About the program
The Elon-Charlotte Physician Assistant Program 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 Elon University Physician Assistant Program in Charlotte is to champion clinical and inclusive excellence, to prepare students to provide exemplary, equitable care and to address the health needs of the Charlotte community and beyond. We aim to educate and inspire compassionate, collaborative physician assistant leaders through an active learning and evidence-based curriculum."
Small-cohort feel within a large university system, learner centered application driven & systems-based curriculum, high-fidelity clinical simulation; VR/AR-anatomy/plastinated/synthetic models, early patient exposure, Didactic community-based Experiential Learning Projects, leadership training embedded in curriculum, dedicated coursework in telehealth, IPE, Emergency medicine and urgent care. Traditional scholarly Master’s project, rural clinical rotations.
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 · up to 1 outstanding at application
Program overview
Elon University's physician assistant program in Charlotte, North Carolina, is an ARC-PA accredited, 24-month program leading to a Master of Science degree, with the next cohort beginning in January 2027. The program operates on a regular admissions cycle, meaning all applications are reviewed together after the August 1, 2026 deadline rather than on a rolling basis, which makes submitting a complete, polished application before that cutoff critical.
With an incoming class size of 76, the program describes itself as offering a small-cohort feel within a larger university system. Its mission centers on clinical and inclusive excellence with a particular commitment to serving the Charlotte community and preparing graduates to deliver equitable care across diverse populations. That community orientation is embedded directly into the didactic phase through experiential learning projects, and rural clinical rotations extend that practical reach beyond the urban setting. The curriculum integrates case-based, problem-based, organ-systems, and team-based learning alongside high-fidelity simulation, virtual and augmented reality anatomy tools, and early patient exposure - elements that together reflect a learner-centered, active pedagogy. Dedicated coursework in telehealth, interprofessional education, emergency medicine, and urgent care rounds out a notably specific clinical preparation, and leadership training is woven throughout rather than treated as an elective concern. Students complete a traditional scholarly master's project.
The patient-care bar is meaningful: applicants must have completed at least 2,000 hours of paid direct patient care, and healthcare experience is required. This is not a program for candidates still accumulating hours. Prerequisites must have been completed within the past ten years, and applicants may enter with no more than one outstanding prerequisite at the time of application. Specific science requirements include eight credits of general chemistry with lab, three credits of general biology, four credits each of human anatomy and human physiology both with lab, and three credits of statistics. Three letters of reference are required.
Total tuition sits at $126,928 with a $1,000 seat deposit; there are no separate in-state or out-of-state tuition rates, and the program accepts both out-of-state and international applicants. There is no part-time or distance learning option, and interviews are conducted in a traditional format with no requirement to appear onsite, which reduces logistical burden for applicants traveling from a distance.
An applicant should judge fit here by honestly assessing whether their paid patient-care hours, science prerequisite currency, and genuine interest in community-focused, equity-oriented practice align with what this program explicitly selects for and trains toward.