PA Admissions & Tuition

Official Transcripts must reflect:

• All undergraduate, post-baccalaureate, and graduate coursework taken,
• All required prerequisite coursework with final grades, and
• An official, final transcript indicating completion of the bachelor's degree (Applicants must request official transcripts from their Registrars' offices that include a date of graduation/degree conferral date.)

Send ALL official, final transcripts from all undergraduate, post-baccalaureate, and graduate institutions attended (degree and non-degree) to:

CASPA - P.O. Box 9108 - Watertown, MA 02471

It is strongly encouraged to use the Transcript Request Form provided by CASPA, which is available to applicants once they have listed their institutions attended. PDFs, unofficial and/or photocopied transcripts will not be accepted. DO NOT send any transcripts or evaluations directly to the PA Program.

Note that CASPA will not update transcripts after an application is submitted so DO NOT send:

• Transcripts with in-progress coursework to CASPA. If we receive an application without all prerequisites complete or final grades, we may not be able to review the application for admission.
• Updated transcripts to CASPA after verification. Any grades reported as part of Academic Update will NOT be verified and CASPA GPAs will NOT be updated.

International/Study Abroad

International transcripts (except English-speaking Canadian) will not be accepted, but CASPA will accept a foreign transcript evaluation report (Tufts requires WES evaluation). An applicant should report study abroad on CASPA if they:

• Studied via an overseas U.S. institution
• Studied via another U.S. institution
• Studied via a study abroad company, directly via your undergrad institution or any other method

A WES evaluation of foreign transcripts is necessary ONLY if the applicant took a Tufts School of Medicine PA Program prerequisite course during their study abroad and if the CREDITS AND/OR GRADES for these courses DO NOT APPEAR on their undergraduate transcript. Send all WES evaluations to CASPA for verification of courses.

Get directions on entering study abroad information properly in CASPA.

1000 hours of direct patient care experience must be completed and documented in the application. ALL direct patient care experience should be added in the "Experience" section of the application. Please request references to verify direct patient care performance and responsibilities. Applicants are NOT required to provide an official document stating completion of the experience.

The purpose of this document is to capture the types of hands-on patient care experiences candidates have performed in their clinical work. The committee does not expect candidates to have had the opportunity to perform all of the listed experiences.

The link to the Patient Care document can be found in the CASPA application (Qualtrics link). Candidates are required to complete and upload this document in the clinical/professional section in CASPA. If an error is made in generating the Patient Care Document, the link may be reused to redo the survey to generate a new document.

• Directions to generate Patient Care Document

The first two letters of recommendation should be received by July 1st at 11:59 PM EST, and the third recommendation (required by Tufts) MUST be received by CASPA no later than August 1st at 11:59 PM EST. Applications will not be reviewed by the TUSM PA Admissions Committee until at least 3 letters of recommendation have been received by CASPA.

All letters must be completed via CASPA's online evaluator portal. An electronic request from CASPA Messenger will be sent immediately to each reference once the applicant saves the references’ information into the CASPA system. The evaluator will first need to complete a rating of your skills as part of the evaluation, and then attach their letter of reference to the evaluation. Applicants will be able to check on the status of electronic letters via the CASPA applicant portal. Up to 5 references can be submitted through CASPA in this manner, even after application submission and verification. Letters of recommendation can not be accepted through Interfolio or other services.

These letters of recommendation should reflect the applicant’s ability to perform graduate-level work, and address the individual’s professionalism, integrity, and motivation. Prior employers, professional colleagues, and academic advisors are acceptable references. References from shadowing experiences will not be accepted as one of the three required recommendations.

At least one reference should be from a supervisor of a direct patient care experience to substantiate the applicant’s experience and performance in that capacity. Please note that all direct patient care experiences are subject to verification by the program.

CASPA does not accept paper Committee Letters of Reference. A Committee Letter of Reference may be submitted electronically (7500 characters of allowable space) and will be considered as one reference.

An applicant's official test score(s) must be received by CASPA no later than August 1st at 11:59 PM EST.

Please note, test scores do not arrive real time. 

GRE

Scores should be sent to CASPA electronically three weeks prior to August 1st (to ensure they arrive before the deadline) using the Designated Institution Code 0438 (Tufts U Sch Medicine CASPA). This code was specifically created for the TUSM PA Program, and will ensure that the TUSM PA program receives applicants' score(s). GRE scores do not arrive to CASPA in real time.  The Educational Testing Service (ETS) will send new GRE Scores to CASPA up to twice per week. Scores are reported 10 to 15 days after taking the GRE. Applicants should not have scores sent directly to Tufts as they will not be matched up with an application.

• Sending your official test scores to CASPA.

MCAT

Scores are sent to CASPA electronically from AAMC. PAPER COPIES ARE NOT ACCEPTED. Applicants must contact AAMC to have MCAT scores released to CASPA, and then can self-report the MCAT score in the “Standardized Tests” section along with the individual AAMC ID#.

An applicant's name, date of birth, and AAMC ID# are used to match the information on the MCAT exam. If the NAME or DATE OF BIRTH appears differently on the MCAT than it does on CASPA, the scores will NOT post automatically to the applicant's account. If the name is different on the test/ contains punctuation or the applicant made an error entering their date of birth information, they must wait the 10-12 day processing time and call CASPA customer service – they can look up the name and manually connect the test score to the desired application.

All TOEFL scores must be RECEIVED by CASPA by August 1st at 11:59PM EST.

Official TOEFL scores are provided to CASPA directly from the ETS in electronic format. PAPER COPIES WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. Applicants must contact the ETS to have their TOEFL scores released to CASPA.

