I’m a junior in high school and I think I’m leaning towards becoming a PA. I really like the idea of a 5 year program, and I really want to get into one in Pennsylvania. Arcadia, Drexel, and King’s College were all college’s that have a 5-6 year program, but I’m not quite sure what my grades need to be to get into their PA programs. Can anyone give me an idea of what my SAT/ACT and high school GPA should be to get into these programs? Thank you in advance!
Look on the specific schools website, they should have all their info and criteria. If you can’t find it, you should be trying to obtain the highest grades possible, 90s and above and definitely try and get a 1250 or higher on math and CR of sat. Also find out if you need recommendations from a physician assistant. Some 5 year programs like Hofstra require that. You also have to understand that these accelerated programs are extremely stressful and require a lot more work than the usual non accelerated programs. If you think you can keep up with the work load and you can stay dedicated to studying, then go for it. Good luck, David
https://francis.edu/pa-undergraduate-admissions/
this is one such program, also merit opportunities. Apply early!
Other programs include Duquesne, Gannon University, Seton Hill.
I would aim for high gpa and 1300 SAT CR&M
take honors or AP science classes and at least Honors Precalculus or AP Calc AB
Also do some shadowing of PAs
My son applied to PA programs at DeSales, Arcadia, King’s, Drexel, Marywood, University of the Sciences, Seton Hilll Seton Hall and St. Francis. He has about a 3.7 GPA with a couple of Honors courses and no AP courses. When he applied, he had an ACT of 26 and SAT of 690M 560CR. He has a decent amount of EC’s including NHS and some officer positions. He’s currently training to be and EMT. I highly recommend doing this because it will get you a lot of the direct patient hours you will need and it’s excellent experience.
He was not accepted in to DeSales or St. Francis for PA (accepted to any other programs). St. Francis will put him on the waitlist if he requests it. He has not heard from Drexel yet and he missed the Seton Hill deadline (it’s VERY early so keep that in mind if you decide to apply there). He hasn’t received a rejection from SH yet so I don’t know if they are waiting for responses or what’s happening with them.
He was accepted into the pre-PA program at King’s, Arcadia, Marywood, USci, and Seton Hall. After he was accepted, he increased his CR to 640 which resulted in an increase in Merit aid from King’s. Seton Hall was not initially on our radar but they sent a postcard saying he could qualify for up to $22,500/yr scholarship. He decided to apply and that was the amount they offered.
Some things to keep in mind. King’s, Arcadia, USci, DeSales and Maywood all guarantee admission to the PA program if you meet certain qualifications. Drexel and Seton Hall only reserve a certain number of seats, so there is no guarantee that you will get into the PA program. Arcadia and Seton Hall are 6 year programs. Drexel is very expensive and not known to give great financial aid. You may also want to consider Philadephia University and Duquesne. They both have 5 year programs. We haven’t looked at all the schools yet, but I’m thinking he’s probably going to end up at King’s or Arcadia.
Sorry, I had the wrong ACT score. He had a 28, not a 26.
Hey, I’m a senior and I am also interested in the PA field and the 5 year PA programs. One thing you should know is that technically Arcadia doesn’t have a program like accelerated route. But instead you complete 4 years and if your GRE scores and GPA meets Arcadia’s requirement you have an automatic entry into PA school.
Drexel used to have a 5 year PA program but they changed it this coming year 
so basically everyone is under the health sciences major, and then your 3rd year, the top 12 students get a seat for PA school (5-year) and the rest would be in the pool with regular applicants and would have to complete their 4th year of undergrad. I did not want to take the risk of paying this much money and not being the top 12 so I didn’t apply to Drexel.
I applied to Arcadia, DeSales University (5-year program), and Philadelphia University. I got into Arcadia with the maximum merit scholarship that they offer (25,000) and DeSales 5 year PA program with the maximum merit scholarship that they offer (25,000). I am still waiting for PhilaU decision. Out of the three the level of difficulty to get in would be Arcadia as easier, then DeSales then PhilaU.
For grade and test score wise, every applicant is different. But I had a
GPA: 4.0
ACT: 31
and I took a few AP courses. Honestly, they are looking about how much shadowing you have done with a PA. I was able to shadow at a hospital which really helped! Good luck!! Message me if you have any more questions.