Welcome

The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant is the accrediting agency that protects the interests of the public and physician assistant profession by defining the standards for physician assistant education and evaluating physician assistant educational programs within the territorial United States to ensure their compliance with those standards.

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Accreditation

Accreditation is a process of external peer review. In the United States, the accreditation system is administered primarily by non-governmental, voluntary organizations that grant recognition to institutions or specialized programs of study that meet established qualifications and educational standards. Compliance with such standards is determined through initial and subsequent periodic evaluations.

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Frequently Asked Questions

The ARC-PA web site has an extensive section related to Frequently Asked Questions for those seeking information.  Questions and responses are categorized according to the type of inquiry.  Among others they include questions related to

  • developing PA programs not yet accredited
  • already accredited PA programs
  • the accreditation Standards
  • student questions

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Entering the Process

The ARC-PA accredits only qualified PA programs offered by, or located within institutions chartered by and physically located within, the United States and where students are geographically located within the United States for their education.

A single institution must be clearly identified as the sponsor of the program.

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