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2025 Best Physician Assistant Schools in Pennsylvania

16 Colleges in Pennsylvania
1,345 Physician Assistant Degrees Awarded
Ranked #71 in popularity, physician assistant is one of the most sought-after degree programs in the nation. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 16 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Physician Assistant Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 1,345 degrees in physician assistant to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Physician Assistant School

Best Physician Assistant Schools in Pennsylvania Your choice of physician assistant school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. We derive our Best Overall Physician Assistant School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Pick Your Physician Assistant Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Physician Assistant
Master's Degrees in Physician Assistant

The physician assistant school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Physician Assistant Schools in Pennsylvania. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.

Best Schools for Physician Assistant in Pennsylvania

Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the physician assistant degree levels they offer.

10 Top Pennsylvania Schools in Physician Assistant

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In PA
128 Physician Assistant Degrees Awarded

Thomas Jefferson University is a great decision for students pursuing a degree in physician assistant. Located in the large city of Philadelphia, Thomas Jefferson University is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #89 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Thomas Jefferson University is a great university overall.

There were roughly 128 physician assistant students who graduated with this degree at Thomas Jefferson University in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in physician assistant from Thomas Jefferson University

2
Drexel crest
Drexel University
Philadelphia, PA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
7th Most Popular In PA
72 Physician Assistant Degrees Awarded

Drexel University is a wonderful choice for students pursuing a degree in physician assistant. Located in the large city of Philadelphia, Drexel is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #115 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Drexel is a great university overall.

There were about 72 physician assistant students who graduated with this degree at Drexel in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in physician assistant from Drexel University

3
Duquesne crest
Duquesne University
Pittsburgh, PA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
4th Most Popular In PA
100 Physician Assistant Degrees Awarded

Duquesne University is a good option for students interested in a degree in physician assistant. Located in the city of Pittsburgh, Duquesne is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #196 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Duquesne is a great university overall.

There were roughly 100 physician assistant students who graduated with this degree at Duquesne in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in physician assistant from Duquesne University

4
St. Joe's crest
Saint Joseph's University
Philadelphia, PA

Any student pursuing a degree in physician assistant needs to take a look at Saint Joseph's University. St. Joe's is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Philadelphia. A Best Colleges rank of #105 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means St. Joe's is a great university overall.More information about a degree in physician assistant from Saint Joseph’s University

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
12th Most Popular In PA
60 Physician Assistant Degrees Awarded

Located in the city of Pittsburgh, Pitt is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #85 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Pitt is a great university overall.

There were about 60 physician assistant students who graduated with this degree at Pitt in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in physician assistant from University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus

6
DeSales crest
DeSales University
Center Valley, PA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
6th Most Popular In PA
75 Physician Assistant Degrees Awarded

DeSales is a small private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Center Valley. A Best Colleges rank of #600 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means DeSales is a great university overall.

There were approximately 75 physician assistant students who graduated with this degree at DeSales in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in physician assistant from DeSales University

7
Arcadia crest
Arcadia University
Glenside, PA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In PA
97 Physician Assistant Degrees Awarded

Arcadia is a small private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Glenside. A Best Colleges rank of #502 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Arcadia is a great university overall.

There were approximately 97 physician assistant students who graduated with this degree at Arcadia in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in physician assistant from Arcadia University

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
10th Most Popular In PA
84 Physician Assistant Degrees Awarded

Located in the small city of Erie, Gannon is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 38th out of 103 schools for overall quality in the state of Pennsylvania.

There were approximately 84 physician assistant students who graduated with this degree at Gannon in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in physician assistant from Gannon University

9
King's College PA crest
King's College
Wilkes-Barre, PA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
9th Most Popular In PA
68 Physician Assistant Degrees Awarded

Located in the city of Wilkes-Barre, King's College PA is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 56th out of 103 schools for overall quality in the state of Pennsylvania.

There were about 68 physician assistant students who graduated with this degree at King's College PA in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in physician assistant from King’s College

10
Marywood crest
Marywood University
Scranton, PA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
11th Most Popular In PA
57 Physician Assistant Degrees Awarded

Located in the city of Scranton, Marywood is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 69th out of 103 schools for overall quality in the state of Pennsylvania.

There were approximately 57 physician assistant students who graduated with this degree at Marywood in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in physician assistant from Marywood University

Best Physician Assistant Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region

Explore all the Best Physician Assistant Schools in the Middle Atlantic Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
New York 1,026 1,419
Maryland 618 111
New Jersey 614 81
District of Columbia 441 68

View All Rankings >

One of 23 majors within the Allied Health Professions area of study, Physician Assistant has other similar majors worth exploring.

Majors Similar to Physician Assistant

Related Major Annual Graduates
Radiologic Technology 329
Athletic Training 267
Diagnostic Medical Sonography/Sonographer and Ultrasound Technician 217
Respiratory Care Therapy 187
Medical Radiologic Technology/Science - Radiation Therapy 179
Surgical Technology 164
Other Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions 130
Emergency Medical Technology/Technician (EMT Paramedic) 109
Nuclear Medical Technology/Technologist 43
Perfusion Technology/Perfusionist 30

View All Physician Assistant Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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