PA · West Liberty, West Virginia · public
West Liberty University Physician Assistant Studies Program prerequisites
What West Liberty 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
- General chemistry with labrequired
2 semesters · 8 credits · lab
"One year of Chemistry with laboratory (8 units minimum), majors level preferred," met either as "General Chemistry I and General Chemistry II with corresponding labs (8 unit minimum)" or by an unusual alternative, "Inorganic Chemistry + Organic Chemistry + Biochemistry (all three) with corresponding labs (8 units minimum)." The alternative is all or nothing, and one shortcut is closed explicitly: "A single, combined course in organic, inorganic, and biochemistry will not meet this requirement."
- Biochemistrynot required here
Not required in its own right. Biochemistry appears only inside the alternative route to the chemistry requirement, where inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry and biochemistry with labs together stand in for the general chemistry year. An applicant who took the standard General Chemistry I and II sequence needs no biochemistry at all.
- English or writing-intensiverequireddiffers
2 semesters · 6 credits
Most PA programmes ask for 2 semesters · 6 credits and list it as recommended.
Required here rather than recommended, and a full year of it: "One year of English and/or Writing (6 units minimum)." Writing courses count equally with English. This is the largest of the three prerequisites AP credit can satisfy, at 6 credits.
- Statisticsrecommendeddiffers
1 semester · 3 credits
Most PA programmes ask for 1 semester · 3 credits and list it as required.
Statistics is not required on its own here. It appears twice: as one of four courses that can satisfy the single mathematics requirement, and again under "Recommended Prerequisite coursework, Statistics (3 units minimum)." Taking statistics is therefore the efficient choice, since it answers the required mathematics line and the recommendation at once.
- College mathematicsrequiredextra here
1 semester · 3 credits
A single mathematics requirement with four ways to meet it: "One of the following Math courses: college level Algebra, Pre-Calculus, Calculus or Statistics (3 units minimum)." Statistics is one of the four options rather than a separate requirement, so one course satisfies both this line and, if you choose statistics, the program's separate statistics recommendation.
- Psychologyrequired
1 semester · 3 credits
"One course in Psychology (General, Introductory or Developmental)." No unit minimum is printed on this line, though AP credit is accepted for it at 3 credits, which is the practical floor. It sits alongside, not instead of, the separate humanities or social science course.
- Geneticsrequiredextra here
1 semester · 3 credits
"One course in Genetics (3 units minimum)." A genuine outlier on this path: very few PA programs require genetics, and West Liberty gives it no alternatives and no lab requirement. AP credit does not satisfy it.
- Anatomy and physiologyrequired
2 semesters · 8 credits · lab
"One year of Anatomy & Physiology with labs (8 units minimum & 'human' in nature), majors level preferred." Two routes are given: "Anatomy & Physiology I with lab + Anatomy & Physiology II with lab (8 units minimum)" or "Separate Anatomy & Physiology courses with at least 2 credits of related lab (8 units minimum)." Note the second route's lower lab floor, only 2 credits of related lab across the two courses. Virtual labs are accepted, in person preferred, and the science recency preference of 10 years applies.
- Microbiologyrequired
1 semester · 4 credits · lab
"Microbiology with corresponding laboratory (4 units minimum), majors level preferred." AP credit cannot fill it, and the 10 year science recency preference applies.
- Medical terminologyrecommended
1 credits
Listed under recommended coursework with no size attached: "Medical terminology (no minimum)." Any credit count counts, and nothing is required.
- Social sciences and humanitiesrequiredextra here
1 semester · 3 credits
"One course in Humanities or Social Science (3 units minimum)," separate from and in addition to the psychology course. This is one of only three prerequisites AP credit can fill, at 3 credits.
Experience hours
- Patient care experiencerecommendeddiffers
500+ hours
Most PA programmes ask for 500+ hours and list it as required.
