University of South Dakota
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Program starts
Jul 1, 2027 · 255 days
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About the program
Overview
Mission statement
The Physician Assistant (PA) Studies Program provides a comprehensive primary care education that prepares graduates to deliver high-quality health care to meet the needs of patients in South Dakota and the surrounding region.
Program features
The University of South Dakota offers small class size with interdisciplinary coursework. The program offers an Anatomy course to include a full dissection cadaver lab. The program is housed in a new 45,000 square foot Health Sciences building.
Clinical rotations
The clinical phase lasts 12 months and consists of eight required rotations covering specialties such as surgery, family medicine, internal medicine, OB/GYN, pediatrics, emergency medicine, behavioral health, and rural/underserved family medicine, plus two elective rotations.
- Credentials offered
- Master's degree (not Master's of Public Health)
- Doctorate offered
- No
- On-campus housing
- Yes
- CASPA participant
- Yes
The numbers
At a glance
PANCE 2-yr avg
83.0%
First-time pass rate
Class size
25
Cohort
Resident tuition
$36,000
Total program
Min GPA
3.00
Required
Student:faculty
8.3:1
Plan ahead
Critical dates
- Checked against the PAEA Program Directory on Apr 4, 2026Sep 1, 2026Application deadlinePassed
- Checked against the PAEA Program Directory on Apr 4, 2026Sep 1, 2026Supplemental duePassed
- Oct 15, 2026CASPA verification duePassed
- Jul 1, 2027Program starts255 days
The process
Admissions
Updated Apr 4, 2026
Program requirements
- Min overall GPA
- 3.00
- Min PCE hours
- 500
- Min direct patient care
- 500 hrs
- Healthcare experience
- Required
- Shadowing
- Recommended but not required
Interview format
Traditional Interview; Panel Interview
On-site required · Traditional Interview; Panel Interview
Application style
Single decision date
Supplemental application required
Required tests
Letters of recommendation — minimum 3
No restrictions
Acceptance policies
with exceptions. Please visit the program's website.
Veteran support
None
The bill
Costs
Updated Apr 4, 2026
Supplemental fee waiver: Not available
This program has separate tuition rates for resident and non-resident students.
Total cost of attendance
1 recorded cost estimate
See the recorded total cost-of-attendance estimate. Published tuition and fees remain above. A free account gives you access; no payment is required.
Source: www.usd.edu
Last-checked date not recorded.
Coursework
Prerequisites
Coursework policies
6 recorded policy fields
Read the recorded coursework policies and any available source excerpts or unresolved policy questions. A free account gives you access; no payment is required.
Source: www.usd.edu
Last-checked date not recorded.
Behavioral Science
2 required courses.
- General Psychology (or other psychology elective)
- Abnormal Psychology
Math
1 required course.
- Statistics
Science
5 required courses.
- Biology (two semesters)
- Chemistry with Lab (two semesters)
- Anatomy and Physiology with Lab (two semesters)
- Microbiology with Lab
- Biochemistry
Course requirement details
8 prerequisite records
Read the recorded course requirements, including available credits, grades, lab rules, time limits and source excerpts. A free account gives you access; no payment is required.
Source: www.usd.edu
Last-checked date not recorded.
Admitted students
Class profile
- Avg overall GPA
- 3.80
- Avg science GPA
- 3.70
Gender
- female 67%
- male 33%
Ethnicity
- white 90%
- asian 3%
- black 3%
- hispanic 3%
Average age and experience
1 recorded age and experience field
See the available matriculant age and experience-hour averages. A free account gives you access; no payment is required.
Source: www.usd.edu
Last-checked date not recorded.
Admissions and outcomes
6 recorded admissions, faculty and outcome fields across this program page
See the recorded admissions funnel, faculty and outcome data throughout this page. A free account gives you access; no payment is required.
Source: www.usd.edu
Last-checked date not recorded.
Outcomes
PANCE pass rates
Latest first-time pass rate (2024): 74.0%
Two-year average: 83.0%
Program PANCE pass rates checked against the program's published figures on Mar 26, 2026View the program's PANCE sourcePANCE history and comparison
5 years of PANCE results
See the available year-by-year results, trend and national comparison. A free account gives you access; no payment is required.
Source: www.usd.edu
Last-checked date not recorded.
Track record
Accreditation history
- First accredited
- 1995/04/01
- Last continued
- March 2023
- Next review
- January 2033
- June 2025Progress Report
The program received an alert through the Program Management Portal that the number of students exceeded the maximum entering class size. The commission accepted the required Exceeding Class Size report.
- March 2024Progress Report
The program received an alert through the Program Management Portal that the number of students exceeded the maximum entering class size. The commission accepted the required Exceeding Class Size report.
- September 2023Progress Report
The commission accepted the report addressing 5th edition Standards.
- March 2023Continued Accreditation
Accreditation-Continued; Program has demonstrated continued and sufficient compliance with the ARC-PA Standards. Next Comprehensive Evaluation: March 2033. Maximum class size: 25.
- September 2020Progress Report
The program's PANCE pass rate percentage was 85% or less for its 2019 cohort. The commission accepted the required analysis of PANCE performance report.
Trust
Where this data comes from
- catalog.usd.edu/preview_entity.phpUpdated Apr 17, 2026
Last updated: Apr 17, 2026
Directory facts are sourced from the PAEA directory.