$1.7M Grant Boosts Montana PA Program Training
Prospective physician assistant students in Montana may have a new training option when the program's first cohort enrolls in May 2028.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Financial Aid
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Carroll College has received a $1.7 million grant from the Nevada-based E. L. Wiegand Foundation to support its physician assistant program, which is scheduled to enroll its first 34 students in May 2028, pending accreditation.
Why it matters
Montana faces a serious shortage of health care providers, and 51 of the state's 56 counties are designated Health Professional Shortage Areas. The grant adds lab simulation technology and medical equipment to a program that could increase the number of trained PAs working in the region.
The E. L. Wiegand Foundation's $1.7 million grant will fund advanced lab simulation technology and medical equipment, and the foundation will also pay for furnishings. Montana has two PA education programs, while Idaho has one and Wyoming has none.
The players
Carroll College
A private college in Helena, Montana, whose physician assistant program is the subject of this grant.
E. L. Wiegand Foundation
A Nevada-based philanthropic organization that awarded the $1.7 million grant to the program.
The details
The grant will fund advanced lab simulation technology and medical equipment for the program, and the foundation will pay for facility furnishings. Four Anatomage digital anatomy tables come from the foundation, and two more are funded by private donors John and Meredith Sullivan, for six in total. The full-time program runs 27 months, with 14 months of classroom and lab instruction followed by 13 months of supervised clinical training, and it will be based in St. Charles Hall and Simperman Hall.
Timeline
March 2027: Carroll College expects to submit its application for provisional accreditation.
April 2027: Applications for the first cohort are expected to open.
June 2027: An accreditation site visit is expected.
Fall 2027: An accreditation decision is expected.
May 2028: The first 34 PA students are scheduled to enroll, pending accreditation.
Education Landscape
Montana has only two PA education programs, compared with one in neighboring Idaho and none in Wyoming, so a third program would meaningfully widen training capacity in the region. Adding technology such as point-of-care ultrasound matters because only about 29% of PA programs currently include it in their curriculum.
Prospective PA students in Montana may have a new program option starting in May 2028 if accreditation is granted, and applications for the first cohort are expected to open in April 2027. Students considering the program should ask the college's financial-aid office how the grant affects tuition and fees for the 27-month program.
The takeaway
A new physician assistant program could expand training options in a state where most counties face provider shortages. Prospective applicants should watch the accreditation milestones in 2027, and ask Carroll College's financial-aid office what costs the program will carry.
What happens next
Carroll College expects to submit its provisional accreditation application in March 2027, host a site visit in June 2027, and receive a decision in fall 2027, before the first cohort is scheduled to enroll in May 2028.
Further reading
For more on how grants and scholarships reduce the cost of training, see Financial Aid in Montana.
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