Updated · 15 min read
Xavier University of Louisiana PA Interview & Requirements
Key facts (2026-27)
- Format
- In-person interview on campus
- Where
- In person at Xavier University of Louisiana in New Orleans
- Also required
- Casper test (90 to 110 minutes on Acuity Insights) required before the interview to remain eligible
Dates for 2026-27
Late summer to early fall
Interviews
Sent about 2 to 3 weeks after the committee's final decision and by October 15, with a $1,000 deposit due within 10 calendar days
Offers and decisions
Checked November 2026 against XULA PA Program: Next Steps and XULA PA Program: How to Apply. Confirm details in your invitation.
The Xavier University of Louisiana (XULA) PA interview is held in person on the New Orleans campus from late summer to early fall, and every invited applicant must complete the Casper test beforehand to stay eligible. According to XULA's PA Program FAQ and Next Steps pages, the program accepts up to 40 students each January and sends admission offers by October 15. Because prerequisites do not expire, XULA tells interviewees to come ready to explain how they have kept older science coursework easily recallable.
What the Xavier University of Louisiana PA interview looks like
Xavier University of Louisiana interviews PA applicants in person on its New Orleans campus. Invitations go out by email, and interviews run from late summer through early fall for the cohort that starts in January.
Before you arrive on campus, you must complete the Casper situational judgment test. XULA's How to Apply page states that all applicants invited to interview are required to complete Casper before the interview to maintain admissions eligibility.
Confirm your exact schedule, room assignments, and interview format in the invitation email from the program. On the day of the interview, XULA requires you to bring a passport-size photo ID.
One specific topic matters if your coursework is older. XULA has no expiration date on prerequisite courses, and both its FAQ and Next Steps pages warn that applicants must be prepared in an interview setting to address how prerequisite information has been kept easily recallable.
To practice answering out loud before you travel to New Orleans, Confetto offers AI mock interviews for <a href="/pa-school">PA school interview questions and mock interviews</a> with follow-up questions on your own application. Start your free week.
Xavier University of Louisiana PA interview and selection steps
| Step | What Xavier University of Louisiana states |
|---|---|
| Interview format and location | In-person interview conducted on campus at Xavier University of Louisiana in New Orleans |
| Interview season | Late summer to early fall |
| How invitations are sent | By email to selected applicants after CASPA verification |
| Required before the interview | Casper test (90 to 110 minutes, online open-response situational judgment test on Acuity Insights) |
| What to bring | A passport-size photo ID |
| Specific interview readiness warning | Be prepared to explain how you have kept prerequisite coursework information easily recallable |
| Admissions offers | Sent about 2 to 3 weeks after the Admissions Committee's final decision, and by October 15 (early admissions are also offered) |
| Seat deposit | $1,000 non-refundable deposit due within 10 calendar days of the offer letter, applied to tuition |
Mission, the Ochsner Health partnership, and what interviewers look for
Your interview performance is weighed alongside your CASPA application, GPA, test scores, three letters of reference, level of direct patient care, and personal statement. From XULA's Mission, Vision, and Program Goals page: "In the spirit of academic excellence, the mission of the Xavier University Physician Assistant Program is to educate physician assistants to become ethical, competent, and compassionate physician assistants who are dedicated to providing superior quality healthcare that contributes to the promotion of a more just and humane society by improving the healthcare of the diverse communities we serve."
According to XULA's August 2024 accreditation announcement, Xavier is one of four colleges in Louisiana, one of two in New Orleans, and one of seven Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the nation to offer an accredited PA program. After three semesters (12 consecutive months) of classroom instruction on campus, students complete 16 months and about 2,000 hours of supervised clinical training across 11 rotations at Ochsner facilities and community-based clinical sites, covering Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, General Surgery, Emergency Medicine, Behavioral Health, and Women's Health.
XULA gives admissions preference to Xavier University of Louisiana students or alumni and to Ochsner Health employees who have worked there within the past two years and are in good standing. As of August 2024, the program had graduated 108 students, and about 48% accepted jobs with Ochsner Health. If you are also applying to medical schools in the state, see our guides to the <a href="/articles/preparing-for-the-xavier-university-college-of-osteopathic-medicine-interview">Xavier University COM interview</a> and the <a href="/articles/preparing-for-the-louisiana-state-university-school-of-medicine-in-shreveport-interview">LSU Shreveport med school interview</a>.
- Service to underserved communities: XULA recommends community service because it carries out the mission to promote a more just and humane society and prepares students to train with disadvantaged groups.
