How Much Does it Cost to go to Physician Assistant (PA) School?

So you are considering PA school?

Great, now how are you going to pay for it?

With the average undergraduate education debt prior to PA school at $36,300 and the average anticipated debt load from PA school at $75,000-$124,000 it's probably time to ask the next logical question:

How much does PA school cost?

Like most college and advanced degree programs in the United States, the price of PA school is rising.

Based on current data supplied by the American Academy of Physician Assistants and the Physician Assistant Education Association PA Program Directory:

Average Cost Across all PA Schools for the 2017 Application Cycle is as Follows:

• Average cost of resident tuition for a 27-month physician assistant program is: $71,369
• Average cost of non-resident tuition for a 27-month physician assistant program is: $89,975
• Average program length is 27 months

The average increase in nonresident tuition over the last five years was 3.5%, whereas resident tuition rose by 4.1%.

The Cost of Public vs. Private PA Programs

Of particular interest was the difference between public and private institution tuition and fees.

• The average total resident tuition and nonresident tuition were higher for PA programs from private institutions than from those from public institutions.
• There was a 4% to 7% increase in the average total resident tuition for public and private institutions.
• The average total incidental costs (books, medical equipment, etc.) for public and private institutions increased by 23% and 139%, respectively.
• Today, 62.5% of PA programs are private, while only 35.6% are public.

Average Costs of PA Program Fees Public vs. Private

• Physician assistant program fees at public institution: $5,937
• Physician assistant program fees at private institution: $4,672

The good news is that these are averages, so the price of pa school is variable and based on factors such as private vs. public institutions, location, fees, etc., etc. For a detailed comparison of tuition cost by school make sure to check out my 2017 pa school cost comparison table or visit my paschoolfinder pa program directory website.

How much did I pay to go to PA School?

When I was attending the Rutgers University PA program in 2001 the annual tuition was just $10,000 per year!  Since this was a 3-year program my total cost, minus fees, was $30,000.

I was one of the lucky few who received a stipend from the National Health Service Corps and had my PA school paid for. I would suggest you look into this program as well.

How much would my same PA program cost in 2015-2016?

Here is the breakdown of my school (Rutgers) and the projected annual cost of tuition and fees for the 2015-2016 academic year.

Since they use a rather confusing credit system (this is common among PA programs) I will provide a breakdown here.

Cost of Rutgers Physician Assistant Program in 2015-2016

• $640 per credit for residents
• $969 per credit for non-residents

Classes and Credits:

Total Credits: 123

Breakdown of in-state tuition cost:

• First Professional Year
  • 22 + 21 + 3 = 46 credits x $640 per credit = $29,440
• Second Professional Year
  • 23 + 21 + 8 = 52 credits x $640 per credit = $33,280
• Third Professional Year
  • 12 + 13 = 25 credits x $640 per credit = $16,000

Total cost of in-state tuition for the 2015-2016 academic year:  $78,720   (cost in 2012: $69,524)

Breakdown of out-of-state tuition cost:

• First Professional Year
  • 22 + 21 + 3 = 46 credits x $969 per credit = $44,574
• Second Professional Year
  • 23 + 21 + 8 = 52 credits x $969 per credit = $50,388
• Third Professional Year
  • 12 + 13 = 25 credits x $969 per credit = $24,225

Total cost of out-of state tuition for the 2015-2016 academic school year: $119,187

How about the Fees?

• $10.00 Program fee per credit x 123 credits = $1,230
• $250.00 Technology Fee with a course load of 6 credits or more
• $50.00 General Service Fee *one-time fee
• $75.00 Non-Refundable Registration Fee for Non-Matriculated students
• $50.00 for Late Registration for Matriculated students
• $100.00 Continuing Program Status Fee
• $100.00 Maintaining Matriculation Fee
• $ 85.00 Criminal Background Check Fee
• The Student Health Services Fee is $350

Total in Fees:  $ 2,290

In a later blog post I will be discussing the cost of books, medical supplies and general living expenses. Unless you attend PA school on a part-time basis it is difficult to maintain a job along with a full time PA school curriculum.

Also, you may have noticed that Rutgers University has a three-year PA school curriculum. How does this compare with shorter programs?

Take a look at the 2017 comparison table.

How much did your PA school cost?

Is it worth it?

Feel free to share your comments below.

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