Admissions

Tuition is the same for in- and out-of-state students. It is also the same whether you choose to study on the Wingate or Hendersonville campus. Physician Assistant Studies tuition is:

• $13,910 per semester
• $130 annual parking fee (Wingate Campus only)
• $100 annual health and wellness fee
• $150 per semester meal plan fee (Wingate Campus only; semesters 1 through 3 only) - Students may opt out 
• $290 program fee per semester
• $1,500 clinical support fee per semester (semesters 4 through 7 only)

Assistance is Available

We work hard to keep the cost of attending the Master of Physician Assistant Studies program affordable for you. Most of our students use electronic textbooks, which may offer a savings. Even so, if you need tuition assistance, you should investigate to see if you are eligible for graduate school loans and scholarships.

Also be sure to check out these sites that provide information on additional scholarships:

• National Health Services Corps
• VA Health Professional Scholarship Program
• Navy Health Services Collegiate Program
• NC Office of Rural Health
• PA Scholarship Opportunities
• NC Diversity & Equity in Emergency Medicine Scholarship

Each applicant must submit an application for admission online through the Centralized Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA). The admission cycle opens April 2023.  Applications must be verified by CASPA by January 15, 2024, in order to be considered for fall 2024 admission. Wingate University requires no supplemental application, forms, or fees. Since Wingate’s PA Program operates on a rolling admissions basis, earlier submissions have a greater likelihood of securing one of our limited interview slots. There are two locations of the PA program: Wingate campus and Hendersonville campus. Applicants must decide which campus they want to apply to when submitting with CASPA. We cannot accept applications to both campuses. 

For information on receiving a CASPA fee waiver, please click here.

Each applicant must be a citizen of the United States (by birth or by naturalization), hold Permanent Resident Status in the United States, or have DACA status in the United States (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals).

When indicating language proficiency on the CASPA application, the following applicants will be required to complete the Test of English as a Foreign Language iBT (TOEFL iBT):

1. Those who indicate a first language other than English and 
2. Who do not add an additional language of English at an advanced proficiency level

Only the internet-based testing is accepted and the results must be submitted through CASPA on or before Jan. 15, 2024. We require a minimum total score of 90 or greater, with a minimum score of 25 or greater in the speaking section.

An applicant must have a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university located within the United States (see Definition of Accredited Institutions below). International degrees that have been evaluated as United States equivalent will not fulfill this requirement. An applicant who is admitted to the program with their bachelor's degree pending completion will be considered a “provisional” admission until the degree is conferred, which must be on or before June 15, 2024. If a master's degree or higher is required for admission eligibility, the admission will be considered “provisional” until the degree is conferred which must be on or before June 15, 2024.

Definition of Accredited Institutions
For the purpose of transfer policy, articulation agreements, and prior higher education degrees, Wingate University defines an “accredited institution” as one accredited by any of the following institutional accreditors: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges Western Association of Schools and Colleges (ACCJC), Higher Learning Commission (HLC), Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE), Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU), and WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC).

Each applicant must complete 9 prerequisite courses, either in-person or online.  Virtual labs are also accepted.  All prerequisite courses taken must be from accredited institutions in the United States (see Definition of Accredited Institutions* below). Each applicant must earn a C or higher in each of the nine prerequisite courses. All nine prerequisite courses must be completed within seven years of your planned matriculation.  For the 2023-2024 application cycle, this will be in 2017 or later. Applications may be submitted with prerequisite(s) pending as long as the courses are registered for and will be completed by our deadline of January 15, 2024.  Depending on how many prerequisites are pending, and which ones they are, we may need to put the application in a pending status until the final grade(s) for the outstanding prerequisite(s) are received.

• Human Anatomy and Human Physiology (8 credit hours minimum) This requirement may be met by taking either: (a) one Human Anatomy with Lab course and one Human Physiology with Lab course; or (b) two Human Anatomy and Physiology with Lab courses (Human A&P I and Human A&P II).  These two tracks cannot be combined (for example, Human Anatomy cannot be paired with Anatomy and Physiology II). If labs are taken separately from lectures, two of the eight credit hours must be lab. Comparative, mammalian, or invertebrate anatomy or physiology are not accepted.
• Genetics (3 credit hours minimum, lecture only)
• Microbiology with Lab (4 credit hours minimum)
• Organic Chemistry with Lab (4 credit hours minimum)
• Biochemistry (3 credit hours minimum, lecture only; combination courses of organic/biochemistry or similar will not fulfill this prerequisite) 

Each applicant must earn a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher on the six courses listed above to be eligible for admission consideration; no grade below C will be accepted regardless of the calculated GPA. 

