After years of prerequisites, patient care hours, CASPA essays, interviews + obsessively refreshing your email…

you have TWO PA schools saying:

We want you.

AMAZING. CONGRATULATIONS!

And also…Now what?!

Because suddenly YOU have to choose one PA school.

And while it can be tempting to pick the school with the prettier campus, bigger name, coolest city or the interview where you just “liked the vibe”…

PA school is a HUGE investment of your time, money + sanity.

So let’s make this decision based on the things that will actually matter once you’re sitting in class on Day 1, and for your future as a PA.

1. Start with accreditation status

Before we talk about literally anything else, know exactly what you’re walking into.

Look up BOTH programs directly on the ARC-PA website.

You may see terms like:

Accreditation-Continued: An accredited program that has demonstrated compliance with ARC-PA standards.

Accreditation-Provisional: Generally a newer program moving through the accreditation process. Provisional status does NOT guarantee the program will eventually receive Continued status.

Accreditation-Probation: The program is still accredited, but ARC-PA determined it was not meeting certain standards or that its ability to provide an acceptable educational experience was threatened.

If one of your programs is on probation, don’t immediately panic—but DO YOUR HOMEWORK.

ARC-PA publishes each accredited program’s current status and accreditation history. Look at WHY the program received that status, what has happened since + when its next review is scheduled.

If a school is on probation, it’s typically some sort of behind the scenes issue. When it IS a red flag for you, is if a school is on probation AND they have a low PANCE pass rate. So do your accreditation homework.

2. Compare the TOTAL cost—not just tuition

School A:

Tuition: $85,000

School B:

Tuition: $95,000

Easy decision, right?

Not necessarily.

What if School A is in a city where your rent is $2,200/month and School B lets you live at home?

What if one requires extensive travel for clinical rotations?

What about:

• Fees
• Health insurance
• Books + equipment
• Housing
• Parking
• Transportation
• Clinical rotation travel
• Cost of living
• Moving expenses
• Interest on student loans

That $10,000 difference in tuition can disappear VERY quickly.

Look at what you’ll realistically spend over the entire program, not just the tuition number on the website.

Future you will appreciate this.

3. Look at PANCE performance—but don’t stop there

Yes, you absolutely should look at each program’s PANCE performance.

The PANCE is the national certifying examination you’ll ultimately need to pass, and NCCPA publishes five-year PANCE pass-rate information.

This score is a direct indication of the quality of education you will be receiving.

Is the program consistently preparing students well?

Then go deeper.

What academic support exists if you’re struggling? How early do they identify students who need help? Is tutoring available? Are there faculty advisors? How does the program prepare students for boards?

A shiny pass rate is great.

You also want to know what happens if YOU are the student who needs extra help.

4. Look at attrition + graduation

This one doesn’t get nearly enough attention.

You aren’t choosing a PA school because you want to start PA school.

You want to graduate from PA school.

So look at the program’s published student outcomes and ask questions when something stands out.

If several students aren’t finishing the program, you want to understand why.

There can be MANY explanations, so don’t immediately assume a number tells the entire story.

But it is absolutely something worth investigating.

5. Ask about the clinical rotations

Your clinical year is where all that classroom knowledge finally starts becoming real.

Find out:

Where are the rotations? Are most local? Could you be sent hours (or even states) away? Are housing or travel expenses involved? What types of hospitals + clinics does the program use? What elective opportunities exist?

If you’re interested in emergency medicine, surgery, pediatrics or another area, are there opportunities to explore that?

And don’t assume every clinical site listed on a school’s website means every student rotates there.

6. Pay attention to the faculty + culture

Remember your interview?

Think back.

How did the faculty interact with the students? How did the students talk about the faculty when faculty weren’t standing right beside them? Did students seem supported? Did they seem absolutely terrified?Could you picture yourself asking those professors for help?

PA school is HARD.

You don’t need a program that promises it will be easy.

You want one where you feel like the faculty genuinely want students to succeed.

7. Ask current students the RIGHT questions

Don’t just ask:

“Do you like the program?”

Most people are going to say yes.

Ask questions that actually tell you something.

If you could change ONE thing about this program, what would it be?

What surprised you after starting?

How accessible are faculty when you’re struggling?

How often are there last-minute schedule changes?

Do you feel like the program listens to student feedback?

How stressful was securing clinical rotations?

Knowing everything you know now, would you choose this program again?

8. Think about where you’ll actually LIVE

This sounds boring compared with curriculum + clinical rotations.

Until you’re six months into PA school.

Your life outside the classroom matters too.

Will you have family nearby? A partner? Friends? Affordable housing? A reasonable commute?

A gym? A church or community?

Can you bring your dog? Will you need a car? Will you be happy living there for 24–36ish months?

PA school will consume a LOT of your life.

Having some kind of support system + life outside of school can matter more than you realize.

9. Consider program length

One program might be 24 months.

Another might be 27 or 30+ months.

A shorter program isn’t automatically better.

But it could mean:

Less living expenses.

Fewer months without a full-time income.

Entering the workforce sooner.

On the other hand, you may prefer the pacing or structure of the longer program.

This isn’t about finding the shortest program.

It’s about understanding what those extra months mean for you.

10. Don’t choose based on prestige alone

We strongly recommend NOT choosing a PA school simply because people recognize the university’s name. To be frank, no one cares where you go to PA school.

When you become a PA, what really matters is your education and passing the PANCE. Go to the school that will provide you the highest quality of education.

You’re training to become a PA.

Questions to reflect on:

Will I receive an excellent education?

Will I have strong clinical experiences?

Will I be supported?

Will this program prepare me to graduate + pass the PANCE?

Can I afford it?

Can I see myself actually thriving here?

A fancy sweatshirt is not worth an extra $50,000 in debt.

Okay…but what if BOTH schools are great?

Then congratulations.

Seriously.

You don’t have a bad decision to make.

At that point, we would make a simple comparison sheet.

Put School A beside School B and compare:

Accreditation status
Total estimated cost
Program length
PANCE performance
Attrition/graduation outcomes
Clinical rotations
Location
Cost of living
Faculty support
Class size
Curriculum structure
Commute/housing
Support system
Overall culture

Then ask yourself one final question:

If tuition were exactly the same and nobody else knew which school I chose…where would I want to go?

Sometimes removing money, prestige + everyone else’s opinions for a second makes your actual preference MUCH clearer.

One last thing…

Please remember what an incredible position you’re in.

For SO long, PA school admissions probably felt like:

Do they want me?

Am I competitive enough?

Will someone give me a chance?

And now?

Two programs looked at everything you brought to the table and said:

YES.

Now you get to decide which one is the best fit for the next chapter of your life.

Do your research.

Ask the uncomfortable questions.

Run the numbers.

Talk to current students.

And choose the program that makes the most sense for YOUR life, YOUR finances + the PA you want to become.

Because getting accepted was the goal.

Now it’s time to make sure the school you choose helps you get to the REAL goal:

PA-C. 🥼🔥