We've published PA school tuition tables on this site since 2013 — and holding thirteen years of our own data side by side tells a story no single year can: the median total resident tuition has climbed from $78,000 in 2015 to about $105,000 today, and programs crossing the $100,000 line have gone from roughly 1 in 8 to more than half.
Every few years I sit down with the old tuition tables from this site's archives, line them up against the current numbers, and feel the same knot in my stomach. When I applied to PA school back in 2001, the price tag was scary. What today's pre-PAs are looking at is something else entirely.
The chart below isn't an estimate or a projection. The first three bars come straight from the tuition tables The PA Life published in 2015, 2017, and 2018 — snapshots frozen in time. The last bar is calculated live from our PA School Finder database every time this page loads, so the gap you're seeing is always current.
Median total resident tuition, 2015 to today
From the tuition tables we published in each of those years, next to today's live number.
2015, 2017, and 2018 medians come from The PA Life's own archived tuition tables (219, 219, and 248 priced programs). Today's bar and every stat card above are recalculated live from the PA School Finder database each time this page loads.
Looking for today's full program-by-program table? Our complete PA school cost guide has live tuition for every accredited program — searchable and sortable — plus fees, application costs, and the latest on federal loans.
And remember: the sticker price isn’t the bill. Building the PA School Finder cost data taught us something maddening: schools quote tuition because it’s the smaller number, and required fees — program, technology, clinical, lab — quietly add thousands more. At some programs the gap between tuition and the true with-fees total tops $30,000. That’s why the first stat card above leads with the median total cost with fees, pulled live. When you budget, budget from that number — and check both columns for every program in our full cost guide.
Same school, then and now
Averages can feel abstract, so here's the trend at the level of individual programs — the figure each school published in our 2015 table next to the same school's number today. These are total resident program tuition, not per year.
| PA program | 2015 | Aug 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miami Dade College (in-state) | $25,000 | $41,437 | +66% |
| Yale University | $83,162 | $126,343 | +52% |
| University of Southern California | $157,916 | $221,361 | +40% |
| Duke University | $79,268 | $106,912 | +35% |
| George Washington University | $86,148 | $114,594 | +33% |
| Emory University | $99,799 | $121,780 | +22% |
| University of Washington (in-state) | $73,861 | $89,208 | +21% |
| Quinnipiac University | $95,000 | $112,330 | +18% |
Sources: The PA Life 2015 tuition table (archived) and the PA School Finder database, August 2026. Even the "modest" movers outpaced a decade of ordinary inflation — and notice that the cheapest program on this list rose the fastest.
What thirteen years of data actually shows
The floor is rising faster than the ceiling. In 2015, 38 programs charged residents under $50,000 — about 17% of the field. Today only 31 do, about 9%, even though the profession has grown to over 350 accredited programs. The bargain seats are becoming the exception, not the rule.
Six figures went from outlier to normal. In our 2015 table, about 12% of programs crossed $100,000 in resident tuition. By 2018 it was 15%. Today it's more than half. That happened in roughly a decade — quietly, one admissions cycle at a time.
Growth hasn't slowed the climb. The field expanded from about 219 priced programs in our 2015 table to 347 today. More seats and more competition among schools might be expected to hold prices down. It hasn't happened.
I won't pretend to be neutral about this. I believe becoming a PA should not be a luxury purchase, and every year the entry price drifts further from the students I most want to see in this profession — the EMTs, the medical assistants, the CNAs working nights. The good news: the cheapest paths still exist, and the money to fund this dream is still out there — the NHSC paid for my own training, and it shaped my whole career.
Common questions about the tuition trend
How much has PA school tuition increased?
Using The PA Life's own published tables: the median total resident tuition went from $78,000 in 2015 to $81,066 in 2018, and sits around $105,000 as of August 2026 — a rise of roughly 35% in about a decade. The share of programs charging $100,000 or more grew from about 12% to more than half over the same period.
Is in-state public still the affordable path?
Yes — and more than ever. Nearly all of the programs still under $50,000 are public universities charging in-state rates. If your home state has a public PA program, that remains the single biggest cost lever you control. Compare every program's current price in our full cost guide.
Does rising tuition mean a better education?
No. Tuition and quality are different columns. Some of the least expensive public programs post PANCE pass rates that embarrass schools charging three times as much — check any program's five-year pass rate in our pass-rate rankings before paying a premium.
Where does this data come from?
