Non-CASPA PA Schools 2019

Posted By: Paul   |   Become a PA   |   5 Comments

What are the Non-CASPA participating PA schools, and why would you want to apply to them?

According to the PAEA, there are 25 ARC-PA accredited schools that do not participate in the the “typical” application system, the Central Application Service for Physician Assistants.

What is CASPA?

CASPA is a central clearing house for the majority of PA schools. By using CASPA, students can apply to multiple physician assistant programs by completing one application that is then distributed to multiple PA schools. It’s convenient, but not all schools participate in CASPA. Schools that don’t participate in CASPA must be applied to individually, and often have different standards, pre-requisites, and application procedures.

How Are Non-CASPA PA Programs Different?

Non-CASPA schools don’t have much in common besides the fact that for one reason or another, they don’t use CASPA. They may choose not to participate in CASPA to save money (CASPA schools do have to pay for participation in the service), or they may be too newly accredited to be on the CASPA system. Either way, these schools have chosen to require applicants to complete their own application, which is only good at their school.

  • Because CASPA makes applying to schools so easy (just select each school you wish to apply to, pay $175 for the first school, and $50 for each additional school. Done and done. This means your application will cost from $175 for one PA program. As of this writing there are 237 schools that accredited and therefore accepting applications. To apply to all 237 schools then, it would cost you an impressive $11,875.
  • Because it’s so easy to apply to so many schools using CASPA, many people don’t bother applying to non-CASPA schools. This is largely because each non-CASPA school will have its own, totally unique application to complete. Students can be understandably reluctant to duplicate their efforts by completing many different applications.
  • Non-CASPA schools, while generally receiving fewer total applicants, are likely to receive a higher percentage of local applicants. This is because if you have a program that is local to you it makes sense to apply to it out of convenience, even if it requires a separate application.
  • Few if any non-CASPA schools require a supplemental application. This is because the reason that supplemental applications exist is to get application information that is specific to that particular school. Since you’re submitting their application, the only reason to have you do a supplemental would be to get more money from you (supplemental applications usually have a cost attached to them).

Are Non-CASPA Schools Easier to Get Into?

If you are reasonably qualified for their program, you might face less competition due to fewer applications. If you’re a weak candidate, however, you may find it no easier to get in. So the answer is no - not generally. It all just depends on the school.

What Are the ARC-PA Accredited Non-CASPA PA Programs?

To get information on one and/or visit its website, visit our Physician Assistant Programs Directory, and click on the appropriate state.

You should also note that many of the schools listed below are applying for accreditation (you can’t apply to them yet). It’s common for PA schools to start out this way. Many new programs elect to get up-and-running for a few years before electing to participate in CASPA.

The non-CASPA programs are:

  1. Alverno College (Applying for Accreditation)
  2. Arkansas Colleges of Health Education (Applying for Accreditation)
  3. Assumption College (Applying for Accreditation)
  4. Augusta University
  5. Canisius College (Applying for Accreditation)
  6. Duquesne University
  7. Elizabethtown College (Applying for Accreditation)
  8. Gannon University
  9. Interservice
  10. King’s College
  11. Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine (Applying for Accreditation)
  12. Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences (Applying for Accreditation)
  13. MCPHS University - Worcester
  14. Meharry Medical College (Applying for Accreditation)
  15. Mercy College (Applying for Accreditation)
  16. Mercy College of Ohio
  17. Miami-Dade College
  18. Mississippi State University - Meridian (Applying for Accreditation)
  19. New York University (Applying for Accreditation)
  20. Nova Southeastern University - Jacksonville
  21. Pennsylvania College of Technology
  22. Pfeiffer University (Applying for Accreditation)
  23. Presbyterian University (Applying for Accreditation)
  24. Rochester Institute of Technology
  25. Samford University (Applying for Accreditation)
  26. Seton Hall University
  27. South College - Nashville (Applying for Accreditation)
  28. Springfield College
  29. SUNY Downstate Medical Center
  30. University of Holy Cross (Applying for Accreditation)
  31. University of Incarnate Word (Applying for Accreditation)
  32. University of Mary Hardin Baylor (Applying for Accreditation)
  33. University of Tampa (Applying for Accreditation)
  34. University of Texas HS Center at San Antonio
  35. University of the Pacific
  36. University of the Sciences of Philadelphia
  37. Utah Valley University (Applying for Accreditation)
  38. Valparaiso University
  39. Wagner College
  40. Yale University - Online

5 Comments

  1. Robert February 26, 2014 at 8:53 am

    nice post. though there are way more negatives than positives to the caspa thing… first of all, many students don’t have 135 dollars they can just flush down the toilet plus 45… it’s more of a scam than anything else, another way to gouge students for more money.

    • Paul March 2, 2014 at 10:33 am

      I’m not sure exactly how you mean a negatives. If you mean that you shouldn’t use CASPA, then I totally disagree. It is the biggest pond you can cast your line into. Sure, it could be cheaper, but it makes applying to multiple schools MUCH easier for applicants, and the vast majority of schools use CASPA. In that light, why wouldn’t you want to use it?

  2. Leya March 11, 2014 at 1:30 pm

    Thanks so much for this post. I am so glad I found this website, I just wish I had found it sooner. I just emailed you and hope to hear from you soon! Thanks again for this and your amazing site.

  3. Natasha June 1, 2015 at 4:03 pm

    Thank you for your post but I must disagree. Since the start of this new cycle, the initial fee for one school is now $175 while each additional school is $50 each. In addition to this fee, most schools now want a supplemental application sent in to them privately. The fee for this supplemental application can be from 30 to 60 dollars. To top it all off, now schools are requiring you to send them each your GRE scores. So a typical application can be $130.

    This is so ridiculous to have students pay this much for a simple application. These schools and systems are all a scam to bring extra income in while they only accept 20-80 students per class.

    Something should be done but the republicans will probably fight it.

    • Paul June 5, 2015 at 9:33 pm

      I never said it was cheap — and yes, there is injustice there. Reminds me of Educational Testing Service, the company that profits handsomely from selling materials to prepare for their own test, which you must pay to take.

      But don’t cut off your nose to spite your face. If you want to get into PA school, you would be wise to apply to a minimum of 6 schools, and that’s if you have a strong application. If you’re weaker, it may need to be more like 15 or 20. If that’s more money than you want to spend, then I expect you won’t find yourself in this field. It’s as simple as that.

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