Factors considered for admission include completion of a bachelor's degree and program pre-requisites, academic performance, GRE scores, and knowledge of the physical therapy profession. Applicants are expected to demonstrate personal and professional behaviors consistent with those expected in professional practice: characteristics and skills such as integrity, initiative, sound judgment, acceptance of responsibility, and interpersonal communication are evaluated through the application, narrative statement, personal interactions, and recommendation. Interviews are not required of all applicants but may be requested at the discretion of the reviewers.  We target enrolling a class of 80 each year. Completed applications from all eligible persons will be evaluated. Places in the class will be offered to those most qualified, based on evaluation of all of the factors mentioned.

Knowledge of Physical Therapy

Applicants must have acquired first-hand knowledge of health care by working, observing, or volunteering in a health-related facility. Experience in a variety of physical therapy settings is beneficial. Most successful applicants report more than 100 hours spent in a physical therapy setting. A recommendation from a supervision physical therapist is a requirement for admission.

Academic Performance

All applicants must have successfully completed a bachelor's degree in a field of the applicant's choice at an accredited college or university. Applicants must have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale as well as a minimum grade point average of 3.0 in prerequisite courses to qualify for admission. A grade of D in a prerequisite course will not be accepted for credit toward meeting the course requirements. Please see the PTCAS site for information about how GPAs are calculated. Candidates are strongly encouraged to take prerequisite courses at four-year colleges or universities.

Prerequisite Courses

Applicants are encouraged to complete most of the pre-requisite requirements, especially basic science courses, prior to application. If most of the prerequisite courses have been completed at the time of application, applicants may be accepted provisionally. However, enrollment is contingent on satisfactory completion of all requirements, including receipt of a bachelor's degree and completion of all prerequisite courses, with a grade of C or better.

GRE

All applicants must submit results of the GRE, which is administered by the Educational Testing Service (ETS). These results must include the verbal, quantitative and analytical/writing test scores. Information is available from Graduate Record Examinations, CN6000, Princeton, New Jersey 08541-6000. Applicants must use "Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine – Physical Therapy Program" or the institution code number 7756 to ensure that we receive their GRE scores. Northwestern University uses more than one code and the scores sent to other departments within the University are not available to our department.

Proficiency in English

All applicants whose native language is not English must certify their proficiency in the English language by scoring 550 (paper based)/220 (computer based) or higher on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). The TOEFL is administered by ETS at test centers throughout the world, including locations in the United States.

Foreign Transcripts and Courses

Please see information on Foreign Transcripts and courses at PTCAS.

Application Fee

We charge a $40 application fee to cover the administrative costs of processing applications. Please send your check for $40 to:

Office of Admissions
Department of Physical Therapy & Human Movement Sciences
Feinberg School of Medicine - Northwestern University
645 N Michigan Ave, Suite #1100
Chicago, IL 60611

Disclaimer

It is the policy of Northwestern University not to discriminate against any individual on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, age, handicap, or veteran status in matters of admissions, employment, housing, or service or in the educational programs or activities that it operates, in accordance with civil rights legislation and University commitment.

Any alleged violations of this policy or questions regarding the law with respect to nondiscrimination should be directed to the Office of the Provost, Rebecca Crown Center, Evanston, Illinois 60208-1101, phone 847.491.5117 or the Director of Equal Employment Opportunity, Affirmative Action, and Disability Services, 720 University Place, Evanston, Illinois 60208-1147, phone 847.491.7458. Northwestern University reserves the right to change without notice any statement in this bulletin concerning, but not limited to, rules, policies, tuition, fees, curricula, and courses.

• PTCAS