The Program will enroll highly qualified students that successfully complete the curriculum and graduate from the program.
Established benchmark: A five-year rolling total graduation rate (including on-time graduation + short term deceleration + long term deceleration) of 97% or greater.
Actual Outcome: Benchmark met. There has been a 100% overall PA student graduation rate over the most recent five-year period for which complete data are available (2021-2025).
The Program will foster on-time graduation rates, supporting students throughout the pre-clinical and clinical phases of their PA education with comprehensive academic and professional evaluation and intervention as required.
Established benchmark: On-time graduation rates of originally matriculated class will be 94% which is consistent with national data.
Actual Outcome: Benchmark met. For the past five graduating classes (2021-2025), 98.2% of Weill Cornell PA students have graduated with the cohort in which they were originally admitted.
Program graduates will possess the medical knowledge that is required to begin to practice as a Physician Assistant.
Established benchmark: First-time PANCE pass rate (averaged over the past five years) at or above the national average. PANCEPassRates.pdf (September 25, 2025)
Actual Outcome: Benchmark met. The Weill Cornell Medicine PA Program first-time PANCE pass rate is 95.2% for the most recent five-year period for which complete data are available (2021-2025), which exceeds the most recent five-year period national average (2020-2024) of 92.8%.
The Program will facilitate mastery of technical skills in students nearing program completion, including patient assessment techniques (history taking, physical examination skills) and basic diagnostic and therapeutic procedures (phlebotomy, intravenous access, injections, etc.)
Established benchmark: 95% of program graduates will pass the PA Program Summative Final Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) and Summative Technical Skills Examination without the need for significant remediation allowing for an on-time graduation.
Actual Outcome: Benchmark met. For the class of 2025, 100% of the cohort passed the Technical Skills Summative Examination and Final OSCE and graduated on-time.