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:

First Professional Year
Fall Semester	Credits	Spring Semester	Credits
Microbiology	7	Integrated Anatomy & Physiology	5
Integrated Anatomy & Physiology	5	Pathology	5
Cellular & Genetic Mechanisms	4	Human Development/ Health Maintenance	3
Biochemistry	3	Neuroanatomy	2
Professionalism I	1	Electrocardiography	2
Introduction to Scientific Inquiry	1	Clinical Laboratory	3
Medical Ethics	1	Systems Histology	1
Total Credits	22	Total Credits	21

Summer Semester	Credits
Applied Clinical Research	3

Second Professional Year
Fall Semester	Credits	Spring Semester	Credits
Clinical Medicine I	11	Clinical Medicine II	2
Physical Diagnosis	3	Clinical Nutrition	1
Introduction to Radiology I	2	Psychiatry	3
Pharmacology	3	Introduction to Radiology II	1
Medical Interviewing	3	Introduction to Clinical Clerkships	2
Applied Clinical Correlates	1	Physician Assistant Internship I	12
Total Credits	23	Total Credits	21

Summer Semester	Credits
Physician Assistant Internship II	8

Third Professional Year
Fall Semester	Credits	Spring Semester	Credits
Physician Assistant Internship III	12	Physician Assistant Internship IV	12
		Professionalism II	1
Total Credits	12	Total Credits	13

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.

Comments

Karman says
December 3, 2017 at 10:14 pm

What major does PA fall under?
I am currently in Senior year of High school and interested in being a Physician Assistant. Can you guide what should I see while going through the colleges. What courses specifically and which colleges are good for that, if any suggestions.

- Stephen Pasquini PA-C says
  December 5, 2017 at 8:49 am
  
  Hi Karman, here is a post I wrote on prerequisite coursework you can see what I took as Biology/Zoology major to complete my prerequisites: https://www.thepalife.com/prerequisites/
  
  Any major will do so long as you complete the required courses. And almost every school in the country can get you there. There are schools which offer 3 + 5 “direct entry” as well which are becoming more and more popular. I am not sure they are any better but it is an option. Here is a post I wrote on that: https://www.thepalife.com/direct-entry-and-dual-degree-bsms-physician-assistant-programs/
  
  There are endless options, but just being prepared and having a direction is a good start, and I can tell you have already jumped the biggest hurdle! Let me know if you have any more questions and I will be happy to answer.
  
  Stephen
  
Neni Solis says
October 2, 2017 at 12:24 am

Hi Macy,

I’m very interested in becoming a PA. I worked as a medical assistant for 10 yrs but haven’t worked in 5 yrs due to a medical Illness. I’m ready to jump on the band wagon again and follow my dreams. Does my medical experience still count towards the requirements?

Ellery says
July 28, 2016 at 11:27 am

Hi Stephen,
I’m about to embark on my freshman year and I have always had an interest in oncology. I felt that becoming an oncologist was too long of a time period since I want to start a family. I have family and friends who are PAs and I learned that you are able to be specialized so I plan to be a PA in oncology. I have been looking into the cost of PA school and have a question about it. If the PA school is 27 months and it says it costs $128,000, does that mean that the program costs 128,000 per year or for the entire program? Also, since I want to be a PA in oncology do is it mandatory to do a fellowship after PA school? Thanks for the help!

- Stephen Pasquini PA-C says
  July 28, 2016 at 12:26 pm
  
  Great questions Ellery!
  
  1. If the cost is $128,000 that is for the entire program. It often does not include books and fees though so you may want to factor these in as well. The cost has been skyrocketing since I graduated in 2004 which makes programs like the National Health Service Corps even that more attractive. Although PAs in specialty medicine make a very good income so it is still a good value.
  
  2. You do not need to go through a residency program. Some specialty jobs ask for prior experience. I would just make sure to double down on my elective rotations. My wife was an RN who worked for years in oncology with a lot of midlevel providers. It’s a wonderful specialty.
  
  Best of luck to you and your future, enjoy the journey!!!
  
  Stephen
  
Macy says
July 8, 2016 at 7:45 am

Hi Stephen,
I’m a freshman and am very interested in becoming a PA. My parents are for it 100% but I -and i’m sure they- know it would be very expensive. Please could you suggest any other agencies or organisations such as NHSC that support PA students in exchange to partake in some service or work ?
My aunt- who is a RN- is persuading me to opt for nursing but I would rather become a PA. I’d really appreciate your reply.

- Stephen Pasquini PA-C says
  July 8, 2016 at 12:38 pm
  
  Hi Macy,
  
  Congratulations on your decision to pursue a career as a PA… You won’t be disappointed. With over 48,000 current job openings your parents will be very happy as well 🙂 I wrote a post earlier this year that will be helpful: https://www.thepalife.com/scholarships-grants-and-loan-repayment-programs-for-physician-assistants/
  
  As a NHSC scholar I am a bit partial to this path. I think they offer the best balance of loan repayment and an opportunity for a great/meaningful experience working in an underserved area. I can’t recommend it enough!
  
  Stephen