Every Physician Assistant Program Ranked by Total Cost (2026)

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Data sourced from official university Cost of Attendance publications and federal legislation (Public Law 119-21, Title VIII, Sec. 81001).

By The PASchoolLoans Data Team | Updated March 2026

We analyzed 177 PA programs across 137 institutions. The median total program cost is $134,557, with programs ranging from $48,063 to $311,760. Every single program, 100% of them, exceeds the $20,500/year federal Direct Loan cap. That means every PA student in the country faces a funding gap that must be covered by private loans, savings, or other sources.

How much does PA school cost in 2026?

The short answer: more than federal student loans will cover. The mean total cost across all 177 PA programs is $143,141. The median sits slightly lower at $134,557. Both figures represent the full cost of attendance, including tuition, mandatory fees, and living expenses for the entire program duration.

These costs matter more than ever because of how PA programs are classified under federal lending rules. Despite program costs that increasingly rival medical school, PA degrees fall under the Graduate student classification. Under the OBBBA legislation, that means a hard cap of $20,500 per year in federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans. Medical students, by contrast, can borrow up to $50,000 annually.

The math is simple to grasp and painful to confront. The median PA program costs $60,062 per year in total Cost of Attendance. Federal loans cover $20,500 of that. The remaining $39,562 per year is your funding gap.

Across the full dataset, the mean annual gap is $41,842. Over a typical 27-month program, those gaps compound into five- and six-figure shortfalls that require private loans charging significantly higher interest rates than their federal counterparts.

The aggregate federal borrowing limit for Graduate students is $100,000 (including any undergraduate loans), with a lifetime cap of $257,500. For many PA students, the aggregate limit becomes irrelevant. The annual cap is the binding constraint, forcing private borrowing long before you approach any aggregate ceiling.

Here is how PA program costs stack up against the broader graduate education market: across all 7,191 graduate programs we track at 1,861 institutions, the median total cost is $90,276. PA programs run 49% higher than that median. Among all graduate programs nationwide, 95.2% create some funding gap. For PA programs, the rate is 100%.

Which PA programs are the most expensive?

The costliest PA programs push well past $200,000 in total cost of attendance. Franklin Pierce University tops the list at $311,760 for its three-year MPAS program, driven by $55,120 in annual tuition combined with $47,600 in living expenses. The University of Southern California follows closely at $309,294, where annual tuition alone reaches $73,260.

At these prices, the annual funding gap can exceed $80,000 or even $90,000 per year. Chamberlain University-Illinois posts the single highest annual gap in our dataset: $96,500 per year, with annual tuition of $102,000 for a two-year program.

Several programs on this list have extended durations (5+ years), which inflates their total cost even when annual costs are moderate. New York Institute of Technology, for example, shows a relatively modest annual COA of $54,752, but its 5.4-year duration pushes the total to $295,661.

See the full list of all 177 programs in our calculator.

Note the "Total Gap" column. That represents the amount of your education that federal loans simply will not cover. At Franklin Pierce, that figure is $250,260. At USC, it's $247,794. These are not hypothetical projections. They are the direct consequence of applying a $20,500/year cap to programs that cost four to five times that amount.

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Which PA programs are the most affordable?

Cost-conscious pre-PA students have options, though even the cheapest programs create a funding gap. The most affordable program in our dataset is the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio's in-state MPA, with a total cost of $48,063. Marietta College comes in second at $54,624 for a two-year program with annual tuition of just $2,800.

Public universities with in-state tuition dominate this list. Eight of the fifteen most affordable programs are at public institutions offering in-state rates. Texas schools are particularly well-represented: UT Health San Antonio and UT Southwestern both land in the top five.

See the full list of all 177 programs in our calculator.

A few things stand out. First, Marietta College's $6,812 annual gap is the smallest in our dataset. That means federal loans cover roughly 75% of the annual cost, far better than most programs. Second, the UT Health San Antonio out-of-state listing demonstrates how residency status can transform the economics. The same institution's program costs $48,063 for in-state students and $70,932 for out-of-state, a $22,869 difference.

Even at the very bottom of the cost spectrum, funding gaps exist. The cheapest program still leaves you $27,563 short. The gap never reaches zero.

How does the funding gap vary across PA programs?

The range is enormous. At one end, Marietta College's $6,812 annual gap is manageable. At the other end, Chamberlain University-Illinois creates a $96,500 annual shortfall, roughly 4.7 times the federal cap itself.

Here are the key figures across all 177 programs:

• Median annual gap: $39,562
• Mean annual gap: $41,842
• Smallest annual gap: $6,812 (Marietta College)
• Largest annual gap: $96,500 (Chamberlain University-Illinois)

In total dollar terms, the gap between the smallest and largest is even more dramatic. The minimum total gap is $13,624. The maximum total gap is $250,260. That's an 18x difference depending on which program you attend.

