Academic Prerequisites

MEDEX Northwest PA Program Announcement

With the support of and after conversations with the University of Washington School of Medicine Dean’s Office and the Department of Family Medicine Chair, the MEDEX Northwest PA Program has sought and been granted permission by the ARC-PA and the University of Washington Graduate School to voluntarily pause matriculating a new student cohort for the 2026–2027 academic year.

This voluntary pause was made with great care and thoughtful consideration. The decision reflects our commitment to accreditation, programmatic quality, and continuous process improvement.

We remain dedicated to advancing our mission of preparing excellent PAs who serve with compassion, competence, and a deep commitment to health equity.

 

Read More on our FAQ Page

Overall GPA

An overall minimum GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale is required (3.2 GPA recommended).

Prerequisite Course GPA Requirement and Timeline

  • Completion Window: All prerequisite coursework must be completed within seven (7) years of the application date.
  • Minimum Prerequisite GPA: A combined GPA of 3.2 (on a 4.0 scale) across all required prerequisite courses is required by the application deadline.

Required Prerequisite Courses

  • Two (2) Human Anatomy & Physiology courses
    • With labs: 12 quarter credits / 8 semester credits
    • Without labs: 10 quarter credits / 6 semester credits

      Note: Labs are waived for the 2026-2027 application cycle.

  • One Biochemistry or Organic Chemistry course – 5 quarter/3 semester credits
  • One Microbiology course – 5 quarter/3 semester credits
  • One Statistics or Biostatistics course – 5 quarter/3 semester credits

MEDEX has developed a list of Commonly Accepted Courses from the WWAMI and Hawaii States to help applicants prepare to apply to the program. These are NOT the only courses accepted; rather, they are examples of courses that will count towards each prerequisite. Please contact us with specific questions.

Coursework Guidelines

Courses can be taken at any regionally accredited community college or university for a letter grade or grade on a 4.0 scale. This may include some college courses completed online, but applicants should check the accreditation status of the online institution before registering for courses. 

All MEDEX prerequisite coursework must be completed by the application deadline. 

  • Prerequisite courses taken autumn quarter, completed after the application deadlines, will not be considered when evaluating prerequisites. 
  • Coursework planned for spring or summer quarter of the upcoming year will not be accepted. 

A baccalaureate degree must be completed at a regionally accredited institution and conferred by December 31st of the year in which an application is submitted. 

MEDEX is not requiring GRE scores. Please provide if available. Scores will not be considered in the application process and will be for internal programmatic data-tracking only.

Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate (IB) courses will not meet MEDEX prerequisites. All MEDEX prerequisites must be taken at the college level.

English language proficiency (ELP) is required for graduate study at the University of Washington. Therefore, every applicant whose native language is not English must demonstrate English language proficiency. Please visit the UW Graduate School Policy 3.2: Graduate school English Language Proficiency Requirements for more information. Applicants choosing to demonstrate English proficiency with TOEFL must send their official scores to CASPA by the application deadline using the ETS Code #3709. The minimum score accepted on the TOEFL iBT test is a 92.

Each of the MEDEX prerequisite courses must be taken as a “standalone” course, separate from any prior certificate training or professional degree program. 

UW Graduate School 

Do not apply to the UW Graduate School at this time. If accepted to MEDEX, you will then be asked to apply to the UW Graduate School. MEDEX will provide instructions about how and when to apply through Graduate Enrollment Management Services in an official acceptance packet. 

Be sure to review the MEDEX Northwest clinical experience prerequisites that all applicants must complete in addition to the academic prerequisites listed above.