Our institute regularly shares the success of its students on the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE), as directed by its accrediting body, the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc. (ARC-PA).

Download the NCCPA EVMS PANCE Pass Rate Document

Find the accessible version of this chart.

PANCE Pass Rates

The chart below compares the first-time pass rate on the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE), in the blue columns on the left for each year, to the rate of first-time takers of the exam nationally, in the rust, right-hand columns, for the last five years. Our student's pass rates are within 2 to 5 percent every year, with passing rates above the National Average in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023.  On the far right of the chart, a simple average of the five years is depicted, with the National Average at 93% whereas our PA Program has an average of 95% first-time pass rate average over the past 5 years.

NCCPA EVMS First Time Pass Rate Graph

Student Attrition

Category Graduated Classes
Class of 2022 Class of 2023 Class of 2024
Maximum entering class size
(as approved by ARC-PA)
80 80 80
Entering class size 85 84 91
Graduates 78 68 77
* Attrition rate 8.24% 19.05% 15.38%
**Graduation rate 91.76% 80.95% 84.62%

*Attrition rate calculation:  Number of students who attritted from cohort divided by the entering class size.

**Graduation rate:  Number of cohort graduates divided by the entering class size.

Comments: 
The table above reflects total cohort attrition.

Attrition includes 1) student withdrawal, 2) student dismissal, and 3) student deceleration, per ARC-PA Standards.
Student dismissal can occur for academic or professionalism reasons.

2022: 5 decelerated from CO2021
2023: 4 decelerated from CO2022
2024: 1 decelerated from CO2022; 10 decelerated from CO2023