PA School Seat Deposits: Accepted at One, Waiting

PA School Seat Deposits: Accepted at One, Waiting

324 of the 333 programs in PAEA's CASPA directory list a seat deposit, from $100 to $2,000, with a median of $1,000. 310 of those 324 call it non-refundable. Programs report these figures themselves, for the 2026-2027 cycle.

Our view: nothing in the 2026-2027 CASPA Applicant Agreement stops you from holding two PA seats, but CASPA tells each program that admits you how many acceptances you hold and whether you accepted one elsewhere. A second deposit is a paid, visible choice. Make it only when you are waiting on a dated decision from a program you would pick.

Every PAEA, CASPA and program page quoted below was checked on November 7, 2026. The directory counts are our tally of its 333 program pages, read that day; each page carries its own "Last updated" date, and 295 of the 329 dated pages were last updated between January and March 2026 (our count). Your offer letter sets your actual amount and deadline.

What PA seat deposits cost

PAEA's CASPA Program Directory (2026-2027 application cycle) has a seat-deposit field on every program page. Each page says: "We rely on the information provided to us by programs. For the most up-to-date information, please visit the program's website."

Our arithmetic: 217 of 324 listed deposits are $1,000 or more. The most common single amount is $1,000 (148 programs), then $500 (61) and $1,500 (59). Seven programs list no deposit, including OHSU, Stanford and UT Southwestern; two give no information.

Refunds are the exception. Of the 324 programs that list a deposit:

• Non-refundable: 310.
• Fully refundable (4): Baylor University - Waco ($1,000), Concordia University, St. Paul ($1,000), Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center Shreveport ($500), SUNY Upstate Medical Center ($150).
• Partially refundable (5): Commonwealth University ($1,000), Gannon University-Ruskin ($500), Midwestern University Downers Grove ($500) and Glendale ($500), South University, Richmond ($1,000).
• Refundable for emergencies only (5): Endicott College ($500), Johnson & Wales University ($1,000), Nazareth University ($1,000), Rush University ($1,250), Texas Christian University ($1,500).

PAEA's CASPA Admissions Code of Cooperation asks programs to "Consider setting a seat deposit at a reasonable amount so as not to financially burden the applicant, if requiring a deposit from selected applicants to hold a seat." It sets no amount. Program websites confirm the pattern on the two we checked: Northwestern requires "a non-refundable $1,000 deposit," and West Chester "A non-refundable $1,000 deposit." Both credit it to the first term's bill.

How long you get to pay

The Code asks programs to "allow applicants at least two weeks to reply for acceptance." Programs then set their own window:

Ten business days and 14 calendar days both meet the two-week minimum.

Can you hold two PA school seats?

The 2026-2027 CASPA Applicant User Agreement, linked from PAEA's CASPA page, has no clause that limits how many acceptances you hold. What it does is report them. Under clause 23, each program that makes you an offer learns "the number of acceptances I have received from other PA programs (without identifying those programs) and whether I have accepted an offer at any other PA program that participates in CASPA (without identifying the program)."

So holding two seats is allowed by CASPA and visible to both programs as a count. It also costs two deposits, and at 310 of the 324 programs that list one, the deposit is non-refundable. The two letters you wrote matter here too: if you sent one program a letter of intent, you promised to accept its offer.

The agreement adds one hard limit at the end. Within five calendar days of matriculating at a PA program, you must tell every other program still considering you that you withdraw. The decline and withdraw email templates quote that clause and give the emails.

The countercase: a second deposit is a sensible price when the program you prefer has told you when it will decide and the date is close. It is a poor one when the program you prefer has given no date, or when you would not attend the first program anyway. A deposit at a program you would not attend buys nothing.

Accepted at one PA school and waiting on another: decision procedure

Run these steps the day the first offer arrives.

1. Write down each date. The offer's reply deadline, the deposit amount and whether it is refundable (your offer letter, then the directory).
2. Ask: would you attend the admitting program if the other says no? If no, do not deposit. Decline it and wait.
3. Ask: will the program you prefer decide before the deadline? Check its page. West Chester, for example, gives a status "within 4 weeks of interview"; OHSU makes "final decisions by the end of December." If its date falls before your deadline, wait for it.
4. If it does not, ask the admitting program for an extension. Use the email below. Ask once, before the deadline.
5. If the extension is refused, decide whether the deposit is a price you will pay. If you would attend the admitting program in the end, pay it. That is the only reason to pay.
6. If the program you prefer then admits you, accept and release the other seat the same day.