• General Psychology (3 credit hours minimum; AP and other advanced coursework taken in high school for college credit is accepted, provided that the credit is reflected on the applicant's undergraduate transcript)
• Statistics (3 credit hours minimum; AP and other advanced coursework taken in high school for college credit is accepted, provided that the credit is reflected on the applicant's undergraduate transcript)
• Medical Terminology (No minimum credit hours; can be credit hour course or continuing education course in the U.S.; documentation of successful completion, if not reflected on college or university transcript, must be submitted directly to the PA program) 

Exception: If an applicant is currently, or was within five years of anticipated matriculation, the main instructor at an accredited institution (college, community college, or university, either online or traditional classroom) for any of the above courses, the requirement to retake the course is waived. Please see the below definition of accredited institutions. Documentation of the instruction must be provided to the admissions officer by the applicant’s immediate supervisor at the accredited institution. This exception does not extend to supplemental instructors, laboratory assistants, or teaching assistants. When documentation is received, a grade of A will be applied to the prerequisite along with the required credit hours and will be used to calculate the applicant’s science prerequisite GPA.

*Definition of Accredited Institutions
For the purpose of transfer policy, articulation agreements, and prior higher education degrees, Wingate University defines an “accredited institution” as one accredited by any of the following institutional accreditors: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges Western Association of Schools and Colleges (ACCJC), Higher Learning Commission (HLC), Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE), Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU), and WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC).

The technical standards for admission set forth by the PA program establish essential qualities that are considered necessary for students admitted to the program to achieve the knowledge, skills, and levels of competency stipulated for graduation by the faculty and expected of the professional program by its accrediting agency, ARC-PA. All students admitted to this program are expected to demonstrate the attributes and meet the expectations listed. These technical standards are not only required for admission but must be maintained throughout a student’s progress in the PA program. Applicants who accept an offer of admission must sign a document acknowledging their possession of these attributes and return the document to the PA program with the tuition deposit.

Each applicant must complete the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) within five years of anticipated enrollment in the program and have the official scores report submitted directly to CASPA through ETS. Wingate University PA Program GRE code is 7911 and is applicable to both campuses. No minimum scores are required but scores in the 50th percentile or higher on each of the three sections are considered competitive. We will not accept the MCAT as substitution for the GRE, and we will not waive the GRE if you have a graduate degree.

ETS provides a GRE Fee Reduction Program for individuals who can demonstrate financial need, for those who are unemployed and receiving unemployment compensation, and for national programs that work with underrepresented groups. Test-takers can complete the GRE Fee Reduction Request form (PDF) and follow the instructions on the form regarding the submission of materials to ETS. Voucher numbers are sent to recipients via email within 2 weeks of ETS approval of the request. More information about the GRE Fee Reduction Program, including who is eligible and how to apply is available here. 

One from a provider and one from a college professor or academic advisor.

A minimum of two letters of recommendation are required when the application is submitted through CASPA. One of these must be from a health care provider (MD, DO, PA, or NP), and the other from a college professor (who taught a course you completed) or your academic advisor. We prefer to see a minimum of three letters, and strongly advise varying the "venue" of your reference writers. It is strongly recommended that each of your reference writers has known you at the very least one year.

Each applicant must complete a minimum of 500 hours of direct patient contact. “Shadowing” does not count toward these required hours.

Preferences

• Wingate graduates
• Wingate PA Advantage students
• Qualified graduates and students of VCOM (2 seats)

Considerations

• Overall GPA
• Overall Science GPA
• Overall Non-Science GPA
• Last 40 Hour GPA
• Recent full-time college course loads
• GRE scores
• Personal Statement
• References
• Direct Patient Care Experience Hours 
• Shadowing Hours
• Volunteering, Community Service, Extracurricular Activities
• Service Abroad and/or Work with Culturally, Economically Diverse Groups

The interview consists of:

• A one-to-one interview with a faculty member
• Sitting in on a class
• A Q&A session with current PA students
• Multi Mini Interviews (MMIs)

The admissions officer receives each applicant’s documents after CASPA completes the verification process. The admissions officer or assigned staff reviews each application to determine whether an applicant is eligible for admission consideration. Following this initial review, each applicant receives an email from the admissions officer or assigned staff detailing the status of the application. The admissions officer or assigned staff may schedule an interview with the applicant. Admission interviews are held from September through February and are conducted within a 2-3 hour time frame. Following the interview session, the admissions officer or designated staff will contact each applicant by email within three weeks concerning the applicant’s status with the program. Admission with pending requirements will be considered “provisional” until the requirements are fulfilled on or before the stated deadlines. 

Applicants offered admission to the PA program will be notified by the admissions officer or designated staff by email. In order to confirm acceptance of the offer, each applicant must pay a $1,500 deposit. The $1,500 deposit will be applied to the fall semester tuition if the student enrolls in the program. Failure to pay the $1,500 deposit in a timely matter will forfeit the applicant’s place in the program. The $1,500 tuition deposit is nonrefundable if the applicant chooses not to enroll in the PA program, fails to fulfill any requirement pending at the time of provisional admission, or is dismissed by the PA program prior to enrollment for reasons including, but not limited to, failure to disclose, or concealment of, a felony conviction, illegal drug use, and/or positive drug screening, or otherwise a materially false application statement.

Pay your deposit

Click here to download the checklist.