Admission Process and Requirements

Admission Process

Applicants should review admission requirements carefully as applicants who do not meet any of the requirements will not be considered for admission. Applicants will be reviewed and accepted on a rolling basis, so prospective applicants are encouraged to submit their materials early in the cycle.

Candidates should be aware of the key dates in our admission process:

• April 2026: CASPA opens
• August 1, 2026: Priority deadline – candidates who apply by this date will be more likely to gain admission to the program
• October 15, 2026: Final deadline – applications must be submitted by this date to be considered for admission
• January 11, 2027: First day of class – all outstanding admissions requirements must be completed and submitted to OBU prior to this date

Initial Application

Applications are submitted through the Centralized Application System for Physician Assistants (CASPA).

• Applicants must submit the full CASPA application as well as the supplemental application page for OBU within CASPA. The CASPA application includes academic transcripts, letters of recommendation, and documentation of healthcare experience.
• The first CASPA application will open in April 2026.

Applicants must also pay the OBU application fee on the university’s website before their application will be reviewed.

• The OBU PA program will waive this fee for applicants who have already been approved for a fee waiver through CASPA. Please contact admissions staff to learn about the process.

An MSPAS admissions advisor will screen all applications to determine the applicant’s eligibility and calculate a composite score based on submitted items including:

• Confirmation that applicant meets all posted admission requirements (as listed in the Admission Requirements tab below)
• Overall and Overall Science GPAs (as calculated by CASPA)
• Essay responses
• Letters of recommendation
• Advanced degrees
• Demonstration of leadership

Academic Record and Advanced Placement

• Any candidate meeting all application requirements who has received, or is on track to receive, a bachelor's degree or master's degree from Oklahoma Baptist University will be guaranteed an interview
• The program does not grant advanced placement to any applicants based on previous course work. All students in the program must complete all curricular requirements through OBU. Courses that are required as prerequisites to the PA program cannot be substituted for any content within the program.
• Any candidate who has earned an advanced degree (masters or doctorate) will receive additional points in the admission process
• The OBU PA program does not consider any standardized exam scores in the admission process, including GRE, Casper, PA-CAT, etc. 

Interviews and Application Review

• Interviews will be granted to top ranking applicants on a rolling basis. Interviews may be conducted over video conferencing or in-person, depending on availability of program faculty and candidates.

Faculty reviewers will be assigned to evaluate each applicant’s references and interview using a standardized rubric and will then provide a recommendation to the Admissions Committee. Applicants will be rated based upon the following attributes:

• Academic record 
• Alignment with program mission
• Responsibility
• Resilience
• Preparation for hybrid learning
• Critical thinking
• Leadership
• Preparation to provide culturally responsive care
• Written and verbal communication

Final Decisions and Acceptance Process

The Admissions Committee will accept or decline each applicant based on a holistic evaluation of the application, supporting documents, and interview.

Decisions are made on a rolling basis and applicants are encouraged to apply as early as possible in the application cycle.

Applicants will be notified by email of their admissions decision.

Applicants must complete Seat Acceptance Requirements (listed under Admission Requirements) before they will be allowed to enroll in the program

Accepted students are invited to participate in a virtual Welcome Meeting the month before classes start, which will include information on required program equipment and a chance to meet your classmates. This meeting will be recorded for anyone who is unable to attend.

Admission Requirements

Prerequisite Courses

Course	Minimum Semester Credit Hours
Human Anatomy*	3
Human Physiology*	3
Organic Chemistry	3
Biochemistry or Cellular & Molecular Biology	3
Microbiology	3
Genetics	3
Psychology - Abnormal or Developmental	3
Statistics	3
Medical Terminology	1

*Indicates courses which must have been taken within the past ten years.

All prerequisite courses must be completed at a regionally accredited institution with a grade of B- or higher. We do not accept pass/fail grades for prerequisite courses.

Six of the nine prerequisite courses must be completed at the time of application

Score of 4 or 5 on a high school advanced placement exam will be considered for statistics prerequisite only

If Human Anatomy and Human Physiology are taken in combination through a two-course sequence, both courses must be taken at the same institution.

Additional Requirements

Prior Education Requirements

• Earned B.A. or B.S. degree from a regionally accredited or internationally recognized institution
• Minimal GPA requirement of 3.25 overall and 3.25 overall science on a 4.0 scale as calculated by CASPA

1000 hours of direct patient care which must include direct interaction with patients in a medical setting

• Examples of accepted tasks/roles: EMT, medical assistant, scribe, nurse, CNA, phlebotomist, dental hygienist, athletic trainer, surgical assistant, performing medical procedures, administering medication, taking vitals or other record-keeping information
• We cannot accept hours for administrative roles (i.e. front desk work). If an applicant has worked in a role with multiple responsibilities, they will be asked to estimate the hours worked in direct patient care.
• Accepted patient care experiences can be paid or unpaid

$100 application fee

Applicants born outside of the United States (U.S.) 

• This program is not currently open to international applicants 
• Citizens of the U.S. who were born outside of the U.S.: 
  • Must take all required prerequisite courses at a regionally accredited U.S. higher education institution 
  • Must submit an evaluation of foreign transcripts from NACES or CGFNS International directly to the program 
    • OBU follows CASPA'S practices in reference to English-Canadian transcripts. English transcripts provided by Canadian schools are not considered foreign and do not need to be processed as international coursework. Please contact our enrollment counselor with questions about Canadian transcripts.
  • If English is not the applicant's first language, the applicant must submit documentation of meeting one of the following exam score criteria: 
    • TOEFL exam score: minimum 600 paper-based, 100 internet-based, or 250 computer-based score 
    • IELTS exam score: minimum 7

Seat acceptance requirements: Following acceptance, applicants will be required to submit the following before they can matriculate into the program:

• $1,000 non-refundable seat deposit
• Medical clearance with confirmation of meeting program’s Technical Standards and immunization requirements. Please see the program’s immunization policy under the Program Policies tab.
• State and federal background checks
  • Criminal background checks and drug testing are a requirement of individual clinical sites, states, and the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO). The OBU MSPAS Program cannot guarantee placement of the student at clinical sites if criminal background check and drug screen results are not congruent with the clinical site requirements. In this case, students may not be eligible to complete program requirements and graduate from the program. Findings may also impact a graduate’s ability to obtain professional state licensure.
• Proof of health insurance
• Agreement to program policies and procedures