PTCAS Application Instructions
Physical Therapist Centralized Application Service
www.ptcas.org
PTCAS Instructions 2017-2018
Table of Contents
WELCOME ..................................................................................................................................................... 3
CONTACT US ................................................................................................................................................. 4
GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS .............................................................................................................................. 5
CHECKLIST ..................................................................................................................................................... 6
APPLICANT RESPONSIBILITIES ....................................................................................................................... 7
CREATE AN ACCOUNT ................................................................................................................................... 8
PROGRAM SELECTION................................................................................................................................. 10
DEADLINES .................................................................................................................................................. 11
EARLY DECISION .......................................................................................................................................... 12
FEES ............................................................................................................................................................. 13
FEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM ........................................................................................................................ 14
APPLICATION DASHBOARD ......................................................................................................................... 16
PERSONAL INFORMATION ......................................................................................................................... 18
ACADEMIC HISTORY ................................................................................................................................... 27
SUPPORTING INFORMATION ..................................................................................................................... 43
PROGRAM MATERIALS............................................................................................................................... 51
ADD PROGRAM ........................................................................................................................................... 53
SUBMIT APPLICATION ................................................................................................................................. 54
CHECK STATUS ............................................................................................................................................ 57
PROCESSING AND UPDATING YOUR FILE.................................................................................................... 60
CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECKS .............................................................................................................. 62
LEGAL POLICIES ........................................................................................................................................... 64
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PTCAS Instructions 2017-2018
WELCOME
Welcome to the Physical Therapist Centralized Application Service—PTCAS! PTCAS allows applicants to
use a single application and 1 set of materials to apply to multiple doctor of physical therapy (DPT)
education programs in the United States. PTCAS is a service of the American Physical Therapy
Association (APTA) and is administered by Liaison International, an education information technology
company located in Watertown, Massachusetts.
ROLE OF PTCAS
The purpose of PTCAS is to facilitate the admissions process for applicants and programs, promote the
physical therapist profession and education programs to a broad spectrum of applicants, and provide
rich applicant data for institutional, regional, and national analysis. PTCAS serves as a clearinghouse for
application data. APTA and PTCAS do not play a role in setting programs’ admissions criteria, determine
whether an applicant is eligible for admission, or make admission decisions on behalf of a program.
PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY
All physical therapist education programs recognized by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical
Therapy Education (CAPTE) with accredited or candidate status are invited to participate in PTCAS.
ROLE OF PROGRAMS
DPT programs determine whether an applicant is eligible for admission and will notify applicants directly
regarding all admission decisions. Programs do not have to take all PTCAS application items into
consideration in the admissions process. Admission policies and prerequisites vary significantly by
program. Some programs will might contact applicants directly about their application immediately after
an application is processed by PTCAS, others after a few weeks, and others only after the deadline has
passed.
ROLE OF APTA
APTA is an individual membership professional organization representing more than 95,000 member
physical therapists, physical therapist assistants, and students of physical therapy. APTA seeks to
improve the health and quality of life of individuals in society by advancing physical therapist practice,
education, and research, and by increasing the awareness and understanding of physical therapy's role
in the nation's health care system. APTA does not provide information to applicants about the PTCAS
process or their application status. Please contact PTCAS customer support or programs directly for
PTCAS inquiries.
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PTCAS Instructions 2017-2018
CONTACT US
To check the real-time status of your application and materials sent to PTCAS, login to your PTCAS
application and select the Check Status option. Please do not contact PTCAS until you have read the
instructions, checked your status online, reviewed your email for any messages, and read the Frequently
Asked Questions (FAQ) section. It is your responsibility to frequently check your email and login to check
the status of your file.
If you still have questions, email us and include your PTCAS ID number and name in all
communication. We will respond as quickly as possible and within 3 business days.
[email protected]
If urgent, call 617/612-2040 between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm ET, Monday through Friday.
PTCAS will discuss an application only with the applicant and the applicant’s designated physical therapy
schools, and not with a parent, spouse, relative, friend, or employer.
ACCESSIBILITY
If a disability prevents you from accessing the web application, please contact PTCAS customer service
by phone at 617/612-2040 or email at [email protected].
MAILING ADDRESS
PTCAS
PO BOX 9112
Watertown, MA 02471
SOCIAL MEDIA
www.facebook.com/PTCAS
@PTCAS
PTCAS NOTIFICATIONS
We will email you for the following reasons:
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You created a new PTCAS application account.
You submitted your PTCAS application.
PTCAS received an official US or Canadian transcript for you.
PTCAS received a foreign transcript evaluation for you.
PTCAS received a reference on your behalf.
PTCAS has verified your application and your PTCAS GPAs are available to view.
You are eligible to begin the Academic Update.
There are problems with your “Transcript Entry” or “Colleges Attended” sections.
