PAEA works with accredited member programs to collect rich data from matriculating and graduating students. Students complete the Matriculating Student Survey (MSS) upon their entry into PA school and provide information on their decisions to apply, reasons for choosing the profession and their program, academic and employment history, and more. Graduating students complete the End of Program Survey (EOPS), reporting information on their experiences during PA school, future practice plans, satisfaction with their programs, and other important insights. Both the MSS and EOPS also collect in-depth data on student demographics, well-being, career aspirations, and finances.
Due to the heterogeneity in program matriculation and graduation dates, the MSS and EOPS are administered year-round. The national results of these surveys are published annually after data collection closes in December. Student Reports represent annual snapshots of PA students at the very beginning and end of PA school. Insights gleaned from these surveys and reports are not only of interest to PA educators committed to providing the highest-quality education for their students, but they also form an empirical foundation for advocacy efforts, benchmarking, quality improvement, accreditation, and scholarly work.
Latest Report
View PDFPrevious Reports
PAEA first administered the EOPS in 2016. Prior to that, PAEA collected and reported student data only at matriculation. Download copies of past Matriculating Student Survey reports below.
Access Student Report Data
Data from both the MSS and EOPS are available to both members and non-members in multiple formats to support ARC self-study, evaluation, benchmarking, research, and scholarly work. Learn more about requesting raw data and custom reports as part of PAEA’s Data on Demand program. PAEA offers additional opportunities for member programs to access their own students’ data via the Personalized Student Insights program.
Using Student Report Tables & Figures
Looking for graphics to enhance a presentation about PA education? Members are welcome to take screenshots of tables and figures from our reports for use in presentations. Figures and tables are provided under a Creative Commons license that requires them to be attributed to PAEA, not altered, and not used for commercial purposes. Tables and figures must be attributed to PAEA and reference the report title and publication year.