What are the best physical therapy schools

241 Colleges in the United States

13,655 Physical Therapy Degrees Awarded

Physical Therapy/Therapist is of the hottest degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #55 most popular major in the country. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

College Factual reviewed 241 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of physical therapy/therapist. Combined, these schools handed out 13,655 degrees in physical therapy/therapist to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

  • Best Overall Physical Therapy/Therapist Schools List

Choosing a Great Physical Therapy/Therapist School

What are the best physical therapy schools
Your choice of physical therapy/therapist school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. We derive our Best Overall Physical Therapy/Therapist School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Pick Your Physical Therapy/Therapist Degree Level

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Physical Therapy/Therapist Schools list to help you make the college decision. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.

Best Schools for Physical Therapy/Therapist in the United States

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the physical therapy degrees they offer, see the list below. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

25 Top Schools in Physical Therapy

What are the best physical therapy schools

Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

142 Physical Therapy Degrees Awarded

University of Southern California is a wonderful decision for students interested in a degree in physical therapy/therapist. USC is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Los Angeles. A Best Colleges rank of #18 out of 2,241 colleges nationwide means USC is a great university overall.

There were about 142 physical therapy/therapist students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in physical therapy/therapist from University of Southern California

What are the best physical therapy schools

Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

48 Physical Therapy Degrees Awarded

Samuel Merritt University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in physical therapy/therapist. Located in the city of Oakland, Samuel Merritt University is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.

There were approximately 48 physical therapy/therapist students who graduated with this degree at Samuel Merritt University in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in physical therapy/therapist from Samuel Merritt University

What are the best physical therapy schools

Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

42 Physical Therapy Degrees Awarded

The University of Texas Medical Branch is a great decision for students pursuing a degree in physical therapy/therapist. Located in the town of Galveston, UTMB Galveston is a public university with a small student population.

There were roughly 42 physical therapy/therapist students who graduated with this degree at UTMB Galveston in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in physical therapy/therapist from The University of Texas Medical Branch

What are the best physical therapy schools

Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

52 Physical Therapy Degrees Awarded

New York University is a great decision for students pursuing a degree in physical therapy/therapist. Located in the city of New York, NYU is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #30 out of 2,241 colleges nationwide means NYU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 52 physical therapy/therapist students who graduated with this degree at NYU in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in physical therapy/therapist from New York University

What are the best physical therapy schools

Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

90 Physical Therapy Degrees Awarded

Northwestern is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Evanston. A Best Colleges rank of #5 out of 2,241 colleges nationwide means Northwestern is a great university overall.

There were roughly 90 physical therapy/therapist students who graduated with this degree at Northwestern in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in physical therapy/therapist from Northwestern University

What are the best physical therapy schools

Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

63 Physical Therapy Degrees Awarded

Boston U is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Boston. This university ranks 5th out of 63 colleges for overall quality in the state of Massachusetts.

There were approximately 63 physical therapy/therapist students who graduated with this degree at Boston U in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in physical therapy/therapist from Boston University

What are the best physical therapy schools

Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

137 Physical Therapy Degrees Awarded

Located in the suburb of Loma Linda, Loma Linda University is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.

There were approximately 137 physical therapy/therapist students who graduated with this degree at Loma Linda University in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in physical therapy/therapist from Loma Linda University

What are the best physical therapy schools

Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

56 Physical Therapy Degrees Awarded

Located in the large city of Philadelphia, Thomas Jefferson University is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. This university ranks 11th out of 117 schools for overall quality in the state of Pennsylvania.

There were approximately 56 physical therapy/therapist students who graduated with this degree at Thomas Jefferson University in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in physical therapy/therapist from Thomas Jefferson University

What are the best physical therapy schools

Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

82 Physical Therapy Degrees Awarded

Located in the large suburb of Saint Louis, WUSTL is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #24 out of 2,241 schools nationwide means WUSTL is a great university overall.

There were approximately 82 physical therapy/therapist students who graduated with this degree at WUSTL in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in physical therapy/therapist from Washington University in St Louis

What are the best physical therapy schools

Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

40 Physical Therapy Degrees Awarded

Located in the large city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #33 out of 2,241 schools nationwide means UW - Madison is a great university overall.

There were about 40 physical therapy/therapist students who graduated with this degree at UW - Madison in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in physical therapy/therapist from University of Wisconsin - Madison

What are the best physical therapy schools

Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

93 Physical Therapy Degrees Awarded

Located in the large city of Pittsburgh, Duquesne is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. This university ranks 20th out of 117 colleges for overall quality in the state of Pennsylvania.

