How To Apply

The Doctor in Physical Therapy program offers rolling admissions from July 1-March 31. Each application is considered as it is submitted, and decisions are typically made within 8-10 weeks after your full application has been received. The class does typically fill well before the March 31 deadline, and applicants are encouraged to apply early. 

The application fee is $75 and $95 for international students. We do not participate in PTCAS.

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Application Instructions

How to Apply

Applicants for the 2023-2024 cycle should wait until July 1 to begin an application.

  • Create an application account through the UMN Graduate School, and start a new application. 
  • Select the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities campus.
  • Filter for the Medical School for the college/school, and then select the Physical Therapy DPT application under Medical School Programs.
  • The proposed term of entry is Summer 2024

Our application requires:

Transcripts

Upload legible, unofficial transcripts from all colleges and universities attended. We do not require official transcripts during the application process, and you do not need to send anything directly to the program.

Prerequisite Courses

List all 13 required prerequisite courses. Be sure to include those you are currently taking or plan to take. Choose “In Progress” from the drop down grading menu for these courses. 

TOEFL Scores (International Students)

International applicants must submit official TOEFL scores if their undergraduate degree was completed at a non-English speaking school. Our TOEFL requirements exceed the Graduate School's entry requirements in the interest of patient safety and clinical effectiveness. For TOEFL, we require: Writing: 24; Speaking: 26; Reading: 21; Listening: 18

AP/IB Score Report

Upload the unofficial score reports for AP (4 or above) or IB (6 and above) courses if using these scores to meet prerequisite requirements.  

40 Observation Hours

List all observation experiences with descriptions and hour amounts.  These must be with a physical therapist in a clinical environment.  There will be opportunities to share additional experiences (e.g. research, healthcare observations of other professions, etc.) that you feel would benefit your application in the “Professional Exploration” and “Life Experiences” sections.

Letters of Recommendation

Identify two references, one being a practicing physical therapist. References will receive an email directing them to an online reference form. They will be asked to complete a form and provide a letter of recommendation.*

Narrative Questions

Provide answers to narrative questions. Please use this space to tell us any information not included in the rest of the application that you feel is important.

Our program no longer requires the GRE.  The “Test” Section is used to upload AP or IB score reports if needed.

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Application FAQs

General Questions

What’s the term of entry?
The proposed term of entry is Summer 2024. Our program begins in July each year. 

Are there in-person interviews?
No, admission decisions are made solely on the application. 

Do I apply through PTCAS? 
We do not use PTCAS for our admissions process. Please apply through the link on this site beginning July 1. 

What does rolling admissions mean? 
We review each application after all materials are received (including letters of recommendation). From that point, you will have an admissions decision in 6-8 weeks. We review every complete application received from July 1 through March 31. The program typically fills before March, and we encourage you to apply early. 

Transcripts

I studied abroad. Do you need those transcripts?
We normally do not need transcripts from study abroad programs as long as those courses are also listed on your undergraduate degree transcript.

My school doesn’t provide unofficial transcripts. What should I use?
You can use official copies if that’s what your school will provide.

I’m registered or plan to register for a prerequisite course, but the school doesn’t provide a transcript that shows the course. What should I use?
Nothing. You don’t need a transcript for courses you are currently taking or plan to take, but make sure any ungraded prerequisite is listed in the prerequisite section with “In Progress” chosen from the drop down grading menu.

Prerequisite Courses

How many prerequisites can be unfinished at the time of application?
Only two. If you have more that you are currently taking or planning to take, please wait until you have grades for those courses before submitting your application.

Do you accept AP or IB credits for prerequisite coursework?
Yes, two prerequisites may be met with AP (score of 4 or above) or IB (score of 6 or above) credits. We do require an unofficial copy of your AP or IB score report be uploaded to the application in the Test section.

Is there a minimum grade for prerequisite courses?
Yes, all prerequisites must have a minimum letter grade of C to be considered (medical terminology is also accepted pass/fail). 

I received two grades for certain classes - one for the lecture and one for the lab. Which one should I use?
You can use both. List labs separately if they were graded independently

I retook a prerequisite course. How do I enter that into the application?
List previous attempts of prerequisite courses in the prerequisite section. When prompted, choose "Yes" to indicate that the course was later retaken for a better grade. Courses marked “Yes” are listed as previous attempts and are not used to calculate the prerequisite GPA. 

Observation Hours

How many hours do I need to have to apply? 
We require that 40 hours be completed by the time you submit your application. 

I'm entering my hours into the application, but they keep disappearing. What should I do? 
Round your hours to the nearest total. Do not include partial hours. 

Do you require verification? 
No, although we do ask for a description of your time spent in each experience. 

References

Can I include more than two references? 
Our application system allows for  more than two references to be listed.  However, we strongly recommend you choose only two references unless a third would provide perspective from a unique experience. 

Who should I ask to be a reference? 
One must be from a practicing physical therapist. Letters from supervisors in other clinical settings, supervisors from jobs, professors, academic advisors, and other mentors are also good choices. We discourage personal recommendations. 

Contact the Admissions Team

Please review the Application Instructions and the Application FAQs as those areas cover our most commonly asked questions. If you don't find an answer there, feel free to contact Mark Fierst, Admissions Coordinator, at umnptadmissions@umn.edu