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PTCAS Instructions 2017-2018
GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS
DOWNLOAD INSTRUCTIONS
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Download the PTCAS application instructions in PDF format
Download the PTCAS PowerPoint slides
APPLICATION CYCLE
The 2017–2018 PTCAS admissions cycle begins on June 29, 2017. Applicants may start and submit the
PTCAS application as soon as it is available. PTCAS will not accept application materials after June 1,
2018, when the 2017-2018 cycle officially closes.
PROCESSING OVERVIEW
PTCAS will consider an application complete and ready for transcript verification once the following
items are received:
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Submitted PTCAS application
Official transcripts from every United States and Canadian institution attended
Correct PTCAS application fee
PTCAS will also accept up to 4 letters of reference, signed PT observation hours forms, official GRE
scores sent via the Educational Testing Service (ETS) to PTCAS GRE codes, TOEFL scores, and foreign
transcript evaluation reports from World Education Services (WES), as required by participating
programs. PTCAS does not hold applications for these missing documents.
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY STATEMENT
PTCAS and APTA value diversity and comply with all applicable local, state, and federal laws related to
equal opportunity and nondiscrimination. As such, they do not discriminate on the basis of race, color,
ethnicity, national origin, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, religion, creed, disability
or health status, sexual orientation, or veteran status in any of their policies, practices, or procedures.
PHYSICAL THERAPY TECHNICAL STANDARDS AND ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
Neither APTA nor PTCAS has adopted any policies or positions regarding the essential skills or technical
standards necessary to practice or function as a physical therapist. However, individual DPT programs
generally have these types of policies in place. A program’s technical standards or essential skills
document may describe the physical, behavioral, or cognitive abilities needed to complete the physical
therapist curriculum at that particular institution, along with the necessary skill set to competently
perform as a physical therapist upon graduation. Contact your selected programs directly regarding
program-specific policies.
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PTCAS Instructions 2017-2018
CHECKLIST
Apply early! It can take up to 5 weeks for PTCAS to verify your file, once it is in “complete” status.
FOLLOW THESE STEPS FIRST
Review the instructions and program admission requirements.
Create a PTCAS application account.
Complete the “Colleges Attended” section first by entering all institutions attended.
Print a PTCAS transcript matching form for each institution attended.
Arrange for all official transcripts to be sent to PTCAS with transcript matching form enclosed.
Enter all United States and Canadian college courses using personal copies of your transcripts.
COMPLETE NEXT STEPS, IF REQUIRED BY SELECTED PROGRAMS
Enter all GRE scores on the application and arrange for ETS to send your official test scores.
Complete the References section, so your evaluators have adequate time to respond.
Complete the Observation Hours section, so a licensed physical therapist can verify your
experiences.
Submit supplemental materials directly to your selected programs.
HELPFUL TIPS
Do not enter your coursework from memory—Use your transcripts!
Do not wait for PTCAS to receive all materials before submitting your application.
Complete the “Colleges Attended” section of the application first. PTCAS cannot post transcripts
to your application until this step is done.
Login to check status of your transcripts, references, GRE scores, and PT observation hour forms.
Arrange for all materials to arrive by the deadline.
Check your email daily for important messages from PTCAS and programs.
Review your application for accuracy before submitting the application.
Print a hard copy of your application for your personal records.
Do not apply to a program unless you meet its admission requirements.
INTERNATIONAL APPLICANTS AND TRANSCRIPTS
If program requires a foreign transcript evaluation, request a course-by-course evaluation from
World Education Services (WES) through the Colleges Attended section of the application, and
allow 4–6 weeks for the evaluation to display as received at PTCAS.
If a program requires an original foreign transcript, arrange for it to be sent to the program.
If English is not your primary language, determine if the program requires TOEFL.
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PTCAS Instructions 2017-2018
APPLICANT RESPONSIBILITIES
PTCAS applicants to physical therapist programs agree to abide by certain rules and requirements.
ACAPT ADMISSION TRAFFIC RULES
The American Council of Academic Physical Therapy (ACAPT), a component of APTA, approved a set of
admission traffic rules for physical therapist education programs and applicants. While all programs and
applicants are expected to abide by these rules, APTA and PTCAS cannot comment on or enforce them.
Please contact ACAPT directly with questions about these rules at [email protected].
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ACAPT Admissions Traffic Rules for Programs
ACAPT Admissions Traffic Rules for Applicants
PROFESSIONAL BEHAVIOR
Applicants are expected to act professionally in all of their dealings with PTCAS and the physical
therapist education programs. Applicants are expected to properly follow instructions and meet
deadlines. Responsibility, respect, good judgment, and cooperation are qualities valued by the physical
therapist profession; applicants are expected to demonstrate these qualities beginning with the
application process.