The historical numbers come from tuition tables The PA Life published in 2013, 2015, 2017, and 2018, preserved exactly as they ran. Today's figures are pulled live from the PA School Finder database, which is re-verified against each program's own published costs on a weekly cycle.
If you're planning your own path through these numbers, start with the complete cost guide, weigh where a PA paycheck actually stretches with the salary-by-cost-of-living analysis, and please — before you count yourself out over a price tag, read the funding guide. People fund their way through this every single year. You can too.
Thanks for reading — I'm rooting for you!
Stephen Pasquini PA-C
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Any updates on 2021-2022 tuition and ratings?
Hi Kenneth, though we are in the process of updating our PA school finder website you can find a more up to date tuition model here: https://www.paschoolfinder.com/
I do hope to update these tables soon as well. Thanks for the reminder! 🙂
Stephen Pasquini PA-C
Hi. I am a doctor graduated in Venezuela in 2005 and internal medicine in 2009. I am 35 years old currently living in Boston Massachusetts with 2 small children and little budget but with legal immigration status. I wanted to ask if it could be accepted in a PA program directly in postgraduate or please explain how many years would be undergraduate and how many graduate and what does it mean resident and non-resident? living in Boston which program is the most economical and I can live in my house to reduce costs or is it mandatory to live on campus? With so many years of doctor graduation is it better to mention it or not? I have read in the other comments of skepticism when the applicant is a doctor. Sorry for so many questions but I still do not understand the study structure of the United States. Thank you.
Hi, I am a 47 yr old female been a RN in the state of Alabama Worked mostly in corporate positions in which lead me into working with Bevill State Community College on weekends for the students that going to school and family demanded work as I did. I appreciated and was thankful being give the opportunity to teach hands on clinicals, for Registered Nursing students. Now I am looking for a opportunity to finish a career as a Physicians Assistant, although I am a single parent with a beginning college child I need a reasonable tuition in payments I might could work out could you help me with this task. Thank You, Ginger Lee Earnest Gillespie, RN. (212 fennel street Sumiton,Alabama 35148)
Hi Ginger, you may want to take a look at the new 2018 tuition table: https://www.thepalife.com/2018-pa-school-tuition/
There are two affordable options in the state of Alabama:
1. The University of Alabama at Birmingham http://www.uab.edu/shp/cds/physician-assistant: $63,275
2. The University of South Alabama http://www.southalabama.edu/colleges/alliedhealth/pa/ $62,832
Hi ; Stephen
I am a Medical Technologist with 25 years of experience and I would like to take the PA Program, can you help me to do the right think. My bachelor is 5 years degree. I am from Sudamerica but I am already live in the USA for 15 years. I am really appreciated your help. I am live in the State of Nevada Las Vegas
Rosy
Hi Rosy, it sounds like you have a wonderful background with a lot of experience which is a great start. You want to make sure you have the required prerequisite coursework, along with appropriate shadowing hours. I doubt after 25 years working as a medical technologist you will have any problems with obtaining excellent letters of recommendation. It is also essential that you have strong English reading and composition skills. This will be a requirement of all PA schools. Please feel free to contact me if you have any more questions.
Stephen
Do the tuition costs shown is for the whole program or for one year?
These are costs for the entirety of the program.
Stephen
Do you have a list where you can compare cost and rating together? I am looking for a school of good value. Obviously, I would like to find the best school that I can but I don’t want to pay 70k a year. Does where you get the PA degree from really matter?
Great idea Fatius, I will get to work on this…
Stephen
Nova Orlando has their tuition listed at $31,025 per year billed in 3 installments
I AM 49 YEAR OLD A MBBS DOCTOR FORM INDIA. IF I DO PA PROGRAMME NOW CAN I GET JOB OPPORTUNITIES IN USA?
THANK YOU STEPHEN.
Hi Dr. Narendra,
Jobs within the PA profession are plentiful, the hard part is getting accepted into a US PA program. The key is proving to the admissions committee that you indeed want to be a PA vs. a doctor. This can be a difficult task but is doable, we have helped several foreign trained medical doctors as part of our personal statement collaborative. I would suggest doing some research, pick up the phone or attend one of the PA program open houses. Speak with some of the admissions personal and get a feel for what the process would be and go from there.
– Stephen
Thank you so much Stephen for your highly encouraging words. I am being 49 year old, I cannot think of USLME, track at this age. I have been practicing Diabetology since last 15 years. The reason I would like move to USA is to help my daughter to educate in US. I will be happy to work as PA rest of my life, if I get an opportunity in US. Please let me know any accredited PA programme with lowest tuition fees, scholarship availability, reasonable or free accommodation and in campus job opportunities to minimise my expenses in us while doing this PA programme.
