MILLIGAN, Tenn. (June 10, 2026) — Recent graduates of Milligan University’s physician assistant (PA) program received a 100% first-time pass rate on the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE).
“We are proud of our Class of 2026 graduates who achieved a 100% PANCE pass rate,” said Dr. Andrew Hull, founding director of Milligan’s PA program. “Our PA graduates continue to perform well above the national average on the PANCE, which reflects the high-quality training they receive at Milligan. We focus on preparing excellent PAs who are also servant-leaders.”
In addition to graduating from an accredited program, students must pass the PANCE, a multiple-choice certification exam which assesses medical and clinical knowledge, to obtain a license to practice as a PA. Milligan graduates exceeded the national average of 94% for all PA program first-time test takers.
Milligan’s PA program launched in 2018 with strong support from Ballad Health, and it was developed to meet a critical healthcare need both regionally and nationally. Through the continued generosity of Ballad Health, Milligan will complete the Ballad Health Simulation Lab on campus this fall to advance clinical education. The lab will include human patient simulators, medical equipment and other IT equipment that will prepare Milligan’s physician assistant, nursing and occupational therapy students to innovate and succeed.
The program trains healthcare professionals to diagnose and treat patients, in addition to prescribing medicine. PA students receive a foundation in primary care, so they may work with physicians and other members of the healthcare team in a variety of medical specialties.
The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc. (ARC-PA) has granted Accreditation-Continued status to the Milligan University Physician Assistant Program sponsored by Milligan University. Accreditation-Continued is an accreditation status granted when a currently accredited program is in compliance with the ARC-PA Standards. Accreditation remains in effect until the program closes or withdraws from the accreditation process or until accreditation is withdrawn for failure to comply with the Standards. The approximate date for the next validation review of the program by the ARC-PA will be June 2032. The review date is contingent upon continued compliance with the Accreditation Standards and ARC-PA policy. The program’s accreditation history can be viewed on the ARC-PA website at http://www.arc-pa.org/accreditation-history-milligan-university/.
For more information on Milligan’s PA program, visit www.milligan.edu/pa.