Admission Requirements

Applicants to the physical therapy program should submit the following information in addition to the online application:

1. Official academic records of all previously attended colleges or universities must be submitted directly from the colleges or universities to the Office of Graduate Admission Processing. Hand-carried transcripts, official copies marked Issued to Student and unofficial copies are not acceptable.
2. Three letters of recommendation are required. One letter must be from a licensed physical therapist. Other letters may be from professors or employers.
3. Official results from the GRE.
4. Prerequisite course worksheet (PDF).
5. Essay (see below).
6. Clinical observation verification form (PDF). Eighty hours of observation under a licensed Physical Therapist, in at least two distinctly different physical therapy patient care settings, with a minimum of 20 hours in an inpatient setting, are required.

Additional requirements apply for international students.

Essay Instructions

Please provide a typed response to the following areas. Type your name at the top of the sheet with your response. The response should be double-spaced, 12-point font with one-inch margins. Responses should be a minimum of two pages and a maximum of eight pages.  Do not submit your essay as the personal statement on the online application. Submit your responses via e-mail at gradadmission@udayton.edu or mail to:

Office of Graduate Admission Processing
University of Dayton
300 College Park
Dayton, OH 45469-1670

Essay responses must include the following:

1. Autobiographical sketch.
2. Discussion of work and/or volunteer (other than clinical observation) experiences.
3. Report of clinical observations by institution, including a description of select observed activities or circumstances of importance.
4. Impression of the physical therapy profession.
5. Descriptions of personal and/or professional goals and ambitions if accepted into the profession of physical therapy.
6. Reasons for applying to the University of Dayton.
7. Other pertinent information.

Admission Process

The Doctor of Physical Therapy Program has made process changes for applicants wishing to begin the program in the fall of 2013.  The DPT program will begin accepting applications for the fall 2013 incoming class starting July 2012.  As part of the selection process, the DPT program utilizes personal interviews during interview days in December and February.  For first/priority consideration (December interviews), all application materials must be received on or before November 1, 2012.  For final consideration (February interviews), all application materials must be received on or before February 1, 2013.  

Applicants are encouraged to apply early as applications are reviewed in the order that they are received. 

It is expected that some applicants may have outstanding coursework at the time of application. Plans for completing the required prerequisites prior to the beginning of the DPT program must be clearly indicated on the prerequisite worksheet.  

Prerequisite Course Requirements

The prerequisite requirements have changed beginning with the 2013 Application Cycle.  We realize that you may have been planning your academic courseload off of the previous prerequisites.  For this application cycle (Fall 2013 start), we will happily accept the previous Prerequisite Course Worksheet.  To obtain a copy of this form, please contact the DPT program office.  If you will be submitting the previous Prerequisite Course Worksheet, please utilize the Retake Policy on the current Prerequisite Course Worksheet.

•  Science Prerequisites
  • Full sequence of human anatomy & physiology with labs
  • Full sequence of general biology with labs
  • Full sequence of general chemistry with labs
  • Full sequence of general physics with labs
  • Exercise physiology with lab

•  General Prerequisites
  • General/introductory psychology
  • Human development
  • Statistics
  • Research methods
  • Oral communication
  • Medical terminology (not required for pre-PT/AT majors)

•  Academic Requirements
  • Bachelor’s degree from and accredited college or university
  • Achieve a minimum of 3.0 cumulative GPA across all schools attended
  • Achieve a minimum of 3.0 science GPA for all prerequisite science classes
  • Achieve a minimum of 3.0 general prerequisite GPA for all general prerequisite courses
  • Attain a grade of “C” or better in all prerequisite courses.  Courses with a grade of “C-“ or lower must be retaken.
  • All science courses must be completed within the last 10 years.  Sciences older than 10 years will be evaluated on a case by case basis.
  • Complete a minimum of 64 semester credits
  • Complete a minimum of 4 or more prerequisite science courses with labs 
  • College Level Examination Program (CLEP) and online courses may only be used to fulfill general prerequisites.  Advanced Placement (AP) Credit will be evaluated on a case by case basis.  CLEP, online, and AP credit must be indicated on a college transcript for consideration.

Academic Requirements

Program requirements can be found in the online Catalog. Simply select the area of study and click "Explore".