Frequently Asked Questions

The George Washington University offers a full-time, entry-level or first professional Doctor of Physical Therapy degree (DPT). The curriculum consists of 109 credits across eight semesters, which includes 36 weeks of clinical practice. The curriculum typically requires 33 months to complete.

The program admits students once a year in the fall. Classes begin late in August.

The program runs on a traditional three semester academic calendar; including summers. Classes are offered mostly between the hours of 8 am and 5 pm. Clinic hours during the first, second, and third year of the program vary with clinical placement.

Please contact the Main Health Sciences Admissions Office at 202-994-8528 and at hsphora@gwu.edu.

Yes. When available, information sessions can be found on the prospective student’s page.

You may contact our Assistant Director of Admissions & Enrollment Services at mod75@gwu.edu to look into scheduling an appointment.

Completion of the PTCAS (Physical Therapy Centralized Application System) application and the GW application are both required to apply to the program. Your application is not complete until both items are received.

No. Applicants must fill out both the PTCAS and GW Supplemental Applications in order to apply to the program.

No. The PTCAS (Physical Therapy Centralized Application System) application and the GW application are only available online.

PTCAS (Physical Therapy Centralized Application System) will be accessible beginning early July of each year. Please refer to the PTCAS website for the exact dates. As a first step, create your standard online application PTCAS (Physical Therapy Central Application Service). IMPORTANT: You must create your PTCAS application first, as the Supplemental GW Online Application requires that you enter your unique PTCAS ID number. You can begin your Supplemental GW Online Application before you have completed the submission of your PTCAS application (but you will just need to have first created a PTCAS application to be able to retrieve and use your PTCAS ID in the completion of your Supplemental GW Online Application). Both applications and all supporting documentations (test scores, recommendations, transcripts etc.) must be received by the deadline in order for your application to be reviewed by the PT Admissions Committee.

All original transcripts should be sent to PTCAS (Physical Therapy Centralized Application System). Applicants that are selected for admission will be required to provide original transcripts to the Health Sciences Admissions Office prior to matriculation.

You will be able to self-report your score on the PTCAS (Physical Therapy Centralized Application System) application. You should also identify GW as a school to receive your scores. The GW institution code is 5246.

Yes. Applicants may apply to the program with up to four outstanding prerequisites. Prerequisites must be completed prior to the beginning of the program. See the prerequisite requirements are located on the DPT admissions webpage.

You will be asked to provide a standard essay on your PTCAS (Physical Therapy Centralized Application System) application. In addition to your PTCAS essay, you will be asked to address the GW supplemental short essay question (within the PTCAS online application) describing your reasons for undertaking your studies specifically at The George Washington University Physical Therapy program.

PTCAS (Physical Therapy Centralized Application System) will prompt you to provide a detailed description of your work experience, which will be forwarded to the participating schools along with your application. In addition, you will also have the option of uploading a resume under "Other Documents" as part of your PTCAS application.

Yes. Admission decisions are made at each school, independent of the centralized application process. You may be accepted to more than one school, at which point you will have to make a decision about which school to attend.

Applicants will be notified about the status of their applications on an ongoing basis. The Admissions Committee typically makes decisions from December through March. However, admissions decisions continue until the class is full.

No, we do not have an early decision option. 

The deadline for both the PTCAS (Physical Therapy Centralized Application System) application and GW application is December 15. All applicants to the GW DPT program must submit an application through PTCAS as well as a GW application.

Yes, you will be able to indicate on both the PTCAS (Physical Therapy Centralized Application System) application and GW application any courses that are “in-progress” or “planned.” If you are selected for admission, the offer will be contingent upon completion of any outstanding prerequisites and final transcripts (including degree conferment).

Each school you apply to may have a different deadline. You should review the PTCAS (Physical Therapy Centralized Application System) website to determine the deadlines for each school to which you will apply. The GW DPT deadline is Monday, December 16.  It may take three to four weeks for the DPT program to receive your application once PTCAS has received all of your documentation. Therefore, we strongly encourage you to submit all your documentation as early as possible.

The fee for the PTCAS (Physical Therapy Centralized Application System) depends on the number of schools you apply to as well as your application submission date. Please see the PTCAS website for information specific to the PTCAS fee schedule. The fee for the GW application is $60. You can submit your supplemental application fee online by credit card or e-check.

Yes. A $575 non-refundable tuition deposit is required to guarantee your spot in the DPT program. This deposit will be applied to your Semester I tuition.

Yes, an interview is required. If you are chosen for an interview, you will be notified by e-mail.

On campus interviews are required for admission and are held from November through February. Applicants selected for an interview will receive an invitation to attend this mandatory on-campus interview.

Interview sessions provide applicants an opportunity to meet prospective classmates, current students, faculty, and staff. Each interview day includes: a meet and greet session; a small group interview; a small group activity with prospective classmates; a small group discussion with current students; and a tour of the GW Foggy Bottom campus. It is a great opportunity for you to get to know the program and vice versa. Many of our students have reported that the on-campus interview significantly influenced their decision to attend GW.

Admission decisions may be made as early as December, but continue through the spring.

A limited number of scholarships are available for admitted students and may be awarded before the student enrolls. For additional information, please refer to the Tuition and Financial Aid page.

It is recommended that you complete the FAFSA if you plan to take out loans to finance your education. FAFSA application can be submitted online at no charge as early as October.

A physical therapist who wishes to develop specialized knowledge and expertise related to the physical therapy in the area of neurology should consider applying. The MedStar NRH/GW neurologic residency program provides individualized and specialized mentorship in different areas of neurologic physical therapy practice, including clinical care, teaching, and research. The residency will also prepare you to sit for the Neurologic Clinical Specialist (NCS) exam.

Yes. The Medstar National Rehabilitation Network (MedStar NRH) & George Washington University (GW) Neurologic Residency program is accredited by the American Physical Therapy Association as a postprofessional residency program for physical therapists in Neurology

This consortium was developed in 2010 with the goal of supporting neurologic residency programs across the country with didactic curriculum, including virtual webinars and on-site psychomotor skills and patient lab sessions at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

Residents will have the opportunity to participate in clinical and basic science research through the MedStar The Christoph Reusch Neuroscience Research Center (NRC), the Georgetown University/ MedStar National Rehabilitation Network's Center for Brain Plasticity and Repair, and the Georgetown University Department of Neuroscience. Ongoing studies involve recovery of function after CNS injury such as stroke, traumatic brain injury, and spinal cord injury, motor control, neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, and others.

Residents will also have the opportunity to participate in clinical and educational research at The George Washington University, including initiatives in inter-professional practice, curricular design, technology, and learning assessment/outcomes. We have recently partnered with the MS Society to conduct research related to the Free from Falls program for individuals with MS.

Yes. Residents will be paid for their clinical practice hours at MedStar NRH, as well as their teaching hours at GW. Residents are paid for 20 hours per week of clinical time at MedStar. The 4 hours of mentored physical therapy care are not paid.

Yes, as a part-time employee of MedStar NRH you will be eligible for health and dental benefits.