- Direct patient care with prior training: While 80 healthcare hours is the minimum, XULA gives preference to hands-on direct patient care that required a prior period of training.
- Interprofessional teamwork: Program Goal 4 focuses on preparing graduates to collaborate on interprofessional teams across XULA and the Ochsner Health System.
- Full-time commitment: The 28-month curriculum is fast-paced and strongly discourages outside employment. During clinical rotations, students must be available to preceptors on short notice outside regular office hours.
12 Xavier PA practice questions and worked examples
These 12 practice questions are written by our team around XULA's mission, its Ochsner Health clinical partnership, its Casper requirement, and its rule on recalling prerequisite knowledge. For broader preparation across all programs, read our guide to the top 40 <a href="/articles/pa-program-interview-questions">PA school interview questions</a>.
Below are two worked examples followed by the 12-question list, written by our team to show how to handle XULA's prerequisite recall check and its Ochsner Health team focus. A third full example is in the practice block below.
Question: "Some of your science prerequisites were completed a few years ago. How have you kept that material easily recallable for our didactic year?"
"I took General Chemistry and Anatomy and Physiology four years ago during my sophomore year, so I made a deliberate plan to keep physiology and pharmacology active while working full time. For the past two years as an emergency department technician, whenever a PA or physician orders a lab panel or medication drip for one of my patients, I write down the mechanism or pathway I cannot immediately explain and review it after my shift. Earlier this spring, I also prepared for and took the PA-CAT, using the subject exams in anatomy, physiology, and microbiology to test where my recall had faded. When my practice scores showed I was rusty on renal physiology and acid-base balance, I spent four weeks reworking those chapters and tutoring two undergraduate pre-health students at my local community center. Teaching the material out loud forced me to explain the why behind every step rather than relying on short-term memory."
Example answer written by our team. The applicant is invented.
Question: "Tell us about a time you worked on an interprofessional healthcare team and had to speak up for a patient."
"While working as a certified nursing assistant on a post-surgical floor, I cared for an older patient recovering from abdominal surgery whose first language was Vietnamese. During morning rounds, the surgical team noted that he was refusing to ambulate and marked him as non-compliant in the plan for the day. When I went in to help him bathe, I used the hospital's video interpreter tablet instead of relying on basic hand gestures. Through the interpreter, he explained that he was not refusing therapy. He felt a sharp pulling sensation near his incision whenever he stood up and was afraid he would tear his stitches if he walked before a doctor looked at the dressing. I documented what he told me and paged the unit PA before physical therapy arrived. The PA came back to examine the incision with the interpreter on screen, reassured him that the sutures were intact, and adjusted his pain medication timing thirty minutes before physical therapy. He walked the hallway that afternoon."
Example answer written by our team. The applicant is invented.
- 1. Why do you want to become a physician assistant, and why specifically at Xavier University of Louisiana? (Focus on the Master of Health Science curriculum, the Ochsner partnership, and XULA's mission to promote a more just and humane society.)
- 2. How have you kept your foundational science prerequisite knowledge easily recallable for our 12-month didactic phase? (Name concrete habits: tutoring, clinical application at work, PA-CAT review, or recent upper-level biology coursework.)
- 3. Tell us about a hands-on direct patient care experience that required prior training, and how it prepared you for the PA role. (Highlight your training, what you observed at the bedside, and how a PA on the team managed the care plan.)
- 4. Share a community service experience that benefited an underserved or disadvantaged group. What did it teach you about healthcare barriers? (Tie a specific barrier you saw, like transportation or cost, to patient-centered care.)
- 5. You will complete 11 rotations across the Ochsner Health System on interprofessional teams. Tell us about a time you resolved a miscommunication on a team. (Show how you listened first, clarified roles, and kept the patient or goal at the center.)
- 6. Our 28-month program runs through spring, summer, and fall without breaks and strongly discourages outside work. How have you planned for the workload and financial commitment? (Give a practical answer covering your study systems, support network, and budget.)
- 7. Tell us about a time you received critical feedback from a clinical supervisor or professor. What did you change afterward? (In clinical rotations, preceptors evaluate students at week 2 and week 4 and expect you to seek critique and act on it.)
- 8. A patient in a rural Louisiana clinic refuses a recommended medication because of cultural beliefs or distrust of the health system. How do you respond? (Ask open questions to understand their concern before offering options.)
- 9. What did you observe while shadowing a practicing PA, MD, or DO that clarified how the physician-PA relationship works on a busy shift? (Describe a real moment of collaboration and knowing when to consult.)
- 10. Describe a time you noticed a mistake that affected a patient or team, either your own or a colleague's. What did you do? (XULA's policies stress honesty, patient safety, and knowing your limitations.)