There were about 93 physical therapy/therapist students who graduated with this degree at Duquesne in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in physical therapy/therapist from Duquesne University

What are the best physical therapy schools

Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

79 Physical Therapy Degrees Awarded

Located in the city of Durham, Duke is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #3 out of 2,241 schools nationwide means Duke is a great university overall.

There were roughly 79 physical therapy/therapist students who graduated with this degree at Duke in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in physical therapy/therapist from Duke University

What are the best physical therapy schools

Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

150 Physical Therapy Degrees Awarded

Located in the suburb of Ithaca, Ithaca is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population. This college ranks 17th out of 143 colleges for overall quality in the state of New York.

There were about 150 physical therapy/therapist students who graduated with this degree at Ithaca in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in physical therapy/therapist from Ithaca College

What are the best physical therapy schools

Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

90 Physical Therapy Degrees Awarded

Rutgers New Brunswick is a fairly large public university located in the small city of New Brunswick. This university ranks 3rd out of 44 colleges for overall quality in the state of New Jersey.

There were roughly 90 physical therapy/therapist students who graduated with this degree at Rutgers New Brunswick in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in physical therapy/therapist from Rutgers University - New Brunswick

What are the best physical therapy schools

Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

50 Physical Therapy Degrees Awarded

Located in the large suburb of Forest Grove, Pacific is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 3rd out of 31 schools for overall quality in the state of Oregon.

There were about 50 physical therapy/therapist students who graduated with this degree at Pacific in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in physical therapy/therapist from Pacific University

Rest of the Top Best Physical Therapy/Therapist Schools

What are the best physical therapy schools

What are the best physical therapy schools

What are the best physical therapy schools

What are the best physical therapy schools

What are the best physical therapy schools

What are the best physical therapy schools

What are the best physical therapy schools

What are the best physical therapy schools

What are the best physical therapy schools

What are the best physical therapy schools

What are the best physical therapy schools

What are the best physical therapy schools

Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional great schools for Physical Therapy/Therapist students that almost earned our Best Physical Therapy/Therapist Schools award.

RankCollegeLocation
37 Arcadia University Glenside, PA
38 Midwestern University - Downers Grove Downers Grove, IL
39 Drexel University Philadelphia, PA
40 University of the Sciences Philadelphia, PA
41 Mayo Clinic School of Medicine Rochester, MN
42 University of Puget Sound Tacoma, WA
43 Temple University Philadelphia, PA
44 The College of Saint Scholastica Duluth, MN
45 University of Nevada - Las Vegas Las Vegas, NV
46 University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Dallas, TX
47 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC
48 Baylor University Waco, TX

Physical Therapy/Therapist by Region

View the Best Physical Therapy/Therapist Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Great Lakes

Other Rankings

View All Rankings >

Physical Therapy/Therapist is one of 15 different types of Rehabilitation & Therapeutic Professions programs to choose from.

Related MajorAnnual Graduates
Occupational Therapy 9,958
Rehabilitation Science 1,161
Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling 1,046
Therapeutic Recreation/Recreational Therapy 870
Art Therapy 858
Other Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions 837
Music Therapy 665
Orthotist/Prosthetist 335
Assistive/Augmentative Technology and Rehabilitation Engineering 117
Kinesiotherapy/Kinesiotherapist 110

View All Physical Therapy Related Majors >

Notes and References

  • The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Barbara E. Carver.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

What are the best physical therapy schools
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What is the best degree to be a physical therapist?

5 Best Undergraduate Degrees for Physical Therapy.
Biology. Physical therapy requires knowledge of the human body, so it should be no surprise that biology is one of the best degrees to pursue when embarking on a physical therapy career. ... .
Kinesiology. ... .
Exercise Science. ... .
Psychology. ... .
Business..

What is the number one PT school in the US?

Best Physical Therapy Programs.

What is the highest paid physical therapist?

The best Physical Therapist jobs can pay up to $128,500 per year. Physical therapists, or PTs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, help injured clients with mobility and pain management.

What PT school has the highest acceptance rate?

What physical therapy school has the highest acceptance rate? University of Iowa. The university of Iowa is on the list of easiest PT schools to get into. They have a very high acceptance rate of 82.55% in 2021, with over 21.000 admitted students out of almost 26.000 applicants.