DPT Admission Requirements

Physical Therapy student working with patient

Our Doctorate in Physical Therapy (D.P.T.) program is a clinical doctorate-level program for individuals seeking entry-level professional education. The course of study is offered in three consecutive years of coursework. You may apply in the senior year of your undergraduate education.

Students applying to the program must obtain a bachelor's or master's/graduate degree prior to entrance into the D.P.T. program, though they may apply during their senior year of undergraduate study. In addition to the degree, certain prerequisite coursework must be completed prior to entrance into the program. All coursework must be completed and a bachelor's or master's/graduate degree obtained by June 1. Applicants are allowed to have no more than two outstanding prerequisites at the completion of the fall 2019 semester for the 2019-2020 application cycle.

USDPT does not accept transfer credits toward the doctoral degree for previous courses, time in other programs, or work experience.

The University of South Dakota participates in the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education’s Professional Student Exchange Program. For more information about this program, including states that participate in physical therapy programming, please access a handout at: https://www.wiche.edu/files/files/PSEPhandout.pdf.

Enrollment is limited to 32 students selected through a competitive application process by the physical therapy admissions committee, which may be comprised of any combination of the following:

Physical therapy faculty
Members of the South Dakota Physical Therapy Association
Faculty members from the basic sciences
Alumni of the physical therapy program
Clinical faculty

For complete eligibility requirements see the admissions requirements on our graduate page.

Important Information for Fall 2020 Program Entrance

Application material must be submitted to PTCAS and USD by:
Early Admission: Sept. 13, 2019	General Admission: Dec. 2, 2019
*GRE Test should be taken by:
Early Admission: July 31, 2019	General Admission: Nov. 1, 2019
**USD must receive academic updates from PTCAS by:
N/A	General Admission: Jan. 2, 2020
Scheduled Interview Dates (by invitation only)
Early Admission: Nov. 8, 2019 (A maximum of 20 applicants will be interviewed for early admission)	General Admission: Feb. 6 & 7, 2020
Minimum Requirements for Interview Selection
Early Admission 9 of the 12 prerequisites must be completed by the application deadline with no more than two prerequisites to be completed after the fall 2019 semester Additionally you must meet four of the five thresholds (modified annually): Cumulative GPA: 3.7 (as calculated by PTCAS) Prerequisite GPA: 3.7 (as calculated by PTCAS) Verbal GRE: 50th percentile or higher Quantitative GRE: 50th percentile or higher Analytical Writing GRE: 50th percentile or higher	General Admission Must meet all of the following requirements: 10 of the 12 prerequisites must be completed by the end of the fall 2019 semester Minimum Cumulative GPA: 3.2 (as calculated by PTCAS) Minimum Prerequisite GPA: 3.2 (as calculated by PTCAS)

*The oldest GRE scores considered will be Nov. 1, 2014.
**Updates received after this date will not be considered or reviewed by the Committee.