PA Schools Still Accepting Applications for 2027

PA Schools Still Accepting Applications for 2027

On November 7, 2026, CASPA's own deadline data listed 104 PA programs still open for the 2026-2027 cycle: 32 with a December 1, 2026 deadline, 37 on January 15, 2027, 12 on March 1, 2027 and 23 on April 1, 2027. No program closes in February.

The posted date is not the number that decides whether a late application is worth the fee. Two other things do: the deadline's color, which tells you what must reach CASPA by that date, and whether the program still has seats. CASPA says plainly that some programs fill before their deadline and that it cannot refund you when they do. This page gives the full list, what each color needs, how much time each date really leaves from today, and a procedure for deciding whether to add programs or plan to reapply.

We pulled the list from the data file behind CASPA's Participating Programs page on November 7, 2026 (file last modified November 6, 2026). Every CASPA, ARC-PA and program page quoted below was checked the same day. Programs set the deadlines, so confirm each one on the program's own page before you pay. If a late program asks for its own essay, our PA secondary essay review reads that document.

On this page: What each CASPA deadline color requires · How much time each deadline leaves from November 7 · Seats fill before the posted deadline · The list: PA programs with open CASPA deadlines · Developing programs on the list · Supplemental applications still open · No PA interviews by December: what to do · The last CASPA dates of the 2026-2027 cycle · Questions about late PA school applications

What each CASPA deadline color requires

CASPA's Participating Programs page says: "Deadlines are determined by each participating program, not CASPA. In addition to determining deadlines, each participating program sets requirements for their deadlines." Every deadline carries one of three colors:

For Green deadlines, CASPA adds: "try to complete your application at least four weeks before the deadline." The submitting page explains why: "Verifications occur in chronological order and can take up to 10 business days to complete." The status page adds that transcripts and test scores take five business days to post after CASPA receives them.

The same Participating Programs page also says: "Programs may have additional requirements, including receipt of test scores, supplemental applications, etc." A program's own supplemental deadline can fall before or after its CASPA date.

How much time each deadline leaves from November 7

Two readers ask this question. One already submitted CASPA and wants to add programs. The other has not submitted at all. The colors hit them differently.

If your application is already Verified, it already meets the Green condition. Our reading: for you, an added program's color matters less than its supplemental deadline and its seat count. CASPA's Selecting Programs page confirms you can keep adding: "After submission, you can continue to add and apply to programs until the final deadline date." What you can and cannot change in the rest of the file is covered in CASPA update after submitting.

If you have not submitted, the color is the clock. The "complete by" dates below are four weeks before each deadline, per CASPA's Green advice (our arithmetic):

Our view: for a first-time submitter in November, a December 1 Green program is not a real option, and January 15 is the last date where every color still fits comfortably. The countercase: if your transcripts and letters are already sitting in CASPA from an earlier start, verification is the only wait, and a December 1 Green program can still work. Check your CAS Status before you rule it out.

Seats fill before the posted deadline

This is the rule that decides whether the fee is worth it. The Selecting Programs page says: "We strongly encourage you to contact your programs and ensure seats are still available before submitting your application. We cannot offer refunds if a school you selected has already filled its class, nor can we transfer the payment to another program."

The submitting page repeats it from the program side: "programs review applications and fill seats throughout the application cycle and may not notify CASPA that their class is full." And on refunds: "no refunds can be issued for any reason (this includes missed deadlines and programs no longer accepting applicants)."

So a program in the list below is open in CASPA's system. That does not mean it has seats. Rolling programs make offers as files arrive. Northwestern's PA program, a September 1 program not on this list, describes its rolling process this way: "interviews are held and admission decisions are made while applications are still being reviewed" (Northwestern PA FAQ).

Before you add any program, send one email to its admissions office: "Are seats still available for the class entering [term], and is your supplemental application still open?" Two sentences, your name, your CAS ID. Pay only after a yes.

CASPA also lists one exception to closed deadlines: "Some programs provide invitation codes, which are deadline extensions offered to individual applicants." You cannot request one through CASPA; a program issues it.

