Physician assistant · Master's

Northwestern University PA program: PANCE pass rate, cost and admission

At Northwestern University, 100% of the PA class of 2026 passed the PANCE on the first attempt, against 94% nationally. IPEDS counts 34 PA degrees conferred by the institution in 2024-25.

Evanston, IL ARC-PA: Accreditation-Continued, next review April 2033 Checked Oct 2026

PANCE score report, first-time takers

Source: NCCPA report posted by the program
Class of 2026
100%
Above national 5 of 5
First-time takers
36
National, class of 2026
94%
Classes shown
5
This programNational first-time rate
80%85%90%95%100%Class of 2022: 100%, national 92%, 35 takers100%2022Class of 2023: 94%, national 92%, 32 takers94%2023Class of 2024: 97%, national 92%, 34 takers97%2024Class of 2025: 100%, national 91%, 34 takers100%2025Class of 2026: 100%, national 94%, 36 takers100%2026
Table view
ClassProgramNationalTakers
2022100%92%35
202394%92%32
202497%92%34
2025100%91%34
2026100%94%36

Cost, size and outcomes

  • Tuition per yearProgram page, 2026-27, first and second year$58,947
  • Class sizeProgram pageNot published
  • PA degrees conferred by the institutionIPEDS completions, 2024-25 (provisional), CIP 51.091234
  • Median earnings, 1 year after completionCollege Scorecard, Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions, master's degree, graduates of 2020-21 and 2021-22$120,870
  • Median earnings, 4 years after completionCollege Scorecard, Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions, master's degree, graduates of 2017-18 and 2018-19$130,944
  • Median federal loan debtCollege Scorecard, Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions, master's degreeNot published
  • Physician assistants, median wage, IllinoisBLS OEWS, May 2025, context only$131,950

What it asks of applicants

  • Application service and deadlineAs the program states it, 2026-27 cycleCASPA · September 1, 2026
  • Minimum overall GPA3.30
  • Patient care hours1,000 required
  • Program lengthNot published
  • Program startslate May or early June
  • Prerequisite coursesAs the program states it, 2026-27 cycleAnatomy, Biochemistry, Medical Terminology, Microbiology, Physiology, Statistics

Accreditation

  • StatusARC-PA list, fetched 2026-10-28Accreditation-Continued
  • First accreditedMarch 2010
  • Next accreditation reviewApril 2033
  • Program websiteVisit

Nearby PA programs

Attrition by class, as the program posts it

ARC-PA attrition table from the program's own page, with the entering and graduating counts it prints. A table that prints attrition as a fraction (0.20) shows here as a percent (20%).
ClassEnteredGraduatedAttrition
202436345.6%
202536345.6%
202636360%

What the numbers say

Northwestern's PA program reports a first-time PANCE pass rate of 100% for the class of 2026, against a national rate of 94%. The classes of 2022, 2025 and 2026 all passed at 100%, tied for the highest rate of the last 5 classes. The program was above the national rate in all 5 of those classes. Its lowest year in the window was 2023 at 94%, still 2 points above the 92% national figure. First-time takers ranged from 32 to 36 per class, with 36 in 2026. IPEDS counts 34 PA degrees conferred by Northwestern in 2024-25. For the 2026-27 cycle Northwestern requires an overall GPA and a science GPA of 3.30 or higher, as CASPA calculates them. Applicants also need at least 1,000 hours of direct patient care experience by the time they apply. The verified CASPA application was due on September 1, 2026, and the class enrolls in late May or early June. ARC-PA first accredited the program in 2010, lists it as Accreditation-Continued and places its next review in April 2033. College Scorecard reports a median of $120,870 1 year after completion for graduates of Northwestern's allied health diagnostic, intervention and treatment field from 2020-21 and 2021-22. The program's pages saved for this site do not list a total cost or a class size, so those rows read Not published.

Sources

  1. Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA): Entry Level Accredited Programs, fetched 28 Oct 2026
  2. www.feinberg.northwestern.edu: How to Apply: Physician Assistant Program: Feinberg School of Medicine, fetched 28 Oct 2026
  3. www.feinberg.northwestern.edu: The program's own page (PDF), fetched 29 Oct 2026
  4. National Center for Education Statistics (NCES): IPEDS Completions, awards by program and award level, 2024-25 (provisional release), 21 Jul 2026, fetched 26 Oct 2026
  5. U.S. Department of Education: College Scorecard, Most Recent Field of Study Data, 15 Oct 2026, fetched 26 Oct 2026
  6. www.feinberg.northwestern.edu: Cost of Attendance & Financial Aid: Physician Assistant Program: Feinberg School of Medicine, fetched 29 Oct 2026
  7. National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA), posted by the program: PANCE Exam Performance Summary Report for Northwestern University (program 6015), printed 6/22/2026, fetched 28 Oct 2026
  8. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, state estimates, May 2025, 15 May 2026, fetched 26 Oct 2026