To put these numbers in context: the median PA student will need to find $39,562 per year beyond federal loans. Over a typical program, that translates to roughly $89,000 to $100,000 in private borrowing. Private graduate student loans currently carry variable rates starting around 5-6% and fixed rates often exceeding 7-8%, compared to the 7.05% fixed rate on federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans. But the real cost difference lies in repayment protections. Federal loans offer income-driven repayment plans and potential forgiveness programs. Private loans generally do not.

The OBBBA legislation that established the current lending framework classifies PA students as Graduate borrowers rather than Professional borrowers. This single classification decision is what limits your annual federal borrowing to $20,500. If PA students were classified alongside medical students, the annual cap would more than double to $50,000, and the funding gap picture would look completely different for the majority of programs.

Among all graduate programs nationwide, 43.1% exceed $100,000 in total cost. For PA programs specifically, the share is significantly higher given the $134,557 median. Your program choice doesn't determine whether you'll have a gap. It determines how large that gap will be. See our largest PA funding gaps ranking for the programs with the worst shortfalls.

What factors drive cost differences?

The $263,697 spread between the cheapest and most expensive PA programs doesn't come from a single variable. Several factors combine to create the wide distribution.

Tuition variation is the primary driver. Annual tuition ranges from $2,800 at Marietta College to $102,000 at Chamberlain University-Illinois. Private institutions generally charge more: USC's $73,260 annual tuition and Marquette's $76,608 represent the high end. Public in-state programs like UT Southwestern ($10,542) and Oregon Health & Science ($11,034) sit at the low end.

Living expenses add a second layer of cost that students often underestimate. These figures range from around $11,412 (West Liberty University) to $47,600 (Franklin Pierce University). Geography plays a role here. Programs in high-cost metros like San Diego, Boston, and Los Angeles carry living expense estimates $10,000 to $20,000 higher than programs in smaller cities.

Program duration amplifies everything. Most PA programs run 24 to 33 months. But some extend well beyond that. The dataset includes programs coded at 5.0 and 5.4 years (likely part-time or extended formats), where even a moderate annual cost compounds into a very large total. A $55,000/year program over two years costs $110,000. Stretch it to three years and the total reaches $165,000, a 50% increase from duration alone.

Residency status creates parallel pricing tiers at public institutions. Mississippi State University's PA program costs $254,787 at non-resident rates. Frostburg State University's costs $71,956 for in-state students and $76,420 at standard rates. James Madison University charges $75,484 in-state versus $81,820 out-of-state. If you're considering a public PA program, establishing residency before enrollment could save you tens of thousands of dollars. See our full breakdown of in-state vs. out-of-state PA costs for the 20 largest surcharges.

Degree title does not predict cost. PA programs award at least 23 different degree designations, from MPAS and MPA to MMS, MSPAS, and MS. There is no meaningful cost pattern tied to degree title. An MPAS from Franklin Pierce costs $311,760. An MPAS from the University of Wisconsin-Madison costs $76,515. The letters after your name matter far less than the institution granting them.

The PA profession offers strong returns on this investment. Starting salaries average approximately $125,000, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 28% job growth through 2031. The long-term ROI is solid for most graduates. But ROI calculations don't pay your rent during clinical rotations, and they don't cover the private loan payments that begin six months after graduation. Understanding your specific program's funding gap before you enroll is the single most valuable financial step you can take.

📊 Your Funding Gap Calculate your exact PA funding gap → Calculate Your Gap →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average cost of PA school?

The mean total cost across 177 PA programs is $143,141. The median is $134,557, which better represents the typical program since a handful of very expensive outliers pull the mean upward. Annual costs average $62,342. These figures include tuition, mandatory fees, and living expenses as reported in each program's official Cost of Attendance.

What is the cheapest PA program?

The least expensive program in our dataset is the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio's in-state MPA program at $48,063 total cost. Among standard two-year programs, Marietta College is the most affordable at $54,624, followed by the University of Saint Joseph at $67,384 and UT Southwestern Medical Center (in-state) at $69,018. All four still exceed the federal loan cap and create a funding gap.

How many PA programs require private loans?

All 177 PA programs in our dataset exceed the $20,500/year federal Direct Loan cap, making the answer 100%. This is higher than the rate across all graduate fields, where 95.2% of 7,191 programs create a funding gap. No PA program in the United States can be fully funded through federal student loans alone. The median annual shortfall is $39,562, which must be covered through private loans, personal savings, employer sponsorship, scholarships, or other non-federal sources. For methodology details and the complete dataset behind these figures, see The Funding Gap's full analysis.