Health Professional Student Association

What Health Professional Student Association does

Health Professional Student Association (HPSA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1983 (originally as Coastal Research Group, renamed in May 2020) and headquartered in Huntington Beach, California. It provides free advising, research, and educational resources to students pursuing careers across the health professions, operating primarily through its flagship Student Doctor Network (SDN) community of more than 859,000 registered members generating over 1.27 million discussions. Its offering spans online courses (Becoming a Student Doctor, Situational Judgment Test Workshop), 1:1 coaching, a mobile Premed Planner app, and a portfolio of specialized digital tools (Activity Finder, AMCAS Tracker, Interview Feedback Database, Medical School Application Cost Calculator, Medical Specialty Selector, Review2). Programs are extended through institutional partners including medical schools, community colleges, and Area Health Education Center (AHEC) pipelines; the Undergraduate Medical Accelerator Program (UMAP) at Tulsa Community College and the South Louisiana AHEC integration of Becoming a Student Doctor represent the most recent in-person channel extensions.

Name

Health Professional Student Association

Legal name

Health Professional Student Association

Website

https://hpsa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Health Professional Student Association (HPSA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1983 that runs the Student Doctor Network and related free advising tools, courses, scholarships, and pathway programs for pre-health students across medical, dental, and other health professions, with a focus on students from underserved communities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pre-Health Education and Advising

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) in Education (EDADALAD)

Keywords

• Pre-health advising services
• Medical school admissions
• Healthcare pathway programs
• Student community forums
• Nonprofit education resources

Headquarters

HQ city

Huntington Beach

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donor Contributions: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, HPSA relies primarily on donor contributions from individuals who believe in its mission of advancing access to health professions. The organization promotes individual giving through its website and Donor-Advised Fund options.
2. Corporate Sponsorships: HPSA receives support from corporate sponsors who fund the organization's free resources and programs. Sponsors enable the provision of free advising tools, publications, and scholarships for students.
3. Grant Funding: HPSA receives grant funding from organizations such as the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) and partnership with the Association of STEMM Pathway and Bridge Programs (ASPBP) for specific projects like learning management system integration.
4. Targeted Advertising: Some components of donor-supported resources contain targeted advertising provided through Google, Facebook, or Bing. These advertising revenues help offset the costs of hosting online resources.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

HPSA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides free advising, educational resources, digital tools, and peer-support community services for students pursuing health professions careers across medical, dental, optometry, pharmacy, podiatry, psychology, rehabilitation sciences, and veterinary medicine. Its core offering centers on the Student Doctor Network forums, supplemented by online courses, coaching services, mobile applications, and scholarship programs aimed at students from underserved communities.

Product overview

HPSA operates as a platform-plus-programs organization offering a comprehensive ecosystem of free advising resources, digital tools, educational courses, and research publications for students pursuing health professions careers. The core product is the Student Doctor Network (SDN) community, which serves as the central hub connecting students across eight doctoral-level health fields (medical, dental, optometry, pharmacy, podiatry, psychology, rehabilitation sciences, and veterinary). Key products include the Becoming a Student Doctor online course, Pre-Health Coaching services, and Confidential Expert Advice Q&A platform. The portfolio also includes specialized digital tools: Premed Planner App (mobile), Activity Finder (extracurricular activity search), AMCAS Tracker (application verification), Interview Feedback Database, Medical School Application Cost Calculator, Medical Specialty Selector, and Review2 (test center research). HPSA publishes SDN Review (peer-reviewed journal), "How-to" Admissions Guides, and research reports including the Profile of the Admitted Applicant series. Programs include the Undergraduate Medical Accelerator Program (UMAP) and Situational Judgment Test Workshop. The SDN Prehealth Scholarship provides financial support to aspiring healthcare professionals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SDN Review: An open-access, peer-reviewed journal on health professional school admissions published weekly on the Student Doctor Network website, featuring research, perspectives, and topics related to healthcare education and policy.
• Premed Planner
• Activity Finder
• Becoming a Student Doctor

