Prerequisite Courses

The courses below are required to be successfully completed prior to matriculation:

Subject	Semester Hours	Quarter Hours
Biochemistry	3	4
Human Anatomy*	3	4
Human Physiology*	3	4
Introduction to Psychology**	3	4
Microbiology	3	4

Please visit common questions to view whether your courses satisfy a prerequisite requirement.

*Human Anatomy and Human Physiology may be completed as two individual courses or by taking a combined Human Anatomy & Physiology I and Human Anatomy & Physiology II course sequence over two terms. A single combined Human Anatomy & Physiology course alone will not satisfy either the anatomy or physiology prerequisite requirements, unless the combined course is 6 semester hours/8 quarter hours.

**For students who have received advanced placement for Introduction to Psychology, an additional psychology course is required. Please review the suggested psychology courses listed under the “Recommended Coursework” below, as these subjects will have more relevance to your Physician Assistant studies.

Please note the following regarding the prerequisite coursework:

• You may have up to three outstanding prerequisite courses (Planned or In-Progress) at the time of application. Starting in May 2023, you may only have up to TWO outstanding prerequisite courses. If you have 1-3 prerequisites in progress, the Admissions Committee may, in some instances, place your application on hold until you have successfully completed the coursework.
• The laboratory component for the required science courses is recommended but not required.
• All prerequisite coursework grades must be “C” or higher and must have been taken within the last ten years by the time of matriculation; grades of “B” or higher are considered to be more competitive.
• It is recommended that prerequisite coursework has been taken within the last five years. The PA Program will not accept any prerequisite coursework taken 10 years before the time of Matriculation (May 2022).
• The program does not accept survey courses as fulfilling the prerequisite requirements.

Physician Assistant Program Provisions

Due to the recent changes that many Universities have had to make during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Physician Assistant program at Rosalind Franklin University will temporarily accept Pass/Fail and Satisfactory/Fail grades. The PA program prefers all courses, specifically prerequisites, have letter grades, but will accept P/F and S/F courses as long as this was the only option presented and not a choice. Supporting documentation from the institution where the course was completed must be presented stating this fact. The RFU PA program reserves the right to request a note from the instructor stating that the passing grade is a C or above. Pass/Fail grades will only be accepted for courses completed during the Winter/Spring and Summer 2020 terms. The PA program will consider extension to this provision on a case by case basis.

The PA program will continue to utilize a holistic approach while reviewing applications and will be taking into consideration all issues that may have occurred due to COVID-19. 

RECOMMENDED COURSEWORK

The below courses are recommended to better prepare for the Physician Assistant curriculum at Rosalind Franklin University, they are not evaluated to determine competitiveness of an application:

Subject	Semester Hours	Quarter Hours
Statistics	3	4
Research Design	3	4
Technical Writing	3	4
Medical Terminology	3	4
Medical Ethics	3	4
Child, Developmental or Abnormal Psychology	3	4

ACADEMICS

• A bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution of higher education is required prior to matriculation into the program or current enrollment in one of our undergraduate affiliations.
• A minimum overall and science GPA of 2.75 on a 4.0 scale is required, as calculated by CASPA.
• Special consideration will be given to the last 60 hours of completed coursework.
• All prerequisite coursework grades must be “C” or higher and must have been taken within the last ten years by the time of matriculation; grades of “B” or higher are considered to be more competitive.
• It is recommended that prerequisite coursework has been taken within the last five years. The PA Program will not accept any prerequisite coursework taken 10 years before the time of Matriculation (May 2022).
• If you have studied outside the US, you will need to have your transcripts evaluated for US equivalency using a service such as www.wes.org or www.ece.org. If you studied outside of the US through a study abroad program offered through a US institution, please follow CASPA’s instructions to determine how to report coursework completed through study abroad.

GRE

• Effective February 2021, the PA Program is no longer reviewing or requiring the GRE. 

