/II
- Minimum of 8 semester hours
- To meet this requirement, applicants must complete a sequence of General Chemistry and Lab
- Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry are not accepted as substitutes
Statistics
- Minimum of 3 semester hours
Medical Terminology
- Minimum of 1 semester hour
Prerequisite Grades and Timeframe
- A grade of C or higher is required for all prerequisite courses.
- Microbiology, including lab, must be completed within the past five years at the time of application.
- Remaining prerequisite courses must be completed within the past ten years.
Courses Accepted and Verification
- Online prerequisite courses, including labs, are equivalent to traditional in-person courses when they meet our content requirements. While online courses are accepted, we encourage applicants to take in-person courses to ensure they are better prepared for the UF SPAS classroom environment, which utilizes in-person instruction.
- The UF SPAS reserves the right to request course syllabi for verification purposes. We reserve the right to accept or reject a course as meeting our prerequisites’ content, and our decision is final.
- We do not accept AP, IB, CLEP or audited coursework
- Applicants who wish to determine if their completed coursework meets our prerequisite requirements are encouraged to submit their course information for review; please email the course number (including prefix) and school name to admissions@pap.ufl.edu.
- If your institution has a combined General Chemistry I and II course that is less than the required 8 credits, you must complete another general chemistry course to meet our credit requirements. This course can be completed at a different institution, if necessary.
3. Direct Patient Care (DPC)
The UF SPAS requires a minimum of 1000 hours of direct patient care experience by August 1st of the application year. Our Admissions team will award credit for ongoing DPC hours at the time of application up to August 1st of the application year.
We highly recommend continuing to gain DPC experience beyond the minimum requirement, as it is valued by our Admissions Committee and will enhance your application.
Experiences that involve receiving academic credit, shadowing, or observing are not considered direct patient care.
Applicants may obtain DPC experience through paid or volunteer positions
Please refer to the DPC Positions Table for examples of eligible experiences.
For further guidance on direct patient care experience or to discuss a specific experience, please contact our Admissions team at admissions@pap.ufl.edu.
4. CASPer ®
The UF School of Physician Assistant Studies requires each applicant to complete the CASPer U.S. Professional Health Sciences Test. CASPer scores must be received on or before our application deadline of August 1. Applications will not be considered for an interview if the CASPer test scores are not submitted. Applicants may be denied prior to the CASPer test score receipt if the Admissions Committee so deems to deny the application.
All applicants are now required to complete the CASPer® U.S. Professional Health Sciences test, a situational judgement test and general screening for personal/professional characteristics. The test takes 60 – 90 minutes to complete. Please visit the CASPer® website for details. We do not require the Snapshot component or the Duet component that CASPer offers.
CASPer requires input of either a UF ID number or a CASPA ID number to register for a testing date. You will need to complete one of these applications so that you will have an ID number to use for registration.
NOTE: CASPer scores will only be sent to our program for the test dates that are assigned to UF School of PA Studies listed below. If you select to release scores to UF at time of testing, it will take up to 2 weeks for those scores to be received. If you select to release test scores at a later time, it will take up to 2 weeks for those scores to be received. The CASPer scores must be received on or before our application deadline of August 1.
**Our Admissions Committee reserves the right to decline an application prior to receiving the CASPer scores based on the overall strength (or lack thereof) of the application.
CASPER Dates*: The CASPer test dates for UF SPAS for the application cycle opening in late April 2025 are as follows:
- May 1
- May 15
- May 29
- June 10
- June 26
- July 8
*CASPer testing date for our program are not available for registration until the end of March 2025.
5. GRE Requirement
All applicants must meet the GRE requirement by submitting official scores.
To ensure that your scores are sent to the University of Florida, use the Institution Code 0427 on test day or when you request your scores.
Official scores must be received in CASPA by August 1st at 11:59pm EST
6. References
The UF SPAS requires a minimum of three letters of reference to be submitted through the CASPA application. If additional letters are submitted, they will be reviewed equally.
One letter of reference must be from a licensed clinical provider, such as a PA-C, NP, MD, or DO, who can speak to your clinical abilities and experiences.
We recommend that your references highlight your clinical experiences, skills, and your ability to function effectively with patients.