- 11. As one of seven HBCUs with a PA program, XULA works to create more diversity within the PA profession. How will your background and experience contribute to our cohort of 40 students? (Connect your lived experience to how you listen to and advocate for patients.)
- 12. If you are not accepted into the PA program this cycle, how will you strengthen your application for next year? (Point to specific steps, such as adding trained direct patient care hours or taking recommended 3000/4000-level biology electives like immunology or histology.)
How to prepare in the two weeks before your XULA interview
Use this checklist written by our team to organize your final two weeks before stepping onto campus at the Qatar Pavilion.
- Confirm your Casper status: Log into Acuity Insights at takecasper.com and verify that your Casper score is completed and set for distribution to Xavier University of Louisiana. Casper is only valid for one admissions cycle.
- Audit your oldest prerequisite courses: Highlight any older science prerequisite on your CASPA transcript and prepare a concise explanation of how you have reviewed or used that knowledge recently.
- Review your CASPA hours and essays: Reread your 625-word personal statement of intent and your healthcare experience descriptions so your spoken examples match your written file.
- Prepare your ID and travel to campus: Pack a passport-size photo ID and plan your route to the Department of Physician Assistant Studies at the Qatar Pavilion, 1 Drexel Drive in New Orleans.
- Prepare two questions for faculty: Ask about specifics that show you read the curriculum, such as how students transition into the 11 rotations with Ochsner Health or how the comprehensive and summative evaluations are structured.
Admissions, prerequisites, PANCE pass rates, and tuition
XULA's PA program began instruction in 2020, graduated its first class in 2022, and awards the Master of Health Science (M.H.S.) degree in Physician Assistant Studies over 28 months. On its PANCE Results page, XULA reports a 92% first-time test-taker pass rate for the graduating Class of 2025, and its homepage highlights a 100% first-time PANCE pass rate for the Class of 2026. The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) granted the program Accreditation-Continued status in June 2024 after initial provisional accreditation in September 2019, with a maximum class size of 40 students per year and the next validation review in June 2034.
Every applicant applies through CASPA by August 1 with no supplemental application, a minimum 3.0 overall, science, and prerequisite GPA, at least 80 healthcare experience hours, and official PA-CAT, GRE, or MCAT scores plus Casper. In addition to required basic science and general prerequisite courses, XULA strongly recommends upper-level biology electives (3 to 8 credits) and Medical Ethics. On XULA's PA Financial Aid page, tuition is $13,571 per semester for both in-state and out-of-state residents, with total estimated Tuition and Institutional & Program Fees of $106,538, Other Program Costs of $28,385, and a total estimated program cost of $134,923. For a comparison with national norms, see our guide to <a href="/articles/pa-school-requirements">PA school requirements</a>.
When you are ready to rehearse your answers for interview day in New Orleans, Confetto's AI mock interviewer gives you rubric-based feedback on your spoken responses. Start your free week.
XULA PA admissions summary and required prerequisites
| Requirement or course | Credits / minimum | Official XULA notes |
|---|---|---|
| CASPA deadline & degree | August 1 | Opens late April. Bachelor's degree, prerequisites, and CASPA verification due by Aug 1. No supplemental |
| Minimum GPAs & HCE | 3.0 GPA / 80 hours | 3.0 overall, science, and prerequisite GPA. 80 HCE hours at submission (preference for trained direct patient care) |
| Tests & letters | PA-CAT, GRE, or MCAT + Casper | PA-CAT (min 490, 511 recommended, due 2 weeks before Aug 1), GRE (min 290 combined and 3 writing, code 4433), or MCAT (min 496). 3 CASPA letters (at least 1 from a PA or physician). Casper required before interview |
| General Biology I & II with labs (or Bio I with lab + Upper-Level Biology) | 8 credits (or 7 to 8 credits) | For science majors. No online labs |
| General Chemistry I & II with labs | 8 credits | For science majors. No online labs |
| Human Anatomy & Physiology I & II with labs | 8 credits | Combined A&P I & II accepted. 7 credits considered case-by-case with syllabus review. No animal/comparative substitutions. No online labs |
| Organic Chemistry I with lab | 4 credits | For science majors. No online labs |
| Organic Chemistry II or Biochemistry | 3 or 4 credits | No lab required. Minimum 3 semester hours |
| Microbiology with lab | 4 credits | Not satisfied by molecular, cellular, or bacteriology alone. No online labs |
| Genetics | 3 credits | For science majors |
| English Composition, General Psychology, Statistics, Sociology | 3 credits each | General prerequisites |
| Pre-Calculus or Calculus (or BOTH College Trigonometry & College Algebra) | 3 credits (or 6 credits) | General prerequisite |
| Medical Terminology | 1 to 3 credits | Can be taken online at a regionally accredited college. No work experience or test-out |
Xavier Louisiana PA PA program practice question (written by us, not Xavier Louisiana PA)
Why do you want to train as a physician assistant at Xavier University of Louisiana, and how does your background fit our mission to promote a more just and humane society?
