PA · Atlanta, Georgia · private
Mercer University Physician Assistant Program prerequisites
What Mercer asks for in the 2026-27 cycle, as read from the school's own admissions page. 9 lines differ from the standard PA school set, marked below.
Coursework
- Biology with labrequiredextra here
lab
"Two course General Biology series with labs." Mercer counts courses rather than credit hours, so no credit figure is recorded here. Survey courses do not count and the labs must be taken on campus, not online.
- 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.
- Organic chemistry with labrequiredextra here
No published minimum
"One course of Organic Chemistry (lab optional)." One semester, the lab is genuinely optional, and biochemistry is required separately rather than as an alternative.
- Biochemistryrequired
1 semester · 3 credits
Roughly half the programs that ask for an upper chemistry accept either biochemistry or organic chemistry for the same single line, so one course often covers both entries on this list.
- English or writing-intensiverequireddiffers
2 semesters · 6 credits
Most PA programmes ask for 2 semesters · 6 credits and list it as recommended.
Required at Mercer, not merely recommended: "two course English Composition or intensive Writing course series." The program states a course count, not credit hours; the 6 shown is the ordinary two semester total and Mercer's own wording is the requirement.
- Statisticsrequired
1 semester · 3 credits
Statistics, not calculus. The exception is regional: several Oklahoma and Texas programs require college algebra instead and do not count statistics, so check those individually.
- Psychologyrequired
1 semester · 3 credits
General psychology. Many programs fold it into a broader social or behavioural science block that sociology or anthropology also satisfies.
- Anatomy and physiologyrequired
2 semesters · 8 credits · lab
The full A&P sequence with lab, the one course essentially every program names. Recency windows bite hardest here: several programs expire A&P specifically, one at three years, while leaving the rest of the list alone.
- 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 terminologynot required here
Not named anywhere in Mercer's prerequisite list or admission requirements.
Experience hours
- Patient care experiencerequireddiffers
1000+ hours
Most PA programmes ask for 500+ hours.
"Applicants are required to complete a minimum of 1,000 hours of direct, hands on patient care experience." A genuine floor. Mercer adds that applicants "are strongly encouraged to have started completing hours and a plan for completing more than the minimum hours prior to submitting their application," and keeps a separate page defining what it counts as patient care.
- 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.
Letters
- Science faculty letternot required here
The faculty letter Mercer requires is from "a college professor or instructor" with no discipline attached, so a science professor is not specifically required.
- Faculty letter (any discipline)requiredextra here
1 letter
"One must come from a college professor or instructor." No discipline is specified, so a non-science instructor answers this line. Three letters total, submitted directly to CASPA.
- PA letterrequireddiffers
1 letter
Most PA programmes publish no minimum and list it as recommended.
"At least one letter must come from a practicing physician assistant or physician (MD/DO)." A physician satisfies this line as fully as a PA does.
- Supervisor letternot required here
Mercer's third letter is open: "The third letter can come from a non-relative professional." A work supervisor may write it but is not asked for.
Also on the school’s page
Mercer lists its prerequisites as course counts rather than credit hours: a two course general chemistry series with labs, one course of organic chemistry (lab optional), one course of biochemistry (lab optional), a two course general biology series with labs, a two course series of human anatomy and physiology with lab, one course of microbiology with lab, a two course English composition or intensive writing series, a statistics or biostatistics course, and a general or introductory psychology course. Four rules sit under that list: "Anatomy and Physiology and Microbiology courses must have been completed within 10 years prior to anticipated enrollment," "Survey courses will not fulfill prerequisites," "Lab courses must be completed in an on campus lab (not online)," and "Only grades of C or better are acceptable towards prerequisites." AP credit counts at a score of 3 or above; nothing is awarded for 1 or 2, and the program awards no advanced placement or transfer credit for previous healthcare-related curricula. Prerequisites need not all be finished at application, but "Applicants with more than four (4) outstanding prerequisites cannot be considered for admission," and the CASPA application must carry a plan for the rest. Two GPA floors: 3.00 overall and 2.9 undergraduate natural science (biology, chemistry, physics). The GRE is explicitly optional: Mercer gives the ETS code 0441 for anyone sending scores, then states "GRE scores optional, not required." No PA-CAT is mentioned. CASPer is required, registered under CSP 20100 Professional Health Sciences, with the last eligible test date for this cycle in March 2027. A bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited US institution is required before enrolment, and TOEFL applies if English is not your native language. The program starts in spring: the Spring 2027 cycle is closed and the Spring 2028 cycle opens in CASPA on November 1, 2026. Additional admissions consideration goes to applicants showing HRSA-defined factors, named as military service members, first-generation college students, and those from economically disadvantaged backgrounds or medically underserved areas, and to Mercer graduates.
Check your transcript against this list
Cyclios keeps this list beside your coursework and tells you what Mercer still needs from you.
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