About the program
The Augusta University PA program is described in PAEA's published program data; full curriculum details, faculty, and admissions cycle specifics are maintained on the program's own website.
From the program's mission statement: "To develop physician assistants with the knowledge and skills to practice in all aspects of medicine from a primary care perspective and to meet the needs of society thorough education, discovery and service."
AUPA program, accredited in 1973, has a proven track record of exceptional first-time taker pass rates for the PANCE, nine student-run interprofessional volunteer clinics, a state-of-the-art medical simulation center, cadaver gross anatomy dissection lab, point-of-care ultrasound training, interprofessional education with many different health professional programs, smaller cohort size of 48 students, and principal faculty with diverse clinical experiences.
Matriculant data
Actual stats for students who enrolled in the most recently reported cohort, sourced from PAEA's published program data.
Admission policies
Out-of-state applicants are accepted. International applicants: yes. DACA status applicants are considered. Distance learning is not offered. Part-time enrollment is not available.
Prerequisite coursework
Recency: 10 Years
Program overview
Augusta University offers a 27-month Master of Physician Assistant Studies program based in Georgia, holding ARC-PA Continued accreditation and admitting a cohort of 48 students beginning in August 2027. The program's mission centers on preparing PAs to practice across all areas of medicine through a primary care lens, with an explicit commitment to education, discovery, and service to society. That orientation toward primary care and underserved populations should factor directly into how applicants assess personal fit.
The curriculum draws from multiple pedagogical approaches simultaneously, including case-based, problem-based, organ and systems-based, and team-based learning, alongside early clinical exposure. This hybrid structure means students engage with clinical reasoning from the start rather than spending an extended preclinical phase in passive lecture. Distinctive features include nine student-run interprofessional volunteer clinics, which provide meaningful community service experience during training, along with point-of-care ultrasound instruction, cadaver gross anatomy dissection, and access to a medical simulation center. Interprofessional education is woven throughout the program, involving students from multiple health professional programs. Faculty bring diverse clinical backgrounds, and the smaller cohort size of 48 creates an environment where individualized attention is more feasible than in larger programs.
The admissions bar is accessible but firm. Applicants need a minimum 3.0 overall GPA and a 3.0 science GPA, with all prerequisite science coursework completed within the past ten years. Required prerequisites include eight credits each of general chemistry and general biology with labs, two credits each of human anatomy and human physiology with labs, four credits of microbiology with lab, and three credits of statistics. The direct patient care requirement is relatively modest at 160 hours, but paid direct patient care is specifically required - volunteer or shadowing hours will not satisfy this standard. Healthcare experience beyond direct patient care is also required. Applicants must submit scores from both the GRE and the PA-CAT; the MCAT is explicitly not accepted. CASPer is also required, as is TOEFL for international applicants. Three letters of reference are the minimum. Interviews are conducted via group interview and Multiple Mini Interview format and are not required to be onsite.
The application deadline is October 1, 2026, and the program uses rolling admissions on a first-come, first-served basis, making early submission a practical necessity rather than merely advisable. Separate tuition rates exist for in-state and out-of-state students, and both out-of-state and international applicants are eligible. A seat deposit of $500 is required upon acceptance. There is no part-time option and no distance learning component.
An applicant who has paid direct patient care experience, a genuine commitment to primary care and community service, and strong preparation in the sciences will be well positioned to judge whether Augusta's combination of interprofessional training, smaller cohort structure, and community-facing mission aligns with their professional goals.