TOEFL

• If you earned a bachelor’s degree from outside the U.S. and/or you do not hold U.S. citizenship or permanent residency, you are required to demonstrate proof of English proficiency via an official TOEFL report that includes a total score and category scores in reading, writing, listening and speaking. (The TOEFL requirement may be waived on a case-by-case basis if you have been a full-time student at a U.S. college or university for at least two consecutive years, or if you are from a country in which English is a primary language.)
• A TOEFL iBT (Internet-based test) of 100 or the equivalent is recommended for graduate school with no category score being lower than 22.
• You may report your official TOEFL score through CASPA by having ETS send your score results to code 3709.

LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION

• A minimum of two letters of recommendation are required by the Physician Assistant Program.
• One of the letters submitted should be from an instructor who can attest to the applicant’s scholastic aptitude, and one should be from a health care professional with whom the applicant has worked. The PA Program highly recommends that at least one of your letters of recommendation come from a Physician Assistant.
• All letters must be submitted through CASPA. Direct submissions to Rosalind Franklin University will not be accepted.

PERSONAL STATEMENT

A personal statement is required.

RESUME OR CURRICULUM VITAE

A resume or curriculum vitae is not required.

SUPPLEMENTAL APPLICATION

This program does not have a supplemental application. It has a $35 supplemental fee to be paid once a complete application has been received by our office.

TRANSFER APPLICANT POLICY

Transfer credits from professional programs are not accepted. RFUMS does not grant advanced standing regardless of previous academic experience or professional status.

NON-DEGREE APPLICANT POLICY

This program does not accept non-degree applicants.

EARLY DECISION PROGRAMS

This program does not accept early decision applicants.

PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT DEPARTMENT DIVERSITY STATEMENT

Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science creates a pathway of excellence in education, service, scholarship and healthcare by embracing a community of people with a breadth of characteristics, experiences and accomplishments. Our diversity embodies the understanding that each individual is unique and recognizes our individual differences. These differences include but are not limited to internal dimensions such as personality, race, age, gender, ethnicity, ability, sexuality, learning and thinking style; external dimensions such as geographical location, marital status, income level, educational background, work experience, religious and political beliefs; and organizational dimensions such as professional affiliation, organizational status and level of influence. Our university is committed to inclusion and thereby helping to create a well-trained, diverse health professions workforce committed to working with underserved and disadvantaged populations to reduce health disparities.

Due to our commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, we strongly recommend that applicants write a response to the optional Diversity essay found within CASPA. Please note that the admissions committee will consider this essay as part of our holistic review.

Strategic Diversity Groups

Although the Physician Assistant Program encourages any and all applicants to apply, the following are considered to be Strategic Diversity Groups to add to the diversity of the Physician Assistant program: Black or African American, American Indian, Spanish/Hispanic/Latino/Latina*, males, any person who has served honorably in the armed forces of the United States, any person who is socially-disadvantaged, and first generation college student.

*If identified as Hispanic, the individual can then select one or more of the following: Cuban, Mexican American, Chicano/Chicana, Puerto Rican or other ethnicity

COMPUTER COMPETENCY

Proficiency in basic computer skills.

MEDICAL TERMINOLOGY

Proficiency in medical terminology is expected of all students at the time of matriculation.

PATIENT CARE

• Prior direct patient-care related medical experience and/or shadowing PAs in clinical practice is strongly recommended.
  • RFUMS PA faculty does not offer shadowing opportunities. However, applicants may contact the Illinois Academy of Physician Assistants for additional information.
  • The Physician Assistant Program accepts virtual shadowing experience. Preference is given to virtual shadowing experiences where interaction with the provider is obtained.
• Coming into the program, successful applicants typically have at least 800 hours of direct patient contact and PA shadowing experience by the time of applying and 1200 hours by the time of matriculation.

Contact Us

Email: grad.admissions@rosalindfranklin.edu
Phone: 847-578-3204
Mailing address:

Rosalind Franklin University
Office of Admissions and Enrollment
3333 Green Bay Road
North Chicago, IL 60064