Please check the RRCC PA Program for the dates of general information sessions. The faculty provides these sessions to provide additional information about the PA profession and specific information about the RRCC PA program, including the application/admission process.

The 2026 application cycle will open April 30, 2026. All applications to the RRCC PA Program must be submitted through CASPA, a link is included under the General Criteria heading (see below).

Applicants for the admissions cycle from April 30, 2026 to September 1, 2026 must meet the following:

General Criteria

• The candidate must submit an application to CASPA and pay the application fee. Additionally, applicants must pay the RRCC application fee by September 15, 2026.
• Applicants requesting a secondary application fee waiver are required to submit an email directly to the RRCC PA Program pa.program@rrcc.edu noting this request.
• Three references are required to complete your application, but CASPA will accept up to five references for each applicant. (The admission committee recommends requesting references from individuals capable of assessing suitability and preparation of the applicant for a rigorous academic program and demanding career. Such individuals might include physicians, PAs or other health care providers.) A submission of five references provides no advantage over three references.
• The applicant cannot have been convicted of a felony criminal offense or of any criminal offense, regardless of its designation, which involved a crime of moral turpitude or crime against children.
• Applicants selected for an admission interview must appear for a scheduled interview. Interviews will be conducted in in-person and/or virtual formats, based on current COVID-19 recommendations. No telephone interviews will be conducted.

Academic Criteria

The applicant must obtain a baccalaureate degree by September 1, 2026. Refer to our webpage for a list of prerequisite courses. The baccalaureate degree must be obtained through an institution of higher learning accredited by a Department of Education (DOE) recognized accrediting agency. Transcripts submitted to CASPA must include degree designation and date of conferral. Please see below for information regarding international baccalaureate degrees.

All RRCC PA program prerequisites must be acquired at a US institution of higher learning accredited by a DOE recognized agency. The applicant must complete all RRCC PA program prerequisites courses by September 1, 2026. All prerequisite courses must be completed with a grade of C or higher. Courses completed with Pass/Fail and/or Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory grades will not be accepted. Applicants must have a cumulative prerequisite GPA of 3.0 or higher. Completion of prerequisite course in an on-line format are accepted. Applicants are strongly advised to contact the conferring institution to confirm the completed prerequisite course(s) meet RRCC PA Program prerequisite course requirements. 

Clinical Criteria  

The applicant must have acquired at least 2,000 hours of paid healthcare-relevant experience (see FAQ #6 for further explanation) between September 1, 2021 and September 1, 2026.  Hours obtained for academic credit or in volunteer capacities do not count towards the required 2,000 paid hours. Applicants must report acquired healthcare experience using CASPA guidelines, in the CASPA application under the headings of Patient Care Experience or Health Related Experience. Applicants must list job title, role, name of institution, name and title of supervisor, and provide a detailed description of tasks, number of hours worked per week, and total number of weeks worked. 2,000 hours of paid healthcare experience MUST be acquired by the time of application submittal. The RRCC PA Program will not project out, or accept additional documents pertaining to, acquired healthcare experience after the application submittal. Be advised that all reported healthcare experience is subject to review and verification by the RRCC PA Program admission committee. Falsification of reported healthcare experience is grounds for expulsion from the PA Program review and/or admission process.

Applicants are advised to continue to acquire additional healthcare-relevant experience hours following application submittal. If selected as a program interviewee, the applicant will be invited to provide the admission committee with documentation certifying additional healthcare-relevant experience hours acquired post-application submittal.

Technical Standards 

The following technical standards have been formally adopted by the Program and apply to all candidates for admission and students throughout their enrollment in the Program. To be admitted as students in the RRCC PA Program, candidates must meet the following Technical Standards with acceptable accommodations, as appropriate and granted by the Program, without making substantial changes to the structure of the program:

1. Students must be able to observe lectures, demonstrations, experiments, computer-assisted instruction, and waveform readings and must be able to use vision, hearing, and somatic senses to accurately observe patients both near and at a distance.
2. Students must communicate effectively with faculty members, patients, preceptors, and other members of the health care team. Students must be able to communicate accurately and clearly in spoken and written formats and must be able to use speech, hearing, reading, and writing to effectively elicit patient histories, record data, and interpret data related to patient care.
3. Students must have sufficient motor and tactile skills to elicit information from patients by palpation, auscultation, percussion, and other diagnostic maneuvers. Students must be physically able to perform standard patient care activities, including but not limited to a complete physical examination (including, but not limited to examination of the genitalia of any gender and muscle strength needed to perform a complete musculoskeletal examination, the suturing of skin and other tissues, and performance of retraction and instrument usage necessary to assist the primary surgeon.
4. Students must have sufficient intellectual, conceptual, reasoning, and problem-solving abilities to assimilate and integrate historical information, physical findings, diagnostic test results, and other patient-related data to form a diagnostic impression and a therapeutic plan for patients.
5. Students must have the capacity and willingness to develop sound clinical and personal judgment, mature professional relationships, and the ability to tolerate physically and emotionally stressful situations and circumstances. Students must have and maintain a sufficient degree of physical and mental health to provide effective, compassionate, and safe health care and must be able to respond appropriately and effectively in emergency situations.
6. Students must have the capacity and willingness to recognize limitations of their skills, legal authority and authorization, and must be willing to seek appropriate supervision and direction.
7. Students must develop and demonstrate professional and ethical behaviors with respect to faculty, staff, co-workers, preceptors, patients, the families of patients, and other stakeholders in health care training and delivery.

Application and Fee Submittal

CASPA will begin accepting applications April 30, 2026

a.  The CASPA application MUST be SUBMITTED by 9:59 p.m. (MST) September 1, 2026, and VERIFIED by CASPA by September 15, 2026, to be reviewed by the RRCC PA Program admission committee. (Please note that CASPA may take up to 6 weeks to verify an application.) Applications submitted to CASPA after 9:59 p.m. (MST) September 1, 2026, or applications that have not been verified by September 15, 2026 will not be reviewed by the RRCC PA Program admission committee. Transcripts verifying degrees or course grades acquired after the application submission MUST BE submitted through CASPA by September 1, 2026 in order to be reviewed by the RRCC PA Program admission committee. Only information provided within the CASPA application will be reviewed.

b.  There is a non-refundable $100 RRCC application fee (in addition to the CASPA application fee). The RRCC application fee must be paid by 5:00 p.m. (MST) September 15, 2026. The application will not be reviewed if the application fee is not paid by the deadline. The RRCC application fee can be paid by:

• By credit card, online
• By check. Please mail to:

RRCC Cashier’s Office
13300 W. 6th Avenue, Box 2
Lakewood, CO 80228-1255

Write your CASPA number on your Check and reference the PA Program.

• In person. Please visit the Cashier’s Office on the Lakewood campus: Mon.–Thur. 9am-6pm (MST); Friday 9am-5pm (MST).
• Secondary fee waivers to the RRCC PA Program are considered for applicants who have also been awarded CASPA application fee waivers. Applicants meeting this criteria are required to email the RRCC PA Program: pa.program@rrcc.edu to request a secondary application fee waiver.

** CASPA must consider your application to be "Complete" to be placed in line for Verification. In general, an application is complete when:

1. The CASPA application was submitted online. Applicants will receive an email from CASPA confirming the application was successfully submitted.
2. All official transcripts have been received and posted to the CASPA application. Coursework and conferred degree must be verified by transcript.
3. Two out of three letters of reference (evaluations) have been completed and submitted to CASPA. However, the application will not be reviewed by the RRCC admission committee if the third reference letter is not submitted by September 15, 2026.
4. The CASPA application fee payment was submitted and marked as received.