Admissions — Frequently Asked Questions

Individual appointments by phone or in-person are not available due to the high number of inquiries we receive. The program does hold information sessions several times per year. Please review the prerequisites webpage, which includes a Prerequisite Worksheet. Additionally, there is a list of advisors at local institutions on the left column of the Prerequisite webpage. Feel free to email PA-info@ucdenver.edu with any course questions after reviewing this information.

We do not review individual transcripts due to the high volume of requests. It is recommended to use the Prerequisite Worksheet on the prerequisites webpage to help you in analyzing your transcript and planning coursework. You may also wish to speak with your college advisor to help you in planning coursework. If you have additional questions after reviewing this information, feel free to email PA-info@ucdenver.edu.

We do not offer individual campus tours of the Anschutz Medical Campus. You may tour the campus on your own using the Walking Tour Map. The CHA/PA Program only offers campus tours during information sessions. CHA/PA is unable to accommodate individual meetings or tours due to the extremely high volume of requests.

You cannot use the required genetics course toward the lower or upper division biology requirement. The required genetics course is a separate requirement from biology.

Yes, we do accept online and community college courses from an accepted accredited institution. You can see the list of accreditations we accept on the prerequisites webpage. Note that all community college courses cannot be applied to the upper division biology requirement.

We require 6 semester hours (or 9 quarter hours) of upper division biology taken within the last five years. Upper division courses are 300 or 3000 or above. Community colleges offer only lower division courses, therefore, community college courses cannot be applied to the upper division biology requirement. Course numbering systems may vary at some 4 year institutions. Check with your institution’s Registrar or academic advisor if you are unsure whether your courses are upper division.

The only time limit is on upper division biology courses. Upper division biology courses must be completed within the last five years. Coursework fulfilling other prerequisite requirements may be older than 5 years.

See the prerequisites webpage for details on what courses are required before applying and what courses are required before matriculation.

Students must request approval to use any of these courses toward the prereqs. It is the student's responsibility to send in a course syllabus for review.

Courses need to be related to the animal and medical sciences. Therefore, examples of courses we do not accept toward the prerequisites are ecology, biology of fishes, medical terminology, epidemiology, ornithology, public health, and ethics.

Biochemistry courses may be used to fulfill the biology requirement. Biochemistry may not fulfill both the biology and chemistry requirement.

Nutrition courses offered in the biology department may be used toward our biology prerequisite requirement. A nutrition course offered in a nutrition, health science, or food science department may only be used toward our biology prerequisites if the course requires an upper division chemistry or biological science prerequisite course. Courses offered in a biological sciences department are preferred.

All courses offered in the health science department need approval to use toward the biology requirement. It is the student's responsibility to send in a course description for approval.

Admissions is aware of many unusual course numbering systems. Yet, to ensure that your upper division courses are appropriately noted and applied to our requirement, email the Admissions department with a link to the course catalog outlining the upper division policy at your university or college.

Please see the prerequisites webpage. Coursework taken outside the U.S. tab for details on courses taken abroad including study abroad. All of the science prerequisites must be completed at an accredited college or university in the United States. Foreign transcripts must be evaluated by World Education Services.

All of the prerequisites must be completed as prescribed on the website. All of the science prerequisites must be completed at an accredited college or university in the United States. Foreign transcripts must be evaluated by World Education Services. For more details, see the “Coursework taken outside the U.S.” section (second tab) of the prerequisites webpage.

Transfer credit is not accepted. Applicants should be aware that all courses in the program curriculum are required. There is not an option for the curriculum to be accelerated.

Completion of prerequisite coursework, strength of the academic record, essays, letters of recommendation and interviews are all strongly considered in the admissions process. Positions are offered to applicants who appear to be the most highly qualified to meet the mission and goals of the program in terms of academic potential and previous achievement, character, motivation and understanding of the profession, and life experience. While we do not require medical experience, exposure to the PA profession through shadowing or other experiences will give you a better understanding of the PA profession. It is also highly recommended to be involved in extracurricular, community service, and volunteer activities. Experiences in a medical clinic or hospital are especially beneficial. Additional upper division biology coursework is also helpful for students as our curriculum is quite rigorous.

CHA/PA does not require medical experience, but it will strengthen your application.  See the Admission Statistics webpage for average hours of accepted students.  You must classify your experiences according to CASPA's guidelines.  See CASPA's website for details. 

No, we do not require the GRE or PA-CAT. See the How to Apply webpage for required materials.

​​CHA/PA does not require a set number of patient hours.  You need to classify your experience according to CASPA's guidelines.  See CASPA's website for details.  All of your experiences will be noted upon file review.