The list: PA programs with open CASPA deadlines

Pulled November 7, 2026 from CASPA's deadline data file. Programs appear alphabetically within each deadline, not ranked. "Start" is the entry term and month the data file gives; the file's year field is not consistent, so confirm the entering class on the program's site. (Developing) means CASPA's data labels the program "Developing Program" (see the next section). One December 1 row in New York, labelled "Pending Program Not Yet Available", is left out. The University of Texas at Tyler row has a blank display name on CASPA's page; we show the name from the same data record.

December 1, 2026 deadlines (32 programs)

January 15, 2027 deadlines (37 programs)

March 1, 2027 deadlines (12 programs)

April 1, 2027 deadlines (23 programs)

By color, the 104 open entries split 64 Green, 19 Orange and 21 Blue (our count). Of the 72 entries with deadlines in 2027, 41 are Green, 14 Orange and 17 Blue.

Developing programs on the list

Seven open entries carry the developing label in CASPA's data. CASPA defines the term on its Participating Programs page: "Programs that use CASPA and have applied for but not yet received accreditation are considered 'developing' programs. If you are applying to a developing program, please be aware that CASPA does not offer application refunds in the event your program fails to obtain accreditation."

The label can lag behind ARC-PA. On November 7, 2026, ARC-PA's accredited programs list showed Northwest University as Provisional with a first-accredited date of 2024/03/01, and Lincoln Memorial University-Chattanooga as Provisional from 10/3/2026, while CASPA's data still labelled both "Developing Program". Pepperdine University, South College Indianapolis, Touro University – Montana and the University of Texas at Tyler appeared on ARC-PA's applicant programs list, which says those institutions "do not yet possess an accreditation status from the ARC-PA". Chamberlain University - California is CASPA's display name; the same CASPA record names the organization Chamberlain University - Richmond, and ARC-PA's applicant list shows "Chamberlain University-Richmond, CA". Check ARC-PA, not the CASPA label, before you decide. What each status means for your PANCE eligibility is in PA school provisional accreditation.

Supplemental applications still open

Many programs add an application of their own. CASPA warns that "Programs may have additional requirements, including receipt of test scores, supplemental applications, etc." PAEA's Program Directory shows the fields on each program page: "Supplemental Application", "Supplemental Deadline" and "Supplemental Application Fee". On November 7, 2026, 131 of the 333 program pages (39%, our arithmetic) said Yes to a supplemental application, 200 said No and 2 gave no information; Of the 131, 110 gave a calendar date for the supplemental deadline, 11 described a rule instead (such as "Only required if selected for an interview") and 10 gave no information (our count). PAEA notes on every page: "We rely on the information provided to us by programs. For the most up-to-date information, please visit the program's website."

For each program you plan to add, read those three fields, then confirm the deadline and fee on the program's own site. A supplemental deadline is the date that actually binds an applicant who is already Verified.

Where a program has one, the supplemental is the part of a late application you still have to write. For the prompts programs publish, see PA school supplemental essay prompts by program. For a "why this program" prompt, the CASPA "why this program" essay framework shows how to name a feature of the program instead of praising it.

No PA interviews by December: what to do

Silence in December is not a decision at a rolling program. Northwestern's FAQ says "one applicant could submit their application in August and receive an invitation to interview in September, while another applicant could submit their application in May and receive and [sic] invitation to interview in December." OHSU's PA program says interviews "take place in the fall" and "The committee makes final decisions by the end of December" (OHSU PA admissions). Timelines differ by program, so read each program's page instead of assuming one calendar.

Run these five checks in order:

1. Status. Open CASPA. Is every program Verified? CASPA says "Notifications are not generally sent for any missing items." If a program is not Verified, fix that first.
2. Program materials. Did each program's supplemental arrive? CASPA's customer service page sends "Status of your application after it has been verified" and "Admission decisions and interview questions" to the program, not CASPA. Ask the program once.
3. Published timeline. For each program, find the interview and decision window on its own page. Count how many programs on your list are still inside that window.
4. Late adds. If few are still live, pick late programs from the list above whose minimums you meet, email about seats, and add only those that answer yes.
5. Next cycle. If you add nothing, start your reapplication file now. Our PA school rejection next steps page covers the self-review and what carries over in CASPA.

