Please note that our supplemental application process has changed for the 25-26 application cycle.
1. Review the admissions requirements: Please review the admissions requirements to confirm your eligibility.
2. Choose your program of study: Applicants may apply to either the two-year PA (MSHS) program or the three-year PA-MPH (MSHS/MPH) program. Applicants may not switch from the three-year to the two-year program or vice-versa after application submission.
2. Create a CASPA account and submit the application: All applicants must apply through the online application system CASPA (Central Application Service for Physician Assistants). In addition to CASPA prompted questions, applicants must submit short answers to a series of questions tied to the GW PA program mission.
The application requires information about previous academic and employment experiences, so it is a good idea to have a copy of your CV and transcripts handy. Official transcripts from all undergraduate institutions and TOEFL scores (if applicable) must be sent to CASPA. Indicate GW as one of the schools to receive TOEFL scores using the code is 5246. No other program or department codes are needed.
Please note that misrepresentation of any part of your application may result in revocation of the offer of admission or dismissal from the program. Applicants who indicate "Advanced", or "Native" levels of language proficiency on the CASPA application will likely be required to complete clinical rotations at sites which require the use of that language during patient care.
3. Applicants to the GW PA Program must have a verified CASPA application by the application deadline (October 1st). Once CASPA has verified your application, you will receive an email with instructions and credentials to access the GW application portal. Upon logging into the GW portal, you will be prompted to respond to a few GW-specific supplemental questions and pay the $60 supplemental application fee. Once these steps have been completed, we will begin to review your application.
Application Fees
The fee associated with the CASPA application is based on the number of submitted applications the applicant chooses. There is an additional non-refundable GW supplemental application fee of $60 for the MSHS two-year program or the joint MSHS/MPH three-year program. If you wish to request a fee waiver for the GW supplemental application, please check the appropriate box on the supplemental application. Individuals eligible to request a fee waiver include:
- Applicants granted a CASPA or GRE fee waiver within 2 years
- Graduates of Minority Serving Institutions (MSI)
- U.S. active duty military and veterans
- GW alumni or current GW degree or graduate certificate candidates
- Current McNair Program Scholars (a completed Certification of McNair Program Participation and Application Fee Waiver form must be attached to your application)
Application Timeline
The CASPA application will become available on April 24th.
CASPA application must be "verified" by October 1. We strongly recommend submitting the completed application at least 4 weeks in advance of the deadline, to ensure the application is verified by the deadline of October 1.
Next Steps
- Interview Invitation
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Once the CASPA application has been verified, the file will be read by the Admissions Committee. Select applicants will be invited for a virtual interview sometime between September and December. Invitations will be sent via email.
- The Interview Day
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The interview day includes a program introduction, curriculum overview, and Multiple Mini Interview (MMI) interviews, as well as meetings with current students and faculty.
Applicants are interviewed using the Multiple Mini Interview format. In a series of 5 mini-interview stations, applicants will respond to the prompted situations or scenarios. There is no simple way to prepare for this type of interview except to understand the structure, time limit, and number of stations. Reviewing a list of interview "practice questions" is not useful because the MMI format differs from the traditional interview and the scenarios change annually.
- Matriculation Invitation
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After the interview day, a select number of applicants will be invited to join the GW PA program. Applicants who have not been chosen initially may be placed on the wait list or rejected. Once notified, applicants have 2 weeks to consider the offer of admission. A non-refundable tuition deposit of $1000 is required to confirm a seat. Out of courtesy for fellow applicants, it would be useful to notify the GW PA program as soon as possible if you do not plan to attend the program. This will ensure we are able to extend the invitation to other candidates who have been placed on the wait list.
Once a seat has been secured by the deposit, we recommend you review the Matriculating Student Checklist in the Student Resources section.