Florida Gulf Coast University PA Program: Requirements, Tuition & Stats

• 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.

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

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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.