Career-changer friendly: At 250 required patient care hours, this is one of the lower bars in the country, worth a look if you are switching fields and building hours while you apply.
Small cohort: A class of 20 is well below the national median of 40. Expect more faculty contact and a tighter class culture, and fewer seats to compete for.
Lower cost: In-state tuition of $55,024 is in the least expensive quarter of PA programs. Over a career that difference is real money.
Residency matters: Out-of-state tuition ($138,479) runs 152% above in-state. If you can establish residency, this program gets substantially cheaper.
Apply early: Admissions are rolling, so seats come off the board as the cycle goes. An application submitted in the first few weeks is worth more than the same application submitted in month four.
ONE-ON-ONE HELP
Book a Pre-PA Counseling session and spend thirty minutes one-on-one with a practicing PA who knows what admissions committees look for. We will go through your GPA, patient care hours, and school list together, and you will get a written plan for your next steps in your inbox within 24 hours.
Florida Gulf Coast University is located in Florida. The details below come straight from the program and are re-checked on a rolling basis.
At a glance
Location: Florida
Institution type: Public
Program length: 27 months
Class size: 20 students
Start month: August
Application deadline: January
Rolling admissions: Yes
In-state tuition: $55,024
Out-of-state tuition: $138,479
Minimum overall GPA: 3
Minimum science GPA: 3
Minimum PCE hours: 250 hours
Letters of recommendation: 3
First-time PANCE pass rate: 95%
Accreditation status: Continued
Admission requirements
GRE: Yes (minimum 20th percentile in Quantitative and Verbal Reasoning and 3.0 or above in Analytical Writing)
PA-CAT: No
CASPer: No
TOEFL (international applicants): Yes
Supplemental application: No
Letters of recommendation: 3: PA Physician (MD/DO) OR FNP Professor OR Supervisor
Patient care experience: 250 hours minimum
Interview format: Traditional
Prerequisites
Minimum prerequisite grade: C
Prerequisite expiration: 7 years
AP or CLEP credit accepted: No
Pass/Fail coursework accepted: Yes
Online coursework accepted: Yes
Required coursework
Biology, including lab: 4 semester hours
General Chemistry I & II, including labs: 8 semester hours
Organic Chemistry or Biochemistry: 3 semester hours
Medical Terminology: 3 semester hours
The following prerequisite courses must be completed between 2018 and 2025 within 7 years before matriculation:
Human Anatomy & Human Physiology including labs: 8 semester hours
Microbiology including lab: 4 semester hours
Human Genetics: 3 semester hours
Cost
In-state tuition: $55,024
Out-of-state tuition: $138,479
Seat deposit: $200
Want to compare your stats to this program? Pre-PA Bestie is a free, always-updated PA program database where you can save schools and see how your numbers line up. Check out Pre-PA Bestie.
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Program website: Florida Gulf Coast University
Admissions page: Admissions information
Prerequisite details: Prerequisite coursework
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 239-745-4480
Address: 10501 FGCU Boulevard South, Fort Myers, Florida 33965
Program information last verified June 16, 2026. Requirements change, always confirm directly with the program before applying.
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