Example answer (written by us, invented applicant)
"I want to train at Xavier because my clinical experience in South Louisiana showed me how much chronic disease management depends on trust and access, not just prescriptions. For the past eighteen months, I have worked as a medical assistant at a community clinic in Jefferson Parish, where many of our patients work hourly service jobs and delay care until their hypertension or diabetes becomes an emergency. Working alongside our clinic's PA, I saw how she took ten extra minutes to switch a patient to a generic medication on a four-dollar formulary and coordinate lab draws around his shift schedule. That combination of diagnostic autonomy and practical patient advocacy is why I want to be a PA. Xavier fits how I want to train and practice for two reasons. First, the mission to educate PAs who improve healthcare in diverse and underserved communities matches the patients I already serve and want to keep serving after graduation. Second, completing 11 clinical rotations across the Ochsner Health System means learning inside the exact hospital and clinic network where Gulf South patients receive everything from primary care to quaternary specialty care." Example answer written by our team. The applicant is invented.
Why this answer works: It names a concrete clinical role in Louisiana first, shows a clear understanding of what a PA does on a care team, and connects directly to two XULA specifics: the mission to serve diverse, underserved communities and the 11 clinical rotations with Ochsner Health.
Xavier Louisiana PA PA program interview FAQ
When is the Xavier University of Louisiana PA program application deadline?
The CASPA portal for XULA opens in late April and closes on August 1 each year. Your CASPA application, bachelor's degree, and all prerequisite courses must be completed and verified by CASPA on or before August 1, and official PA-CAT scores are due two weeks before August 1.
What is the Xavier University of Louisiana PA interview format?
Interviews are held in person on campus at Xavier University of Louisiana in New Orleans from late summer to early fall, by email invitation. All interviewees must complete the Casper test before the interview, bring a passport-size photo ID, and be ready to explain how they have kept older prerequisite coursework easily recallable.
Does the Xavier PA program require the GRE, PA-CAT, or Casper?
Yes. You must submit official scores from one standardized test taken within the past five years: the PA-CAT (minimum 490, 511 recommended), the GRE (minimum 290 combined verbal and quantitative and 3 on writing, code 4433), or the MCAT (minimum 496). In addition, every applicant must take the 90 to 110 minute Casper situational judgment test before interviewing.
What are the GPA and patient care hour minimums for the XULA PA program?
Applicants need a minimum 3.0 overall GPA, 3.0 undergraduate science GPA, and 3.0 prerequisite GPA in CASPA, with a grade of C or above in every prerequisite. At least 80 hours of paid or volunteer healthcare experience must be completed when you submit CASPA, and XULA gives preference to hands-on direct patient care that required prior training.
How many students does the Xavier PA program accept, and what is its PANCE pass rate?
ARC-PA approves the program to accept up to 40 students per year, starting classes in January. XULA reports a 92% first-time PANCE pass rate for the Class of 2025 on its PANCE Results page and highlights a 100% first-time pass rate for the Class of 2026 on its program homepage.
How much is tuition for the Xavier University of Louisiana PA program?
Tuition is $13,571 per semester for both in-state and out-of-state students. XULA estimates total Tuition and Institutional & Program Fees at $106,538 and total cost of attendance (including living expenses, equipment, and fees) at $134,923 for the 28-month program.
Sources, checked November 3, 2026:
- XULA PA Program Homepage
- XULA PA Program: How to Apply
- XULA PA Program: Next Steps
- XULA PA Program: FAQs
- XULA PA Program: Prerequisites
- XULA PA Program: Mission, Vision, Program Goals
- XULA PA Program: PANCE Results
- XULA PA Program: Accreditation
- ARC-PA Accreditation History: Xavier University of Louisiana
- XULA PA Program: Tuition and Financial Aid
- XULA PA Program: Policies
- XULA News: Xavier and Ochsner Receive Full Accreditation for PA Program (Aug 28, 2024)
Confetto isn't affiliated with Xavier University of Louisiana. Everything here about the school comes from its public pages, checked in November 2026.
Formats and dates can change between cycles, so go by your invitation email.