Prerequisite Courses Standard

George Fox University PA Prerequisites

Accepted Not Accepted
  • Human Anatomy & Physiology with Lab
  • Two anatomy/physiology classes OR one anatomy class with lab and one physiology class; lab not required
  • Lab must coordinate with the lecture taken
  • X, XL, and extension courses
  • Survey, introductory, or essential A&P courses
Accepted Not Accepted
  • Foundational Biology course
  • Normally a 200-level course
  • Lab must coordinate with the lecture taken
  • AP credit accepted when posted as course credit on a college transcript
  • X, XL, and extension courses
  • Survey, introductory, or essential Biology courses
Accepted Not Accepted
  • Foundational Chemistry course
  • Normally a 200-level course
  • Lab must coordinate with the lecture taken
  • AP credit accepted when posted as course credit on a college transcript
  • X, XL, and extension courses
  • Survey, introductory, or essential Chemistry courses
Accepted Not Accepted
  • Upper-level Biology
  • General Biology II
  • Genetics
  • Cell Biology
  • Immunology
  • Virology
  • Epidemiology
  • Biochemistry (if not used for other Chemistry)
  • Survey, introductory, or essential biology courses
  • No lab required
  • AP credit not accepted 
Accepted Not Accepted
  • Upper-level Chemistry
  • General Chemistry II
  • Organic Chemistry
  • Analytical Chemistry
  • Biochemistry (if not used for other Biology)
  • Survey, introductory, or essential biology courses
  • No lab required
  • AP credit not accepted 
Accepted Not Accepted
  • Microbiology for non-science majors accepted
  • Survey or introductory level accepted
  • No lab required
  • AP credit not accepted 
Accepted Not Accepted
  • General Psychology
  • Intro to Psychology
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Human Growth and Development
  • AP credit accepted when posted as course credit on a college transcript
  • Topic-specific or narrowly focused psychology courses (e.g., Sports Psychology, Psychology of Love, Psychology of Music)


Accepted Not Accepted
  • General Statistics
  • Biostatistics
  • Behavioral Statistics
  • Psychology Statistics
  • AP credit accepted when posted as course credit on a college transcript
  • Business Statistics

FAQ

Individual prerequisite courses must be completed with a minimum grade of B- (2.7) or higher. 

However, applicants must still earn a minimum prerequisite GPA of 3.0 across all required prerequisite coursework to be eligible for admission.

Applications with more than one prerequisite in progress will be held for consideration until there is one/no prerequisite(s) in progress by the Sept. 1 deadline. All prerequisites must be completed, and a bachelor’s degree must have been conferred by the deadline of Sept. 1.

Prerequisites must be completed at a U.S. regionally accredited institution. Completing this coursework at a four-year institution may best prepare an applicant for the rigors of our program; however, this is not a requirement. Prerequisites offered at a community college provide flexibility of time and finances, which we value for our applicants.

All prerequisites must be completed within a 10-year period. If you apply in the 2026 application cycle, no prerequisites completed before 2016 will be considered.

Pass/Fail courses are only accepted from spring term 2020 through fall term 2021. All other coursework must be awarded a letter/numerical grade.

Advanced Placement (AP) credit may be accepted for select prerequisite courses provided the credit is officially posted on a college or university transcript and appears as specific course credit rather than as general test credit. AP credit is only accepted for General Biology, General Chemistry, Psychology, and Statistics. AP credit may not be used to satisfy Microbiology, “Other” Biology, “Other” Chemistry, or Anatomy & Physiology requirements, which must be completed through college-level coursework. CLEP credit is not accepted for prerequisite courses.

We generally do not recommend retaking coursework unless it is a prerequisite in which you received a B- or below, as CASPA includes both the original and repeated grades in GPA calculations rather than replacing the lower grade. Additionally, the admissions committee typically expects an improved grade when a course is repeated.

Instead of retaking courses, we encourage applicants looking to strengthen the academic portion of their application to pursue upper-division biology and chemistry courses that are relevant to medicine, human, or animal sciences. These advanced courses can demonstrate your ability to handle rigorous coursework and enhance your overall competitiveness as an applicant.