Physician assistant · Master's

University of Kentucky PA program: PANCE pass rate, cost and admission

At University of Kentucky, 85% of the PA class of 2025 passed the PANCE on the first attempt, against 91% nationally. The program reports a class size of 40. IPEDS counts 55 PA degrees conferred by the institution in 2024-25.

Lexington, KY ARC-PA: Accreditation-Continued, next review January 2027 Checked Oct 2026

PANCE score report, first-time takers

Source: NCCPA report posted by the program
Class of 2025
85%
First-time takers
39
National, class of 2025
91%
Classes shown
1

One class year on file; the chart starts at 2 years.

Table view
ClassProgramNationalTakers
202585%91%39

Cost, size and outcomes

  • Cost of attendanceProgram pageNot published
  • Class sizeProgram page, Lexington campus (the program also selects 16 for the Morehead campus), spring entry40
  • PA degrees conferred by the institutionIPEDS completions, 2024-25 (provisional), CIP 51.091255
  • Median earnings, 1 year after completionCollege Scorecard, Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions, master's degree, graduates of 2020-21 and 2021-22$106,659
  • Median earnings, 4 years after completionCollege Scorecard, Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions, master's degree, graduates of 2017-18 and 2018-19$114,151
  • Median federal loan debtCollege Scorecard, Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions, master's degreeNot published
  • Physician assistants, median wage, KentuckyBLS OEWS, May 2025, context only$120,760

What it asks of applicants

  • Application service and deadlineAs the program states it, 2027-28 cycleCASPA · July 15, 2027
  • Minimum overall GPA2.75
  • Patient care hoursNot published
  • Program lengthNot published
  • Program startsJanuary
  • Prerequisite coursesAs the program states it, check the program's pageGeneral Chemistry I and II with lab, Organic Chemistry with lab, Human Anatomy and Physiology, General Biology with lab, Microbiology with lab, Statistics, Psychology, Developmental Psychology, Anthropology or Sociology, Medical Terminology

Accreditation

  • StatusARC-PA list, fetched 2026-10-28Accreditation-Continued
  • First accreditedNovember 1974
  • Next accreditation reviewJanuary 2027
  • Program websiteVisit

Nearby PA programs

What the numbers say

The University of Kentucky's NCCPA figures on this page cover the class of 2025 alone: 85% of its 39 first-time takers passed the PANCE, 6 points below the national rate of 91%. Since 2025 is the sole class year on file, no trend can be drawn. Kentucky selects 40 students for its Lexington campus and 16 for its Morehead campus, with classes starting in January; check the program's page for the entering year. IPEDS counts 55 PA degrees conferred by the university in 2024-25, a figure for the university as a whole rather than the Lexington campus alone. Applications go through CASPA, and the 2027-28 admissions cycle closes July 15, 2027. A minimum institutional undergraduate GPA of 2.75 is required. The prerequisite list runs from general chemistry I and II and organic chemistry, each with lab, to developmental psychology, anthropology or sociology, and medical terminology. ARC-PA gives the program's status as Accreditation-Continued, its first accreditation as November 1974 and its next review as January 2027. College Scorecard shows median earnings of $106,659 1 year after completion for graduates of Kentucky's master's field in allied health diagnostic, intervention and treatment professions who completed in 2020-21 and 2021-22. At 4 years after completion, graduates of the same field from 2017-18 and 2018-19 had median earnings of $114,151 in College Scorecard data. Kentucky's BLS OEWS median wage for physician assistants stood at $120,760 in 2025.

Sources

  1. Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA): Entry Level Accredited Programs, fetched 28 Oct 2026
  2. chs.uky.edu: Application | College of Health Sciences, fetched 29 Oct 2026
  3. 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
  4. U.S. Department of Education: College Scorecard, Most Recent Field of Study Data, 15 Oct 2026, fetched 26 Oct 2026
  5. chs.uky.edu: Admissions Criteria | College of Health Sciences, fetched 29 Oct 2026
  6. National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA), posted by the program: PANCE Exam Performance Summary Report for University of Kentucky (program 1034), printed 8/17/2026, fetched 29 Oct 2026
  7. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, state estimates, May 2025, 15 May 2026, fetched 26 Oct 2026