Constructed example: a December decision with no interviews

Constructed example, written by us, not a real applicant.

Context (invented): Mireille Santos submitted CASPA in August to 12 programs and was Verified on September 9. On December 3 she has two rejections, ten programs with no word, and no interviews. Her transcripts and three letters are in CASPA.

• Check 1: all twelve programs show Verified. Nothing is missing.
• Check 3: of the ten silent programs, six publish that interviews run through February or March. Four say decisions end in December.
• Check 4: she meets the minimums at five January 15 programs on the list. She emails all five. Three reply that seats remain and the supplemental is open. One says the class is nearly full. One does not reply.
• Decision: she adds the three that answered yes. Because she is already Verified, the Green and Orange colors are already met. Her real deadline is each program's supplemental. She skips the program that did not reply.

Why this works: she spends fees only where a program confirmed seats, and she uses the one advantage of an early file, which is that verification is already done.

The last CASPA dates of the 2026-2027 cycle

From CASPA's cycle dates page, checked November 7, 2026:

The 23 April 1 programs share their deadline with CASPA's last submission day. A Green April 1 program needs verification by April 1, eight days before CASPA's own last verification date.

Questions about late PA school applications

Is it too late to apply to PA school in December?

No, not for the 2026-2027 cycle. On November 7, 2026, 72 programs had deadlines from January 15 to April 1, 2027. Whether it is worth it depends on the deadline color and whether the program still has seats.

Are there PA schools with February deadlines?

Not in CASPA this cycle. CASPA's data on November 7, 2026 had no deadlines in February 2027. The 2027 dates were January 15, March 1 and April 1.

Which PA schools have March deadlines?

Twelve programs, all on March 1, 2027. They are listed in the March 1 table above.

Should I apply to more PA schools in January?

Only to programs whose minimums you meet and that confirm in writing that seats remain. CASPA does not refund a program that has already filled its class.

Do PA programs fill seats before the deadline?

Yes. CASPA says: "Some programs fill their classes prior to their posted deadline, even if they do not specifically state they offer rolling admissions."

Can I apply to a closed PA program?

Only with an invitation code from that program. CASPA describes these codes as "deadline extensions offered to individual applicants".

Review the writing you send next

For a late add, the program's own essay may be the last thing you write before its deadline. Get a free Quick Review of your secondary essay against GradPilot's PA "why this program" rubric; it checks that the essay answers that program's own question and ties one thing the program does to your experience. Submitting CASPA for the first time? The CASPA personal statement rubric reads your reason for PA, your patient-care reflection and your grasp of team-based practice.

More PA and medical application guides are in our medical school essays hub.

Sources

Retrieved November 7, 2026, except where noted.

• CASPA Applicant Help Center, Participating Programs and Eligibility (2026-2027 cycle) and its deadline data file (last modified November 6, 2026): deadline colors, developing programs, the program list and counts.
• CASPA Applicant Help Center, Selecting CASPA Programs: adding programs after submission, seats, refunds, invitation codes.
• CASPA Applicant Help Center, Submitting and Completing Your Application: verification time, refunds, seat filling.
• CASPA Applicant Help Center, Checking Your Notifications and Status: missing-item notifications, posting times.
• CASPA Applicant Help Center, Customer Service: what programs answer.
• CASPA Applicant Help Center, Application Cycle Dates (2026-2027 cycle): final dates.
• ARC-PA, Currently accredited programs and Applicant programs: status of developing programs.
• PAEA, Program Directory (2026-2027 cycle; self-reported by programs): supplemental application fields.
• Northwestern University PA Program, Admissions FAQ (2026-27 cycle): rolling interviews.
• OHSU PA Program, Admissions (no year stated): interview and decision timing.