PA · Bronx, New York · private
Mercy University Physician Assistant Program prerequisites
What Mercy asks for in the 2026-27 cycle, as read from the school's own admissions page. 11 lines differ from the standard PA school set, marked below.
Coursework
- Biology with labrequiredextra here
2 semesters · 8 credits · lab
"Biology I and II with lab," listed in the FAQ as "General Biology I & II" inside a 19-credit biology group. The two-semester sequence with lab; the credit figure here is the standard sequence, not a number Mercy states per course.
- General chemistry with labrequired
2 semesters · 8 credits · lab
"Chemistry I and II with lab," listed in the FAQ as "General Chemistry I & II" inside an 11-credit chemistry group that also holds biochemistry. No per-course credit count is stated.
- Biochemistryrequired
1 semester · 3 credits
Biochemistry is required outright, not as an alternative to organic chemistry. Must be taken within five years of beginning the program and at a four-year institution. No credit count or lab requirement is stated.
- English or writing-intensivenot required here
Not on Mercy's prerequisite list; the only non-science ask is the 90 credits "including all general education requirements."
- Statisticsrequired
1 semester · 3 credits
"MATH (3 credits): Statistics."
- Psychologynot required here
Not on Mercy's prerequisite list.
- Physiologyrequiredextra here
No published minimum
"Human Physiology," a standalone course at the 300 level or higher. "Anatomy and Physiology I & II will not count as a substitute for Human Physiology." Must be taken within five years of beginning the program and at a four-year institution. No credit count or lab requirement is stated.
- Advanced biologyrequiredextra here
No published minimum
"Advanced Human Biologic Science (300 level or higher Biology course)." Must be taken within five years of beginning the program and "MUST be taken at a 4-year institution." No credit count is stated.
- Anatomy and physiologynot required here
Mercy asks for a standalone Human Physiology course instead, and says outright that "Anatomy and Physiology I & II will not count as a substitute for Human Physiology." See the physiology line.
- Microbiologyrequired
1 semester · 4 credits · lab
"Microbiology with lab," called "Clinical Microbiology" in the FAQ. Must be taken within five years of beginning the program; Mercy says the upper-level courses must be completed at a four-year institution. No credit count is stated.
- Medical terminologynot required here
Not on Mercy's prerequisite list.
Experience hours
- Patient care experiencerequired
500+ hours
"A minimum of 500 hours of direct patient care experience (volunteer or paid work) in a health care setting is required for the PA Program. These direct patient care hours may be completed in any medical setting." Mercy publishes no list of qualifying roles and no average for admitted students.
- 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
No hour figure is published. The FAQ refers to "the required volunteer hours (shadowing experience)" and answers: "It does not matter whether the hours are under PA or an MD. However, it is important to emphasize the benefit of shadowing a PA since becoming a PA is your career goal." Recorded as recommended because the only stated minimum on the page is the 500 direct patient care hours.
Letters
- Science faculty letternot required here
The academic letter carries no science restriction ("an academic source such as a professor"); recorded on the any-discipline faculty line.
- Faculty letter (any discipline)requiredextra here
1 letter
"Three letters of recommendation; at least one from a registered physician assistant or physician, and at least one from an academic source such as a professor." The academic source is this line, any discipline.
- PA letterrequireddiffers
1 letter
Most PA programmes publish no minimum and list it as recommended.
"At least one from a registered physician assistant or physician." A physician's letter satisfies this line just as a PA's does.
- Supervisor letternot required here
Mercy names a PA or physician letter and an academic letter; the third letter is unrestricted and no supervisor letter is asked for.
Also on the school’s page
Mercy lists its prerequisites twice on the same page, once as a plain list ("Biology I and II with lab, Chemistry I and II with lab, Statistics, Biochemistry, Microbiology with lab, Human Physiology, Advanced Human Biologic Science (300 level or higher Biology course)") and once with group credit totals in the FAQ: "BIOLOGY (19 credits): General Biology I & II; Clinical Microbiology; Human Physiology; Advanced Human Biologic Science (300 level or higher Biology Course). CHEMISTRY (11 credits): General Chemistry I & II; Biochemistry. MATH (3 credits): Statistics." No per-course credit counts or minimum grades are stated. Recency is a hard five-year window on the upper-level courses: "Biochemistry, Clinical Microbiology, Human Physiology and the Advanced Human Biological Science course are upper level courses (300-level, or higher) that MUST be taken within five years of beginning the program. If any of these courses have been completed more than five years prior to the beginning of the program, then they must be repeated. In addition, these four courses MUST be completed at a 4-year institution." The FAQ softens the four-year rule slightly ("at least two of the following courses (human physiology, microbiology, biochemistry) MUST be completed at a 4-year institution. The advanced human biologic course MUST be completed at a 4-year institution"), so read the stricter version as the safe one. "Anatomy and Physiology I & II will not count as a substitute for Human Physiology." Community college credit is accepted but "no more than 75 credits can be from a two year college." Eligibility to apply: "an overall minimum GPA of 3.0 and a minimum GPA of 3.2 in the CASPA-designated science courses and have completed 90 credits including all general education requirements"; "While these GPAs are a minimum entry requirement, admission is very competitive." The page is inconsistent on the degree: the overview says "You need a bachelor's degree before applying," while the selection criteria say "If you do not have a baccalaureate degree, you must have completed 90 credits, including all general education requirements," and the program description says it "grants a dual B.S. degree in Health Sciences and a Master of Science degree in Physician Assistant Studies." On testing: "Is the GRE required? Standardized tests are not required." No PA-CAT or CASPer is mentioned. CASPA deadline October 1; the program starts late May or early June and "All prerequisite requirements must be completed by that time." Three letters of recommendation are required.
Check your transcript against this list
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