Application to the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program is highly competitive and generally requires the completion of a bachelor’s degree and all program prerequisites prior to starting in the program. All applications to the Doctor of Physical Therapy program at Bellarmine University must be made through the Physical Therapy Centralized Application Service (PTCAS). Bellarmine University does not require a supplemental application packet. Additional information on the PTCAS can be found at www.apta.org.
Application Information
See www.ptcas.org for priority application and final application deadlines, as well as to apply.
Prerequisite Courses (or Equivalents) for the DPT Program
(Bellarmine courses in parentheses).
- 2 semesters of anatomy and physiology with lab (BIOL 108 & 109; two semesters of 300+ level biology courses can substitute for this prerequisite)
- 1 semester of general biology with lab (BIOL 130)*
- 1 semester of advanced physiology such as vertebrate physiology, mammalian physiology, exercise physiology or pathophysiology (BIOL 300 or BIOL 314 or EXSC 240)
- 2 semesters of college chemistry with lab (CHEM 103 & 104)*
- 2 semesters of college physics with lab (PHYS 201 & 202 or PHYS 205 & 206)*
- 1 semester of psychology (PSYC 103 or 104)
- 1 semester of statistics (MATH 205)
*at the level of a science major
Admission Information
The Bellarmine University Doctor of Physical Therapy Program prepares students for licensure and practice in the field of physical therapy. Candidates for licensure in all states must hold a post-baccalaureate degree in physical therapy from an accredited institution. Individuals can apply for admission to this program through a competitive application process. There are three types of applicants for the program:
“Bachelor's+3” Path
Interested applicants can apply and may be potentially admitted into the Doctor of Physical Therapy program after completion of a bachelor’s degree in a major of choice from Bellarmine University or another accredited institution. Applicants must complete all program prerequisites (complete list of all program prerequisite courses listed above) and application requirements.
“3+3” Path
Open to Bellarmine University undergraduate students who have completed at least 60 credits (generally two full years) at Bellarmine University. Apply for the DPT program the summer/fall before the junior year. If accepted, would begin DPT school after 3 years of undergraduate coursework. These students must still fulfill all requirements for an undergraduate baccalaureate degree from Bellarmine (completion of all general education requirements + completion of the first year in the DPT program = students would earn a Bachelors in Health Sciences degree). Students are required to complete at least 18 credits of upper-division coursework in one content area or discipline that is equivalent to a minor prior to entering the PT program. Students are encouraged to work closely with their advisor to ensure this requirement is met.
Launch to DPT: Early Assurance Program aka “LEAP” Path
Highly selective program open to high school seniors to apply. If accepted, students matriculate as undergraduates at Bellarmine and can apply to the DPT program either the summer prior to Junior year or the summer prior to Senior year. Students must complete all application requirements and meet all standards for university admission in order to be accepted. Learn more on our LEAP Path page.
International Applicants
All students are expected to have appropriate English-language proficiency to be admitted to the university. The language proficiency is required to ensure students are adequately prepared and well positioned to succeed. The Admission, Progression and Graduation Committee requires an official TOEFL iBT or IELTS score for verification of language proficiency for applicants: a) who were born outside the US, b) for whom English is a second language, or c) who have a degree or transcripts from a non-US institution. Applicants must earn a total score of 83 or higher and a speaking score of 26 or higher on the TOEFL iBT or earn a total band score of 7 or higher AND a speaking band score of 8 or higher on the IELTS to meet the language proficiency requirement. Only official score reports will be accepted.
Incoming Student Statistics
| Incoming Class |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
| Number of applications |
508 |
494 |
488 |
354 |
| Incoming class size |
76 |
73 |
72 |
72 |
| Number student accepted (accepted and on waiting list) |
158 |
208 |
165 |
180 |
| Average incoming GPA |
3.51 |
3.39 |
3.54 |
3.44 |
| Average incoming prereq GPA |
3.46 |
3.34 |
3.47 |
3.42 |
| Number of incoming Bellarmine students |
15 |
19 |
20 |
17 |
These numbers reflect averages. Some accepted students scored higher and some lower than the numbers shown here.
Contact Information
Please direct LEAP admission questions to:
Chris Kircher
Associate Dean of Admission
502.272.8127, ckircher@bellarmine.edu.
Please direct Doctor of Physical Therapy admission questions to:
Alexandria Wink
Assistant Director of Health Professions Graduate Programs
502-272-7993, awink@bellarmine.edu
Julie Armstrong-Binnix
Assistant Dean of Graduate Admission
502.272.8364, julieab@bellarmine.edu