South University PA Program Interview: Format and Campuses

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South University's Master of Science in Physician Assistant (MSPA) program invites competitive CASPA applicants to a required interview on a rolling basis. You receive your admission decision within 2 weeks after interviewing, according to the South University Academic Catalog. Each campus stops interviewing once its seats are full. Sources: South University Academic Catalog: Master of Science in Physician Assistant, South University MSPA Degree Overview, South University Savannah PA Program. Last checked November 3, 2026.

How the South University PA interview works

Every South University PA campus uses rolling admissions and requires an interview before offering a seat. Submitting your CASPA application and GRE scores early directly affects your chances of getting an invitation because each campus ends its interview season once all available seats are full.

The South University Academic Catalog does not require Casper or Kira Talent, and each campus sets its own interview day schedule (such as one-on-one, panel, group, or MMI stations). Confirm your schedule and interview format in the invitation email from the campus you designated in CASPA. During the interview, the Admissions Committee evaluates eight areas listed in the catalog. To rehearse these topics out loud with rubric-based feedback, use our PA school mock interview tool. Start your free week.

Interpersonal skills and how you interact with faculty, staff, and peers.
Problem-solving ability and clinical reasoning.
Professionalism and ethical conduct.
Motivation for pursuing the PA profession.
Academic potential for the quarter-based curriculum.
Oral communication skills, including compassion and sensitivity.
Knowledge of the PA profession and the U.S. healthcare system.
Alignment with the South University PA mission and vision.

Savannah, Tampa, West Palm Beach, Richmond and Austin compared

All South University PA programs share the same 27-month, 174-credit curriculum (100 didactic credits across five quarters and 74 clinical credits across four quarters) and January start. Austin, Richmond, Savannah, Tampa, and West Palm Beach deliver the didactic phase primarily on campus with some blended virtual instruction, while High Point uses a full-time, primarily off-campus hybrid didactic format with on-campus immersions.

During the 12-month clinical phase, students complete eight 5-week rotations across Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Surgery, Pediatrics, Women's Health, Behavioral Medicine, Emergency Medicine, and a Clinical Elective. The program's Clinical Education Team vets and assigns rotation sites, so students do not supply their own preceptors, though students pay their own travel, housing, credentialing, and living expenses. Each campus stops interviewing once its class seats are filled and posts its five-year NCCPA PANCE first-time pass rate report and graduation rate PDF on its campus webpage, with a program goal of equaling or exceeding the national average.

### Savannah, GA

Savannah holds ARC-PA Accreditation-Continued status. Students may travel up to 500 miles for up to 4 of the 8 clinical rotations, and many use Georgia Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) housing.

### Tampa, FL

Tampa holds ARC-PA Accreditation-Continued status. Many students commute locally for rotations, though clinical sites are available up to 2,000 miles from campus.

### West Palm Beach, FL

West Palm Beach welcomed its first cohort in January 2020 and holds ARC-PA Accreditation-Continued status. Students may travel up to 150 miles for up to 2 of the 8 rotations.

### Richmond, VA

Richmond holds ARC-PA Accreditation-Continued status. Students may travel for up to 2 of the 8 rotations, with clinical sites available up to 2,850 miles away. For another Virginia option, see our Radford University Carilion PA interview guide.

### Austin, TX

Austin shares the on-campus didactic format, 174-credit curriculum, and January start. Check the Austin campus website or call (512) 516-8800 for its current PANCE report, clinical travel radius, and deadline.

South University PA campuses: deadlines, interviews, GRE codes and selection preferences
Campus	GRE Code & Phone	CASPA Complete Deadline	Interview Window	Campus Selection Preferences & Deposit
Savannah, GA	0467 / (912) 201-8025 or (912) 201-8171	July 15	June to November	Prefers Overall GPA 3.2+ and BCP GPA 3.2+. No preference for specific GRE scores. $1,000 non-refundable acceptance fee.
Tampa, FL	0454 / (813) 393-3720	August 1	June to October	Prefers Overall GPA 3.4+, BCP GPA 3.2+, Prerequisite GPA 3.2+, GRE Verbal & Quantitative 50th+ percentile, GRE Writing 4.0+, and PA letters. $1,000 non-refundable fee.
West Palm Beach, FL	7108 / (561) 273-6520 or (561) 273-6513	August 1	July to November	Prefers Overall GPA 3.4+, BCP GPA 3.4+, GRE Verbal & Quantitative 146+, GRE Writing 3.5+, and PA letters. $1,000 non-refundable fee.
Richmond, VA	7147 / (804) 727-6894 or (804) 727-6836	August 1	May to November	Prefers BCP GPA 3.0+, PA letters, in-person PA shadowing (virtual not preferred), community service leadership, and mission alignment. $1,000 fee ($900 refundable).
Austin, TX	0174 / (512) 516-8800	Check campus website	Rolling until seats fill	Uses the catalog's 3.0 Overall and 3.0 BCP GPA minimums and selection factors. $1,000 non-refundable acceptance fee.
High Point, NC	6259 / (336) 812-7397	Check campus website	Rolling until seats fill	Full-time, primarily off-campus hybrid didactic format with on-campus immersions. $1,000 non-refundable acceptance fee.

