About the program
The Mercy 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 Mercy University Graduate Program in Physician Assistant Studies is to educate physician assistants to provide quality, cost-effective, accessible health care, especially to underserved patients in the Tri-state area."
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, with exceptions. please visit the program's website. DACA status applicants are considered. Distance learning is not offered. Part-time enrollment is not available.
Prerequisite coursework
Recency: 5 Years
Program overview
Mercy University offers an ARC-PA accredited, 27-month Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies based in New York, with a cohort beginning in May 2027. The program accepts out-of-state and international applicants, though prospective international students should review the program's website for specific eligibility conditions. With an estimated incoming class size of 65, this is a moderately large cohort, and admission operates on a rolling, first-come, first-served basis with an application deadline of October 1, 2026 - meaning early submission carries real strategic weight.
The program's mission centers on training PAs to deliver quality, cost-effective, and accessible care with particular emphasis on underserved populations in the Tri-state area. Applicants drawn to community health and serving patients with limited access to care will find that mission a genuine guiding principle rather than background noise. There is no declared curricular specialty focus, indicating a generalist clinical preparation across the standard breadth of PA training. No part-time option or distance learning is available, so applicants must be prepared for a full-time, on-campus commitment.
Competitively, matriculants have averaged a 3.72 overall GPA and a 3.68 science GPA, though the program sets its minimums at 3.00 overall and 3.20 in science. That gap between minimums and actual matriculant averages is meaningful - applicants near the floor should understand they will be competing against a significantly stronger candidate pool. Patient care requirements include a minimum of 500 hours of direct patient care, and critically, that experience must be paid. Unpaid or volunteer clinical work will not satisfy this threshold. Healthcare experience beyond direct patient care is also required.
Prerequisite coursework must have been completed within the past five years and includes general chemistry with lab (8 credits), general biology with lab (8 credits), human physiology (4 credits), microbiology (4 credits), and statistics (3 credits). All prerequisites carry a recency limit, so applicants with older science coursework should plan accordingly.
The application requires a minimum of three letters of reference and a required onsite interview. The program uses a multi-format interview process combining traditional one-on-one, panel, and group interview components, so candidates should prepare for varied interaction styles on interview day. Total tuition is $122,580 with no differentiated in-state or out-of-state rate, and a seat deposit of $1,000 is required upon acceptance.
An applicant should assess fit here primarily by whether their paid patient care hours meet the requirement, whether their science coursework falls within the five-year window, and whether a mission focused on underserved Tri-state communities genuinely reflects their professional goals.