You can submit your supplemental application and fee, CASPA application, and CASPer scores in any order. You can check the supplemental application portal to check which items we have received.

No, you do not need to wait for us to receive your CASPA application or CASPer scores. Submit the supplemental application as soon as you have finished it. The supplemental application is not considered complete until we receive the supplemental application fee.

You will receive an email from CHA/PA once we receive your CASPA application. You can check the supplemental application portal for the status of your CASPA application, supplemental application, test scores, and fee. Once we have received a completed application, you will receive an email confirmation. All interview invitations and application updates are sent through email. Please be sure to make the following emails safe to receive in your email account: kay.denler@cuanschutz.edu, PA-Info@ucdenver.edu, and caspal@caspa.org. You should also check your Spam or Junk mail folders periodically to be sure that emails from CHA/PA and CASPA are received.

We review your application one time once your application is complete with your verified CASPA application. We do not note updates to experience hours after the initial review.

​Yes, we have rolling admissions.  We commonly start receiving completed applications in June.

Generally, we only need official transcripts if you are offered acceptance to the program. One exception is if you completed a course after you submitted your CASPA application that is required before applying (a biology or chemistry course). All other transcripts will not be considered as part of your application. See the prerequisites webpage for details on what courses are required before applying and before matriculation. Transcripts must be received by Sept 1 to be considered.

You are considered a reapplicant if you submitted a complete application in a prior admission year, which includes the supplemental application and fee and the CASPA application. You will need to submit a new supplemental application and supplemental application fee. See the CASPA website, FAQ section for details on transferring your CASPA application.

It generally takes 5 business days for payments to be reflected on the application.

Try using a different computer and different browser. This solves the problem 99% of the time.

We use the cumulative and science GPA as calculated by CASPA. CASPA will calculate both grades into the GPA equally. See the FAQ section of the CASPA website for details on GPA calculation.

We do not recalculate GPAs. We utilize the GPA as calculated by CASPA. Therefore, your GPA’s will be calculated based on the courses you have completed at the time you complete your CASPA application.

We only accept the letters of recommendation submitted through CASPA. We do not accept any letters of recommendation sent to us by mail.

We require three letters of recommendation submitted through CASPA. We do not have a requirement for specific people to submit these on your behalf. We do suggest that you obtain letters of recommendation from various areas of your life (school, work, volunteering, etc) and from people who know you well and can attest to who you are and your desire to become a PA. These letters tell us more about you and help us get to know who you are in the various aspects of your life.

We only accept the electronic CASPA application that we receive, as well as your supplemental application filled out online. Be sure to list all relevant experiences that you want included as part of your application review in your CASPA application. Additional items submitted will not be considered.

CHA/PA offers additional training in pediatrics, but graduates pursue numerous specialties after graduation. Program graduates are employed in all areas of primary and subspecialty areas of practice including pediatrics, family medicine, orthopedics, surgery, emergency medicine, urgent care, otolaryngology, allergy and asthma, neurology, neonatology, child protection and advocacy, and many more. See the Graduate Statistics webpage for details.

Shadowing is a great way to learn more about the PA Profession. We do not require shadowing experience and do not provide shadowing opportunities. You may consider contacting private medical offices, community clinics, or hospitals to inquire of available opportunities.

In addition to the pediatric curriculum, the three year curriculum is the result of a focus on clinical experience. Unlike other programs, the CHA/PA program includes clinical experience in both the 1st & 2nd years, as well as a full third year of clinical rotations. Therefore, our students are well prepared to work with a variety of patients in numerous settings.

The 36 month, full-time program starts in the summer semester each year. Orientation and the first week of classes take place early July. The academic calendar is posted on the website every spring. For more information on the curriculum, see the Program Overview section of the website.

The CHA/PA program is a full-time program. CHA/PA students rarely work during the three year program due to the demands of coursework and didactic and clinical schedules. If a student does choose to work part-time, employment must not interfere with class or clinical rotations. It is challenging, if not impossible, for a third-year student to work based on clinical rotation scheduling. Classes are generally scheduled between 8 AM and 5 PM, Monday through Friday; however, students may be required to attend early morning, evening, and/or weekend classes and clinical rotations. Clinical rotations may be located anywhere in the extended Denver Metro/Front Range area during the first and second year when didactic classes are in session, and anywhere in Colorado the 3rd year. Students are required to complete a one-month rural rotation during the third year which may require relocation. Some rotations, especially during third year, may also require you to take night call, work until the "day's patients" are completed, make hospital rounds, and work Saturdays, Sundays or Holidays.