ADDITIONAL APPLICANT RESPONSIBILITIES
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Act with honesty and integrity throughout the admissions process.
Communicate professionally and promptly to PTCAS and programs.
Be responsible and accountable for actions.
Research the admission prerequisites for each selected program before applying.
Create only 1 PTCAS application account during the admissions cycle.
Abide by all deadlines.
Enter accurate and comprehensive data into the application.
Compose a personal essay without assistance from others.
Arrange for PTCAS to receive official transcripts from every United States and Canadian
institution attended, using the PTCAS Transcript Matching Form.
Pay the correct PTCAS application fee online with a credit card.
Arrange for materials to be sent to PTCAS or directly to the program, as required.
Print a copy of the completed application for your records before submitting it to PTCAS.
Frequently check status of materials and file by logging onto the application.
Frequently check for notifications from PTCAS.
Promptly enter any changes in contact information.
Log off the application after each session to protect against unauthorized access.
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PTCAS Instructions 2017-2018
CREATE AN ACCOUNT
To begin, click the “Create an Account” button on the PTCAS application homepage. Enter a username,
password, security question, and valid contact information. All information is required, unless noted as
optional. Review and accept the PTCAS terms and conditions, then click on the “Create My Account”
button to activate a new account and unique PTCAS identification number. For your own security do not
share your password or account information with anyone.
CREATE A SINGLE PTCAS ACCOUNT: You are not permitted to create more
than 1 PTCAS account per application cycle. Duplicate accounts will result in significant
processing delays and problems with your transcripts and other application materials.
PTCAS will delete duplicate accounts, including any documents associated with those
accounts.
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PTCAS Instructions 2017-2018
RETURNING APPLICANTS
PTCAS moved to a new application platform in the 2017-2018 application cycle. Due to
this system change, PTCAS regrets it cannot pull any applicant data information forward
from the 2016-2017 (previous) application cycle. Applicants who previously applied
must create a new application account and submit all new application materials as if
they were first-time applicants.
Applicants who submit completed applications during the current 2017-2018 application cycle and
reapply in the 2018-2019 will have the ability to pull forward selected data and materials.
NAME
Provide your title, first name, middle initial, last name, and suffix. Enter your legal name. Do not use
nicknames or parentheses to note alternate names. Your display name can be a nickname or preferred
first name, and will be used throughout your application.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Provide your email address and phone number, and specify type (home, work, or school). Enter an email
address that you can reliably access throughout the admissions cycle. PTCAS and programs will use
email to communicate important messages to you about your application. It is your responsibility to
frequently check your email and promptly respond to messages.
USERNAME AND PASSWORD
Create your login information. Your username must be at least 6 characters. Your password must be at
least 8 characters and contain both letters and numbers or special characters. Passwords and usernames
are case sensitive.
Edit Username or Password
To edit your account after it’s created, visit the “My Profile” section of your application by clicking the
arrow next to your name at the top of the screen.
Forgotten Passwords
The PTCAS staff does not have access to your password. To retrieve your password, click the “Forgot
your username or password?” link under the login and check your email for a message.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Review and agree to the PTCAS terms of use, privacy policy, and security statement.
START YOUR APPLICATION
Once you complete this section, select the “Create My Account” button at bottom to be routed to a
welcome screen. Click the “Start Your Application” button to begin.
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PTCAS Instructions 2017-2018
PROGRAM SELECTION
Once your account is created, use the filters on the screen to search for programs. You can also visit the
PTCAS Directory for program admission requirements.
APPLY TO PROGRAMS
You must apply to at least 1 program before you can continue the application. Click the plus
to
apply to a particular program. You are encouraged to select all programs to which you will apply at this
point, so the programs are aware of your interest and you can view the program-specific requirements.
Changes to Program Selection
You can choose to add or remove programs at any time before you submit your application. After you
submit, you can only add new program and will not be able to delete or substitute program selections.
Related Sections:
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Deadlines
Early Decision
Fees
Fee Waivers
Credit Card Payments
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PTCAS Instructions 2017-2018
DEADLINES
Apply Early! PTCAS processing may take up to 4 to 5 weeks, once all required materials are received.
Submit your PTCAS application and arrange for materials to arrive at PTCAS by the program's deadline.
The deadline indicates when materials must arrive at PTCAS (and not the program). Programs may have
multiple deadline dates or operate on a rolling admissions basis. Visit the PTCAS Directory for details.
FIRM AND SOFT DEADLINES
Each PTCAS program has selected a firm or soft deadline. Programs may move from a soft to a firm
deadline at any point during the cycle.
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Firm deadline: You cannot apply to the program after the deadline has passed.
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Soft deadline: You can still apply to the program after the deadline has passed, but the program
may give less or no consideration to your file if you apply after the deadline.
