PA · Louisville, Kentucky · private

Sullivan University Physician Assistant Program prerequisites

What Sullivan 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.

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Coursework

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.
Biochemistryrequireddiffers
4 credits · lab
Most PA programmes ask for 1 semester · 3 credits.
Sullivan lets organic chemistry and biochemistry substitute for each other, and unusually requires the laboratory with either: "Organic Chemistry I or Biochemistry I with Lab," 4 semester hours. One semester only; the full organic sequence is not asked for.
English or writing-intensiverequireddiffers
1 semester · 3 credits
Most PA programmes ask for 2 semesters · 6 credits and list it as recommended.
Required rather than recommended, and only one semester: "English Composition," 3 semester hours.
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
Three semester hours, with three courses accepted interchangeably: "Introduction to Psychology, Developmental Psychology, or Abnormal Psychology." Only one of the three is needed.
Anatomy and physiologyrequireddiffers
6 credits
Most PA programmes ask for 2 semesters · 8 credits · lab.
Six semester hours rather than the baseline's eight, and the table asks for no laboratory: "Human Anatomy" 3 hours and "Human Physiology (or two courses A & P combined)" 3 hours. A combined two course A&P sequence answers the physiology line.
Microbiologyrequireddiffers
3 credits
Most PA programmes ask for 1 semester · 4 credits · lab.
Three semester hours and, unlike the baseline, no laboratory is specified. The table lists "Microbiology" with no lab notation, in contrast to the chemistry rows which name their labs explicitly.
Medical terminologyrequireddiffers
1 credits
Most PA programmes ask for 1 credits and list it as recommended.
Required here rather than recommended as in the baseline: "Medical Terminology (at least one hour course)," listed at 1 to 3 semester hours. A single credit answers it.

Experience hours

Patient care experiencerequired
500+ hours
Half the baseline planning floor, with the competitive number stated separately: "At least 500 total clinical experience (direct patient care) hours; preference given to candidates with 1,000+ total hours, those with more hands-on roles, and those with a diverse range of clinical experiences." 500 is the minimum, 1,000 is the preference, and the program says outright that hands-on roles score better than observational ones.
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 letterrecommendeddiffers
1 letter
Most PA programmes publish no minimum.
Harder to use here than at most programs, because Sullivan requires every writer to have seen you with patients: "Letter writers must have first-hand knowledge of the applicant in a patient care setting." A science professor who has not is not an eligible writer under that wording.
Physician letterrecommendedextra here
1 letter
An MD or DO is one of the three writers who can answer Sullivan's one mandatory clinician letter: "The Sullivan University PA program requires three letters of reference. One of these letters must be from a PA, MD, or DO." A physician is sufficient but not necessary, since a PA satisfies the same line.
PA letterrecommendeddiffers
1 letter
Most PA programmes publish no minimum.
A PA letter satisfies Sullivan's clinician requirement but is not the only writer who can: "One of these letters must be from a PA, MD, or DO." Three letters total, and every writer faces the same constraint: "Letter writers must have first-hand knowledge of the applicant in a patient care setting (i.e., no letters from family friends)."
Supervisor letterrecommendeddiffers
1 letter
Most PA programmes publish no minimum.
No supervisor letter is named by title, but the writer constraint points that way for the two non clinician letters: "Letter writers must have first-hand knowledge of the applicant in a patient care setting." A patient care supervisor is the most natural writer who meets it.

Also on the school’s page

Sullivan publishes a clean nine line prerequisite table totalling "31 - 33" semester hours, and every science course on it is lighter than the baseline assumes. Grades gate on GPA rather than on a per course minimum: "At least a 3.00 Overall Total (undergrad and graduate) GPA; preference given to candidates with a 3.50 or higher" and "At least a 3.00 Overall Science Total (undergrad and graduate) GPA; preference given to candidates with a 3.50 or higher." Timing is unusually forgiving: "There may be up to two outstanding prerequisites at the time of application. These courses do need to be listed as 'in progress' on their CASPA application and must be completed by no later than June 15th prior to matriculation," and "A bachelor's degree and all prerequisites must be earned by no later than June 15th prior to matriculation." The recency window is soft rather than hard: "science credits older than eight years at the time of application will be reviewed by the Admissions Committee on a case-by-case basis." On exams, the page names no GRE and no PA-CAT anywhere; the only test mentioned is the TOEFL, "required if an applicant has completed their degree(s) in a foreign country and has not completed a degree in the US," alongside a course-by-course WES evaluation of foreign coursework. Citizenship is a gate: "applicants must currently be a US resident or a permanent resident for consideration of admission." The CASPA deadline is July 15th with verification by July 31st, and "candidates who submit all materials in CASPA by July 1st may receive earlier consideration." Interview is MMI plus a group activity and a writing task, behind a supplemental application carrying a "nonrefundable application fee of $100." Sullivan states its preferences plainly: it prioritises "in-state applicants, re-applicants who have made significant improvements, veterans or those with active military service, and those with diverse healthcare experiences that include patient contact," and gives preference to "those who have successfully completed advanced science courses beyond listed prerequisites." 65 students start each July.

School

sullivan.edu/physician-assistant

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