PA · St. Bonaventure, New York · private
St. Bonaventure University Physician Assistant Program prerequisites
What St. Bonaventure asks for in the 2026-27 cycle, as read from the school's own admissions page. 12 lines differ from the standard PA school set, marked below.
Coursework
- Biology with labrequiredextra here
3 credits
One semester, minimum 3 credit hours, of "biology (any bio course that is not otherwise listed)." Any biology course beyond the A&P, microbiology and genetics lines answers it; no lab is required for this one.
- General chemistry with labrequireddiffers
2 semesters · 8 credits
Most PA programmes ask for 2 semesters · 8 credits · lab.
"Chemistry (2 semesters)." No credit count is stated, and the lab requirement is stated only for anatomy, physiology and microbiology, not chemistry.
- Biochemistrynot required here
Neither biochemistry nor organic chemistry is on St. Bonaventure's list; the chemistry ask is two semesters of chemistry.
- English or writing-intensivenot required here
Not on St. Bonaventure's prerequisite list; the non-science ask is one humanities or social sciences course, recorded on that line.
- Statisticsrequired
1 semester · 3 credits
One semester, minimum 3 credit hours, of statistics.
- Psychologyrequired
1 semester · 3 credits
One semester, minimum 3 credit hours, of psychology.
- Geneticsrequiredextra here
1 semester · 3 credits
One semester, minimum 3 credit hours, of genetics. For Bona Advantage students, BIO 291 Genetics or BIO 294 Genomics.
- Anatomy and physiologyrequireddiffers
6 credits · lab
Most PA programmes ask for 2 semesters · 8 credits · lab.
"Anatomy & Physiology I and II or an anatomy course, such as Comparative Anatomy, and a separate physiology course, such as Mammalian Physiology, as long as they cover all body systems. (A minimum of 6 credit-hours.)" Lab component required. No expiration date.
- Microbiologyrequireddiffers
3 credits · lab
Most PA programmes ask for 1 semester · 4 credits · lab.
One semester, minimum 3 credit hours, of "microbiology (requires lab component)."
- Medical terminologynot required here
Not on St. Bonaventure's prerequisite list.
- Social sciences and humanitiesrequiredextra here
1 semester · 3 credits
One semester, minimum 3 credit hours, of "humanities/social sciences," separate from the psychology line.
Experience hours
- Patient care experiencerequired
500+ hours
"500 hours (minimum) of documented and verifiable patient care experience are to be completed by the time of matriculation. Applicants with compensated hours of direct patient care will have an advantage." Points are awarded for quantity and quality: highest quality is licensed or certified work with patient assessment (RT, RN, paramedic) down through med tech, rad tech, EMT, CNA and HHA; moderate quality is on-the-job-trained roles such as ER tech, MA, NA, scribe, pharmacy tech, phlebotomist and transport aide; low quality is receptionist, transcriptionist and hospital volunteer. Scribing counts here, but at the moderate tier.
- 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
No faculty letter is named; the other two letters are unrestricted.
- PA letterrequireddiffers
1 letter
Most PA programmes publish no minimum and list it as recommended.
"3 letters of recommendation. One must be from a clinician (PA, MD/DO, or NP)." A physician or nurse practitioner satisfies this line just as a PA does.
- Supervisor letternot required here
Only the clinician letter is specified; the other two letters are unrestricted.
Also on the school’s page
St. Bonaventure admits 40 students every January through CASPA, with a September 1 deadline and rolling review. Prerequisites: "Anatomy & Physiology I and II or an anatomy course, such as Comparative Anatomy, and a separate physiology course, such as Mammalian Physiology, as long as they cover all body systems. (A minimum of 6 credit-hours.) Chemistry (2 semesters). One semester (minimum of 3 credit-hours) of the following: microbiology (requires lab component), genetics, biology (any bio course that is not otherwise listed), humanities/social sciences, statistics, psychology." "Anatomy, physiology, and microbiology courses require lab component." The Bona Advantage section confirms this is a list of ten courses, each required. "A C or better in all prerequisite courses is required (C- is not acceptable). Advanced placement credit is not acceptable for prerequisites." "GPAs will be recalculated for repeated courses by using the highest grade for the course rather than averaging." No recency window: "There is no expiration for prerequisite courses although recent coursework is preferable to demonstrate ongoing learning." Courses may be in progress at application if completed before matriculation; community college and online courses from regionally accredited institutions are generally acceptable provided labs are included. A bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited college in the United States or Canada is required, with an overall GPA of 3.0 and a prerequisite GPA of 3.0. The GRE is required: "Graduate Record Examinations (GRE). St. Bonaventure's code is 4745. There is no minimum accepted score for the GRE. Competitive applicants to our program earn scores as follows: Verbal: 40th percentile or higher; Quantitative: 40th percentile or higher; Analytical Writing: 4 or higher. NOTE: The MCAT cannot be used as a substitute for the GRE." No PA-CAT or CASPer is mentioned. Selection runs on a points matrix: "More points are awarded for higher cum GPA, prerequisite GPA, and GRE score. Direct patient care is awarded points based on both quantity and quality. Total points in the matrix is equivalent for academics (cGPA, pGPA, GRE) and direct patient care," plus 10 points for a St. Bonaventure graduate, a U.S. military veteran, or an applicant from Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua or Steuben counties. Applicants meeting the criteria are sent a free supplemental application; 120 interview slots. Three letters of recommendation.
Check your transcript against this list
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