Best PT schools
Graduates from an accredited physical therapy education program in the United States will be awarded their Doctorate of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree and after successful completion of the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE), can apply for their license to practice as a physical therapist.
Long before you clock in for your first shift, the process of earning your DPT begins with admission to physical therapy school.
Summary
- Choosing the best PT schools isn’t just about rankings. Factors like accreditation, clinical experience, cost, and location matter more for long-term success.
- Accreditation through CAPTE is essential; without it, students may be ineligible for licensure and financial aid.
- Clinical education, faculty reputation, and NPTE pass rates are strong indicators of a program’s quality and outcomes.
- With rising tuition and average debt exceeding $100K+, balancing cost with career goals is critical when selecting the best PT school for you.
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Although many hope to gain admission to one of the top-ranked or best PT schools, as you will learn below, ranking physical therapy schools is not as simple as you may think. Don’t despair, though.
Opening your mind to consider a wide range of factors will help you to choose a physical therapy program that will provide a great education and set you up for success in many areas of your life.
Applying to the best PT schools
Currently, there are over 300 physical therapist education programs in the United States, including those in development. New programs are opening each year, providing applicants with a growing pool of options. With this many options, how do you choose where to apply?
This article will outline some of the factors you should consider when creating your list of the best PT schools. With a little planning, you will find the top physical therapy program for you.
GROWTH OF PT EDUCATION
Year | 2023 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
Number of PT schools (accredited and candidacy) | 294 | 253 |
Number of enrolled PT students | 37k | 40k |
*Data from https://capteonline.org
With over 300 schools to choose from, it pays to start planning well ahead of your anticipated application cycle. Though all programs must meet minimum standards and eligibility requirements, they all have slightly different requirements for admission and unique benefits to offer.
To begin, let’s look at a few things to review when comparing programs.
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Accreditation status
One of the first things to do when creating your list of potential PT programs is to check the program’s accreditation status.
Physical therapy education programs undergo a process of accreditation through CAPTE, the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education. This process ensures that schools are providing a high-quality education to physical therapy students and meeting requirements for PT licensure.
CAPTE awards accreditation status to programs that have demonstrated they are in substantial compliance with the Standards and Required Elements. Programs must undergo intermittent reaccreditation, and programs that lose their accreditation status may become ineligible to enroll students.
Students enrolled in a program that has lost its accreditation may be ineligible to sit for the NPTE, may lose their student loan assistance and their degree may go unrecognized by future employers.
In these cases, many students will need to transfer to a different physical therapy program to complete their education. The CAPTE website provides a directory of accredited programs as well as new programs that have been awarded accreditation candidacy.
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Clinical education opportunities
Clinical education requirements are another great way to compare programs. Clinical education or working as a student physical therapist under the supervision of a licensed PT clinical instructor is a required component for all DPT programs, where students learn to put their didactic education into practice.
Schools must offer a minimum of 30 weeks of full-time clinical education experiences, but there can be considerable variation in how the clinical education experiences are organized.
If application of PT principles is something you feel strongly about, consider schools that offer more weeks of clinical education throughout their program. Many schools have relationships with hospitals and clinics in their community.
If you know you would love the opportunity to have a rotation at a specific location and it is not already an affiliated clinic with your school, be sure to ask the clinical education coordinator if they are open to creating new affiliations or if you will be limited to the ones they already have in place.
While the purpose of clinical education is to improve learning and practice, it can also be an opportunity to live in a new, fun location and often leads to postgraduate employment opportunities.
Faculty and research reputation
Well-known and well-respected faculty can bring unique opportunities to students and PT programs. Additionally, academic institutions can vary widely on the types of research opportunities students can access. Students who have a desire to work with certain faculty or participate in research labs and opportunities should explore these aspects of PT programs when deciding where to apply.
Graduation and admissions rates of the best PT schools
Curious how many students successfully graduate from a specific PT program? Most physical therapy schools publish yearly outcomes on their website, which requires a little digging.
CAPTE publishes aggregate data for admissions and graduation rates on their website (2024 data published here), which can give you an idea of average rates of admission, enrollment, and graduation across programs.
Board pass rates
Passing the board exam is a major step in becoming a licensed PT. Preparation to pass the NPTE begins on day one of your PT school curriculum, and some programs have better passing rates than others.
The Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy publishes the NPTE pass rates for all physical therapy schools and is a great resource to explore prior to applying to programs. You can find that resource here.
Identifying the best PT schools
A quick internet search for the “best physical therapy school in X years” will net you a surprisingly long series of results, each with a slightly different list. Why is that, you ask? Because online sites like usnews.com, edurank.org, or College Factual use different criteria to judge the quality of a physical therapy program.
On their website, you can find the methodology behind their rankings.
