PA · Indianapolis, Indiana · public
Indiana University Physician Assistant Program prerequisites
What Indiana University asks for in the 2026-27 cycle, as read from the school's own admissions page. 14 lines differ from the standard PA school set, marked below.
Coursework
- Biology with labrequiredextra here
3 credits · lab
"General Biology I (with lab)," compared to BIOL-K 101, required on top of anatomy, physiology, microbiology and the upper-level human biology course. At least three credit hours like every other prerequisite except medical terminology.
- General chemistry with labrequireddiffers
6 credits · lab
Most PA programmes ask for 2 semesters · 8 credits · lab.
Both semesters, each with its lab: "General Chemistry I (with lab)" compared to CHEM-C 105 and CHEM-C 125, and "General Chemistry II (with lab)" compared to CHEM-C 106 and CHEM-C 126. The floor is three credit hours per course rather than the eight credit sequence the baseline assumes.
- Organic chemistry with labrequiredextra here
3 credits · lab
"Organic Chemistry I (with lab)," compared to CHEM-C 341. One semester with the laboratory; the second semester of organic is not asked for. At least three credit hours.
- Biochemistrynot required here
Biochemistry does not appear in IU's prerequisite table. The chemistry ask is general chemistry I and II plus organic chemistry I, all with labs.
- English or writing-intensivenot required here
No English composition or writing course appears in the prerequisite table.
- Statisticsrequired
1 semester · 3 credits
"Statistics/Biostatistics," compared to STAT 30100, at least three credit hours. It heads IU's prerequisite table.
- Psychologyrequired
1 semester · 3 credits
"Introductory Psychology," compared to PSY-B 110, at least three credit hours. One course only; no second psychology or sociology course is asked for.
- Advanced biologyrequiredextra here
1 semester · 3 credits
"Upper-level human biology," satisfied by any of the IU comparables the program names: BIOL-K 322 and 323, BIOL-K 324, BIOL-K 338 and 339, or BIOL-N 322. At least three credit hours.
- Anatomy and physiologyrequireddiffers
6 credits · lab
Most PA programmes ask for 2 semesters · 8 credits · lab.
Split into two separate table rows with different laboratory expectations: "Human Anatomy (with lab)," compared to BIOL-N 261, and "Human Physiology (lab recommended)," compared to BIOL-N 217. The anatomy lab is required; the physiology lab is only recommended. Each course must be at least three credit hours, so six is the floor for the pair.
- Microbiologyrequireddiffers
3 credits · lab
Most PA programmes ask for 1 semester · 4 credits · lab.
"Microbiology (with lab)," compared to BIOL-K 356 and BIOL-K 357. At least three credit hours.
- Medical terminologyrequireddiffers
1 credits
Most PA programmes ask for 1 credits and list it as recommended.
Required rather than recommended, and the one prerequisite exempt from the credit hour floor: "All courses, except for Medical Terminology, must be at least three credit hours." Compared to HIM-M 330.
Experience hours
- Patient care experiencerecommendeddiffers
500+ hours
Most PA programmes ask for 500+ hours and list it as required.
IU sets no floor: "There is no minimum number of patient care hours or pre-approval process required." Hours still belong in the application, but there is no number here you can fall below. The program is equally explicit elsewhere that "There is no minimum hour requirement for leadership" and "There is no minimum hour requirement for community service."
- Healthcare experiencenot required here
IU publishes no healthcare experience figure and no patient care figure: "There is no minimum number of patient care hours or pre-approval process required." Nothing on the page sets an hour floor of any kind for experience.
- PA shadowingrecommended
20+ hours
"PA shadowing hours are not calculated in the cumulative number of patient care hours but are encouraged." Shadowing is kept in its own bucket here rather than folded into the patient care count, and no number is published for either.
Letters
- Science faculty letterrecommendeddiffers
1 letter
Most PA programmes publish no minimum.
Not named as a requirement. The academic voice is one of three IU accepts among its two required letters, and no discipline is specified.
- PA letterrecommendeddiffers
1 letter
Most PA programmes publish no minimum.
No PA letter is named. The ask is two letters minimum from people familiar with your academic, professional or clinical abilities, and a PA answers the clinical half of that.
- Supervisor letterrecommendeddiffers
1 letter
Most PA programmes publish no minimum.
No writer is required by role. "Applicants are required to request at least two letters of recommendation from individuals who are familiar with their academic, professional, or clinical abilities." A work supervisor is one of the three kinds of voice that wording invites, not a separate requirement.
Also on the school’s page
IU publishes its prerequisites as a table of subject areas matched to comparable IU course numbers rather than as a credit hour list, with one blanket rule: "All courses, except for Medical Terminology, must be at least three credit hours." The eleven subject areas are statistics or biostatistics, human anatomy with lab, human physiology with lab recommended, general chemistry I and II both with lab, general biology I with lab, microbiology with lab, upper-level human biology, organic chemistry I with lab, introductory psychology, and medical terminology. "The required courses must be completed with a grade of C or higher." There is no recency window at all, which is unusual on this path: "The IU MPAS prerequisite courses do not have an expiration date." Online coursework is allowed even for the sciences, with a preference stated rather than a rule: "Online courses are accepted for science courses with labs, though in-person labs are recommended." The program "does not grant advanced placement and does not accept transfer credit from other physician assistant programs." GPA is a stated floor in two places at once: a minimum overall GPA of "3.2 on a 4.0 scale is required" and a minimum science GPA of "3.2 on a 4.0 scale is also required." Those are floors, not the competitive picture: the program page reports 550 applicants and 44 enrolled with cumulative GPAs of 3.61 to 4.0, averaging 3.87, and math and science GPAs of 3.69 to 4.0, averaging 3.83. On tests, "GRE test scores are not required" and the PA-CAT is not mentioned. The application deadline is July 15. The most distinctive thing about this program is what it does not count: it sets no hour floor for patient care, leadership or community service.
Check your transcript against this list
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