Entrance Requirements

Minimum Entrance Requirements

• A bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution.

• Verbal and Quantitative GRE scores in the 50th percentile or higher.
  • Scores must be forwarded to the University of Delaware Graduate Admissions Office (School Code 5811) prior to Admissions Committee review.
  • GRE scores older than five years will not be accepted for admissions.
  • UDPT will utilize an applicant’s highest verbal and quantitative GRE scores, even if the scores were earned on different testing dates.

• 50 PT observation hours.
  • A minimum of 50 observation hours are required by the time of matriculation, and 25 hours are required at the time of application.
  • PT clinical experience (observation) hours must occur under the supervision of a U.S. licensed or educated physical therapist (clinical and/or research) with whom applicants directly engaged. Each physical therapist must verify hours via an electronic verification form on the PTCAS application.
  • UDPT will accept observation hours from a variety of observation sites, and acknowledges that applicants may experience difficulties in obtaining hours in specific settings such as acute care or inpatient rehabilitation.

• Three letters of recommendation.
  • Two from licensed physical therapists who applicants have observed/interacted with during patient care.
  • One from a professor of an upper-lever course.
  • Letters from a family member or close friend will NOT fulfill this requirement. 

• Completion of prerequisite courses with a grade of C (2.0 minimum) or higher.
  • Introductory or General Psychology (3 credits/1 semester)
  • Introductory or General Statistics (3 credits/1 semester)
  • Introductory or General Biology w/labs (8 credits/2 semesters)
    • An Anatomy and/or Physiology course may NOT be used to fulfill this requirement
  • Introductory or General Chemistry w/labs (8 credits/2 semesters)
  • Introductory or General Physics w/labs (8 credits/2 semesters)
  • Human or Mammalian Anatomy* w/lab (4 credits/1 semester)
  • Human or Mammalian Physiology* w/lab (4 credits/1 semester)
    • Exercise Physiology may NOT be used to fulfill this requirement
    • *May substitute two-course sequence of anatomy and physiology
  • UDPT will use the highest earned grade in a course when calculating GPAs, if course(s) was repeated for credit.
  • UDPT will only accept online lab credit if course(s) was taken during 2020. 
  • UDPT will accept AP credit for prerequisite course(s) so long as the applicant received credit at their undergraduate intuition. UDPT will also accept credit from community college course(s).

• Completion of the PTCAS application.
  • UDPT cannot review any PTCAS application that is not verified.
  • It is the responsibility of the applicant to check the status of their application to ensure it reaches the verified status.
  • All application materials, including transcripts, observation hours, letters of recommendation, etc. must be received by PTCAS prior to the admissions deadline in order to be verified in time for UDPT Admissions Committee review.

• Completion of the UD supplemental application.
  • PTCAS application data will be transferred to the University of Delaware’s graduate application system for applicants who have a verified application.
  • Once PTCAS application data is imported, applicants will receive an email from the UD Graduate College with instructions to create an account and complete the supplemental application.
  • Please do NOT create a UD account or start a UD supplemental application prior to receiving an email with instructions from the Graduate College.

• By invitation, an interview with program faculty.

NOTE: Those applicants who meet the minimum academic requirements are not guaranteed admission, nor are those applicants who fail to meet those minimum requirements necessarily precluded from admission if they offer other appropriate strengths.