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UNMC PA Program Interview (MMI): Format, Dates and Who Gets In

What happens at the University of Nebraska Medical Center PA program interview, how you get one, and how it decides your offer.

UNMC uses a multiple mini interview (MMI): you rotate through timed stations, each with a question or situation. Interviews run in October and November 2026 at the Omaha and Kearney campuses, and include time with students and faculty and a campus tour. UNMC is not rolling, and decisions are sent in December.

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Key facts (2027 entry)

Format
A multiple mini interview of timed stations, each with a question or situation. UNMC does not publish the number of stations or their length.
Where
On the Omaha and Kearney campuses. Where you interview does not decide where you study.
When
October and November 2026 (tentative). Invitations come about two weeks before your date, in late September or early October.
Who is interviewed
The most qualified applicants, judged on the application and how many preference factors apply to them.
How offers work
Not rolling. More than 85% of selections are made after all interviews end, and every interview date has an equal chance.
Class size
About 50 students in Omaha and 16 in Kearney each year. Up to 11 seats are held for the RHOP and KHOP pathways.
Tests
No GRE or PA-CAT.

What happens on the interview day

An interview with the admissions committee is required for admission. The day has an MMI and time to get to know the program.

  • Timed stations. You rotate through a series of stations. Each has a question or a situation to complete.
  • Students and faculty. You meet current students and faculty and can ask your own questions.
  • Campus tour. You tour the campus where you interview, Omaha or Kearney.
  • Other formats listed. PAEA's directory also lists traditional and group interview types for UNMC, but UNMC's own FAQ describes only the MMI.

What the interview judges. UNMC names three things it judges at the interview: your understanding of and commitment to the PA profession, your communication, and qualities like maturity, self-awareness, leadership and resilience.

How offers are decided

The admissions committee, made up of program faculty and administrators, makes the final selections.

  • After all interviews. UNMC does not use rolling admission. More than 85% of selections come once every interview is done.
  • December. Decisions are emailed to all applicants.
  • Waitlist. UNMC offers seats from its waitlist as they open, until the first week of August.
  • Before you start. Accepted students complete a background check and drug test, and finish all prerequisites by July 15.

How you get an interview

UNMC reviews every application holistically. The more preference factors you meet, the more competitive you are.

  • GPA of 3.20 or more. Preferred for both overall and science GPA. The minimums are 3.0 cumulative, prerequisite and science GPA.
  • Patient care. There is no minimum, but the most competitive applicants have about 2,000 hours. Roles with more responsibility count more.
  • 20 hours of PA exploration. Required, logged on the Discovering the PA Profession form in CASPA. Shadowing a PA can be part of it but is not required.
  • Underserved care. Strong motivation to practice in a medically underserved area is a preference factor.
  • Residency. Nebraska residents and residents of Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, South Dakota and Wyoming get preference.

The 2025 class

For the class that entered in fall 2025, UNMC received 555 applications and accepted 66 students, 42 of them Nebraska residents. Their average GPA was 3.77 overall and 3.64 in science.

Dates and other details

UNMC suggests you submit early so CASPA has time to process your application.

Dates for 2027 entry

  • August 1, 2026. Suggested CASPA submission date.
  • September 1, 2026. Final deadline. All materials, including transcripts and letters, must reach CASPA.
  • Late September to early October 2026. Interview invitations, about two weeks before each date.
  • October and November 2026. Interviews.
  • December 2026. Admission decisions.
  • Mid-August 2027. Orientation, then classes begin.

Kearney and the program

Up to 16 students study at the Kearney campus each year, with lectures shared live between the campuses. The program has a family medicine approach and a culture of caring for the underserved, with clerkships from urban to rural settings.

How to prepare

An MMI tests how you reason through short scenarios, so practice many of them out loud and on a timer.

  • Practice timed scenarios. UNMC does not publish station timing, so practice ethics, teamwork and role-play prompts in about two to six minutes each.
  • Know the profession. UNMC judges your understanding of and commitment to the PA profession at the interview. Use what you learned in your 20 hours of exploration.
  • Think rural. Have a story about an underserved or rural community, and why you might practice there.
  • Show resilience. Prepare an honest example of a setback, what you did and what changed in you afterward.

Reset between stations. Each MMI station is a fresh start. If one goes badly, take a breath and give the next one your full attention.

Practice questions

Questions in the style of a MMI station, written for applicants to University of Nebraska Medical Center, College of Allied Health Professions, Physician Assistant Program. They are practice questions, not the school's own. Open one for what a strong answer does.

You're a PA in a primary care clinic, and a patient's symptoms are unusual and outside your experience. Your collaborating physician is out sick today. What are your next steps?

Keep the patient safe, then explain who else you would reach and how you would follow up.

PAs are trained as generalists and can move between specialties during their career, while physicians usually commit to one specialty through residency. Why does that flexibility matter to you specifically?

Show that the flexibility serves patients and communities, not restlessness.

During a busy shift, your supervising physician sharply criticizes your suturing technique in front of a conscious patient. How do you handle the moment, and what do you do afterward?

Stay calm in front of the patient and raise it in private later, ready to learn.

You are a PA, and a patient refuses to let you do their intake, saying they only want to see 'a real doctor.' The physician won't be available for another hour, and the patient's vital signs are borderline unstable. How do you handle this?

Respect the patient's wish, explain your role calmly and make sure the unstable vitals are not ignored.

You're a PA in a busy clinic, and you notice the medical assistants consistently take longer to room patients for you than for the other PAs, so your schedule keeps backing up. How do you address this?

Check your own workflow first, then talk with the team directly about a fix.

You are a PA in a surgical practice. Your supervising physician routinely skips hand hygiene before entering patient rooms when they're in a hurry. You're about to walk into a room together. Address the issue.

Speak up in the moment, keep it about patient safety and stay respectful.

Frequently asked questions

Is the UNMC PA interview an MMI?

Yes. UNMC uses a multiple mini interview format, where you rotate through timed stations that each have a question or situation.

When are UNMC PA interviews?

Typically in October and November. For 2027 entry, UNMC lists October and November 2026 as tentative, with invitations about two weeks before your date.

Does UNMC PA use rolling admissions?

No. All interview dates give an equal chance, and more than 85% of selections are made after all interviews are done. Decisions are sent in December.

How many patient care hours does UNMC PA require?

There is no minimum, but the most competitive applicants have about 2,000 hours of direct patient care. You must also complete at least 20 hours of PA career exploration.

Do I have to study at the campus where I interview?

No. Interviews are held in Omaha and Kearney, and the campus where you interview does not require you to attend there.

Sources

Official pages only, read on the date shown. Schools change their process every year, so check the school's own page before you apply.

  1. UNMC Physician Assistant Program: Frequently Asked Questions · read October 24, 2026
  2. UNMC Physician Assistant Program: Admission Requirements · read October 24, 2026
  3. UNMC Physician Assistant Program: Preference Factors · read October 24, 2026
  4. UNMC Physician Assistant Program: Admission Timetable · read October 24, 2026
  5. UNMC Physician Assistant Program · read October 24, 2026
  6. PAEA CASPA Program Directory: University of Nebraska Medical Center · read October 24, 2026