Before applying, physical therapy schools expect that applicants develop certain competencies. Students develop some of these competencies through undergraduate coursework, while they develop others through experiences outside the classroom. Physical therapy schools review your application, looking for indicators that you have developed these competencies. They will expect you to have completed certain coursework and maintained a certain GPA to demonstrate academic readiness for graduate school.
Choosing a major #
Physical therapy programs do not require a particular major for admission. Pre-PT students may select any major and degree to combine with the courses required for admission to physical therapy school. You should select a major in which you are genuinely interested, in which you can excel, and one that provides latitude to pursue an alternate career path if you choose not to attend physical therapy school.
Although you can choose any major, pre-PT students need to complete a challenging set of prerequisite coursework in the sciences. In addition, pre-PT students need to develop strong critical thinking, problem solving, and communication skills. Coursework in the humanities and social and behavioral sciences can help you build skills in these latter areas.
While some majors may be “common” or “popular” among pre-PT students, that does not mean that these majors are preferred by admissions committees or are more competitive majors for admission. Rather than choosing a major based on what you think will “look good” on an application, choose a major that interests you and will provide the foundation for multiple career pathways.
Prerequisite coursework #
Each physical therapy program establishes its own course prerequisites for admission, and course requirements vary from school to school. The most commonly required courses include anatomy and physiology, biology, chemistry, physics, psychology, and statistics. Course requirements are listed below for the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) at IU Indianapolis.
Some PT programs may not accept Advanced Placement (AP) credit, credit-by-exam, or exemption from degree requirements to fulfill admission requirements, or may only accept such credit under specific circumstances. Research program requirements and contact programs if you have AP credit or credit-by-exam.
As a pre-PT student, you should plan to apply to multiple schools. Begin researching their requirements early to determine what additional courses are required for admission. You should contact programs to confirm that the suggested IU Bloomington coursework fulfills their requirements. The PTCAS website provides a summary of program prerequisites for all physical therapy schools as well as detailed information on the application requirements for each program.
| Course Requirements for IU Indianapolis School of Health and Human Sciences |
IU Bloomington course(s) that can fulfill the requirement |
|---|---|
| Human Anatomy with lab | ANAT-A 225* |
| Human Physiology with lab | PHSL-P 225* or BIOL-P 451 |
| General Chemistry I & II with labs | CHEM-C117/127 and CHEM-C 118 |
| General Physics I & II with labs | PHYS-P 201 and 202; or PHYS-P 221 and 222 |
| Statistics1 | PSY-K 300, SPH-Q 381, STAT-S 303, or equivalent |
| Introductory Psychology | PSY-P 101 or 155 |
| Lifespan Development2 | SPH-F 150, EDUC-P 314, or PSY-P 315 |
*ANAT-A 215 and PHSL-P 215 prior to Fall 2024 will be accepted to fulfill these requirements.
One (1) prerequisite course may be outstanding at the time of application and must be finished before starting the program in May.
All prerequisite courses must be at least 3 credit hours and completed with a grade of ‘C’ or higher. All science courses must be courses for science majors and include a lab. Online courses are accepted.
Dual credit courses are acceptable if recorded on a college transcript with a grade. Courses taken for AP credit will be accepted if a score of 3 or higher is earned (the course must appear on official university transcripts). CLEP tests are not accepted.
Students may retake up to 15 credit hours of prerequisite courses, and the higher grade will be used to calculate the prerequisite GPA; all grades will be used to calculate the cumulative GPA.
Course notes:
- Statistics must include descriptive and inferential statistics.
- Lifespan Development must include the study of development from birth to death.
For other PT programs you may also need to take a combination of some of the coursework below. Research programs early to find out what courses you will need to apply for admission. Note that many programs require coursework in biology and pre-PT students should plan to take BIOL-L 112.
- Medical Terminology: CLAS-C 209
- Biology: BIOL-L 112 and, if a lab is required, BIOL-L 113. If a second biology course is required choose either BIOL-L 111 or BIOL-L 211
- Exercise Physiology: SPH-K 409
- Biomechanics: SPH-K 391
Academic record and GPA #
Your undergraduate GPA is one of the primary ways physical therapy schools will evaluate your application for admission. Physical therapy schools review your undergraduate transcript and the grades you have earned in your courses as a way to evaluate academic competencies that you have gained. Grades are considered to be a reliable predictor of how you will perform in physical therapy school. Admissions committees look at your undergraduate transcript for indications of whether you will have the intellectual abilities and self-discipline to succeed in a demanding PT school curriculum.
What is a competitive GPA? The average cumulative GPA for applicants accepted to PT schools in 2023 nationally was 3.55. The average cumulative GPA for IU Bloomington applicants accepted in 2023 was 3.68. The average cumulative GPA for matriculants to the IU Indianapolis DPT program in 2022 was 3.79. As a pre-physical therapy student, aim for a cumulative GPA of 3.6 or higher to be academically competitive. GPA is not the only factor in admission, but a low GPA cannot be overcome by other factors in admission.
We strongly urge freshmen and transfer students to focus on academics and making the transition to challenging IUB coursework. Strong academic performance is the crucial foundation upon which a successful application is built.
GPA calculations #
Most programs have a minimum undergraduate cumulative GPA requirement of 3.0 or higher and require all prerequisites be completed with a grade of “C” or higher. Keep in mind that the minimum required prerequisite grades are rarely competitive for admission, as admitted students usually have considerably higher grades and GPAs.
When you apply to physical therapy school your GPA will be calculated by PTCAS, the centralized application service. You will type information into the centralized application from the transcripts of all colleges and universities you have attended, including the title of each course, number of credit hours, and the grade earned for each course. Each course will be classified according to the subject matter of the course. This information will be used to calculate an overall cumulative GPA for you and other types of GPAs.
Physical therapy programs will also evaluate your prerequisite GPA, or sometimes your math/science prerequisite GPA. Some physical therapy programs will allow a certain number of retakes or repeated credit hours to be counted towards your prerequisite GPA. The average math/science prerequisite undergraduate GPA among 2022 matriculants to the IU Indianpolis DPT program was 3.68.
Course retakes #
If you are considering retaking a course to enhance your application to physical therapy school, you will want to carefully consider the impact of IU Extended-X policies, policies of the centralized application service (PTCAS), and the likelihood and impact of obtaining a higher grade in the course. Make sure to consult information in this Guidebook on Repeated Coursework and Impact of ‘Extended-X’ Policies on Application to Professional Schools.
Before re-enrolling in a course, you will want to create a plan for success, including such elements as devoting additional time to the course, developing new study skills, attending instructor office hours, and using tutoring services.
Parallel planning #
What is parallel planning? It's a smart strategy to ensure your success. There are many possible paths to your goal of a healthcare career! Some students convince themselves that there is only one career for them – but the truth is that you could potentially be successful in a wide number of fields. A parallel plan is a plan you create that you can pursue right alongside your first choice of a career. Pre-health science courses can be challenging, and parallel planning allows you to efficiently change paths at some point if you discover you do not like or no longer want to pursue your primary career path.
How could you create a parallel plan? Explore your interests, goals, and values. Meet with a career advisor. Think about other goals you would like to achieve alongside being an physical therapist – for instance, would you like to encourage healthy lifestyles, improve global health, or develop new treatments through research? Your answers to these questions may help indicate additional career paths through which you could find meaning and success.