• In 2010, there were 154 PA programs.
• By 2015, there were 199 . 
• As of September 2020, there were 268 programs—a 26% increase in five years. 
• The ARC-PA projects 53 new programs by March 2023. In less than five years, there will be about 320 programs nationwide.
• The number of new provisional applicants to the ARC-PA has continued to climb. In 2018, there were 12 new provisional applicants. There were 23 in 2019, 25 in 2020, and 23 in 2021. This trend suggests continued growth in upcoming years. 

 

More Institutions Means Fewer Applicants per Program

1. PA programs will be competing for applicants more arduously as the number of applicants per program begins to decline.
2. According to CASPA, the average applicant in the latest report had 7.32 designations, which results in artificial inflation of PA program application data.
3. The exponential growth in PA programs has been predominantly in smaller private institutions, evidenced by 33 of the 43 applicant programs on the ARC-PA website being small private colleges. 
4. The trend toward small private colleges increases the pressure on new programs to fill classes. 

 

Program Faculty and the New Age

Data-Driven Admissions

1. Specific data metrics must be assessed to identify ideal candidates, and these metrics are not uniform across programs. Programs have reasons why certain applicants shine brighter than others.
2. Data metrics are important to determine at-risk remediation issues before enrollment (PA Admissions Corner Issue 4 details how to spot and quantify red-flag behaviors during the interview process).
3. Undergraduate GPA is not a strong indicator of student success in PA education, and the weight it is given in decision-making must be balanced with other considerations.
4. PA admissions directors must know the answers to these questions:

Competition within Certain Geographic Areas

Why One Program Wins over Another

• Tuition. According to the 35th PAEA annual report, 58 public universities reported that the mean tuition was $52,585. 154 private institutions reported that the mean tuition was $95,058. Cost can be a consideration for applicants when considering offers from private institutions versus public. This necessitates effective recruiting and outreach strategies to enhance conversion rates. 
• Matriculation speed. A student may be able to matriculate faster at a competitor’s program. 
• Interview/Acceptance speed. Students may be interviewed more quickly by another program, or they may receive an acceptance letter from another program sooner. If your program uses a fixed admission process, you may be waiting far too long to select students for interviews or inform them that they are accepted into your program. Converting from a fixed to a rolling process can decrease that time span and increase conversion rates. (PA Admissions Corner Issue 3 comprehensively covers admissions cycles.)
• Reputation. Your competitor’s reputation may be perceived as better, but improving your customer service and increasing your admission department’s focus to its ideal candidates can dramatically raise your reputation.
• Available jobs. Your competitor’s region or city may have more healthcare employment opportunities. 
• Proximity to home. Your competitor may be closer to home for your candidate. A factor that strongly determines your ideal candidate is whether they live within 150 miles of your campus.
• Applicant preference. Your competitor’s location may be a “destination” area for young people. The idea of moving to a big city could sound more exciting to some, but a smaller-town environment has its own appeal.