Physician Assistant Preprofessional Program

If you're interested in medicine and in helping people but are concerned about the requirements and cost of a lengthy medical school program and residency, physician assistant studies may be a good choice for you.

Physician assistants (PAs) are health professionals licensed to practice medicine with supervision by a physician. PAs work together with other medical professionals as members of health care teams.

In collaboration with a physician, a PA may be responsible for making medical decisions and providing a broad range of diagnostic and therapeutic services in a variety of settings, including doctors' offices, hospital emergency rooms, nursing homes, rural satellite clinics, and patients' homes. PAs also are involved in patient and community health education. 

The Master of Physician Assistant Studies (MPAS) is a graduate degree program at Iowa. It is not offered as an undergraduate major, but undergraduates interested in the field can designate themselves as pre-physician assistant students to receive specialized advising and course work in preparation for applying to the MPAS program.

1. Submit your application.

   You can apply through the University of Iowa application or the Common Application (fall session only). We make admission decisions on a rolling basis beginning October 1 (International Application deadlines vary depending on your area of study).

2. Pay the application fee.

   The $80 application fee is non-refundable. No application fee waivers are available unless you will be graduating from a high school inside the U.S.

3. Upload your academic records.

   Within your Admissions Profile in MyUI, upload copies of all required official transcripts from every secondary school (high school), college, university, technical/vocational institute, or professional institution you have attended.
   
   Examine the Country Specific Admissions Requirement List to learn more about the required credentials and minimum academic standards needed for Admissions. Iowa offers college credit for a variety of exams.

4. Meet our English Proficiency Requirement.

   See details of our English Proficiency Requirements. If applicable, have the testing agency send us your TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo score.

5. Have your ACT or SAT scores sent by the testing agency.

   Our institution code is 1356 for the ACT; 6681 for the SAT.

   ACT or SAT is required if:​
   • You plan to use ACT/SAT to meet the English Proficiency Requirement
   • You plan to apply for scholarships (some awards require an ACT or SAT score)