Admission Requirements
Admission Requirements for the Physician Assistant Program
At UNMC, we value well-rounded, unique individuals and strive to create a diverse learning community. We perform a holistic review of all applications, considering both academic and non-academic experiences. Enrollment in the program is limited and competitive. The admissions committee of the program, composed of program faculty and administration, evaluates the qualifications of each applicant and makes the final selections for admission.
All interview dates provide equal opportunity for admission to the program. We do not utilize rolling admissions at UNMC; more than 85% of applicant selections will be made after all interviews are completed. Interviews are held at both the Omaha and Kearney campuses, so applicants can have the opportunity to experience our amazing facilities at either location. The campus on which an applicant interviews does not require attendance at that campus. We anticipate accepting 50 students to our Omaha campus and 16 students to our Kearney campus each year.
Admission to the Physician Assistant Program requires completion of a bachelor’s degree in any field prior to matriculation in August. Additionally, the applicant must successfully complete the following prerequisites prior to matriculation:
Required Undergraduate Prerequisites
The following course work is required. Introductory courses, survey courses, or courses intended for non-science majors will not satisfy the prerequisites. These courses may be planned or in progress during the application process. All prerequisite course work must be successfully completed with official transcript(s) submitted to the program by July 15th of the year of intended entry.
- General Biology with Lab
- Human Anatomy with Lab
- Human Physiology with Lab
NOTE: Anatomy and physiology requirements can be fulfilled by a series of two courses of combined anatomy and physiology.
- Microbiology with Lab
- Genetics and Immunology are strongly recommended.
UNMC offers an online immunology course, MLS 404. Taking immunology at UNMC is not a preference factor for admission.
- General or Inorganic Chemistry with lab (one year sequence)
- Organic Chemistry with lab (one year sequence recommended)
- Biochemistry (lab recommended)
Writing-intensive course
- General Psychology (or other psychology elective)
- Abnormal Psychology
- Life Span/Developmental Psychology
Algebra is strongly recommended.
- Must be a college/university course (certificate course not accepted).
- UNMC offers a medical terminology course, CAHP 310, which meets this requirement. Taking medical terminology at UNMC is not a preference factor for admission.
Required course work graded Pass/Fail or credit obtained by CLEP Examination or Advanced Placement (AP) will not be accepted for any of the listed prerequisites. [Exceptions to this policy due to COVID-19]
- Minimum GPA requirements (must be met by application submission):
- Cumulative GPA requirement of 3.0 (all college coursework ever taken, including repeated)
- Prerequisite GPA requirement of 3.0 (all courses used to satisfy prerequisites, if any were repeated, highest grade used)
- Grades below "C" are not accepted in transfer to the University of Nebraska (e.g., C-, D+, D, D-, F).
- Any repeated courses (original and repeated) will be included in the CASPA GPA calculations and used accordingly in evaluation of the application. [CASPA GPA Calculations]
Accepted students will be required to complete a background check and substance abuse testing prior to matriculation into the program. Depending on clinical site, additional requirements may need to be met or updated.
Other Admissions Tracks
See our pathway programs for additional admissions tracks.
For questions or clarification of requirements, contact Enrollment Management & Student Affairs by Email.
Program Demographics for Class Entering Fall 2021
Number of Applications Received: 642
Number of Students Accepted: 66 (50 in Omaha, 16 in Kearney)
Average Overall GPA of Accepted Students: 3.68 (range 3.02-4.00)
Average Science GPA of Accepted Students: 3.53 (range 2.63-4.00)