PA Program Application Process

Applicants pursuing admission into the Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) Physician Assistant (PA) Program are required to complete the online application via the Central Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA). The application must be received and verified by CASPA no later than 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Aug. 1. The deadline for submitting all other application materials through CASPA (three letters of recommendation, official transcripts) and payment of both the CASPA fee and BCM supplemental application fee is also 11:59 p.m. (ET) Aug. 1 for each admissions cycle. Applications not CASPA-verified or missing any required materials by the deadline will not be considered and will disqualify the applicant. Applications are available yearly in April through CASPA. The 2026-2027 Cycle opens April 30, 2026.

The online application, official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended, and three letters of recommendation must be submitted directly to CASPA. The BCM PA Program does not accept application materials via email. Following the verification of all materials submitted, CASPA will forward an electronic data file for each completed and verified application to the BCM PA Program.

Central Application Service for Physician Assistants.

The non-refundable BCM supplemental application fee (see link below) must be paid and received by 11:59 p.m. (ET) Aug. 1. If you have not already paid your supplemental application fee via the direct link in your CASPA application, you may pay by following the instructions in the link below.

Questions concerning your supplemental application fee should be directed to the BCM PA Program at paprogram@bcm.edu.

Baylor College of Medicine Supplemental Fee Payment.

Stage one, carried out by the PA Program Admissions Team, involves an administrative pre-screen of each application to determine if the application is verified by CASPA, all required documents have been received by the Aug. 1 deadline, and that each applicant has met the minimum grade point averages. Applications meeting the pre-screening requirements are made available for review by PA Program Faculty. Applications that do NOT meet the stated minimum requirements (receipt of all required documents by CASPA, verified application by CASPA, BCM supplemental application fee received, GPA minimum standards met) by the published August 1 deadline will be disqualified from further consideration.

During the second stage of review, PA Program Faculty screen and rank all eligible candidates using criteria (reviewed by the PA Program Admissions Committee on an annual basis). The screening criteria include academic preparedness, written communication, character development, motivation, commitment, and personal  attributes. Evidence for scoring is derived from the applications, letters of recommendation, and experiences (including life, work or extra-curricular) described in the application. Each application screened is rated on each of the criteria. The scores assigned result in the Screening Index. Invitations are extended to those applicants whom the admissions committee deem competitive for admission.

The third stage involves interviews. Invitations for November interviews are communicated via email to qualified applicants in October by the PA Program Admissions Team. The specific dates for interviews are decided by the PA Program Admissions Committee to allow for the multiple ongoing activities of the admissions processes. Invitees must acknowledge their acceptance of the offer for interview to the PA Program Admissions Team within seven calendar days. A maximum of 150 applicants are interviewed.

The dates for the 2026 interviews are the following:

Session A:

• Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026
• Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026

Session B:

• Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026
• Friday, Nov. 6, 2026

The 2026 interviews will be conducted virtually. The first day experience begins with an afternoon-long orientation session followed by student and faculty break-out sessions, student panels and early evening virtual social gatherings. The orientation reviews the interview process, explains how and when decisions are made, exposes applicants to didactic and clinical experiences, offers an enrolled student perspective of the program, and overviews the costs of PA education. The optional evening virtual social gathering is hosted by enrolled students for purposes of information sharing while affording applicants’ opportunities to ask questions.

The following day involves individual interviews with three faculty members involved in the didactic and clinical education of students enrolled in the PA Program. The criteria used by the interviewers to rate candidates include: critical thinking and insight, capacity to succeed, self-awareness and maturity, oral communication skills, compassion and empathy, teamwork, humility, role awareness, professionalism, and unique attributes. Each interviewer then scores the applicant, and the combined interview scores result in the Interview Index.

Stage four involves all members of the admission committee and occurs the week following interviews. The committee thoroughly reviews all interviewed applicants, including scores from all previous stages of the admissions process. A final score, called the Decision Index, is assigned to each applicant. The Decision Index is a final component used to invite applicants for acceptance into the PA Program.

Within two weeks of interviews, the top 40 applicants are offered admission via phone call. The remaining interviewed applicants will be provided with their general rank position and given the option to remain on a wait list via email. Offers of admission are contingent upon completion and verification of prerequisite coursework requirements and completion of a criminal background check. Failure to complete all prerequisite requirements by May of the year of enrollment will result in forfeit of your seat in the program.

As an applicant/enrollee in an educational program that prepares individuals for issuance of an occupational license, Texas law requires that you be notified that the issuance of occupational licenses may be restricted based on a license applicant’s criminal history. View Notice of Potential Ineligibility for License.