No minimum is published and no hours are required. Experience appears only in the published selection preferences, and the two buckets are named together in one line: "Direct patient care experience and/or healthcare-related experience." The admissions process page confirms it is weighed rather than gated: "Admission decisions are based on the evaluation of the applicant's academic record, personal statement, previous medical experience, letters of recommendation, and the formal interview."
- Healthcare experiencerecommended
500+ hours
Recorded here as well because West Liberty does not split the two, listing "Direct patient care experience and/or healthcare-related experience" as a single selection preference with no hour count for either. No separate healthcare experience figure can honestly be recorded.
- PA shadowingrecommended
20+ hours
"PA shadowing" is its own line in the published selection preferences, listed immediately after patient care and healthcare experience, with no hour count and no requirement to have any.
- Non-clinical volunteeringrecommendedextra here
No published minimum
No hours attached. Named in the published selection preferences under "Academic/Life balance: Including but not limited to: extracurriculars, volunteer experience and community service, leadership experience, and work experience." The list also names a separate preference for "Class enhancing life experience," including "Applicants from environmentally and economically disadvantaged backgrounds (as determined by CASPA), first generation college students, and veterans."
Letters
- Science faculty letternot required here
The required academic letter is from "a professor" with no discipline attached, recorded on the any-discipline faculty line instead. A science professor specifically is not required.
- Faculty letter (any discipline)requiredextra here
1 letter
"Three letters of recommendation are also required. At least one must be from a professor who can speak to the applicant's ability as a learner." No discipline is attached to the professor, so any department answers it. All three letters carry the same brief: "The letters must address the applicant's personal qualities, ability to work with others, and ability to be an empathetic provider." Letters must reach CASPA in time for verification by the deadline.
- PA letternot required here
Not required. Three letters are mandatory and only one writer is specified, a professor who can speak to your ability as a learner; no clinician letter is named.
- Supervisor letternot required here
Not required. Beyond the one professor letter, the remaining two writers are left to the applicant, and no work supervisor is asked for.
Also on the school’s page
West Liberty starts one class each July and its course list is broader than most, reaching past the sciences into genetics, humanities or social science, and a full year of English. The floors are "Minimum Overall GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale" and "Minimum Overall Science GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale," and the FAQ is blunt about what happens below them: "Applications received with either GPA's falling below a 3.0 will NOT meet the GPA prerequisites and therefore, will not be reviewed by our faculty review committee." A bachelor's degree may be in progress at application but must be complete with proof by matriculation. Only two prerequisites may be outstanding: "No more than 2 prerequisite courses may be in progress at the time of application." Two rules here catch people out. First, location: "All prerequisite courses must be completed in the United States," and the FAQ answers "Can prerequisites be completed outside of the United States? No." Second, AP credit is accepted for exactly three of the prerequisites, the humanities or social science course (3 credits), psychology (3 credits) and English or writing (6 credits), and for any other prerequisite AP credit is worthless: an applicant must instead take "the same number of credits of advanced classes in the subject area at the major's level (preferred)" or retake the course. The recency rule is a preference, not a cutoff, and it applies to the sciences: "Prefer all prerequisite courses completed within the past 10 years," and in the FAQ, "Is there a time-limit on courses taken previously? No, however it is preferable for the 'science specific' course prerequisites to have been completed within the past 10 years." Online labs are accepted, in person labs preferred, and majors level coursework is preferred across the sciences. Nothing may be waived: "The WLU PA school prerequisites and admissions requirements will not be waived." On exams, no admissions test appears anywhere among the listed requirements or in the FAQ, so neither the GRE nor the PA-CAT is named as required; the program does not publish a statement either way. Timing rewards early applicants: a CASPA application verified by August 1, 2026 earns priority review and an early interview session, the cycle otherwise closes October 1, 2026, and "NO EXCEPTIONS WILL BE MADE." Seats are offered on a rolling basis with all applicants notified no later than mid-June. On residency, the published selection preferences include West Virginia residency, West Liberty graduates, and graduates from West Virginia institutions of higher education, which the catalog row does not carry.
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