Applying to Canadian PA School after 2 years of Undergraduate Study

The two Ontario PA programs, McMaster University’s PA Education Program and the University of Toronto’s PA program only require 2 years of undergraduate coursework before you can apply to PA school. Here we outline some PA programs of applying before you complete your undergraduate degree!

When you decide to apply to PA school is a decision entirely up to you (whether after 2 years, 3 years, or 4 years of undergrad, or even after a Master’s or work experience).

The Ontario PA programs (McMaster and UofT) has accepted candidates after 2 years of study. Whereas Manitoba’s Master of PA studies accepts students only when they have obtained their 4 year Bachelor’s degree.

McMaster's PA program

Apply after 2 years of undergrad

McMaster’s PA Program accepts applications from candidates who have completed a minimum of 2 years of university, with GPA calculated from all undergraduate studies.

• Minimum 3.0 or higher required on a 4.0 GPA OMSAS scale.

• In fact, you can be in the middle of your 2nd year of university when you apply, you simply submit your transcript of the first semester of your second year.

• PAs who successfully complete the program graduate with a Bachelor of Health Sciences (BHSc) in PA studies.

University of Toronto's PA program

Apply after 2 years of undergrad

University of Toronto’s PA program accepts applicants who have completed “10 full-year courses (20 half-year courses) or the equivalent of 4 semesters full time of undergraduate university education“.

This program requires to have completed healthcare experience hours (whether through employment, clinical placement or as a volunteer).

Manitoba's PA program

Apply after 4 years of undergrad

University of Manitoba’s MPAS program accepts applicants who have obtained a 4 year Bachelor’s Degree, with a minimum 3.0 GPA (or 3.5 out of 4.5 scale) in the most recently 60 credit hours. This may include undergraduate and Master’s coursework.

There are a list of required courses, submission of references and submission of a Pre-PA CV.

Applying Now vs. After Finishing Your Degree

Will it hurt my chances to apply after 2 years?

Q: I was wondering if it is too ambitious to apply in second year and if it hurts my chances for future years if I get rejected. I know many people who apply are even grad students. Or is it advantageous to apply early to have a high GPA?

If you are mid-way through your 2nd year without previous healthcare experience, then the only program you may qualify to apply to is McMaster’s Physician Assistant Program. There are a couple of considerations for why you would want to apply in your 2nd year or why you would want to wait. First and foremost, you CAN apply as long as you meet the minimum admission requirements.

It is not too ambitious to apply while you are in your second year of undergraduate studies.

There’s a wide demographic of students that get into the PA program each year, during my year, the average age was approximately 27, and anecdotally each year that average age gets lower and lower. Many of the classes have students who have gotten into the program after completing 2 years of university and have done just as well as other students.

What if my GPA is low?

As long as you make the cut-off of 3.0 out of 4.0 GPA on the OMSAS scale for undergraduate studies completed so far, you can still apply. If your GPA does not meet the requirements, your application will not be considered. If your GPA is below 3.0, it may be worth waiting so that you can take courses to upgrade your GPA to meet the minimum requirements.

However, waiting for your GPA to go from a 3.3 to a 3.7 GPA doesn’t make you “any less qualified” to apply, in both instances you still meet the requirements and I would strongly encourage you to apply!

Keep in mind there are other aspects of the admissions process – the supplementary application and Multi-Mini Interview where you can use your soft skills/CanMEDS-PA competencies (communication, critical thinking, advocate, collaborator, leader, etc.) to stand out as a PA candidate.

What if I didn’t get in because I wasn’t ‘competitive enough’?

Sometimes it takes several attempts/admission cycles into the PA program. One advantage of going through the process is that you’ve had an opportunity this year to go through the admissions process, whether that’s only as getting as far as the supplementary process or making it all the way through to the interview round.

Remember that when McMaster sends out its offers, you may get waitlisted and SOME successful candidates actually decline the offer for admission into the program. This opens up a spot for those on the waitlist, and the waitlist moves.

Each failure is a learning experience and an opportunity to be improved upon.  You are now familiar with the supplementary application (Kira Talent for McMaster’s PA Supplemental Application Process, UofT PA Supp App Mini-Essay Questions, and Manitoba’s PA Statement of Intent) and MMI process, from which you can practice more. You now have some time to do research about the PA profession, do some shadowing, or speak with some PAs about their career.

Age is just a number

Just like other facets of life, age is just a number and having the characteristics that make you a good candidate for the program is not determined by age.

There are some things you can’t teach, such as attitude, an eagerness to learn, passion for learning and patient care, empathy, working well with others, and willingness to take initiative.

Use the time between now and when you apply to seek out enriching experiences and opportunities, whether through extracurriculars, volunteer work, mentorship, shadowing or part-time work. This will allow to develop the skills that will help you succeed in whatever you choose to do.