Cyclios

PA · St. Louis, Missouri · private

Saint Louis University Physician Assistant Program prerequisites

What SLU 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.

Read from the school’s pageCheck it with the school

Coursework

  • General chemistry with labrequireddiffers

    2 semesters · 8 credits

    Most PA programmes ask for 2 semesters · 8 credits · lab.

    "College chemistry I and II," 8 credits. The full sequence, but the accompanying lab is highly recommended rather than required.

  • Organic chemistry with labrequiredextra here

    6 credits

    "Organic chemistry I and II," 6 to 8 credits, the full two semester sequence. SLU asks for organic rather than biochemistry, and the lab is highly recommended rather than required.

  • Biochemistrynot required here

    SLU's table names organic chemistry I and II and does not mention biochemistry anywhere on the page.

  • English or writing-intensivenot required here

    No English or writing prerequisite appears on SLU's page.

  • Statisticsrequired

    1 semester · 3 credits

    Statistics, 3 credits, with a science-based statistics course preferred.

  • Psychologynot required here

    Psychology does not appear on SLU's prerequisite table or anywhere else on the admissions page.

  • Geneticsrequiredextra here

    1 semester · 3 credits

    Genetics, 3 to 4 credits, listed in the required prerequisite table. Unusual as a hard PA prerequisite.

  • Anatomy and physiologyrequireddiffers

    6 credits

    Most PA programmes ask for 2 semesters · 8 credits · lab.

    "Vertebrate or human anatomy" 3 to 4 credits plus "Vertebrate or human physiology" 3 to 4 credits, or "Combined Anatomy and Physiology I and II" at 6 to 8 credits as the alternative. Vertebrate courses count, not only human ones, and the lab is highly recommended rather than required.

  • Microbiologyrequireddiffers

    3 credits

    Most PA programmes ask for 1 semester · 4 credits · lab.

    Microbiology, 3 to 4 credits. "If offered, accompanying laboratories are highly recommended," so the lab is not a requirement here.

  • Medical terminologyrequireddiffers

    1 credits

    Most PA programmes ask for 1 credits and list it as recommended.

    Required outright at SLU, 1 to 3 credits, not left to work experience.

Experience hours

  • Patient care experiencerequired

    500+ hours

    "PA program applicants must have acquired a minimum of 500 hours of patient care experience by the time they submit the CASPA application." Student clinical hours count toward a maximum of 100 and volunteer clinical hours toward a maximum of 250, and paid experience is considered more competitive than student or volunteer experience. 500 is the floor: the average successful applicant brings over 2,000 hours of healthcare experience.

  • Healthcare experiencerecommended

    500+ hours

    SLU publishes no healthcare experience minimum. It reports that "The average successful applicant has over 2,000 hours of healthcare experience," which is an average of admitted students, not a requirement.

  • PA shadowingrecommended

    20+ hours

    "Unless you are already closely working with a PA, shadowing a PA is recommended but does not count toward health care experience." No hour figure is published.

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

    SLU requires three letters "from people who know applicants well, either professionally or academically" and names no PA or clinician letter.

  • Supervisor letternot required here

    Supervisors are one of the accepted writers, alongside professors and advisers, but SLU does not require a letter from any particular source.

Also on the school’s page

SLU prints a prerequisite table in credit ranges: medical terminology 1 to 3, statistics 3, college chemistry I and II 8, organic chemistry I and II 6 to 8, microbiology 3 to 4, vertebrate or human anatomy 3 to 4, vertebrate or human physiology 3 to 4 (or combined anatomy and physiology I and II, 6 to 8, as the alternative), and genetics 3 to 4. Labs are not mandatory anywhere: "If offered, accompanying laboratories are highly recommended." Recency: "Prerequisite coursework should be completed within seven years of application," and all prerequisite coursework must be completed by the May prior to matriculation. "Grades of C or better are required for prerequisite courses; grades of C- or below are NOT accepted." GPA: 3.00 minimum in both science and overall, with successful applicants typically above 3.60. Exams: "The GRE general test is not required," and the page does not mention the PA-CAT at all. Letters: "Three letters of reference submitted to CASPA should be from people who know applicants well, either professionally or academically" (supervisors, professors or advisers), so SLU requires three but names no required writer. The page does not mention psychology, English or biochemistry anywhere.

School

slu.edu/doisy/degrees/graduate/physician-assistant-mms.php

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