PA · San Luis Obispo, California · private
A.T. Still University Central Coast Physician Assistant Program prerequisites
What ATSU Central Coast asks for in the 2026-27 cycle, as read from the school's own admissions page. 6 lines differ from the standard PA school set, marked below.
Coursework
- General chemistry with labrequired
2 semesters · 8 credits · lab
The two-semester sequence with lab. Around a fifth of programs want only one semester or skip general chemistry entirely and start at organic or biochemistry.
- Biochemistryrequired
1 semester · 3 credits
Either chemistry answers it, and a third route exists: "Biochemistry or Organic Chemistry I (with or without lab) (min. 3 semester credits) Note: advanced chemistry courses (200 level or higher) can substitute (provided it is not used already to satisfy the organic chemistry/biochemistry requirement)." The lab is genuinely optional.
- English or writing-intensivenot required here
No English composition or writing requirement appears among the prerequisites.
- Statisticsrequired
1 semester · 3 credits
Broad on which department the course sits in: "Statistics (biology or psychology stats accepted) (3 semester/4 quarter credits)."
- Psychologynot required here
Psychology is not on the prerequisite list. Psychology statistics is accepted toward the statistics prerequisite, which is the only place the discipline appears.
- Anatomy and physiologyrequireddiffers
6 credits · lab
Most PA programmes ask for 2 semesters · 8 credits · lab.
"Human Anatomy & Physiology I and II with labs (min. 6-8 semester credits) Note: 4 credit hours of anatomy with lab and 4 credit hours of physiology with lab may also be used to fulfill this requirement." Six semester credits is the floor, and separate anatomy and physiology courses answer it as fully as a combined sequence. Both labs are required either way.
- Microbiologyrequired
1 semester · 4 credits · lab
Named by nearly every program, usually 3 or 4 credits. A minority accept it without the lab, so read the school's own line before dropping one.
- Medical terminologyrequireddiffers
1 credits
Most PA programmes ask for 1 credits and list it as recommended.
Required rather than recommended: "Medical Terminology (min. 1 semester credit)." Like every other prerequisite it must be finished at the time of application, graded C or higher, and taken within the past seven years.
Experience hours
- Patient care experiencerecommendeddiffers
500+ hours
Most PA programmes ask for 500+ hours and list it as required.
ATSU publishes no patient care hour minimum for this program and files the whole subject under Recommended Experience: "Patient care experience: Experience in healthcare delivery sufficient to be able to recognize the physical and psychological demands of dealing with patients and to appreciate the challenges and rewards of being a healthcare professional." The wording describes a depth of exposure rather than a count, so there is no published number to fall below and no published number that clears the bar either.
- Healthcare experiencerecommended
500+ hours
Many programs publish one combined healthcare figure instead of splitting patient care from healthcare exposure; where they do, the number lands here. Median published minimum is 500 hours.
- PA shadowingrecommended
20+ hours
Under a fifth of programs set a shadowing minimum; among those that do the median is 20 hours and a handful ask for 100 or more. Several count shadowing inside their experience total rather than separately, and a few have dropped it from scoring entirely.
- Non-clinical volunteeringrecommendedextra here
No published minimum
The insert lists this beside patient care under Recommended Experience, with no hour figure: "Volunteering and/or community service: Providing social services to underserved or disadvantaged communities and/or persons." Given a program whose mission is the primary care needs of medically underserved communities, service of exactly that kind is the version that reads.
Letters
- Science faculty letterrecommended
No published minimum
Only a handful of programs require a science faculty letter by name. An academic letter is welcome nearly everywhere and mandatory almost nowhere.
- PA letterrecommended
No published minimum
Fewer than a third of programs require a letter from a PA. Most ask for a clinician letter that a PA, physician or nurse practitioner satisfies equally, so a PA letter is usually sufficient and rarely necessary.
- Supervisor letterrecommended
No published minimum
A letter from a work supervisor is required by about a quarter of programs. Many name no writer category at all and simply ask for three letters.
Also on the school’s page
ATSU publishes the Central Coast program's prerequisites in its own admissions program insert for academic year 2025-26; the program web pages point at the insert rather than restating the list. Two timing rules here are stricter than most: "All prerequisite courses have been taken within the past seven years" and "All prerequisite courses completed at the time of application," so nothing may be in progress when CASPA goes in. Every prerequisite needs a grade of C or higher. The GPA floor is a stated minimum, not a preference: applicants must hold a bachelor's degree from a U.S. institution accredited by a Department of Education institutional accreditor by Sept. 1 of the year of matriculation, with "min. 3.0 cumulative and science GPA." For context and not as a cutoff, the 2024 entering class averaged 3.27 overall and 3.16 science, with an average age of 27. On tests, the insert is flat: "No GRE required," and it names no PA-CAT. Mission preference is explicit and worth reading as part of the requirement picture: the program "prefers applications from" first-generation college students, Hometown Scholars, and Central Coast residents or those with ties to the area. A Hometown Scholar endorsement is not required but earns points in the holistic review. The program holds ARC-PA Accreditation-Provisional status, and the insert states no letters of recommendation policy, so the baseline letter lines are fallback here rather than the program's own words.
School
atsu.edu/chc/ccpaCheck your transcript against this list
Cyclios keeps this list beside your coursework and tells you what ATSU Central Coast still needs from you.
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