Physician Assistant Studies Tuition and Expenses

PA Program Tuition and Fees

In addition to USA tuition and fees, students in the USA Physician Assistant (PA) Studies program can expect expenses associated with textbooks, food and lodging. Students will also be required to purchase uniforms, laboratory coats, stethoscopes, otoscopes, ophthalmoscopes, sphygmomanometers and blood pressure cuffs, soft reflex hammers, and tuning forks.
Also, students in the USA Physician Assistant (PA) Studies program should anticipate extra costs, particularly related to housing, transportation, living expenses and the patient logging system (Typhon) during the clinical year. Financial Aid may not cover these expenses. See estimated costs below.

The University reserves the right to change tuition and fees, as deemed necessary by the Board of Trustees, without prior notice. See the latest University Bulletin for tuition and fees.

For payment and refund policies, visit Student Accounting.

University of South Alabama

Department of Physician Assistant Studies

Estimated Tuition and Fees

(Based on 2026-207 tuition and fees schedule subject to change)

	Summer	Fall	Spring	Summer	Fall	Spring	Summer	TOTALS
	DIDACTIC/PRECLINICAL YEAR				CLINICAL YEAR
Tuition/Credit Hours	17	19	19	18	16	16	16	121
In-State Tuition ($520/sem. hr.)	$8,840	$9,880	$9,880	$9,360	$8,320	$8,320	$8,320	$62,920
Out of State Tuition ($1,206/sem. hr.)	$20,502	$22,914	$22,914	$21,708	$19,296	$19,296	$19,296	$145,296
Departmental and University Fees
Resource Fee	$169	$169	$169	$169	$169	$169	$169	$1,183
Academic Infrastructure & Tech Fee	$450	$450	$450	$450	$450	$450	$450	$3,150
Biomedical Library Fee	$10	$10	$10	$10	$10	$10	$10	$70
Program Fee (CME Resources,Packrat, Examsoft, UWorld)	$840	----	----	----	----	----	----	$840
Healthstream Program Fee	$16	----	----	----	----	----	----	$16
Anatomy Fee PA 511	$275	----	----	----	----	----	----	$275
General Lab Fee PA 510	$100	----	----	----	----	----	----	$100
Background Check/ Urine Drug Screen*	$92	----	----	$92	----	----	----	$184
Bates Visual Guide fee (PA 510L, 520L, 530L, 540L)	$18	$18	$18	$18	----	----	----	$72
Professional Liability Coverage	----	$12	$12	$1	$12	$12	$1	$50
Course Fees PA 516/526/536	----	$35	$35	$35	----	----	----	$105
BLS/ACLS Fee PA 540	----	----	----	$165	----	----	----	$165
Clinical Program Fee (EORs & Exxat)	----	----	----	----	$197	$197	$136	$530
Exxat: Patient Tracking*	----	----	----	----	$80	----	----	$80
EOC - PA 595	----	----	----	----	----	----	$100	$100
NCCPA Practice Exam- PA 595							$50	$50
Graduation Application Fee	----	----	----	----	----	----	$65	$65
Total Estimated Fees	$1,9270	$694	$694	$940	$918	$838	$981	$7,035
Total In-State Tuition & Fees	$10,810	$10,574	$10,574	$10,300	$9,268	$9,158	$9,301	$69,955
Total Out of State Tuition & Fees	$22,472	$23,608	$23,608	$22,648	$20,214	$20,134	$20,277	$152,961
Estimated Additional Student Expenses*
Books	$1,010	$1,010	$1,010	$1,010	$1,010	$1,010	$1,010	$7,070
Medical Equipment & Laptop	$4,000	----	----	----	----	----	----	$4,000
Health Insurance (single)**	$859	$1,432	$1,146	$859	$1,432	$1,146	$859	$7,733
Scrubs	$30	----	----	----	$60	----	----	$90
Lab Coats	----	$40	----	----	$40	----	----	$80
Photo for Class Composite	----	----	----	----	----	$25	----	$25
Convocation Cap & Gown	----	----	----	----	----	----	$120	$120
Housing & Meals***	$3,015	$5,025	$4,020	$3,015	$5,025	$4,020	$3,015	$27,135
Travel***	$581	$968	$774	$581	$968	$774	$581	$5,227
Total Estimated Additional Student Expenses	$9,495	$8,475	$6,950	$5,468	$8,535	$6,975	$5,585	$51,480
TOTAL Estimated In-State Tuition, Fees, Expenses	$20,305	$19,049	$17,524	$15,765	$17,773	$16,133	$14,886	$121,435
TOTAL Estimated Out-of-State Tuition, Fees, Expenses	$31,967	$32,083	$30,558	$28,113	$28,749	$27,109	$25,862	$205,441

