Flyer Commitment Pathway

The benefits to completing the Flyer Commitment Pathway are peace of mind and less pressure and anxiety regarding graduate school.

While the pathway will not save the student academic time or tuition, it will save on application fees for numerous graduate school programs, managing multiple program's admission requirements and traveling to many different program interviews. Having a dedicated advisor will also help the students stay focused and on track to achieve their dreams.

It will give you assurance of your next academic steps a year early. It will also allow you to start to build rapport with some of your future graduate school classmates.

UD undergraduate students can join the Flyer Commitment Pathway by expressing an interest to your academic advisor once you confirm enrollment or are at UD.

Each program has its own set of prerequisite courses and GPA requirements—see below or talk to your academic advisor. UD undergraduates must not receive any behavioral or disciplinary infractions to maintain eligibility.

Pathway students are held to a higher academic standard than our baseline admission standards. We have analyzed the data on students who are successful in our program, and these are the academic attributes that our stellar students possess.

Physician Assistant Eligibility for the Flyer Commitment Pathway

• Must possess a 3.6 cumulative GPA and 3.5 science prerequisite GPA (as calculated by CASPA) at end of sophomore year, then maintained.
• B- or higher in all prerequisites.
• Participation in service events junior and senior year.
• No behavioral/professionalism issues during undergraduate study.
• Students who meet the requirements will be invited for an interview. Selection will be based on academic performance and the interview.
• Must meet all other requirements for admission to M.P.A.P. Program.

Physical Therapy Eligibility for the Flyer Commitment Pathway

• Must possess a 3.6 cumulative GPA and 3.5 science prerequisite GPA at end of sophomore year, maintained until graduation.
• Must possess B or higher in all prerequisites.
• To qualify for an interview:
  • Must have completed 4 of 8 science prerequisites.
  • Provide a letter of recommendation from their faculty advisor or faculty member in their major.
  • Complete a minimum of 10 observation hours in any clinical setting.
  • No behavioral/professionalism issues during undergraduate study.
• Students who meet the requirements will be invited for an interview. Selection will be based on academic performance and the interview.
• Must meet all other requirements for final admission to D.P.T. program.

Students are eligible to join the pathway at any point during their first two years at UD.

Throughout your first and second years, you'll work with your academic advisor to make sure you are on track with the necessary prerequisites.

At the end of your second year, you'll complete the Intent to Enroll form that kick-starts some of the steps of the graduate school admission process. At this point, the admission team from your graduate school program will review your transcripts and invite you to an interview. Only the top candidates will be eligible to continue on the pathway. Physical therapy is capped at 15 and physician assistant is capped at 20. All other students will be placed on a waiting list in case the top candidates withdraw or fail to continue to meet requirements.

If you are placed on the waiting list after your second year, you are encouraged to maintain eligibility in case a spot opens up in the future. As long as you remain academically on track and your GPA continues to meet pathway requirements (requirements vary by graduate program — talk to your advisor for specifics), you'll be eligible to remain on the waiting list. You are also encouraged to apply the following year through the traditional application cycle.

The Flyer Commitment Pathway, available to a limited number of qualified UD undergraduate students, is a pathway into the physician assistant (PA) program in which students may receive early decisions regarding their application to the program. Students who join the Pathway and meet all benchmarks are eligible to start the application process early. Up to 20 students will be given conditional admission to the UD PA program upon graduation with a B.S. in an appropriate major at UD.

Enrollment is capped at 20 students per cohort and cannot be exceeded due to accreditation standards.

Due to the rigorous nature of prerequisite coursework, as well as the requirements of the bachelor's and master's degree programs, this is a four-year program for bachelor's, followed by the 27-month PA master's program.

It is strongly recommended that incoming students interested in the Flyer Commitment Pathway possess a high school GPA of ≥3.75.

First Year:

• Begin your undergraduate degree at UD. You can choose any major as long as you take the required prerequisite courses for graduate school. Common majors are health science, biology and premedicine.
• Notify your advisor of your interest in joining the Flyer Commitment Pathway for physician assistant.
• Enroll in a curricular plan that includes required courses for entry into the UD PA program.
• Create a plan and begin to obtain your healthcare and service hours.