Products and services

• Student Doctor Network (SDN) A nonprofit community forum providing free advising resources, tools, and peer support for students across health professions including medical, dental, optometry, pharmacy, podiatry, psychology, rehabilitation sciences, and veterinary.
• Becoming a Student Doctor An advanced, self-directed online course that empowers students to understand the complexities of the healthcare system and articulate how they see themselves serving within it, including Situational Judgment Test preparation.
• Pre-Health Coaching Pay-what-you-can coaching with experienced advisors for school lists, application strategy, interviews, and next steps for students applying to health professional schools.
• Confidential Expert Advice Anonymous question-answering service where vetted experts including admissions committee members, pre-health advisors, practitioners, and residents respond to student questions about the admissions process or specific applications.
• Premed Planner App Mobile application available for iOS and Android that helps students track their progress from freshman year of college to medical school, including application process overview, course timelines, volunteering/shadowing expectations, activity hour logging, and certification tracking.
• Activity Finder Award-winning web-based tool helping premed and prehealth students find extracurricular activities including clinical jobs, research positions, volunteer opportunities, and virtual shadowing experiences.
• AMCAS Tracker Crowdsourced application tracking tool allowing students applying to allopathic medical schools to estimate when their application will be verified, combining crowdsourced information with official AMCAS status information.
• Interview Feedback Database Crowdsourced database detailing interview experiences at health professional schools including interview type and specific questions asked, based on applicant feedback throughout SDN history.
• Medical School Application Cost Calculator Tool allowing students to develop a budget for medical school applications based on costs for testing, primary and secondary applications, and interview travel.
• Medical Specialty Selector Assessment tool partnered with Anita Taylor's book 'How to Choose a Medical Specialty' providing an overview of medical specialties and quiz to find specialties matching student values and personality.
• Situational Judgment Test Workshop 90-minute interactive workshop teaching approaches to conflict resolution and practice applying these to simulated situational judgment test situations for health professional school admissions.
• Undergraduate Medical Accelerator Program (UMAP) Half-day hybrid seminar for community college students aimed at helping them understand how to plan their path to medical school, covering admissions requirements, prerequisites, and extracurricular activities.
• "How-to" Admissions Guides Free downloadable step-by-step guides covering admissions requirements, test prep resources, application system information, school-specific guides with GPA/test scores, and interview process breakdowns for dental, occupational therapy, optometry, physical therapy, and post-baccalaureate programs.
• SDN Review Open-access, peer-reviewed journal on health professional school admissions published weekly on the Student Doctor Network website, featuring research, perspectives, and topics related to healthcare education and policy.
• SDN Prehealth Scholarships $2,500 scholarships awarded annually to aspiring healthcare professionals from underserved communities as part of a campaign to support a decade of scholarships.
• Review2 (Test Center Research) Tool allowing students to research their testing environment for high-stakes tests like the MCAT and DAT, providing information on temperature, noise, and parking at commercial testing centers.
• Generative AI Learners Survey A 20-item, IRB-exempt self-evaluation tool developed using REDCap that helps curriculum and student affairs professionals document learners' attainment of generative AI skills, competencies, and attitudes.

