About the program
The Concord 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: "The mission of the Concord University Physician Assistant Program is to train physician assistants who provide exceptional patient-centered care as part of a collaborative team and who are committed to promoting health and wellness through preventative care and patient education, improving access to healthcare through service to rural and underserved populations, and becoming leaders in their practices and communities."
The program offers two elective tracks: Medical Missions and Population Health and Substance use Disorders. Students completing the Medical Missions and Population Health track will be eligible to select an elective international rotation. The program has an on-campus simulation lab and a virtual reality lab. We will utilize standardized patients and will have interprofessional learning activities with nursing students utilizing case-based scenarios and standardized patient encounters.
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 not considered. Distance learning is not offered. Part-time enrollment is not available. On-campus housing is available. Veteran support programs are available; consult the program directly for details.
Prerequisite coursework
Recency: 10 Years · up to 6 outstanding at application
Program overview
Concord University's physician assistant program in West Virginia is a 28-month, full-time, campus-based program granting a Master of Physician Assistant Studies degree. It currently holds Provisional ARC-PA accreditation and is scheduled to begin its first cohort in August 2027. With a class size of 24 students, the program takes a deliberate approach to cohort scale, and its rolling admissions process means applications submitted earlier in the cycle receive priority review ahead of the January 15, 2027 deadline.
The program's mission is oriented squarely toward rural and underserved community practice. It explicitly emphasizes preventative care, patient education, and developing PAs who take on leadership roles within their practices and communities. Applicants who are drawn to service-oriented work in medically underserved regions will find the mission a natural fit. Two elective tracks distinguish the curriculum: one focused on Medical Missions and Population Health, which includes eligibility for an international clinical rotation, and another centered on Substance Use Disorders. These tracks give students a degree of specialization uncommon at the master's entry level.
Pedagogically, the program blends case-based, team-based, organ-systems, and traditional instructional methods. Students will work with standardized patients and participate in interprofessional learning activities alongside nursing students, reinforcing the collaborative practice the mission describes. The program maintains both an on-campus simulation lab and a virtual reality lab, which supports clinical skill development prior to rotations.
The academic bar is moderate. A minimum overall GPA of 3.20 is required, with the average matriculant sitting at 3.48, and prerequisite coursework must carry at least a 3.00. Prerequisites must have been completed within the last ten years, and applicants may enter with up to six courses still outstanding. Required science coursework includes eight credits of general chemistry with lab, four credits of general biology with lab, and three credits each of human anatomy with lab, human physiology with lab, and microbiology with lab, plus three credits of statistics. Paid direct patient care and healthcare experience are both recommended but not required, which lowers the barrier for applicants earlier in their pre-PA journey. The GRE is required; the MCAT is not accepted. Three letters of reference are mandatory, and interviews are conducted in a Multiple Mini Interview format, which can be completed remotely since an on-site interview is not required.
Tuition is billed at separate in-state and out-of-state rates, and a seat deposit of $1,000 is required upon acceptance. The program accepts both out-of-state and international applicants, with TOEFL scores required for the latter.
An applicant should assess fit primarily by examining their commitment to rural and underserved care, their comfort with an earlier-stage program carrying Provisional accreditation, and whether their GPA and prerequisite timeline align with a rolling deadline that rewards early submission.