Admission Requirements for the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program

The Doctor of Physical Therapy Program has the following requirements for consideration for admission to the program:

• Meets all admission requirements general to the UAMS College of Health Professions
• A bachelor’s degree from an institutionally accredited post-secondary academic institution in the United States
• A cumulative undergraduate GPA (or last 60 credit hours GPA) of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale
• A cumulative undergraduate prerequisite GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale
• Successful completion of specific coursework
• Successful completion of the Graduate Record Examinations General Test
• Completion of the required amount of professional observation hours
• Meets specific technical standards
• A personal resume
• Two letters of recommendation
• Complete an online admission application to the UAMS College of Health Professions through Workday.
• Complete an application through the Physical Therapist Centralized Application Service.

UAMS recognizes that a diverse educational experience enhances the education of all students and results in additional expertise in providing care to an increasingly diverse patient population.

It is the policy of the University of Arkansas Medical Sciences and all of its affiliated colleges and organizations not to engage in discrimination or harassment against any person because of race, color, religion or creed, sex, gender, pregnancy, national or ethnic origin, non-disqualifying disability, age, ancestry, marital status, sexual orientation, veteran status, political beliefs or affiliations, and to comply with all applicable federal and state law, including the Civil Rights Act; the Americans with Disabilities Act; the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.

UAMS Academic Affairs Policy 2.1.3 — Non-Discrimination Statement

We value communication skills, leadership, initiative, community service and clinical experience, as well as accomplishments in athletics, employment and research. Our goal is to recruit and educate a class that will serve the needs of a diverse patient population.

We consider factors not reflected in the academic record:

• Evidence of exceptional extra-curricular achievement or work experience
• Evidence of having overcome social, economic or physical barriers
• Evidence of exceptional motivation, maturity or responsibility

Extra credit is given to applicants who have proficiency in a language other than English.

While these secondary factors will enhance the applicant’s competitiveness for admission, they are not, by themselves, sufficient to admit an applicant. Incoming students must still meet primary admission requirements.

Criteria

Admission to the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program is competitive and based on the following criteria:

• Academic achievement
• Volunteer and service work
• Observation hours and experience in the field
• Professionalism, attitude and maturity
• Life experiences
• Written and oral communication

Competitive Attributes

To be considered a competitive applicant, it is recommended to have a minimum GPA of 3.56 and score at least 150 in both the Verbal and Quantitative sections of the Graduate Record Examinations General Test.

Additionally, applicants should possess the ability to adapt to new situations, have strong time management skills, and be capable of self-directed learning.

Applicants to the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program must have earned or be in the process of completing a bachelor’s degree from an institutionally accredited post-secondary academic institution in the United States. Transcripts from institutions outside the United States are not accepted, even after the use of an evaluation service.

The degree must be completed before enrollment in the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program.

The program has no required, or preferred, undergraduate major. UAMS recognizes that the study and practice of physical therapy are enriched by the presence of students from a variety of academic backgrounds. However, a demonstrated amount of academic rigor is required to ensure that applicants can succeed with the scholastic demands of the physical therapy curriculum.

To be eligible for the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program, applicants need to have a minimum overall or last 60 credit hours GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. Additionally, a minimum prerequisite GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale is also required.

In case the applicant’s GPA for their last 60 credit hours is higher than the cumulative GPA, the GPA for the last 60 credit hours will be given more weight in the evaluation process.

If the applicant has repeated a prerequisite course, the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program will use the highest grade earned in prerequisite GPA calculations. However, all course grades will be included in the cumulative GPA calculations.

The following 31 credits are required for admission to the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program.

All listed courses must have been completed at an institutionally accredited post-secondary academic institution in the United States or be recognized on the granting institution’s official transcript. Coursework completed at institutions outside the United States is not accepted, even after the use of a transcript evaluation service.

Courses must also fulfill all UAMS College of Health Professions requirements regarding acceptance of transfer credit. To see which of your courses may be utilized as a prerequisite, please review our admissions requirements and check the University of Arkansas Course Equivalency Guide.

Actual course titles may vary among institutions. All questions concerning course descriptions or substitutions should be submitted in writing via email to PTAdmissions@uams.edu.

A final grade of C or better is required in each of the prerequisite courses.

All but two prerequisite courses must be completed within seven years prior to the date of anticipated entry into the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program.

Twenty-two of the 31 required hours of prerequisite courses (at least eight of the prerequisite courses) must be completed by the time of the application submission deadline of Sept. 15, 2025.

Admission to the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program for students who have not completed all prerequisite courses will be conditional pending the completion of all prerequisite courses with a grade of C or better before matriculation. Documentation of successful completion is required by the date of registration for the first semester.