South University PA mission, vision and goals

The Admissions Committee grades your alignment with the program's mission and vision during the interview. Match each theme below to a real patient, shadowing, or service experience from your own file.

Mission Statement: "The mission of the South University Physician Assistant (MSPA) program is to educate a diverse student population and prepare graduates to practice the art and science of medicine who provide high-quality, compassionate, patient-centered healthcare that is responsive to the needs of all individuals."

Vision Statement: "The South University Master of Science in Physician Assistant (MSPA) degree program strives to provide an educational environment that empowers students to practice evidence-based, patient-centered medical care. With an emphasis on increasing access to care, addressing barriers in healthcare delivery, and engaging in community outreach, we aim to offer meaningful connection and experiences for students, faculty, and staff. As future clinical leaders, the program's focus is to graduate physician assistants who will champion compassionate care and patient advocacy."

The Richmond campus page also lists four domains for mission-aligned attributes: unique life experiences, personal accomplishments and leadership, resilience and resourcefulness, and commitment to pursuits. Across all campuses, the program's three official goals are promoting advocacy and leadership within the PA profession, preparing graduates to achieve a first-time PANCE pass rate that equals or exceeds the national average, and offering community service and outreach opportunities that improve access to quality healthcare.

12 South University PA interview questions to practice

Our team wrote these 12 practice questions around the eight evaluation factors in the South University catalog and the program's mission and curriculum. Below the list, see our worked example answer for Question 1, and see the Practice box for Question 2. For more prompts, read our guide to PA program interview questions.

Example answer for Question 1 (written by our team, the applicant is invented): "During my two years as a medical assistant in an outpatient internal medicine clinic, I worked alongside both an MD and a PA. The PA managed her own panel of chronic disease patients while consulting directly with the attending physician on complex cases, and she later transitioned from hospital medicine into primary care when our community needed more outpatient access. Watching how she adjusted her specialty to meet a local shortage showed me the value of a PA's generalist training and lateral mobility. I want to practice in that collaborative team structure rather than pursue a single-specialty residency. South University fits how I learn because the quarter system integrates four Applied Learning Experience courses in Quarters 2 through 5 alongside the Clinical Medicine and Pharmacotherapeutics sequence. That structure lets me apply physical diagnosis, patient education, and interprofessional teamwork in community settings early, so I am ready to contribute on day one of my eight clinical rotations."

1. Motivation and PA knowledge: Why do you want to become a Physician Assistant rather than a physician or nurse practitioner, and why at South University?
2. Mission and healthcare barriers: Our vision emphasizes addressing barriers in healthcare delivery and increasing access to care. Tell us about a barrier you have witnessed a patient face and what you learned.
3. Interpersonal skills: Describe a time you had to build rapport quickly with an anxious or frustrated patient.
4. Problem-solving under pressure: Tell us about a complex situation at work or school where your initial plan fell apart. How did you adapt?
5. Professionalism and integrity: Tell us about a time you made a mistake in a clinical or academic setting and how you handled it.
6. Communication: How have you explained a complicated medical or scientific concept to someone without a healthcare background?
7. Academic readiness: South University's MSPA curriculum covers 100 didactic quarter credits in 15 months, peaking at 23 credits in Quarter 5. How will you manage that workload?
8. Constructive feedback (Technical Standards): Our Technical Standards require students to accept, integrate, and act upon constructive feedback. Tell us about a piece of criticism that was hard to hear and what you changed.
9. Knowledge of the healthcare system: What is one major challenge facing the U.S. healthcare system today, and how do PAs help address it?
10. Community service and leadership: One of South University's three program goals is promoting advocacy, leadership, and community outreach. How have you contributed to your community over time?
11. Teamwork and boundaries: Tell us about a disagreement you had with a coworker or teammate in a high-stress environment.
12. Clinical rotation travel: Depending on your campus, you may have to relocate for clinical rotations. How have you prepared for that?

How to prepare for your South University PA interview

Use this six-step plan in the two weeks before your interview to match your stories to South University's selection rubric. To practice your answers out loud with follow-up questions and rubric-based feedback, use Confetto's AI mock interviewer. Start your free week.

Map one clinical story to each of the eight evaluation criteria in the catalog: interpersonal skills, problem-solving, professionalism, motivation, academic potential, communication, PA profession knowledge, and mission alignment.
Review your campus's clinical travel policy in the comparison section above so you can speak positively about relocating during the clinical year.
Prepare a clear explanation of how the didactic phase builds clinical readiness through the four Applied Learning Experience courses (PAS5295 through PAS5298) before you start your eight clinical rotations.
Audit your application against your campus's preference tiers (such as a 3.4+ GPA at Tampa and West Palm Beach or a 3.2+ GPA at Savannah) so you are ready to address any academic dips directly.
Read the five Technical Standards in the catalog (Observation, Communication, Motor and Physical Function, Intellectual and Cognitive Abilities, and Behavioral and Social Attributes) and prepare an example of accepting constructive feedback and staying composed under stress.
Rehearse your answers out loud on camera so you can leave room for follow-up questions.

