PA · Greer, South Carolina · private
North Greenville University Physician Assistant Program prerequisites
What North Greenville 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
1 semester · 4 credits · lab
"Biology I with Lab (or higher)", a "General Biology with Lab course (4 SH)." The course must be "designed for core curriculum or major curriculum requirements. Survey courses DO NOT meet this requirement." Online lab courses are accepted, but "The lab must apply to the course taken," so a standalone lab bought separately from the lecture will not do.
- General chemistry with labrequireddiffers
7 credits · lab
Most PA programmes ask for 2 semesters · 8 credits · lab.
Two lines totalling 7 SH. "General Chemistry I with Lab (or higher)" is a "General Chemistry with Lab course (4 SH)" that "Must be a course designed for core curriculum or major curriculum requirements. Survey courses DO NOT meet this requirement." The second, "General Chemistry II or equivalent" (3 SH), needs no lab, "Must be a course designed for Chemistry Majors," and may be General Chemistry II, Organic Chemistry, Analytical Chemistry, or Biochemistry.
- Biochemistryrecommendeddiffers
1 semester · 3 credits
Most PA programmes ask for 1 semester · 3 credits and list it as required.
Not required in its own right. Biochemistry is one acceptable answer to the second chemistry line and also one acceptable answer to the second biology line, but only one of the two: "Biochemistry can count as either a biology or chemistry, but cannot count for both." If you have biochemistry and nothing else on those lists, it fills one slot and leaves the other open.
- English or writing-intensivenot required here
Not a prerequisite. English coursework appears only in the TOEFL rule, where an applicant whose native language is not English is exempt from the TOEFL if they have "a full year (two semesters) of composition or its equivalent in English studies."
- Statisticsrequired
1 semester · 3 credits
3 SH of General Statistics, Behavioral Statistics, or Biostatistics, with one explicit exclusion that catches business majors: "Business Statistics is NOT accepted."
- Psychologyrequired
1 semester · 3 credits
"General Psychology (or higher)", 3 SH, satisfied by any one of General Psychology, Introductory Psychiatry, Abnormal Psychology, Developmental Psychology, or Psychology throughout the Lifespan.
- Advanced biologyrequiredextra here
1 semester · 3 credits
A second biology course from a named list, "Biology II or equivalent," 3 SH to 4 SH, no lab required, and it "Must be a course designed for Biology Majors. Survey courses DO NOT meet this requirement." Any one of these answers it: General Biology II, Genetics, Cell Biology, Histology, Immunology, Virology, Epidemiology, Biochemistry, or Nutrition. Two catches: "Nutrition courses will be accepted with a BIO prefix," so a nutrition course housed in a health or family sciences department will not count, and biochemistry "can only be used once," meaning it answers either this line or the chemistry line but not both.
- Anatomy and physiologyrequired
2 semesters · 8 credits · lab
Two routes: "Taking two Human Anatomy and Physiology (with lab) courses (combined) for a total of 8 SH" or "Taking the Human Anatomy with lab (4 SH) and Human Physiology (no lab required) (3 SH) courses separately," which totals 7 SH. The split route needs a lab only on the anatomy half. The hard restriction is the material: "Human-based ONLY (comparative is not accepted)." Online lab courses are accepted and "The lab must apply to the course taken."
- Microbiologyrequireddiffers
3 credits
Most PA programmes ask for 1 semester · 4 credits · lab.
Lighter than most PA programs ask: a "Microbiology course (3 SH)" with no laboratory named, and NGU accepts the non-majors version. "Microbiology for non-science majors is accepted. Online courses accepted."
- Medical terminologynot required here
Not on NGU's prerequisite list. The eight prerequisite lines are anatomy and physiology, two biology courses, microbiology, two chemistry courses, psychology and statistics.
Experience hours
- Patient care experiencerecommendeddiffers
500+ hours
Most PA programmes ask for 500+ hours and list it as required.