Thank you so much for being kind to people like us.
Good wishes to you.
DR NARENDRA PANAMANIAN NAYAK
I AM 49 YEAR OLD MBBS DOCTOR FROM INDIA. IF I DO PA PROGRAMME AT THIS AGE CAN I GET JOBS AS PA IN USA ?.
THANK YOU.
DR NARENDRA NAYAK
Hi Doctor Narendra, you may want to check out this article: https://www.thepalife.com/midlevel-midlife/
There is a place in this profession for everyone!
Stephen
Hello,
I am an Italian student close to complete the degree in medicine and surgery here in Europe (6 years). After the graduation I would be interested to apply for the Physician assistant degree course and i would Like to know if my degree has value for the validation of part of the programme to become a PA since many exams and subjects are very similar.
I hope in your answer and
Thank you in advance
S. Sironi
Hi S. Sironi, the answer is yes, but you will have to make sure all your credits transfer appropriately. To do this I would make sure you work with an academic advisor (specifically in the graduate department) of PA schools you may be interested in. Apart from the academic prerequisites, the key for International students is to demonstrate a strong understanding of the PA profession and demonstrate an unwavering interest in being a PA specifically.
Stephen
Hi
I am currently in the UK and doing a masters in Pharmacy. We didn’t have the PA program in the UK until very recently I am really interested in doing this course in the US particularly in mn state because the course is really established here. I want to know that because I will become a healthcare professional very soon which means I will have direct patient contact, does this count? Furthermore, I would like to know if the PA program accepts international student. Also after the program would I be able to get a work permit in the US to work. In addition, I am going to get a degree from the UK and I also have A levels in 2 sciences and math, is that enough GPA points for entry?
I hope that you can help me with this
Hi NASr,
You have lots of excellent questions, I have a good friend who is working in London as a PA through a pilot program. It is wonderful to see our profession gaining an international presence. Who knows, maybe soon Doctors Without Boarders will finally recognize PAs as potential volunteers.
Your best bet is to browse through potential programs and see which ones do in fact take international applicants. You can use my database at http://www.paschoolfinder.com or the PAEA program directory. Once you have identified which programs accept international students you will want to check out the various other requirements such as types of accepted health care experience (HCE) and prerequisite coursework. Find a few programs that fit your needs then contact them directly by telephone. You are going to want to set up a time to speak to an admissions directory one-on-one or consider attending a virtual session if the school offers one. Maybe there are schools in the UK offering study abroad options which connect directly and have transferable credits with US schools?
Every program has different requirements (although there is a lot of overlap) so you are going to have to do some research.
Again, don’t be afraid to pick up the phone, the front desk staff are always nice, super helpful and you will have definitive answers you can work with.
I wish you the best of luck, drop me a line anytime you have questions.
– Stephen
Hey,
Is that possible for PA programs to take US medical graduates with MD degree who failed to match for residency?
Thanks,
JJ
Yes, but you are going to have to convince the PA program that you are indeed seeking the profession of a PA not as a consolation prize but as something you really want to do for a living… This can be difficult, as you are likely to be met with some skepticism. That being said, if your heart is in the right place you should have a good chance of grabbing a seat. You will not receive any credit though for your medical training and will have to complete the full didactic and clinical portion of the PA program – usually 2 full years. The good news is that after that you can start work right away and will not have to match for a residency program as well.
– Stephen
Hello,
I am in my senior year working towards a Health Science degree. I am looking into PA school as a graduate option. Do you know why there can be drastic differences in tuition costs from school to school? For example, University of Colorado non-resident tuition costs are $115,950, and Nova Southeastern University costs are only $28,960?
Thank you
Hi Danielle,
This is a great question, you will have to call the schools and ask them because you are absolutely right, why (or how) there can be such a discrepancy between programs is beyond me. One thing is for sure, the price of the school has nothing to do with either the quality of the program or the PANCE/PANRE pass rates. There is usually a big difference between public and private university tuition but often there is a large difference between universities within theh same category as in this case. I will look into this more and see if I can find a better answer. For now, the best thing you can do is a careful search and cost comparison analysis to avoid a lot of post-graduation debt. As you have pointed out, it can make a HUGE difference.
– Stephen
Hi steve…
Did you find any reason on the discrepancy of costs.. this is alarming..