2018 Best Physical Therapy Schools
Our list of the 25 top physical therapy schools in the country ranks programs based on student and alumni evaluations. Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center leads the list with a 98% student recommendation rating, providing students with an affordable and comprehensive education for only $8,449 per year for in-state tuition. The University of Central Arkansas offers an even less costly education, setting their current annual tuition rates at $5,644 for their in-state annual tuition.
Students had a lot of positive things to say about our #2 PT school, stating, “Texas Woman's University pioneered the first physical therapy program in Texas to award the Masters and DPT degrees in the field, and the only program to offer the Ph.D. The long-term excellence of the physical therapy program at TWU, along with the supplemental learning labs and the Ph.D. fast track option, are a few of the attributes that enticed me to pursue a degree at this University." Even our #25 spot, the University of Maryland, has a 100% student review rating and students' positive experiences at the school are reflected in comments like, “The Physical Therapy faculty is absolutely amazing. As experts in their particular discipline, each professor is able to teach proper clinical decision making to the student as well as provide insight into what actually happens when you're a practicing Physical Therapist." Take a look at the list and click on the university names below to read more reviews.
| Rank | College | Campus Location | 2018 Student Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center | Campus Location Lubbock (TX) | 2018 Student Score 96.11 | |
| #2 Texas Woman's University | Campus Location Denton (TX) | 2018 Student Score 95.41 | |
| #3 University of Central Arkansas | Campus Location Conway (AR) | 2018 Student Score 94.79 | |
| #4 The University of Montana | Campus Location Missoula (MT) | 2018 Student Score 93.75 | |
| #5 Mayo School of Health Sciences | Campus Location Multiple Locations | 2018 Student Score 92.88 | |
| #6 University of North Florida | Campus Location Jacksonville (FL) | 2018 Student Score 91.43 | |
| #7 Old Dominion University | Campus Location Norfolk (VA) | 2018 Student Score 91.25 | |
| #8 University of Wisconsin - Madison | Campus Location Madison (WI) | 2018 Student Score 90.53 | |
| #9 University of Southern California | Campus Location Los Angeles (CA) | 2018 Student Score 90.33 | |
| #10 University of Indianapolis | Campus Location Indianapolis (IN) | 2018 Student Score 88.86 | |
| #11 University of Colorado Denver | Campus Location Denver (CO) | 2018 Student Score 88.82 | |
| #12 Midwestern University-Glendale | Campus Location Glendale (AZ) | 2018 Student Score 88.53 | |
| #13 Samuel Merritt University | Campus Location Oakland (CA) | 2018 Student Score 88.24 | |
| #14 Elon University | Campus Location Elon (NC) | 2018 Student Score 87.67 | |
| #15 Western University of Health Sciences | Campus Location Pomona (CA) | 2018 Student Score 87.63 | |
| #16 Grand Valley State University | Campus Location Allendale, Grand Rapids (MI) | 2018 Student Score 87.27 | |
| #17 The University of Texas Medical Branch | Campus Location Galveston (TX) | 2018 Student Score 86.67 | |
| #18 Regis University | Campus Location Denver (CO) | 2018 Student Score 85.71 | |
| #19 University of Michigan-Flint | Campus Location Flint (MI) | 2018 Student Score 85.33 | |
| #20 University of Central Florida | Campus Location Orlando (and 7 others) | 2018 Student Score 85.00 | |
| #21 Washington University in St. Louis | Campus Location Saint Louis (MO) | 2018 Student Score 84.72 | |
| #22 University of California-San Francisco | Campus Location San Francisco (CA) | 2018 Student Score 84.41 | |
| #23 Marquette University | Campus Location Milwaukee (WI) | 2018 Student Score 84.33 | |
| #24 East Tennessee State University | Campus Location Johnson City (TN) | 2018 Student Score 84.17 | |
| #25 University of Maryland-Baltimore | Campus Location Baltimore (MD) | 2018 Student Score 83.67 |
Methodology
Our goal in presenting this school data is to create a standardized and trustworthy method to assess institutions based on reliable statistics. In order for a school to be eligible to be featured on a 2018 Top Programs List, at least five students from that particular degree program must have submitted feedback on their institution. Graduate Programs only considers regionally or nationally accredited, non-profit institutions for our rankings. Aggregated student rating values were multiplied by 20 to create a Student Score out of 100; in the event of a tie, schools were awarded the same rank value.
Together with our internal recommend rate data, which is calculated based on tens of thousands of student reviews submitted to our site, the data used in the school listings were gathered in 2016-2017 from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). This site is the primary governmental entity for gathering and presenting data related to education. NCES data is updated annually. However, in many cases the most recently available data will not be for the current academic year. Additionally, tuition rates may vary by program, so prospective students should contact a representative from their institution of choice for more details.
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