Quantifiable outcome

• 115 students surveyed in 2024-2025 cycle showing equitable admissions outcomes across demographic groups despite resource access variations
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025NBME awarded HPSA a $5,000 Materials and Resource Grant in partnership with the Association of STEMM Pathway and Bridge Programs (ASPBP) to support integration of a learning management system for HPSA's online courses, particularly the flagship Becoming a Student Doctor course.
• Association of STEMM Pathway and Bridge Programs (ASPBP)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025ASPBP partnered with NBME to award HPSA a grant for learning management system integration. HPSA Director Emil Chuck, PhD serves as 2025-2026 Conference Chair of ASPBP, strengthening the partnership.
• Oklahoma University-Tulsa University School of Community MedicinecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 April 2022OU-Tulsa School of Community Medicine partnered with HPSA and Tulsa Community College to pilot the Undergraduate Medical Accelerator Program (UMAP) on April 23, 2022. The partnership provides medical school admissions guidance to community college students through a half-day hybrid seminar. Dr. James Herman, Dean of OU School of Community Medicine, oversees the school's expansion to a four-year campus with over 300 physicians.
• Tulsa Community CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 April 2022Tulsa Community College hosted the inaugural UMAP pilot in collaboration with HPSA and OU-Tulsa School of Community Medicine. The partnership aims to address physician shortages in Oklahoma by helping community college students understand medical school requirements and plan their educational pathways.
• The Opportunity Project (U.S. Census Bureau)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 December 2021Activity Finder was developed using The Opportunity Project sprint framework and won the Open Data for Good Grand Challenge in the Health and COVID-19 category. The challenge was sponsored by a consortium of government agencies offering prizes for high-impact digital tools.
• South Louisiana Area Health Education Center (AHEC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSouth Louisiana AHEC integrated HPSA's Becoming a Student Doctor curriculum into its Scholars Program, enhancing the learning journey of aspiring healthcare professionals. The partnership combines local AHEC expertise with HPSA's nationwide insights and resources.
• YOJO (STEMM Pipeline Directory)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerBecoming a Student Doctor is listed on YOJO's directory of STEMM pipeline and bridge programs, making the scholarship-accessible course discoverable to students participating in pipeline programs across the country.
• Area Health Education Center (AHEC) ProgramscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHPSA partners with Area Health Education Center programs across the United States to reach pre-health and health professional students. AHEC programs serve as channel partners distributing HPSA resources and curriculum to underserved communities.
• Coastal Research GroupminorOthersCoastal Research Group was the original founding organization (1983), conducting 30 annual Primary Health Care Access Conferences from 1990-2019. It merged with Student Doctor Network in 2002 and changed its name to Health Professional Student Association in May 2020.
• AAMC (Association of American Medical Colleges)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHPSA's Generative AI Learners Survey was accepted into AAMC's Advancing AI across Academic Medicine Resource Collection. Emil Chuck, PhD serves as expert resource on admissions quoted by AAMC in articles.
• Academic Institutions and Healthcare OrganizationscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHPSA partners with academic institutions of higher education across the US to distribute resources, curriculum, and pathway programs to pre-health students. Partners include universities, community colleges, and healthcare organizations seeking to support diverse student pipelines.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• MedSchoolCoach: Commercial medical school admissions consulting firm offering one-on-one advising, application review, and interview prep. Directly competes with HPSA's Pre-Health Coaching and SDN services for pre-med students willing to pay for guided advising.
• Inspira Advantage: Medical school admissions consulting and application services company serving pre-med applicants. Competes head-to-head with HPSA's coaching and SDN forums in the same pre-med advising category, though as a paid service rather than a nonprofit.
• CollegeVine: College admissions advising platform with admissions consulting, essay review, and an AI-driven chancing engine. Compares to HPSA on the advising-services and admissions-prep dimension, though CollegeVine focuses on undergraduate admissions while HPSA targets health professions.
• Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) National Network: Federally supported network of regional AHEC programs delivering health workforce pipeline and pathway programs for underserved students. Directly partners with HPSA (e.g., South Louisiana AHEC) and operates comparable pipeline-building missions targeting the same student population.
• OldPreMeds (Student Doctor Network forum): Pre-med community forum originally founded by the same SDN team and operated as a separate site for non-traditional applicants. Direct overlap with HPSA's post-baccalaureate and non-traditional student segments, sharing forum DNA and audience.

Broad incumbents

• Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC): The membership association that runs AMCAS, MSAR, and the official medical school application system. Operates as a broad incumbent in the same space, partnering with HPSA (Generative AI Learners Survey accepted into AAMC's resource collection) while also setting admissions standards HPSA advises students on.
• Khan Academy: Large nonprofit free education platform offering MCAT prep and pre-health content via official AAMC partnership. Comparable as a free, donor-supported educational resource serving the same pre-health student audience, though at much greater scale and broader scope.
• Coursera: Large MOOC platform offering health-related courses and specializations from universities. Comparable to HPSA's Becoming a Student Doctor course in delivery model (online self-paced courses), though Coursera operates at vastly greater scale and with university credentialing.

Emerging players

• Magoosh: Online test prep company offering MCAT, GRE, and other standardized test preparation. Serves the same pre-health student cohort preparing for admissions exams, though with a paid commercial model rather than HPSA's free tools (Activity Finder, AMCAS Tracker).

Others

• NBME (National Board of Medical Examiners): Nonprofit that develops and administers USMLE and other medical assessments; provides grants to HPSA. Functions as an adjacent enabling organization in the medical education ecosystem rather than a competitor, but deeply comparable as a nonprofit serving the health-professions pipeline.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/HpsaOrg

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Health Professional Student Association