How to Choose a PT School: NPTE and Graduation Pass Rates

This blog post is part of my series on deciding where to apply and/or attend physical therapy school. Part 1 is about general tips for choosing schools. Part 2 is about location.

This post will feature NPTE pass and graduation rates.

First of all, these are two separate factors. Most schools have these statistics available on their websites since CAPTE require program outcomes to be “easily available.” If they do not, email them, as this is something you need to know about a program before attending, or possibly even submitting your PTCAS application.

First up, NPTE pass rates. The National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE), also known as the boards, is the test you need to pass to become a licensed physical therapist in the US. Without passing it, you cannot work as a PT (except for a few months on a temporary license in some states). It is a physical therapy program’s job to prepare you to pass this test.

The percent of PT students who pass the boards on the first try in the entire country has ranged between 84-91% over the past five years. This is very high!

So, if a school has an 83% pass rate, while this may seem decent, it’s actually not great because it is below average. Also, some schools will dilute their numbers by posting the percent of students who pass within a year (a number you can also find on CAPTE’s website and also here). Since you can only take the boards every three months and can only take it a certain amount of times, this number better be 100%! But you don’t just want this number; ask what their first-time pass rate is, because that is more important. You don’t want to fail the boards and then have to spend several extra months studying.

Next up, graduation rates. Many classes have students who drop out or fail out or take a semester off for any number of reasons. This number doesn’t have to be 100%, but it should be close. (Also keep in mind, that even one student dropping out in a class of 50 will mean a 98% graduation rate). A lower percentage can indicate that the program isn’t doing enough to support its students.

To be accredited as a PT school, schools must maintain ultimate license pass rates of 85% averaged over two years and graduation rates averaged of at least 80% over two years.

While PTCAS doesn’t seem to track these statistics, Physical Therapy School Ratings does. They track schools based on the number of students who complete a PT program in 150% of the time expected, so completing a 3-year program in 4.5 years. The national average for this is 96.5%.

By the way, if these numbers aren’t high, don’t write about them in your “Why school X” essays. Schools know their 81% NPTE pass rate isn’t good, so you listing it as a reason for wanting to attend the program indicates that you don’t really know what you’re talking about.

Also, note that newer programs, especially ones going through accreditation won’t have these statistics available yet. While there may be nothing wrong with these schools, know that you’re sort of a guinea pig if you attend one.

Now, you may still want to apply to a program with low NPTE and graduation rates. Some of these programs may be less expensive, easier to get into, or have other factors that make them desirable.

Just realize that your road to becoming a physical therapist may be slightly harder.