*Data from the PA Education Association, By the Numbers: Student Report 5: Data from the 2021 Matriculating Student and End of Program Surveys, Washington, DC: PAEA; 2023. doi: 10.17538/SR2021.0005
-- Data unavailable or uncollected
INTERPRETING THE STATISTICS:
Below you will find further information explaining the statistics in the tables above.
Note that the table is not a list of selection or admissions criteria. Not all the characteristics listed are admissions considerations and there are other characteristics not listed that are part of our admission review process.
The statistics provided are an average (unless otherwise indicated) for the cycles indicated. Ranges are not included due to space restraints.
APPLICATIONS: The number of applications received indicates the total number of unique applicants that have designated Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at Old Dominion University as a school to which they are applying. Not all who designate the school complete the full application process and thus are not eligible for review. The number of applications reviewed identifies the number of applicants with a full application file that met the minimum requirements to be reviewed and were competitive based on their academic performance and clinical experience.
INTERVIEWS: Qualified candidates are invited for a full-day interview. Due to the timing of our application and interview cycle, many qualified applicants are already committed to other programs. This is reflected in the higher number of interview offers compared to interviews conducted. The difference between the number of seats offered and class size reflects individuals who declined/deferred their offer after interviewing with the program.
RESIDENCE: Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at Old Dominion University strives for recognition as the most community-oriented school of medicine and the health professions in the country. Our goal is community focus and world impact. As such, our program's application process rewards applicants from Virginia and Hampton Roads and more significantly rewards applicants from across the country for dedication to community service and volunteerism.
GPA CALCULATIONS: PA programs are notorious for having various methods of determining academic success, making comparisons among GPA requirements, or reporting challenges. We require a qualifying GPA of at least 3.2 with higher GPAs being more competitive. Three possible GPAs can qualify: an overall undergraduate degree GPA (as calculated by CASPA), a complete graduate degree GPA (as calculated by CASPA), or a replacement GPA made up of a candidate’s most recent 60 semester credit hours that are verified on your transcript. This replacement GPA is a one-time calculation done at the time the application is processed.
In addition, we look at a pre-requisite GPA calculated from the candidate’s best performance in the 8 required pre-requisite courses. If multiple courses meet the minimum requirements (B- grade and 3 semester credits), only the best performance is utilized in the calculation. Grades for associated labs are included in the calculation (beginning with the 2020-2021 cycle). Where (2-year vs 4-year institution) or how (online or in class) the course is taken is not a factor.
PATIENT CARE AND HEALTHCARE EXPERIENCE: We categorize experience as either Patient Care Experience or Healthcare Experience. Both volunteer and paid experience are rewarded but at slightly different scales. Patient Care experience is preferred but not required. Further information is available in the Admissions Guidebook online.