Some of the criteria these sites use to rank their top physical therapy programs include:
- Accreditation
- Student body caliber
- Student demand
- Major breadth and depth
- Educational resources
- Degree completion
- Postgraduate debt
- Postgraduate earnings
If you plan to use an online ranking site to guide your application process, be sure to check out their methodology and ensure the factors they deem most important align with your own list of priorities. This will help make certain that their list of top schools is a good fit for your wish list.
Beyond the rankings
In the end, a list of top ten physical therapy schools will look different for each applicant. Two to three years of your life will be dedicated to this academic pursuit, and each student must decide for themselves how to prioritize the unique aspects of each program.
In addition to accreditation status, faculty and clinical education, graduation and NPTE pass rates, a few other important factors to consider include the tuition cost, location, and specialty offerings of each program.
Costs of the best PT schools
Most physical therapists (nearly 93%) graduate with student loan debt. Both tuition costs and living expenses contribute to student loan debt, and applicants should consider how to balance the cost of their education with other desirable factors in a PT program.
On average, physical therapists graduate with $116,183 of PT-education related debt. When added to debts already accrued from previous education or other expenses (minus mortgage debt), most therapists are carrying over $150,000 in debt when they graduate. With some programs costing up to $230k, it is important to consider what you can afford.
Specialty programs
Although physical therapy programs are structured to provide you with a comparable education across the board, each program has unique qualities that may fulfill personal interests you hope to explore while earning your degree.
Here are a few examples of opportunities you might consider:
- On-campus physical therapy clinics: Midwestern University in Arizona hosts a low-cost clinic that provides student doctors the opportunity to perform physical therapy treatments under the supervision of department faculty and staff. If you are interested in getting more hands-on experience throughout your education, while giving back to the local community, look for a program that has a pro-bono or community clinic where DPT students can work.
- International service-learning opportunities: The DPT program at Georgia State University offers international service-learning opportunities for its students. Students can participate in a trip abroad to provide care to individuals in rural communities. This is not the only program that offers service-learning trips abroad, so if this excites you, search for programs that give you the chance to get involved in healthcare opportunities outside of your immediate community.
- Elective courses: Aside from the DPT school curriculum, many schools offer elective courses available to students to pursue interests and passions in a more specialized field. Elective courses may cover topics like oncology, pain neuroscience, women’s health, prosthetics, business management, and more. Most schools publish their curriculum online for you to view.
Location of the PT program
If you haven’t considered where you wish to spend the next 2-3 years of your life while you attend school, don’t forget to consider location. Location will determine the cost of living, your access to hobbies, recreation opportunities, and social support, as well as the cultural and socioeconomic influences you may experience.
Hybrid education programs can reduce the impact that location may have on your PT school experience, but the travel requirements for on-site intensives should always be factored into your final decision.
Putting it all together to find the best PT school for you
As you can see, finding the top physical therapy school begins with deciding what’s most important to you. Excitement about learning and practicing physical therapy is one of the most important factors in becoming a great clinician, and it all starts with picking the best PT school for you!
While some industries face uncertain outlooks as technology and AI capabilities develop, the need for physical therapists continues to grow. Your contribution to the health and wellness of your community will always be appreciated.
Streamline your practice with One EHR
- Scheduling
- Flexible notes
- Template library
- Billing & payments
- Insurance claims
- Client portal
- Telehealth
- E-fax
Resources for physical therapists
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More resources
- Therapy resources and worksheets
- Therapy private practice courses
- Ultimate teletherapy ebook
- The Ultimate Insurance Billing Guide for Therapists
- The Ultimate Guide to Starting a Private Therapy Practice
- Insurance billing 101
- Practice management tools
Free video classes
- Free on-demand insurance billing for therapist course
- Free mini video lessons to enhance your private practice
- 9 Admin tasks to automate in your private practice
References
Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education. (n.d.). Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE). https://www.capteonline.org
Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education. (2025). 2024 Physical Therapist Education Programs Fact Sheet. https://www.capteonline.org/globalassets/capte-docs/aggregate-data/2024-pt-aggregate-program-data-fact-sheet.pdf
Georgia State University, Byrdine F. Lewis College of Nursing and Health Professions. (n.d.). Study abroad. https://lewis.gsu.edu/study-abroad/
Midwestern University. (n.d.). Physical therapy. Therapy Institute, Glendale Clinics. https://clinics.midwestern.edu/glendale-clinics/therapy-institute/physical-therapy
FAQs about the top physical therapy schools
What is the most important factor when choosing a PT school?
Accreditation is the top priority, as it determines eligibility for licensure, financial aid, and future employment.
Do PT school rankings really matter?
Not as much as you might think—rankings vary widely based on methodology, so it’s more important to choose a program that aligns with your goals.
How much clinical experience do PT programs require?
All DPT programs require at least 30 weeks of full-time clinical education, though many offer more.
