Step 01
Check published qualifiers
Minimum GPAs, required PCE, GRE, and CASPer are shown as met, outstanding, or incomplete. Meeting a minimum makes an application eligible for review; it does not increase the academic comparison.
Pick a program. Compare your cGPA and sGPA with its reported matriculant averages, check published requirements, and get practical next steps.
The comparison runs in your browser. Your entered values are not saved to an account or added to the share link. Published minimums are treated as qualifiers, while cGPA and sGPA are compared with the program's reported matriculant averages.
No probability score and no admissions black box. Required items are qualifiers. Academic positioning comes only from the difference between your GPAs and the program's reported matriculant averages.
Minimum GPAs, required PCE, GRE, and CASPer are shown as met, outstanding, or incomplete. Meeting a minimum makes an application eligible for review; it does not increase the academic comparison.
The tool shows your exact difference from each reported matriculant GPA average. It does not convert those differences into a percentage chance. If only one comparison is available, the result is labeled partial.
Guidance responds to the exact requirement or GPA gap shown above. Additional PCE, HCE, shadowing, and volunteering are not treated as substitutes for academic positioning.
Eligibility and academic positioning are related, but they are not the same thing. The calculator keeps them separate so a minimum requirement cannot masquerade as a probability boost or a penalty.
The calculator draws on PAEA's program-reported data and ARC-PA's accreditation records. Reddit threads and applicant blogs are useful as community resources and we link them where relevant - but they are not authority for the numerical comparison.
The reported matriculant GPAs and required-test status come from PAEA's program-reported data for the current cycle. The calculator calls these reported averages and shows the exact values used. It does not convert them into an admission probability. The full methodology and editorial standards are documented on the about page.
Accreditation status is cross-checked against ARC-PA, the accrediting body for PA programs in the United States. The 337-listing roster also identifies eight applicant programs that are not currently accredited so their status is not confused with an accredited entry-level program.
The 50-column PA Program Spreadsheet is the applicant-facing source of truth for the qualifier fields used here. It is refreshed with the same PAEA, ARC-PA, and program-published sources. When a number looks unfamiliar, use the spreadsheet and the program's own admissions page as cross-references.
These posts cover the next decisions the calculator cannot make for you: cycle timing, school-list construction, required tests, writing, reapplication, and interview preparation.
The full timeline from a practicing PA. Every deadline, the rolling-vs-fixed split, the Golden Goal submit date, and the new mandatory AI essay.
School ListThe 2024-25 PAEA average is 8.45, but list size should follow program fit and your full application rather than a score from one selected program.
School ListAbout 27% of programs still require the GRE. Here is the no-GRE list, the still-require list, and the strategy for skipping the test if your target programs allow it.
Personal StatementThe patterns that quietly disqualify strong applicants - mission-trip framing, MD-backup framing, the apostrophe-S misspelling - and how to write past them.
ReapplicantYou get flagged as a reapplicant after the first cycle and that flag changes the bar at every program. The playbook a practicing PA worked out across three cycles.
InterviewsThe 40 questions you actually get asked, the answer framework that survives nerves, and the ethical/MMI scenarios refreshed for 2026.
These are the same questions readers email about most often. Schema-marked so they show up directly in search results.
The calculator compares your cGPA and sGPA with the program's reported matriculant GPA averages. It separately checks published minimum GPAs, required PCE, GRE, and CASPer as qualifiers.
It does not predict admission probability. Programs also weigh course trends, prerequisites, writing, references, interviews, mission fit, and other factors the calculator cannot measure.
Matriculant overall GPA, matriculant science GPA, class size, and required-test status come from PAEA's program data, which programs self-report. ARC-PA accreditation status is sourced from ARC-PA's accreditation records. The calculator's dataset rebuilds with each PAEA refresh.
Some programs do not publish one or both matriculant GPA averages. The calculator shows the comparisons it can support and labels partial or unavailable data instead of estimating a missing value.
The guidance follows transparent rules. Missing published requirements are identified first. GPA guidance then responds to the exact difference between your GPA and the program's reported matriculant average. PCE, HCE, shadowing, and volunteering do not add points to the academic comparison.
No. The calculator is a free structural-comparison tool, not coaching, consulting, or a paid service. PAschoolprereqs sells the Application Dashboard, which includes the spreadsheet, statement reviews, and interview preparation; a spreadsheet-only purchase option is also available. The chances calculator is free and stays free.
The tool covers all 337 applicant-facing listings in the August 13, 2026 roster, including separately listed campuses/pathways and eight applicant programs that are not currently accredited. Email [email protected] if a program you expect is missing.