Health Professions Advisory Committee (HPAC) 

Who We Are

The purpose of the Health Professions Advisory Committee (HPAC) is to assist students who aspire to health-related careers by providing information about the process and by reviewing the credentials of those who plan to apply to health professional schools. The Committee decides what level of endorsement a student will receive in his/her letter of recommendation from the University. 

Eligibility

To be eligible for review by the Committee, a student must:

1. Have completed or currently be taking:

• General Biology (8 credits)

• General Chemistry (8 credits)

• Organic Chemistry (8 credits)

• General Physics (8 credits)

• Mathematics (6 credits) – One semester of Calculus and one semester of Statistics are strongly recommended

2. Have earned credit for at least ten courses taken at Saint Joseph’s

3. Meet the minimum GPA requirements outlined by HPAC which include:

• 3.2 GPA – Medical, Dental, or Veterinary applicants

• 3.0 GPA –Podiatry, Optometry applicants 

  • It is the Committee's experience that students with GPAs below these minimums are not competitive for admission into the respective health professional schools. Exceptions may be possible only with the permission of the pre-health advisor in consultation with the committee

Important Dates

October 19, 2023: HPAC Information Session 

• This is required to receive a letter; if you cannot attend, you must watch the recording

October-December 2023: Meet 1:1 with Brianna

• Schedule 20 minute meeting in Starfish

• This meeting is required to receive a letter & receive the HPAC application

March 1, 2024: Deadline to submit all materials (excluding letters of recommendation)

March & April 2024: Complete interview; committee assesses & rating determined