Second Year:

• Continue in curricular plan and maintain overall GPA of 3.6; science GPA of 3.5.
• Schedule a department tour and meet with PA faculty at some point during your second year before completing the Intent to Apply form.
• Complete the Intent to Apply form by June 1 after your second year.
• Candidates who meet benchmark requirements are invited for an on-campus interview in mid- to late- June.
  • Preference will be given to students who have completed Organic Chemistry 1 and 2.
• The top 20 applicants are notified of continuation in the Flyer Commitment Pathway by July 15. Any student who is eligible but not among the top 20 applicants will be placed on a waiting list.

Third Year:

• Continue in curricular plan and maintain overall GPA of 3.6; science GPA of 3.5.
• You'll be invited to attend select PA events (i.e. tours, service).
• Complete a minimum of 4 of 6 science prerequisite courses for the PA program by the end of third year.
• Submit application through CASPA by June 1.
• Before July 1, you'll be notified of acceptance and have 10 business days to pay a $1,000 nonrefundable deposit to confirm your enrollment in UD PA.

Fourth year:

• Complete any outstanding prerequisites per admissions policies.
• Graduate from UD with a bachelor's degree.
• Complete any outstanding patient care or service hours.
• All prerequisites must be completed by June 15.

Students who leave Flyer Commitment Pathway due to failure to meet benchmark criteria can still apply to the program through the standard application process.

Undergraduate students at the University of Dayton who are in the Flyer Commitment Pathway for Health Professions must complete the same application process as the general public. The only difference is the academic year in which you are planning to apply.

Due to the rigorous nature of prerequisite coursework, as well as the requirements of the bachelor's and doctoral degree programs, this is a four-year program for bachelor's, followed by the 33-month Doctor of Physical Therapy program.

Enrollment is capped at 15 per cohort and cannot be exceeded due to accreditation standards.

First Year:

• Begin your undergraduate degree at UD. You can choose any major as long as you take the required prerequisite courses for graduate school. The most common major is health science, biology and premedicine.
• Notify your advisor of your interest in joining the Flyer Commitment Pathway for physical therapy.
• Enroll in a curricular plan that includes required courses for entry into the UD DPT program.

Second Year:

• Continue in curricular plan and maintain overall GPA of 3.6; prerequisite GPA of 3.5.
• Complete the Intent to Apply form by June 1 after your second year.
  • Complete required essay(s).
  • Provide a letter of recommendation from their faculty advisor or faculty member in their major.
  • Complete a minimum of 10 observation hours in any clinical setting.
  • Complete a minimum of 4 of 8 science prerequisite courses for the DPT program.
  • The admission team will also review your academic transcript.
• If Intent to Apply meets the criteria, you will be interviewed by the DPT admission team during summer between your second and third year.

Third Year:

• Continue in curricular plan and maintain overall GPA of 3.6; prerequisite GPA of 3.5.
• The top 15 applicants will be notified of conditional acceptance into DPT by September 1 of their third year. Any student who is eligible but not among the top 15 applicants will be placed on a waiting list.
• You'll be invited to participate in select DPT events throughout the year.
• Submit your application through PTCAS (the common application for physical therapy graduate programs) by August 15 between your third and fourth year.

Fourth Year:

• Continue in curricular plan to complete all prerequisite courses and maintain overall GPA of 3.6; prerequisite GPA of 3.5.
• You must pay a $1,000 nonrefundable deposit by Oct. 1 of your fourth year to confirm your enrollment in UD DPT.
• You'll be invited to participate in select DPT events throughout the year.

Students who leave Flyer Commitment Pathway due to failure to meet criteria for progression will still be considered for acceptance through the standard application process.

Students who are accepted into their program are offered a seat in the cohort that begins after completing their undergraduate degree. For Flyer Commitment Pathway students, this will be about two years after filling out the Intent to Enroll form.

Students are still required to complete all program prerequisites and maintain the required GPA. Pathway students who fail to meet or complete requirements are subject to their offer being revoked.

Flyer Commitment Pathway students who are not offered a spot in the program of choice are still invited to apply the following year during the traditional application cycle. These students will receive feedback about why they did not continue on the pathway and can use the intervening year as an opportunity to improve in the identified areas and build a stronger application to graduate school during the traditional cycle.