MSU-Meridian 2026 PA graduates achieve 100% pass rate
Contact: Marianne Todd
MERIDIAN, Miss.—Mississippi State University-Meridian’s 2026 Master of Physician Assistant Studies graduating cohort recently achieved a 100% board pass rate, making this the second cohort in as many years to achieve the hallmark accomplishment for first-time test takers and the third year to achieve an overall 100% pass rate.
The MSU students are significantly exceeding the national average PANCE pass rates, which have remained at 92% for first-time test takers since 2023.
All 70 students in the graduating cohorts of 2024, 2025 and 2026 have passed the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination, the culminating test that certifies students for licensure as PAs in all 50 states.
“It’s very exciting, of course, but this reflects the hard work of our principal faculty, our instructional faculty, our preceptors—all the people who have supported our program,” said Pam Vayda, PA Studies program director and department head. “This shows that they not only have successfully graduated, but it offers a comparison to their peers throughout the nation.”
MSU-Meridian PA students who graduated this May, and who have been in negotiations for employment, were awaiting certification to be cleared for hire, Vayda said. Nearly half of the 25 students who graduated will remain in Mississippi to practice and will contribute significantly to filling critical healthcare roles, especially in rural areas, she said.
“We are the most recent state to license PAs, so this really is a big deal,” Vayda said. “We receive feedback regularly that our students are well prepared. We’re just so excited about the future of what we’re doing here at MSU. It’s a privilege to partner with these students on their journey to becoming PAs.”
The program, which achieved continuing accreditation status from the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant in 2025, seated its first cohort in January 2021 and has since grown competitively. This year, the program selected students from an applicant pool of more than 200. Of those, 94 were interviewed and 30 were selected.
For more information on MSU-Meridian’s PA Studies program, visit https://www.healthprofessions.msstate.edu/pa or phone 601-696-2320.
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