Accreditation & Outcomes

Accreditation

Accreditation Status Statement

The ARC-PA has granted Accreditation-Provisional status to the University of California San Diego Atkinson Physician Assistant Education Program sponsored by the University of California San Diego.

Accreditation-Provisional is an accreditation status granted when the plans and resource allocation, if fully implemented as planned, of a proposed program that has not yet enrolled students appear to demonstrate the program’s ability to meet the ARC-PA Standards or when a program holding Accreditation-Provisional status appears to demonstrate continued progress in complying with the Standards as it prepares for the graduation of the first class (cohort) of students.

Accreditation-Provisional does not ensure any subsequent accreditation status. It is limited to no more than five years from matriculation of the first class.

The program’s accreditation history can be viewed on the ARC-PA website at https://www.arc-pa.org/accreditation-history-university-of-california-san-diego/.

Teach-Out & Implications of Non-Accreditation

In the event of program closure and/or loss of accreditation, the program will make appropriate arrangements to ensure that learners enrolled in the program have an opportunity to complete program requirements in a timely manner with minimal disruption to the extent that ARC-PA allows locally or externally with an ARC-PA accredited institution that has the experience, resources, and support services necessary to allow learners to carry out their studies and prepare them for the Physician Assistant National Certification Exam. Additionally, the program will immediately contact and adhere with processes set forth by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC), UC San Diego’s regional accrediting body.

 Non-accreditation has significant implications for both prospective and enrolled students. A program that is not accredited by the ARC-PA cannot enroll students, and graduates of such programs are ineligible to sit for the PANCE, thereby precluding entry into clinical practice. Loss or failure to achieve accreditation indicates noncompliance with nationally established standards and may result in suspension of admissions, program closure, or other institutional actions.