About the program
The Rocky Mountain College 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 Rocky Mountain College Master of Physician Assistant Studies Program (MPAS) is to educate primary care providers who embody a combination of academic talents of evidence-based medicine, clinical skills, and professionalism while providing compassionate health care services, particularly to those in rural and underserved areas of this region. Our graduates distinguish themselves through an emphasis on patient safety and quality improvement."
Graduating Class of 2024 had 100% PANCE Pass Rate, renovated program building, physical cadaver lab and virtual reality cadaver lab, faculty advisors, module based curriculum, established/successful program of 25+ years with many clinical rotation options, 100% Career Placement Rate
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. On-campus housing is available.
Prerequisite coursework
Recency: No Requirement · up to 10 outstanding at application
Program overview
Rocky Mountain College offers a 26-month MPAS program based in Montana, accredited by ARC-PA with continued status and a cohort of approximately 48 students beginning each June. The program has operated for more than 25 years and accepts both out-of-state and international applicants, though no distance learning or part-time options are available.
The mission centers explicitly on training primary care providers for rural and underserved communities in the region, with a secondary emphasis on patient safety and quality improvement. Applicants who are drawn to rural or frontier medicine and who want a program with a defined regional service orientation will find that focus embedded throughout the curriculum rather than mentioned as an afterthought. The curriculum itself is built around case-based, problem-based, and systems-based learning organized into modules, an approach that asks students to engage clinically with material from early in the program.
The program requires a minimum 3.00 GPA across overall, science, and prerequisite coursework, though admitted matriculants averaged a 3.72 overall and 3.67 science GPA, so competitive applicants should aim meaningfully above the floor. Direct patient care experience must be paid work, with a minimum of 1,500 hours required before matriculation. Prerequisites include human anatomy with lab at four credits, human physiology with lab at four credits, microbiology with lab at three credits, and statistics at three credits. There is no time limit on when prerequisites were completed, and up to ten outstanding prerequisites are permitted at the time of application.
Total tuition is $123,003 with a $1,000 seat deposit. Three letters of reference are required. The program uses rolling admissions with a final deadline of October 1, 2026 for the June 2027 start, meaning earlier applications receive earlier review and earlier decisions. Interviews may be traditional, panel, or group format, and an onsite interview is not required.
The 2024 graduating class posted a 100% first-time PANCE pass rate, and the program reports a 100% career placement rate for graduates. Facilities include both a physical cadaver lab and a virtual reality cadaver lab, and faculty advisors are assigned to students throughout the program.
An applicant should judge fit primarily by whether they have genuine interest in rural and underserved primary care practice in the Mountain West region, since the program's mission, clinical rotation network, and graduate pipeline are all oriented in that direction.