PLEASE NOTE: For the TUSM PA Program, the TOEFL requirement is waived for students who have attended a U.S. university/institution for two or more years.

Applicants are required to upload a resume to CASPA (under the Documents section > "CV/Resume" section).

IMPORTANT: The TUSM PA program reserves the right to verify any experiences listed in the application and/or resume, especially all direct patient care experiences listed.

International applicants are those who are citizens of any foreign country (including Canada) who do not hold a United States permanent resident visa (green card).  Permanent resident visa status is equivalent to U.S. citizenship for the purposes of our admission process and U.S. federal student loan programs.

International applicants are eligible to apply to the Tufts University School of Medicine Physician Assistant Program, but should be advised that we admit very few and give strong preference to U.S. citizens and permanent residents. We also give strong preference to applicants who have completed their undergraduate work at a U.S. college or university. The international students admitted to the Tufts PA Program are usually students who have earned bachelor's degrees in the United States.

Please note that any coursework completed outside of the U.S. must be evaluated by World Education Services (WES). We will only accept evaluations done by WES. Evaluations performed by other companies will NOT be accepted. Their report should be submitted to CASPA.

Please note: Graduates of foreign medical schools will not be considered for this program.

More information for International Applications.

The Tufts University School of Medicine Physician Assistant Program welcomes applications from undocumented individuals who qualify for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). These applicants will be considered with U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents for admission to the Tufts University School of Medicine Physician Assistant Program. The PA Program does not consider an applicant’s financial circumstances in the selection process. However, DACA students must be prepared to absorb the cost of US physician assistant education, and have a full understanding that DACA students are not eligible for traditional US educational funding including federal and/or institutional loans and scholarships. Accepted DACA students will be expected to have proof of funding for all years of their education prior to matriculation. DACA applicants who are accepted to the PA Program will join a supportive community that strives to produce socially and culturally competent physician assistants who will care for a diverse and ever evolving patient population.

CASPA performs a course and degree verification process once all official transcripts are received. All complete applications (e-submitted, payment received, transcripts received, and two letters received) verified by August 1st will be sent to Tufts PA Admissions Office.

Once the Tufts PA Admissions Office has a verified and complete CASPA record for the applicant as well as the third letter of recommendation and test scores, they will send it to the PA Admissions Committee for review. The 6-8 week review process then dictates an interview decision. Meeting minimum admission requirements does not guarantee an interview or admission to the program.

Selected candidates who have complete and competitive applications are invited to attend one of several interview sessions held throughout the summer and fall. The session--lasting up to 3 hours--will include a presentation, two individual interviews, and a tour.

Applicants will receive an e-mail from the PA Admissions Office if they are invited for an interview.

Selected candidates will be asked to submit a photo via email to the PA Program for identification purposes.

Candidates are notified of their admissions decision via e-mail and the admissions portal. Admitted candidates will have 2 weeks to respond to their offer and submit a non-refundable $1,000 deposit. Candidates admitted from the wait-list will have 2 days to respond to the offer and make the deposit. Deposits are submitted electronically to ensure receipt of the deposit by or before the designated reply deadline.

All candidates who enroll are advised that their matriculation is conditional, pending a successful outcome of a criminal background check. The university reserves the right to rescind offers of admissions for candidates with criminal histories.

Once students are admitted and enroll in the program, they are responsible for the following:

• Students are required to submit documentation verifying their license (EMT, RN, PT, etc.) history and standing.
• All students are required to participate in a criminal background check, which is processed through the Registrar's Office.
• All students are required to have and maintain American Heart Association Basic Life Support for Healthcare Professionals (BLS) Certification at matriculation in January and for the duration of their time in the PA program.
• If desired, students may take a basic medical terminology course to prepare for the medical terminology exam to be given at Orientation.
• Enrolled students must have access to a car for the duration of the program.
• Enrolled students must make sure they have a laptop that is compatible with the ExamSoft test-taking system. Learn about laptop specifications.

The following tuition rates are for 2019 – 2020 academic year* and apply to students enrolled in the Physician Assistant (PA) program starting in Spring 2020.

Completion Requirements: 6 Semesters

* Tuition rates and fees are effective as of July 2019. Note that program cost is set each academic year (June to May) and typically increases a small amount from year-to-year. The Trustees of Tufts University reserve the right to change tuition rates or fees at their discretion.

Cost of Attendance Budget

For information about the estimated full cost of the PA Program, including tuition, room & board, fees, etc., see:

• Total Annual Estimated Costs
• Cost of Attendance by Semester
• Student Health Insurance Rates* (see rates)

*The Commonwealth of Massachusetts and Tufts University Health Sciences Schools require all matriculated students of higher education to participate in a health insurance plan. Students may enroll in the student insurance plan offered by Tufts University, or maintain private coverage as long as it meets or exceeds the minimum state requirements set forth by the Commonwealth.

Tufts School of Medicine primarily provide financial assistance in the form of federal loans. There are a very limited number of merit-need based scholarships available each year to meritorious students.

We strongly encourage you to submit a financial aid application as early in the application process as possible to allow adequate time for the Office of Financial Aid to process your application. Do not wait until you have submitted your application or receive an admissions decision to apply for aid, as this will delay your personal financial aid information.

Learn more about general financial aid options.

PA Funding Resources

• PA Foundation

Veterans Resources

Veterans may be eligible for additional financial assistance through the Post-9/11 GI Bill.

The US Department of Veterans Affairs provides more information.