Admissions requirements, prerequisites, PCE hours and tuition

Show details

Every South University PA campus shares the same minimum admission requirements and prerequisite list in the Academic Catalog. For how these compare nationally, see our guide to PA school requirements.

Degree, GPA, GRE, and references: Earn a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution by August 1st of the admissions cycle. Meet the minimum 3.0 CASPA Overall GPA and 3.0 BCP science GPA. Submit official GRE General Test scores to CASPA using your campus's ETS code, along with at least three reference letters (at least one from an unrelated MD, DO, PA, or NP).
Prerequisite courses and rules: Complete all prerequisites with a grade of C or better prior to submitting CASPA. Online, virtual, and campus-based courses from regionally accredited U.S. institutions are accepted. Required courses are 2 sequenced Anatomy and Physiology courses with lab (no substitutions), 2 General Biology courses (lab recommended, and Cell Biology, Genetics, Molecular Biology, or Immunology may substitute for Biology II only), 2 General Chemistry courses with lab, 1 Microbiology course with lab (no substitutions), and 1 Organic Chemistry or Biochemistry course (lab recommended, not required). AP credit counts as one course credit toward a prerequisite without factoring into GPA. CLEP and transfer credits are not accepted.
Patient care experience (PCE): Clinical experience is not required, and there is no predetermined minimum number of hours or months. The Admissions Committee gives preference to direct patient care experience, such as working as a physical therapist, respiratory therapist, EMT or paramedic, nurse, medical assistant, or CNA.
Tuition and fees: Base tuition effective September 1, 2026 is $11,967 per quarter, or $107,703 across 9 quarters, for both in-state and out-of-state students. Required university fees total $15,565 ($225 registration, $250 graduation, $2,610 digital textbooks, $3,480 technology, and $9,000 clinical experience), plus a $1,000 acceptance fee applied to tuition. With estimated supplies and clinical rotation travel, published total costs are $132,108 at Tampa and West Palm Beach ($4,500 estimated travel), $133,698 at Richmond ($6,000 estimated travel), and $136,598 at Savannah ($9,000 estimated travel).

Practice question

Our vision emphasizes addressing barriers in healthcare delivery and increasing access to care. Tell us about a barrier you have witnessed a patient face and what you learned.

See an example answer

Example answer written by our team. The applicant is invented: "While working as a CNA at a rural primary care clinic, I cared for a patient with uncontrolled hypertension who missed three follow-up visits in a row. On the surface, his chart looked like simple non-adherence. When he came in for a walk-in refill request, I asked him privately what was making it hard to make his appointments. He explained that he worked an hourly warehouse shift and could not afford to lose half a day of pay for a 15-minute blood pressure check. I brought this to our supervising PA, and together we moved his checks to our 7:30 a.m. slot and switched his prescription to 90-day generic fills at a pharmacy next to his workplace. Three months later, his blood pressure was at goal. That experience taught me to ask about logistics before assuming a patient lacks motivation, which connects directly to South University's Special Populations in Primary Care coursework."

It names one real patient barrier from direct patient care experience, shows how the applicant worked with a supervising PA to solve it, and connects the lesson directly to courses in the South University MSPA catalog.

Frequently asked questions

What GPA and GRE scores do I need for the South University PA program?

All campuses require a minimum CASPA Overall GPA and BCP science GPA of 3.0 and official GRE scores sent to CASPA. Campuses award preference for higher numbers: Savannah prefers a 3.2+ Overall and BCP GPA with no GRE score preference, while Tampa prefers a 3.4+ Overall GPA, 3.2+ BCP and Prerequisite GPA, 50th+ percentile GRE Verbal and Quantitative, and 4.0+ GRE Writing. West Palm Beach prefers a 3.4+ Overall and BCP GPA, 146+ GRE Verbal and Quantitative, and 3.5+ GRE Writing.

How many patient care experience (PCE) hours are required for South University's PA program?

Clinical experience is not required, and there is no predetermined minimum number of hours or months of healthcare experience. However, the Admissions Committee gives preference to applicants with direct patient care experience, such as an EMT, paramedic, nurse, medical assistant, CNA, physical therapist, or respiratory therapist.

How long after the South University PA interview will I hear back?

All campuses use rolling admissions and notify applicants of their admission decision within 2 weeks after interviewing.

Can I hold seats at multiple South University PA campuses?

No. Accepted applicants may reserve a seat at only one South University campus, must notify any other South University PA programs of their intent to withdraw within 14 calendar days of signing the acceptance form, and cannot transfer the $1,000 acceptance fee between locations.