Fulfillment of the prerequisite courses for the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program does not guarantee admission.

If in doubt about the suitability of the following prerequisite courses, please contact the College of Health Professions Admissions Office.

Typical Course Name or Area	Required Semester Credit Hours	Comments
Anatomy1	3	Acceptable courses include: Human or Comparative Anatomy, and/or combined Anatomy and Physiology courses.
Physiology1	3	Acceptable courses include: Human, Animal, Mammalian or Comparative Physiology, Pathophysiology, Neurophysiology, and/or combined Anatomy and Physiology courses.
Biology2	6	General and Specialized Courses; acceptable courses include: General Biology I or II (for Science Majors), Embryology, Immunology, Histology, Genetics, Neurobiology, Neuroscience, Zoology, Microbiology, Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, Advanced Biology
Chemistry	3	General or specialized chemistry
Physics3	6	General or specialized physics
Statistics4	3	Acceptable courses include: Statistics, Biostatistics, Research Methods and Design
Psychology5	6	Acceptable courses include: General Psychology, Advanced Psychology, Abnormal Psychology, Child Psychology, Developmental Psychology, Adolescent Psychology, Psychopathology, Growth and Development, Lifespan Development, Psychology of Human Behavior, Psychology of Rehabilitation, Psychology of Aging
Medical Terminology	1	Coursework should include the language of medicine, including an emphasis on word roots and combined forms of words describing various terms of health and disease.
Total Prerequisite Hours	31

¹ Anatomy and Physiology courses can be separate or together as one course. One combined course will not fulfill both anatomy and physiology requirements; however, two three-credit combined courses (Anatomy and Physiology I and Anatomy and Physiology II) will fulfill both course requirements.

² Courses that are not accepted as biology prerequisite fall under plant biology, ecology, environmental biology, and evolutionary biology.

³ One biomechanics course may be accepted in lieu of a physics course.

⁴ Statistics courses may be taken under biology, psychology, mathematics, or exercise science categories.

⁵ All psychology courses must be offered by a psychology department.

Transfer Credits

No transfer credits are accepted from other physical therapy programs or other degree programs, except as prerequisites.

Credit By Examination

The Doctor of Physical Therapy Program will accept Advanced Placement and College Level Examination Program credits to satisfy up to two prerequisite courses (six to eight credit hours). To be considered for credit transfer, the official transcript from the awarding institution must reflect the AP or CLEP credits.

Refer to the UAMS College of Health Professions Future Students website for details about credit by examination.

Although accepted, AP and CLEP credits will not be considered in GPA calculations.

Advanced Standing

There is no advanced standing permitted in the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program.

Applicants to the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program must have completed the Graduate Record Examinations General Test. There is no minimum GRE score required.

The GRE must be completed within the last five years at the time of application. The program will consider the highest GRE score taken in the last five years.

For those with financial need or who are unemployed, the GRE offers fee reduction vouchers. Please visit the Educational Testing Service website for more information.

Applicants to the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program must have completed a minimum of 60 observation hours, either paid or voluntary. Hours must be completed in at least two distinct patient-care settings. Twenty of these hours must be completed in a second, different setting. The remaining hours, up to or beyond the 60 total, may be completed in any different patient-care setting of your choosing. Examples of patient care settings include: inpatient rehab facility, skilled nursing facility, orthopedics, pediatrics, etc. Note: in all clinical settings, you must be shadowing a licensed physical therapist

Observation in additional specialty settings to reach and/or exceed the 60 total hours is encouraged. We strongly encourage applicants – on their own – to research and learn about the variety of patient-care settings and patients that physical therapists work with to gain an understanding of the breadth and diversity of physical therapy practice.

In order to be admitted to the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program, applicants must possess certain physical, cognitive and behavioral abilities necessary to complete the curriculum. These requirements exist to ensure that students are able to effectively acquire the knowledge and skills needed to become competent and successful physical therapists. Please visit the Technical Standards page for details.

Applicants to the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program must submit a personal resume or curriculum vitae that includes education, work experience and extracurriculars.

Applicants to the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program must submit letters of recommendation from two individuals. References can be professional or personal, but at least one of the required references must be a professional reference familiar with physical therapy.

Refer to the table below for acceptable evaluators.

Category	Second Reference Accepted from This Type of Evaluator
Academic	Yes
Clergy	Yes
Co-worker	Yes
Family Member	No
Friend	No
Health Care Professional	Yes
Physical Therapist	Yes
Physical Therapist Assistant	Yes
Politician	No
Pre-Physical Therapy Advisor	Yes
Professor	Yes
Supervisor or Employer	Yes
Teaching Assistant	No

Prospective students with an F-1 student visa are eligible to apply to the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program if coursework was taken at an institutionally accredited institution in the United States.