Applicants pursuing admission into the Baylor College of Medicine Physician Assistant 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 verified or any required application materials not submitted by the deadline will not be considered and will disqualify the application. Applications are available yearly in April through CASPA. The 2024-2025 cycle opens April 25, 2024.
If you are an international student, please email paprogram@bcm.edu immediately upon submission of your application. There are additional resources available to you through our international office.
The online application, official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended, and three letters of recommendation must be submitted directly to CASPA. 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.
Baylor Supplemental Application Fee
Payment for the BCM supplemental application fee (see link below) must be 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 Baylor Physician Assistant Program at paprogram@bcm.edu.
Application Process
All applicants to the BCM Physician Assistant Program are reviewed in a four-step process.
Administrative Review
Stage one, carried out by the PA Program Admissions Office, involves an administrative review of each application to determine if the application is verified by CASPA and all required documents have been received by the Aug. 1 deadline and that each applicant has met the minimum grade point averages. Applications passing the first stage of review are made available for review by members of the PA Program Admissions Committee. Those whose applications do NOT meet the stated minimum requirements (receipt of all required documents by CASPA, application verified by CASPA, BCM supplemental application fee received, GPA minimum standards met) by the published August 1 deadline will be eliminated from further consideration.
Screening
During the second stage of review, PA Program faculty screen and rank all eligible candidates using a holistic set of 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 unique 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 that the admissions committee perceives to be competitive for admission.
Interviews
The third stage involves interviews. Invitations for interviews in November are communicated to qualified applicants in October by the PA Program Admissions Office via email. The specific dates for interviews are decided by the PA Program Admissions Committee in collaboration with PA Program representatives to allow for the ongoing activities of multiple campus admissions processes. Invitees are asked to acknowledge their acceptance of the offer for interview to the PA Program Admissions Office within seven calendar days. A maximum of 150 applicants are interviewed.
The dates for the 2024 interviews are the following:
- Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024
- Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024
- Friday, Nov. 8, 2024
The 2024 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 online social gathering that follows is attended 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.
Committee Input
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 used to invite applicants for acceptance into the PA Program.
Admission Decisions
The top 40 applicants are offered admissions, via phone call, within two weeks of interviews. The remaining interviewed applicants will be provided 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.
