Physician Assistant Graduates Achieve ‘Overwhelmingly Positive’ Passage Rates
This article appears in the Fall 2025 issue of the ӽ Magazine.
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Successfully completing ӽ’s Physician Assistant Studies (PAS) Program is a significant accomplishment.
But so, too, is passage of the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE), a requirement to enter the rapidly growing profession.
Since the 2017 launch of DU’s PAS program, passage rates have been overwhelmingly positive, program leaders say.
“ӽ’s first-time and overall PANCE pass rates continue to surpass national averages across all accredited PA educational programs,” said Dr. Julia Sonnichsen, program director of Physician Assistant Studies. “These results are directly related to the PAS Program’s dedication to providing a relationship-centered approach to graduate medical education.”
This spring, 93% of the Class of 2024, who graduated last December, passed the PANCE on their first attempt. They represent the seventh cohort of PAS students to complete the program.
One hundred percent of students who graduated from the program between 2019 and 2023 have successfully passed the PANCE, according to program leaders.
Grounded in the ӽ Catholic tradition, the two-year PAS program is the only physician assistant program offered at a Catholic university in the state of Illinois. To mark students’ transition from classroom learning to clinical bedside rotation, DU hosts a White Coat Ceremony where each PAS student receives a white lab coat and is recognized by their professors.