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Over two years into the current personal statement prompt – I’ve edited a ton of PTCAS essays and seen a lot of both great and not-so-great personal statements. The prompt for the PTCAS personal statement essay for the 2025-2026 cycle is: “Every applicant is unique in their own way, possessing individual qualities, abilities, and backgrounds. […]

So, you’re starting or finishing PT school soon and a loving friend or family member has asked what they can get you. Or maybe you are the generous buddy searching for the perfect present for a special future DPT in your life. How should you know what to get? Let’s start with this question first:

Deadlines, deadlines, deadlines. When you’re applying to PT school, you have to keep track of so many. A few involve PTCAS and many more involve the PT programs themselves. The PTCAS deadlines can be found here, but in general, the 2025-2026 admissions cycle opened on Jun 16, 2025 and will stay open until June 2026.

No matter which PT schools you apply to, or what your undergrad major was, you’ll need to have a certain set of pre-reqs under your belt. While these prerequisite courses vary from school to school, there are a few common ones that will apply to most PT programs: These courses were widely adopted by most

Over my years as a physical therapist, the way I practice has shifted. I’ve gradually come to rely less on modalities and manual therapy, and more on exercise. This change has come in part because of a desire to help make patients more independent and less reliant on me, and is also based on a

There’s no doubt that becoming a physical therapist is expensive. The cost of physical therapy school and amount of debt many PT’s take on is one of the biggest issues in the profession even if you’re attending a relatively inexpensive school. To offset the cost of PT education, it can be helpful to get scholarships.

It’s well established by now that most PT schools are expensive and the majority of future physical therapists have to take out loans to cover the costs of their education. In 2019, the average total tuition for three-year DPT programs was: According to the APTA, almost 93% of PTs graduate with an average of $152,882

So, you want to become a DPT, but are worried that you won’t get into PT school. Should you become a PTA first instead? This might sound like a good idea, but most people seem to agree that it’s not. If you want to become a PT, it’s probably best to go right for the

In recent years, hybrid PT programs have become increasingly popular. Compared to a traditional, residential three-year doctor of physical therapy program, hybrid programs, also called blended, flex, or nonresidential programs, include both online and in-person learning. Some are accelerated, allowing you to earn your DPT in only two years, while others take up to four

Will you have to get a background check in PT school, or as part of the application process? As it turns out, you just might. If not, you may have to get one before starting certain clinicals or jobs. Here, you can see a list of states that require background checks for licensure. While I