Constructed example: a two-offer timeline

Constructed example, written by us, not a real applicant's situation. Context (invented): Nasrin Saxena is admitted to Thistlewood University on Friday, December 4, 2026, with a $1,000 non-refundable deposit due in 14 days. Nasrin interviewed at Dunmore State on December 1. Dunmore State's page says applicants hear within four weeks of interview.

The deposit extension email (constructed example)

Constructed example, written by us, not a real applicant's email. Context: Nasrin's request to Thistlewood, from the timeline above.

Subject: Request for deposit deadline extension, Nasrin Saxena, CAS ID 0000000000

Dear Thistlewood University PA Admissions Office,

Thank you for offering me a seat in the class entering in 2027. I am excited about Thistlewood's program.

I am still waiting on a decision from one other program, which I expect by December 29. Would it be possible to extend my deposit deadline from December 18 to January 4, 2027? If an extension is not possible, I understand and will respond by December 18.

Thank you for considering this request.

Sincerely, Nasrin Saxena

That is 92 words including the subject line. It gives the date Nasrin expects news, asks for a specific new date and commits to the original deadline if the answer is no. It does not name the other program, which clause 23 does not reveal either.

Releasing a seat you will not use

Release it the day you decide. The Code asks applicants to "Accept or decline all interview invitations and offers of acceptance in a timely and considerate manner," and every released seat goes to someone on that program's alternate list (see how PA waitlists move). Comparing two acceptances on outcomes and cost is covered in choosing between two PA schools; what comes after the deposit is in accepted to PA school: next steps.

Questions about PA school seat deposits

How much is a PA school seat deposit?

In PAEA's directory, deposits run from $100 to $2,000, with a median of $1,000 across the 324 programs that list one.

Are PA school seat deposits refundable?

Rarely. 310 of the 324 programs that list one call it non-refundable. Four list a fully refundable deposit.

Can I hold two PA school seats?

The CASPA agreement does not forbid it. Each admitting program sees how many acceptances you hold and whether you accepted one elsewhere, and you pay both deposits.

Can I ask a PA program to extend my deposit deadline?

Yes. Ask once, before the deadline, with a date. Programs set their own deadlines, and the Code only requires at least two weeks, so a program can say no.

Does the deposit count toward tuition?

At Northwestern and West Chester, yes: both credit it to the first term's bill. Check your offer letter.

MD and DO deposit rules differ: see the AMCAS traffic rules for 2027. More guides are on the medical school essays hub.

Review the writing you send next

A deposit holds one seat while you wait on the program you would pick, and the letter that program reads from you is your letter of intent. Get a free Quick Review of your letter of intent to check that it names a reason only that program offers and promises exactly what you will do if admitted. News since your interview belongs in an update letter, which the update letter rubric reads for what changed. Before you deposit at a newer program, check its status: PA school provisional accreditation.

Sources

Retrieved November 7, 2026, except where noted.

• PAEA, CASPA Program Directory (2026-2027 application cycle; 333 program pages, self-reported; all 333 pages read November 7, 2026; an October 31 pass gave the same deposit counts): seat deposit, cost and refund fields; our tally.
• PAEA, CASPA Admissions Code of Cooperation: reasonable deposit; two-week reply minimum; timely and considerate replies.
• PAEA, 2026-2027 CASPA Applicant User Agreement and Release (last updated January 22, 2026; linked from PAEA's CASPA page): clause 23 disclosure; clause 20 five-day notice.
• Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, PA Program Admissions FAQ (2026-27 cycle): $1,000 non-refundable deposit within 10 business days.
• West Chester University, Physician Assistant Admissions: $1,000 non-refundable deposit within 14 days; status within four weeks of interview.
• OHSU School of Medicine, Physician Assistant Admissions (no year stated): final decisions by the end of December.