»Admission

PTCAS Application 

Completed and verified PTCAS application (can take 4-6 weeks to verify your application). Please note we cannot review your application until it is verified by PTCAS. The earlier you submit your application, the earlier your application will be considered for our limited number of spots.  

Transcripts 

Applicants are required to submit official transcripts directly to PTCAS from every accredited institution attended. 

Bachelor's Degree  

A bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited college or university or accredited international university. Must be completed before a student matriculates. 

Minimum Cumulative GPA of 3.0 

A minimum 3.0 GPA is required. Applicants with a GPA below 3.0 will not be considered. Higher GPAs are more competitive within the applicant pool.  

Observation or Experience Hours  

Applicants are required to satisfactorily complete at least 40 observation or experience hours (shadow, paid, or volunteer) to ensure knowledge of the practice of physical therapy.  It is recommended to complete at least 100 hours and in a minimum of 2 or more settings (acute, subacute, skilled nursing facility outpatient orthopedics, outpatient neurology, etc.) Observation hours must be supervised by a licensed physical therapist. Applicants are required to report their hours on the PTCAS application; verification forms are required. 

Additional Information:  

• We do not require the GRE, letters of recommendation, or essays as part of our admission process, and these materials will not be reviewed or considered.  
• Persons who have been dismissed from another physical therapy program are not eligible for consideration for admission to Chapman University.
• International applicants must have coursework evaluated by an appropriate agency. International applicants also must submit TOEFL scores and financial certification. Contact International Graduate Admission for specific requirements and additional information. 

Grades of “C” or better are required in all prerequisite courses and can only be repeated once.  

All science prerequisite courses must be designed for science majors and include associated labs. 

All science prerequisite courses must be taken in-person for a letter grade. Online, hybrid, and pass/no pass courses taken between March 2020 and June 2022 will be accepted. 

For the Summer 2026 and Fall 2026 admission cycle, courses which received advanced placement credit (AP) will not be accepted to fulfill prerequisites in lieu of college-level courses

Anatomy and Physiology must be completed within 5 years of application submission, all other prerequisite courses must be completed within 10 years of application submission.   

Applicants may have no more than three prerequisites remaining (in-progress or planned) at the time of application submission. All in-progress or planned courses must be noted in your initial application submission and be completed by the semester/quarter prior to the cohort start date. 

All prerequisite courses must be taken at a regionally accredited U.S. institution. 

Human Anatomy: A human anatomy course with associated lab.  

Human Physiology: A human physiology course with associated lab.  

*A combined two-course sequence in anatomy and physiology with associated labs will also satisfy the requirement. Total of (2 semesters) (3 quarters) 

Biology: Two Biology courses with associated labs. Botany, Ecology, Plant and/or Environmental Biology courses are not accepted. Total of (2 semesters) (3 quarters) 

Chemistry: A general chemistry series, Chemistry 1 and Chemistry 2, with associated labs. Total of (2 semesters) (3 quarters) 

Physics: A general physics series, Physics 1 and Physics 2, with associated labs. Total of (2 semesters) (3 quarters) 

Social/Behavioral Science: One social or behavioral science course.  

Statistics: A college-level statistics course. 

Chapman University’s DPT prerequisite coursework is in accordance with the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) and may be subject to change.