Physician assistant · Master's

University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus PA program: PANCE pass rate, cost and admission

At University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus, 79% of the PA class of 2025 passed the PANCE on the first attempt, against 91% nationally. IPEDS counts 41 PA degrees conferred by the institution in 2024-25.

Denver, CO ARC-PA: Accreditation-Continued, next review October 2026 Checked Oct 2026

Listed by ARC-PA as: University of Colorado

PANCE score report, first-time takers

Source: NCCPA report posted by the program
Class of 2025
79%
Above national 2 of 4
First-time takers
43
National, class of 2025
91%
Classes shown
4
This programNational first-time rate
70%80%90%100%Class of 2021: 95%, national 93%, 44 takers95%2021Class of 2022: 100%, national 92%, 42 takers100%2022Class of 2023: 88%, national 92%, 43 takers88%2023Class of 2025: 79%, national 91%, 43 takers79%2025
Table view
ClassProgramNationalTakers
202195%93%44
2022100%92%42
202388%92%43
202579%91%43

Cost, size and outcomes

  • Cost of attendance, whole programProgram page, estimated, Colorado residents, all 3 years, 2026-27 rates with an assumed 4% annual increase$225,761
  • Class sizeProgram pageNot published
  • PA degrees conferred by the institutionIPEDS completions, 2024-25 (provisional), CIP 51.091241
  • Median earnings, 1 year after completionCollege Scorecard, Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions, master's degreeNot published
  • Median earnings, 4 years after completionCollege Scorecard, Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions, master's degreeNot published
  • Median federal loan debtCollege Scorecard, Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions, master's degreeNot published
  • Physician assistants, median wage, ColoradoBLS OEWS, May 2025, context only$134,540

What it asks of applicants

  • Application service and deadlineAs the program states it, 2026-27 cycleCASPA · September 1
  • Minimum overall GPA3.0
  • Patient care hoursNot published
  • Program length36 months
  • Program startsearly July
  • Prerequisite coursesAs the program states it, 2026-27 cycleChemistry (2 courses, 1 with lab), Anatomy and Physiology (2 courses), Upper division biology (2 courses), Psychology (2 courses), Statistics (1 course)

Accreditation

  • StatusARC-PA list, fetched 2026-10-28Accreditation-Continued
  • First accreditedFebruary 1973
  • Next accreditation reviewOctober 2026
  • 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
202344432%
202444440%
202544432%

What the numbers say

In the University of Colorado class of 2025, 79% of the 43 first-time PANCE takers passed, while the national rate was 91%. That 79%, 12 points below the national figure, is the lowest of the 4 classes in the NCCPA report. The newest earlier row is the class of 2023, which passed at 88%, 4 points below the 92% national rate. Between 2023 and 2025 the rate dropped 9 points; measured from 2021, the drop is 16 points. The 2 earlier classes were above the national rate: 95% in 2021, 2 points ahead, and 100% in 2022, the highest of the 4, 8 points ahead. IPEDS shows 41 PA degrees conferred in 2024-25, and the ARC-PA table lists attrition of 2% for the class of 2025. The program estimates the whole 3-year cost for Colorado residents at $225,761, using 2026-27 rates with an assumed 4% annual increase. Instruction lasts 36 months full time, with orientation and the first week of classes in early July; check the program's page for the year. For the 2026-27 cycle, a complete CASPA application is due by September 1, and it does not have to be verified by then. Colorado's GPA requirement is a 3.0 minimum, applied to both cumulative and science averages. Prerequisites cover chemistry including a lab, anatomy and physiology, upper-division biology, psychology and statistics. ARC-PA lists the program as Accreditation-Continued; it was first accredited in February 1973, and its next review is dated October 2026.

Sources

  1. Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA): Entry Level Accredited Programs, fetched 28 Oct 2026
  2. medschool.cuanschutz.edu: How to Apply, fetched 29 Oct 2026
  3. medschool.cuanschutz.edu: The program's own page (PDF), fetched 29 Oct 2026
  4. medschool.cuanschutz.edu: Tuition, Financial Aid and Expenses, fetched 29 Oct 2026
  5. 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
  6. U.S. Department of Education: College Scorecard, Most Recent Field of Study Data, 15 Oct 2026, fetched 26 Oct 2026
  7. medschool.cuanschutz.edu: Prerequisites, fetched 29 Oct 2026
  8. medschool.cuanschutz.edu: FAQ, fetched 29 Oct 2026
  9. National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA), posted by the program: PANCE Exam Performance Summary Report for University of Colorado (program 1009), printed 1/12/2026, fetched 29 Oct 2026
  10. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, state estimates, May 2025, 15 May 2026, fetched 26 Oct 2026