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2024 Best Physician Assistant Schools in California

15 Colleges in California
587 Physician Assistant Degrees Awarded
If you pursue a degree in physician assistant, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #71 most popular program in the country. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.

College Factual looked at 15 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Physician Assistant Schools in California ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 587 degrees in physician assistant during the 2020-2021 academic year.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Physician Assistant School

Best Physician Assistant Schools in California The physician assistant program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Physician Assistant rankings. For our Best Overall Physician Assistant School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Physician Assistant Rankings by Degree Level

Master's Degrees in Physician Assistant
Doctor's Degrees in Physician Assistant

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Physician Assistant Schools in California list, to help you choose the best school for you. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.


 

Best Schools for Physician Assistant in California

The schools below may not offer all types of physician assistant degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

10 Top California Schools in Physician Assistant

1
Loma Linda University crest
Loma Linda University
Loma Linda, CA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
9th Most Popular In CA
36 Physician Assistant Degrees Awarded

Loma Linda University is a good decision for students pursuing a degree in physician assistant. Loma Linda University is a small private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Loma Linda.

There were roughly 36 physician assistant students who graduated with this degree at Loma Linda University in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in physician assistant from Loma Linda University

2
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, CA

Stanford University is a wonderful choice for students pursuing a degree in physician assistant. Located in the suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #3 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Stanford is a great university overall.More information about a degree in physician assistant from Stanford University

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In CA
95 Physician Assistant Degrees Awarded

Western University of Health Sciences is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in physician assistant. Western University of Health Sciences is a small private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Pomona.

There were roughly 95 physician assistant students who graduated with this degree at Western University of Health Sciences in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in physician assistant from Western University of Health Sciences

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In CA
59 Physician Assistant Degrees Awarded

University of Southern California is a wonderful option for students pursuing a degree in physician assistant. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #11 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means USC is a great university overall.

There were approximately 59 physician assistant students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in physician assistant from University of Southern California

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
7th Most Popular In CA
42 Physician Assistant Degrees Awarded

Samuel Merritt University is a small private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Oakland.

There were roughly 42 physician assistant students who graduated with this degree at Samuel Merritt University in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in physician assistant from Samuel Merritt University

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
8th Most Popular In CA
40 Physician Assistant Degrees Awarded

Located in the large suburb of Fullerton, MBKU is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.

There were approximately 40 physician assistant students who graduated with this degree at MBKU in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in physician assistant from Marshall B Ketchum University

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
6th Most Popular In CA
43 Physician Assistant Degrees Awarded

Located in the large city of Stockton, Pacific is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #250 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Pacific is a great university overall.

There were roughly 43 physician assistant students who graduated with this degree at Pacific in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in physician assistant from University of the Pacific

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
5th Most Popular In CA
44 Physician Assistant Degrees Awarded

TUC is a small private not-for-profit university located in the city of Vallejo.

There were roughly 44 physician assistant students who graduated with this degree at TUC in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in physician assistant from Touro University California

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
11th Most Popular In CA
17.9% Growth in Graduates

DUofC is a small private not-for-profit university located in the small city of San Rafael. This university ranks 88th out of 168 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were about 28 physician assistant students who graduated with this degree at DUofC in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in physician assistant from Dominican University of California

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
13th Most Popular In CA
8.0% Growth in Graduates

CDU is a small private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Los Angeles.

There were about 25 physician assistant students who graduated with this degree at CDU in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in physician assistant from Charles R Drew University of Medicine and Science


 

Best Physician Assistant Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Physician Assistant Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Washington 831 156
Oregon 587 101
Nevada 354 92

View All Rankings >

Physician Assistant is one of 23 different types of Allied Health Professions programs to choose from.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Emergency Medical Technology/Technician (EMT Paramedic) 3,449
Diagnostic Medical Sonography/Sonographer and Ultrasound Technician 1,140
Respiratory Care Therapy 1,039
Radiologic Technology 847
Cardiovascular Technology/Technologist 399
Surgical Technology 367
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Technology 238
Athletic Training 155
Medical Radiologic Technology/Science - Radiation Therapy 129
Other Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions 82

View All Physician Assistant Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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