After reviewing the information below, if you have questions about our program or selection process, please contact the prospective student advisor, Professor Jennifer Hastings, at jhastings@pugetsound.edu. For inquiries directly related to transcripts or the equivalency of specific courses (which you have taken or plan to take), please contact our admission evaluator at graduate@pugetsound.edu

Application Requirements

  • Apply online via PTCAS; Puget Sound has no supplemental application. Application is closed for Fall Semester 2020. Application for Fall Semester 2021 will open in July 2020 and must be submitted by 8:59 p.m. PDT (11:59 p.m. EDT) on November 2, 2020.
  • Submit official transcripts from every college attended via PTCAS.
  • Three (3) Letters of Recommendation (one of which must be from a physical therapist and one must be from a college professor who has taught you in a college level course), submitted via PTCAS.
  • Observation hours: 100 or more hours recommended, submitted via PTCAS.
  • Graduate Record Examination (GRE): Submit official scores directly to PTCAS using the Puget Sound/PTCAS code: 7694. Scores should not be more than five years old.
  • Prerequisite course descriptions from all non-Washington, Oregon, Idaho, or Hawaii institutions attended submitted via PTCAS in supplemental questions for Puget Sound.
  • Supplementary Application Fee Payment Form and $50 application fee submitted directly to Puget Sound via mail. Checks should be made out to University of Puget Sound and reference the student's full name, PTCAS ID number, and the PT program (for example: "Robin Jones, 20111219620, PT").

Required Undergraduate Preparation

Baccalaureate degree completed, or realistic plan of completion, before beginning of physical therapy classes. You may major in any field that maximizes your talents and interests; there is no preferred major.

Overall GPA of all baccalaureate work of 3.0 or better. If applicant has multiple degrees, the GPA of the more recent degree completed is used as qualifier. Completed graduate degree with a GPA of 3.0 or better will qualify an applicant with a low undergraduate GPA.

Completion of all prerequisite courses, or realistic plan of completion, before the beginning of physical therapy classes if one or more prerequisite course(s) is incomplete at the time of application. Prerequisite courses include:

  • Fundamentals of Chemistry I, II (CHEM 110/120 or 115/230) or equivalent (one-year series with labs).
  • General College Physics (PHYS 111/112 or 121/122) or equivalent (one-year series with labs).
  • Human Anatomy and Physiology (EXSC 221/222) or equivalent (with lab). (At some universities human anatomy and physiology will be offered within the biology department. While human anatomy and physiology are preferred, students may substitute vertebrate or comparative anatomy and physiology.)
  • Introduction to Applied Statistics (MATH 160) or equivalent.
  • One course in psychology or sociology emphasizing human behavior or disability. Puget Sound courses that fulfill the requirement include Introduction to Psychology (PSYC 101); Developmental Psychology (PSYC 220 or 221); Psychological Disorders (PSYC 320); Deviance and Social Control (SOAN 206); or Disability, Identity, and Power (SOAN 370).

All prerequisite courses must be taken for a grade, and you must earn at least a grade of 3.0 in each course. (IMPORTANT UPDATE: Due to academic challenges associated with the COVID-19 crisis, prerequisite courses receiving CREDIT during the Spring/Summer of 2020 will be accepted.) If your prerequisite courses have been completed more than 10 years prior to application, you should submit a letter describing how the prerequisite knowledge has been kept current.

Exposure to practice of physical therapy (either volunteer or paid) under the supervision of a licensed physical therapist is required. There is no minimum number of hours, but the applicant must demonstrate knowledge across the spectrum of the profession in writing submitted for the application.

Admission Criteria

The physical therapy admission committee takes the overall application into account. Decisions are made based on a balance of academic performance in undergraduate work, GRE scores, demonstrated understanding of the nature of the profession, answers to essay questions on the application, writing abilities as demonstrated on the GRE and on the essay questions, and information contained in the personal references. You must achieve all published minimum criteria in order to be considered for admission.

Profile of Recently Admitted Class

  • Average overall GPA: 3.65 (range 3.0-3.98)
  • Average Prerequisite GPA: 3.72 (range 3.28-4.0)
  • Average score on Verbal GRE: 65%
  • Average score on Quantitative GRE: 55%
  • Average score on Analytical GRE: 63%
  • Average hours of exposure to practice: 1,140