Prospective Students
An athlete with an injury; a senior citizen with arthritis; an infant with a birth defect; an individual recovering from a vascular stroke–a diverse group of people, yet each can benefit in some way from physical therapy. Physical therapists are experts in the function and movement of the human body. The ECU Department of Physical Therapy keeps tuition low so our students have less debt and more employment options when they graduate. Our student pass rates for the national certification exam are consistently among the best in the nation, and 100 percent of our graduates are employed within six months of graduation. Join us to take the next step in helping others to take theirs.
General Admissions Information
**ECU Physical Therapy strongly recommends that you complete your PTCAS application, ECU Graduate School Application, and CASPER test 3-4 weeks before the September 16th deadline. This allows us time to contact you if your application is missing critical information.**
Steps to Apply:
1. Apply to Physical Therapist Centralized Application Service (PTCAS).
All applicants must complete PTCAS as part of their application. To complete this application visit APTA Physical Therapist Centralized Application Service | APTA
PTCAS applications open in June, 2024. The deadline to apply is September 16, 2024.
2. Apply to East Carolina University Graduate School.
All applicants are required to complete the ECU Graduate School application as part of their application. To complete this application visit ECU Graduate School Application (NOTE: Transcripts do not have to be sent to the ECU Graduate School as part of this application.)
ECU Graduate School application will open in June, 2024. The deadline to apply is September 16, 2024.
3. Register for Casper through Acuity Insights.
All applicants must complete Casper, a 90-110 minute online, open-response situational judgment test, as part of their application. To complete this assessment visit AcuityInsights.app to create an account and register for Casper
The last scheduled test date for Casper is September 17, 2024.
4. NC Residency Determination Number.
Applicants who want to be considered as NC in-state residents must complete this process. Visit NC Residency Determination.
The deadline for completing the NC Residency Determination is September 16, 2024
5. On campus interview. Applicants who are offered a face-to-face interview will need to come to campus on Friday, November 22, 2024.
General Eligibility Information
Applicants must meet the following minimum requirements for admission:
- Complete baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college/university before the start date of the DPT program (mid-May) with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0
- Non-U.S. (foreign/international) coursework is not accepted.
- Complete all prerequisite coursework (listed below) with a minimum prerequisite GPA of 3.25 and a final grade of ‘C’ or better in each prerequisite course.
- No more than two prerequisite courses should be in progress during the Fall semester of the application year.
- Course equivalency charts are on our website under “Prospective Students”.
- Complete 100 hours of observation under a physical therapist; a variety of settings (e.g., outpatient, inpatient, etc.) is preferred. These hours can be from volunteering, shadowing, paid employment, etc. We do NOT give “extra credit” for hours above our required minimum.
- Submit two letters of recommendation in PTCAS. One MUST be completed by a licensed physical therapist who has supervised you in a clinical setting.
- Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent U.S. residents. International applicants will not be reviewed or considered for admission.
Please email ECUDPT@ecu.edu with any questions about our requirements or application.
Prerequisites
All of the following prerequisite courses must be completed. Applicants should have no more than two prerequisite courses in progress during the Fall semester of their application year. This is a firm deadline. No exceptions.
- General chemistry (I & II), 8 semester hours with lab
- General physics (I & II), 8 semester hours with lab
- Biology, 12 semester hours with the lab to include:
- 8 hours of biology with lab and 4 hours of human or mammalian physiology with lab OR
- 4 hours of biology with lab and 8 hours of human physiology and anatomy with lab
- College algebra or higher, 3 semester hours
- Statistics, 3 semester hours
- Psychology, 6 semester hours to include general/intro psychology
NOTES:
- It is recommended that all biology, chemistry, and physics labs are completed face-to-face/in person.
- Please consult the course equivalencies charts on our website under “Prospective Students” for prerequisite courses at various colleges and universities.
- AP courses can count for prerequisites if they appear on a transcript, but the course grades will not be considered in the prerequisite GPA calculation.
- Only one grade replacement is allowed in each content area (biology, chemistry, physics, math, psychology, and statistics).
- Please email ECUDPT@ecu.edu with any questions about prerequisites.
Transfer Students
The Department of Physical Therapy at East Carolina University does not accept transfers of courses/credits from other DPT programs. Students who have completed coursework in another DPT program should apply through PTCAS as new applicants.
In-State Residency
In keeping with our mission, ECU Physical Therapy gives admission preference to North Carolina residents. The ECU Department of Physical Therapy cannot determine residency status – this is done through the NC Residency Determination System (NC Residency Determination).
- Out-of-state students who wish to become residents of North Carolina should go to the ECU Registrar for details ECU Graduate Student Residency
- Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent U.S. residents. International applicants will not be reviewed or considered for admission.
Clinician Affiliations
The Department of Physical Therapy affiliates with approximately 300 hospitals, clinics, and facilities. Most clinical education sites are in North Carolina with about one-third of the facilities outside North Carolina. Students are assigned to four clinical affiliation sites throughout the curriculum for a total of 32 weeks of full-time clinical experience. Entry-level skills and knowledge needed in the general practice of physical therapy are obtained through working in a variety of settings and with patients of all ages and clinical conditions. Students are not permitted to set up their own clinical affiliations but may request to develop new clinical education sites in cooperation with the Director of Clinical Education a minimum of 6 months in advance of placements.
Information Sessions
Interested in learning more about our program? Information sessions will be offered on the last Friday of each month. Sessions will be in person, or you can choose to attend virtual sessions. Please complete the registration form if you are interested in attending.
Registration for Information Session
Tuition and Fees
Scholarship Information
There are several scholarships for physical therapy students in the College of Allied Health Sciences. View CAHS scholarship opportunities.
Additional Funding Options
Additional funding options available to ECU graduate students are available. Please visit the Graduate School website for more information.
Pre-Physical Therapy Club
The main goal of the pre-physical therapy club is to provide students interested in physical therapy with information and advice about the program and give them a better understanding of the physical therapy profession and the ECU DPT program. For more information please visit engage.ecu.edu.