About the program
The SUNY Upstate Medical Center 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 Physician Assistant Program is to educate highly qualified physician assistants with patient centered values who practice medicine confidently and ethically by demonstrating academic excellence and clinical competence. Our emphasis is on serving the medically underserved populations in Upstate New York. We are seeking candidates who will assist us in fulfilling our Mission which involves serving these communities. Preference will be given to qualified candidates who originate from these areas."
https://www.upstate.edu/chp/programs/pa/program-data.php
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. Veteran support programs are available; consult the program directly for details.
Prerequisite coursework
Recency: No Requirement · up to 6 outstanding at application
Program overview
This 27-month program at SUNY Upstate Medical Center awards a Master of Science degree and holds ARC-PA Continued accreditation. It enrolls a class of approximately 35 students each June, with the next cohort beginning June 2027. Applications are reviewed on a rolling, first-come, first-served basis with a deadline of November 1, 2026, so submitting early carries a practical advantage.
The program's mission centers on producing patient-centered physician assistants who are prepared to serve medically underserved communities in Upstate New York. This emphasis is concrete rather than aspirational: the program explicitly states a preference for qualified applicants who originate from those communities, which means candidates with ties to rural or underserved areas of the region have a meaningful edge in the selection process. Applicants who are drawn to academic medicine at a medical university setting and who share a commitment to serving vulnerable populations will find the mission closely aligned with that background.
Matriculants arrive with both an overall and science GPA of 3.7, so while the minimum prerequisite GPA sits at 2.0, the competitive reality is considerably higher. The program requires at least 1,000 direct patient care hours, though paid experience is recommended rather than mandatory, and some form of healthcare experience beyond direct patient care is also required. Science prerequisites include general chemistry with lab (8 credits), general biology with lab (8 credits), human anatomy with lab (4 credits), human physiology (4 credits), microbiology (4 credits), and statistics (3 credits). No prerequisite time limit applies, and up to six outstanding prerequisites are permitted at the time of application, offering some flexibility for applicants still completing coursework.
Instruction is delivered entirely on-site with no distance learning component, and no part-time pathway exists. The curriculum is built around case-based, problem-based, team-based, and organ or systems-based learning approaches, reflecting an active and integrative educational model rather than traditional lecture-heavy instruction. Interviews are conducted in the Multiple Mini Interview format, and notably, the program does not require an onsite interview, which reduces logistical burden for out-of-state candidates. Out-of-state and international applicants are both accepted, and separate tuition rates apply depending on residency status. Three letters of reference are required, and the seat deposit is $150.
Applicants should honestly assess whether their patient-care background, geographic roots, and commitment to underserved Upstate New York communities genuinely reflect the program's mission before applying, as fit with that specific focus appears to be a real factor in selection.