How to apply

Application Process for Physical Therapy

1. General Admissions Track. Most applicants will apply through this track, which is for applicants who have completed or are in the process of completing the prerequisites.  

• The University of Nebraska Medical Center DPT program participates in the Physical Therapist Centralized Application Service, known as PTCAS.  Applicants must apply online using the PTCAS application.   

• Applicants can begin their PTCAS application on July 15 on the PTCAS web site at http://www.ptcas.org/. The UNMC DPT program application deadline will be October 15. There is a fee for filing an application with PTCAS.  In addition to completing the centralized application, applicants will be required to complete a brief UNMC Supplemental Application.  Please be aware that it can take up to 5 weeks for PTCAS to complete the review and verification of your application.  Students are encouraged to apply early.

• Students applying through PTCAS should follow their application file's progress in PTCAS.  Once the file is verified and mailed to UNMC, an email will be sent to the student giving them access to the UNMC Supplemental Application.  The deadline for the Supplemental Applicaton will be November 1.  There is a UNMC application fee ($45) with each application. 

• To contact Physical Therapy Education call (402) 559-4259 or email ptedu.unmc.edu.

 2. Rural Health Admissions Track (RHAT).  The Rural Health Admissions Track is an admissions track designed for individuals who intend to practice in RURAL NEBRASKA. The clinical education experiences will prepare the student for future practice in rural or smaller communities. Applicants for this track must meet the established criteria for general admission into the Physical Therapy Education Program. While numerous factors are always a part of the selection process, a special emphasis for admission into this track will be placed on applicants who are 1) residents of Nebraska, and 2) are committed to returning to the rural areas of Nebraska to practice. Special consideration is given to students from Nebraska communities with less than 10,000 population, or counties of 25,000 population or less. Application materials for this track are included online with supplemental application. Up to four positions are reserved in the class each year for applicants to this track. The deadlines for application to this track are the same as the regular admissions process listed in this brochure.  Only legal Nebraska residents or students who have graduated from a Nebraska High School are eligible to apply through RHAT. 

3. Rural Health Opportunities Program (RHOP) Track. The Rural Health Opportunities Program is a cooperative venture between Chadron State College or Wayne State College and the University of Nebraska Medical Center.  The program aims to recruit and educate students from rural Nebraska who plan to return to practice in the rural areas of the state. The program consists of four years of study at the State Colleges and three years spent in study at UNMC. A select number of positions within each class are reserved for RHOP students. The clinical education experiences prepare the student for practice in rural or smaller communities. Persons with a high school diploma or equivalent may apply. The deadline for RHOP applications is December 1. Further information and applications for the RHOP program may be obtained by writing or calling:  

Health Professions Office, School of Science and Math, Chadron State College, Chadron, NE 69337. Phone:  (308) 432-6278. Information is also available online at: http://www.csc.edu/sci/rhop/     

Wayne State College, 1111 Main Street, Wayne, NE  68787.  Phone: (402) 375-7329 or (800) 228-9972.  Online http://www.wsc.edu/schools/nss/rhop 

4. NU PATHS Admissions Track. Nebraska University Pre-Admissions to the Health Sciences (NU-PATHS) is a collaborative program developed between the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, University of Nebraska at Kearney, University of Nebraska at Omaha, and the University of Nebraska Medical Center. 

The NU-PATHS program assists selected students in their undergraduate pre-health curricula at one of the NU undergraduate campuses and guarantees admission to the selected UNMC program upon successful, and timely, completion of their undergraduate pre-professional program of study.

The purpose of NU-PATHS is to recruit and educate academically talented students who demonstrate, through life experiences and personal motivation, a desire to become health care professionals who are willing to serve persons in need of health care in medically underserved communities. It is anticipated that program graduates will practice in medically underserved urban communities.

Prerequisites include US citizenship or permanent resident status, current full-time enrollment in an undergraduate program at UNK, UNL or UNO who have completed between 13 and 60 college credit hours, and minimum GPA requirements.

The following, while not requirements, are factors that may be considered:

• Person who shows a demonstrated or sustained commitment to providing service, as a health care/research professional, to urban and other communities and neighborhoods in need of health care services.
• Individual from an environment of educational or economic disadvantage.
• Individual who demonstrates an active involvement in communities and neighborhoods where opportunities are diminished, especially those opportunities to receive the benefits of health care and health care research.
• Superior academic performance.
• Proficiency in languages spoken in communities with health care needs.
• Nebraska resident.

Prospective NU-PATHS program applicants must complete and submit an application packet to the selected NU undergraduate institution. The application packet must include written essays, high school transcript, class rank and grade point average as well as four letters of reference, and ACT or SAT scores. For more specific information on prerequisites and the application process please contact:

For additional information on NU-PATHS at any of the University of Nebraska campuses, click on the links below:

SELECTION PROCESS FOR THE GENERAL ADMISSIONS TRACK 

Personal Interview: A personal interview with the Admissions Committee is required in order to be considered for admission. Interviews will be offered to a limited number of qualified applicants before final acceptance is offered. Generally, the number of applicants selected for an interview is approximately three times the class size. The selection process for an interview is based on overall grade point average, math/science grade point average, scores on the verbal, quantitative and analytical portions of the GRE, and evidence of ability to successfully complete all  required courses by July 15^th of the year of matriculation at UNMC. In addition to the criteria for interview selection, the selection process for admittance is based on interview performance, writing skills, work history and extracurricular activities, rationale for physical therapy as a career choice and personal references.

Class Size: Enrollment in the physical therapy program is typically limited to approximately 50 students per year. Special consideration for admission is given to Nebraska residentS and to nontraditional students who apply.  Fulfillment of the basic application requirements does not guarantee admission into the professional program. 

Please note: With rare exception due to medical causes, the Division does not offer deferments into the program. 

Admission to the Physical Therapy Program and the privileges of the physical therapy student shall not be denied to any person because of race, age, color, disability, religion, sex, national or ethnic origin, marital status, Vietnam-era veteran status or special disabled Veteran status. UNMC complies with the Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 governing the privacy of student records. 

TIMETABLE FOR THE GENERAL ADMISSIONS TRACK PROCESS 

July 15  Applications for admissions via the general admission track are available on PTCAS and the UNMC Supplemental Application. 

October 15  Application deadline.   All required application materials must be received by this deadline in order to be considered as an applicant. Applicants are strongly encouraged to check their application status on PTCAS. It is the responsibility of the applicant to insure all materials that must be submitted directly to the PT program have been received. 

November 1 UNMC Supplemental Application deadline.  This application can be accessed with a code sent by UNMC once the PTCAS file has been processed by our office. 

November  The Admissions Committee completes the review of all applications and determines which applicants will be invited for personal interviews.  Applicants with missing materials will be classified as ineligible. By early December, all applicants will be notified as to whether they are or are not being offered a personal interview. 

December 18, 2009 & January 6, 2010. Personal interviews for selected applicants. 

Mid-to-late January.  Admissions Committee decisions are made and all applicants are notified of the results by mail.  

NOTE: Alternates will not be informed of their ranking. Alternates will be notified as soon as possible about an open position for the class. If positions do not become available for alternates during a given year, they are welcome to reapply, but selection as an alternate does not guarantee acceptance in subsequent years. The admissions process is based upon selection of the most qualified applicants from within the current year's applicant pool. Previous applications to the program neither hinder nor assist applicants who choose to reapply in subsequent years. 

July 15 Candidates who are accepted for admission with contingencies must show proof (transcripts) of successful completion of the required course work by this date. The Division reserves the right to withdraw the offer for admission if these courses are not completed by the July 15 deadline.