No minimum, despite this being the number most PA programs gate on: "A minimum number of patient care hours are not required for admittance into the program." Hours are scored rather than required, and the program says it favors applicants with more direct patient care hours. The class of 2027 averaged 4,500 paid healthcare hours, which NGU publishes as a comparison point and not as a threshold: "Compare your scores and hours with the information listed above and target areas where you fall below the listed range."
- Healthcare experiencerecommended
500+ hours
NGU does not split patient care from healthcare experience; it scores one "paid health care experience" category, and unpaid work earns nothing there: "To receive points for paid health care experience it must be from a paid position(s) and not volunteer work." Volunteer time is scored separately under volunteerism. There is no minimum, only points.
- PA shadowingrecommended
20+ hours
No number published and not required: "Shadowing a PA is not required but highly recommended and is a valuable experience. We also encourage shadowing of other healthcare providers." Shadowing is scored together with volunteerism, and military veterans with an honorable discharge receive the maximum point value for both.
- Non-clinical volunteeringrecommendedextra here
No published minimum
No minimum, but it is scored: "A minimum number of volunteer hours are not required for admittance into the program. However, a point value for provider volunteerism (mission work, soup kitchen, big brothers/sisters, etc.), is added to the applicants overall score." Volunteerism is one of the four things the program says it favors. "Military veterans (with a DD214 showing honorable discharge) will receive the maximum point value for shadowing and volunteerism," so veterans start this category full. The class of 2027 averaged 882 shadowing and volunteer hours combined, which is an average and not a threshold.
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 letternot required here
NGU asks for "Three letters of recommendation (each from a 'professional' source; should not be from a relation or close family friend)" and names no role, so a PA letter is not required.
- Supervisor letternot required here
Same reason: three professional letters, authors unspecified. The only stated restriction is that a letter must not come from a relation or close family friend.
Also on the school’s page
North Greenville gates on grades rather than hours, and the gate is high. "Applicants must have a CASPA calculated overall GPA of 3.3 or greater to be eligible for an interview" and "a CASPA calculated overall science GPA of 3.0 or greater." Every prerequisite carries its own floor: "All prerequisites must be taken at a U.S. regionally accredited institution and EACH course must meet a minimum 3.0 GPA (or B; B- is not acceptable) requirement." Where a course has a lab, "the course and lab grades will be combined," so a weak lab can be carried by a strong lecture. Prerequisites must be finished before you apply, not before you matriculate, and the bachelor's degree must be conferred before applying; a foreign degree does not qualify and "The World Education Services (WES) credential evaluation is not accepted." The recency window is advisory only: "The NGU PA Program recommends all prerequisite courses were completed within the last 5 to 7 years, however this is not a requirement." AP and CLEP credit counts if it appears on an official transcript, and online courses and community college courses are accepted from U.S. regionally accredited institutions. Neither the admissions page nor the FAQ names a GRE or a PA-CAT requirement; the only test is a TOEFL for applicants whose native language is not English and who lack "a full year (two semesters) of composition or its equivalent in English studies," needing an "Internet-based TOEFL: Total score of 100 with a minimum score of 20 on each section" taken within the last two years. Applications run through CASPA from late April to August 1, must be CASPA verified by August 1, and the cohort of 30 matriculates in January. Admission is rolling and the program says so plainly: interviews "begin in June and continue until the class is full or October 31, whichever comes first," so a late but on time application can arrive after the seats are gone. Ranking is a published pre-screen point matrix plus interview stations scoring non-cognitive attributes, and "The program favors applicants who have a higher overall GPA, higher overall science GPA, more direct patient care hours, and more volunteerism hours or veteran status." The class of 2027 numbers are context, not minimums: about 914 applications, about 168 interviews, 30 seats, with averages of 3.78 undergraduate GPA, 3.84 prerequisite GPA, 4,500 paid healthcare hours, 882 shadowing and volunteer hours, and age 25. NGU alumni and NGU Master of Biomedical Science graduates get automatic interview invitations subject to slot availability, and MABS completion can substitute for the overall GPA and prerequisite requirements. Accepted candidates post a $1,500 non refundable deposit within two weeks.
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