Tuition, Fees and Expenses presented are estimated based on 2026-2027 tuition, fee and expense schedule and are subject to change.
*Student pays directly, not billed by USA.
**Based on current rates for USA Student Health Insurance and subject to change.
***Estimations provided by the Office of Financial Aid.
Clinical Year expenses may include:
• Miscellaneous application fees (vary per clinical site)
• Travel and Housing expenses are subject to change depending on the clinical rotation site distance from campus.
• Travel to and from clinical site, some travel expenses and some housing may be supplemented by Area Health Education Consortium (AHEC)

Rev.7/08/26

Printable version of Tuition/Expenses

Additional Clinical Year Expenses

During the clinical year, students should anticipate potential additional expenses associated with travel to clinical rotation sites and, in some cases, temporary housing for rotations located outside the Mobile area. Actual expenses vary based on rotation location, commuting distance, housing availability, and the number of away rotations assigned.

Housing: For financial planning purposes, students should anticipate approximately up to $1000 in total housing expenses across the clinical year. This estimate reflects the availability of housing resources and partnerships that may reduce or eliminate housing costs for some away rotations.

Mileage: Travel expenses will vary depending on the distance to assigned clinical sites. The program considers a commuting rotation as one that is within 75-miles one way driving distance. Therefore, students should budget up to $3500 for fuel expenses for rotations that are further than their listed housing. Mileage rate is based on the currently reported GSA mileage rates and represents an estimate of the overall cost of operating a personal vehicle and is not solely a calculation of gasoline expenses. Therefore, actual out-of-pocket fuel costs may be considerably lower.

Clinical Site Credentialing: Some clinical rotation sites, particularly those located outside the program's established service area, may require students to utilize a third-party credentialing or clinical placement software platform, or participate and supply additional background checks or urine drug screens. When required by the clinical site, students may be responsible for these fees. Students should budget up to $200 per clinical year for potential credentialing software expenses. These expenses are site-dependent and may not apply to all students.

The PA Program actively works to minimize the financial burden associated with away clinical rotations. We collaborate with clinical and community partners, including the VA health care system and Alabama Area Health Education Centers (AHEC), to identify resources for students assigned to rotations outside the immediate area. Depending on location and availability, these partnerships may provide free or reduced-cost housing, assistance locating affordable housing, mileage or travel assistance, or other resources that help offset the cost of an away rotation.

Because housing and travel assistance depends on location, availability, and individual rotation assignments, these resources cannot be guaranteed. Students should budget for potential clinical-year travel and housing expenses while working closely with the clinical education team to take advantage of available cost-saving resources.

Establishing Residency

Those who live Alabama and in specific counties in Mississippi and Florida are automatically considered residents. These counties, defined as Service Areas, include:

Mississippi: George, Greene, Harrison, Jackson, Perry and Stone
Florida: Escambia and Santa Rosa

Additional documents may be required by the Office of the Registrar to verify residency regardless of state or county of residence. If you have residency questions or wish to establish residency please contact the Office of the Registrar.

Financial Aid

For Financial Aid and Scholarship information for the USA PA program, please see Scholarships and Financial Aid webpage.

Program Info

Admissions

How To Apply

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