Information for International Students and Foreign Medical Graduates

Thank you for your interest in our program. The following pages are required reading for all candidates:

• • Admission Requirements: https://www.nyit.edu/health_professions/physician_assistant_studies_admissions .

  • Frequently Asked Questions: https://www.nyit.edu/health_professions/physician_assistant_studies_admissions_information

The requirements listed on the above pages apply to all candidates, including those applying as international students.

Additionally, international candidates should note the following important information:

• "Bachelor's degree" requirement. We accept WES-evaluated equivalent degrees for the completion our "bachelor's degree" requirement. The evaluation should be submitted to CASPA for inclusion in your application files. Do not send directly to the program, as it will not reach your application.

• Prerequisites: All prerequisite courses must have been completed in a regionally accredited US/Canada college within the last 10 years. There are no exceptions to this criteria. Therefore, only international students who have previously studied in the US would be able to fulfill the prerequisites. If you have never been to US, courses completed in your home country cannot be applied towards the requirements, even if evaluated by WES or similar transcript-evaluation services.

• Patient Care Experience: Similarly, the patient care experience must have been completed in a US facility. Experiences completed in a Canadian facility must be submitted for pre-approval. See our FAQ page for the procedure. (Medical graduates: please also see further information below)

• TOEFL: TOEFL scores are required even for US citizens or green card holders, unless a regionally-accredited degree was previously completed in the US.

• Costs: Costs for our program are listed here: https://www.nyit.edu/health_professions/cost_of_attendance . Scholarships and Financial Aid are not available for international students.

• Working after graduation: Acceptance into the program is not a guarantee of the candidate's ability to obtain state licensing and employment in the US. Candidates are urged to investigate these issues prior to applying. Candidates should also investigate whether a PA degree from the US will be accepted for obtaining licensing and employment as PAs in their home country.

• DACA: New York Tech’s policy on DACA is outlined here: https://www.nyit.edu/student_resources/daca. The PA program is aligned with the university’s policy on this issue. However, please note that because of ever-changing regulations at federal and state level, acceptance into the program is not a guarantee from us that you will be able to obtain licensing, prescribe medication or work as a PA upon graduation.

Medical/ Advance Degree Graduates

Internationally-educated candidates and candidates with an advanced degree in the medical field must consider some very important issues before applying:

• Our program is three years long, and all 98 credits MUST be completed within the program. Many internationally trained doctors ask us whether they would be allowed to complete our degree in a shorter time period. Unfortunately, the answer is always no. Due to accreditation requirements, we cannot give anyone advanced standing. In other words, all students will be required to complete the entire 3 years of the program even if they have a medical degree and have been working as a doctor.

• As mentioned, all twelve prerequisite courses must have been completed in a regionally accredited US/Canada college within the last 10 years.

  • • Courses age out based on matriculation date. For example, those interested in joining our program for Fall 2023 can only use courses completed in 2013 or later; any courses completed earlier than that would be disqualified.

    • Courses completed outside of the US cannot be used to fulfill the prerequisites, even if they were evaluated as equivalents by such organization as WES. These prerequisites cannot be waived even for those who have passed the USCMLE. Therefore, the candidate will need to pursue these prerequisites independently at their US college of choice *before* applying to our program, even if they have done similar courses during their medical education. This can add another year or more to the process, depending on how many courses they take per semester. The program does not assist and is not involved in this process.

    • Candidates are only allowed four pending prerequisite courses upon submitting their application, or face disqualification. Only two prerequisite can be pending as late as the Spring of the matriculation year.

• The 250 hours of direct patient contact experience must have also been completed in a US hospital or clinic, to reflect the environment encountered by a typical PA. Canadian experience must be approved on a case-by-case basis. No other exceptions can be made to this rule.

• Unless another regionally-accredited degree was subsequently completed in the US, candidates with international degrees must also submit TOEFL scores even if they are permanent residents or citizens.

Due to the above, candidates with non-US medical degrees (or who have never attended college in the US or Canada) typically do not find our program to be the best choice for their plans, because they realize it will take them 3 to 4 years before they become a PA. If you don’t mind the time issue, we would definitely be honored to receive your application, but only after you have completed all prerequisites and requirements.

Where to complete prerequisites

In order to complete all the prerequisites listed on our Admission Requirements page, you may take courses at any regionally-accredited institution in the US, including New York Tech. However, please note you will still have to compete equally with other candidates even if your prerequisites are from New York Tech.