APPLICATION CLOSE TIME
All PTCAS deadlines expire at 11:59
pm ET. Review the time zones to
determine when the application will
close in your area:
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11:59 pm (ET)
10:59 pm (CT)
9:59 pm (MT)
8:59 pm (PT)
7:59 pm (AKT)
6:59 pm (HT)
LATE MATERIALS AND MISSED DEADLINES
A program may deny your application if your transcripts or other materials arrive late. If you submit your
application by the program’s deadline, PTCAS will release your application to your selected programs,
even if your materials arrive after the deadline. PTCAS is not responsible for any materials lost in the
mail or for delays caused by the registrar's office. Express or certified mail does not guarantee expedient
processing, nor does sending transcripts express or certified mail guarantee receipt by PTCAS.
DEADLINE EXTENSIONS
Contact the program directly to request a deadline extension. Programs are not obligated to grant
deadline extensions or give consideration to applicants who submit late application materials.
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PTCAS Instructions 2017-2018
EARLY DECISION
Some programs offer “Early Decision” through PTCAS. Early Decision is a binding option for applicants
who have decided that 1 particular program is their first choice. As an Early Decision applicant, you can
apply to only 1 program that participates in Early Decision. If accepted as an Early Decision applicant,
you will not be permitted to apply to any additional programs in PTCAS during the application cycle.
You should only apply as an Early Decision candidate if you are certain you want to attend that particular
program. If not, apply as a regular applicant instead.
EARLY DECISION DEADLINE
The Early Decision application deadline is August 15, 2017. In addition to completing the PTCAS
application, you must arrange for PTCAS to receive all of your official United States and Canadian
transcripts and fee by August 15.
GRE DEADLINE FOR EARLY DECISION
Early Decision candidates must take the GRE® and request scores no later than July 31, 2017, if the GRE
is required by the program. If your application, transcripts, or fee arrive after the Early Decision
deadline, PTCAS will automatically move your file from Early Decision to regular status.
PROGRAM DECISIONS
PTCAS institutions are required to make admission decisions on Early Decision candidates no later than
September 24, 2017. The program will choose to accept or deny an applicant, or move an Early Decision
application to regular status. Applicants who are denied or moved to the regular pool will be permitted
to apply to additional programs for an additional fee by September 26.
It is possible that programs participating in the PTCAS Early Decision process will fill their next entering
class with Early Decision applicants before their regular deadline date passes. If so, the program might
consider applicants in the regular pool for wait-list positions only.
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PTCAS Instructions 2017-2018
FEES
The PTCAS application fees are automatically calculated for you on the program selection screen. The
fees are $145 to apply to the first program and $45 for each additional program.
Fees for 2017-2018 Cycle
Number of PTCAS Designations
PTCAS Application Fee
1
$145
2
$190
3
$235
4
$280
5
$325
6
$370
7
$415
8
$460
9
$505
10
$550
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Add $45 for each additional program
PAYMENT PROCESS
You will pay for your program selections at the end of the application. Once you are satisfied that all
required sections of your application are accurate and complete, click the submit button on the “Submit
My Application” page and follow the payment instructions. Your application will not be processed until
your payment and all United States and Canadian transcripts are received.
Do not send payments to PTCAS before you submit your application. Payment
information must be entered via the online application. PTCAS will not accept credit card
payments over the phone or otherwise separate from the online application.
ACCEPTABLE FORMS OF PAYMENT
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VISA Credit Card
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VISA Debit Card
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MasterCard Credit Card
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MasterCard Debit Card
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Discover
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American Express
View the Submit Application section for additional information about PTCAS fee payments.
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PTCAS Instructions 2017-2018
FEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
Your fee waiver request must be received and processed before you submit your PTCAS application.
A limited number of PTCAS application fee waivers are available to financially disadvantaged applicants
and are granted on a first-come, first-served basis. PTCAS will decide if you qualify for a fee waiver based
on your income, or your parent’s income if you are claimed as a dependent, as reported on the most
recent federal income tax return. No other documentation is accepted. If you receive a fee waiver, you
may apply to 1 program in PTCAS for free. If you choose to apply to more than 1 program, you will pay a
fee of $45 for each additional designation. The PTCAS waiver applies to the PTCAS application fee only.
You could still be responsible for supplemental application fees, regardless of your PTCAS waiver status.
FEE WAIVER ELIGIBILITY
To be eligible for a PTCAS fee waiver you must be a United States citizen or Permanent Resident, or have
refugee/asylum status.
FEE WAIVER INSTRUCTIONS
Do not submit your application until PTCAS approves or denies your fee waiver request. If you submit
your application prior to notification, PTCAS will automatically deny your fee waiver request.
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On the application dashboard, click your name and select “Fee Assistance Program” from the
list.
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Complete the required fields in the “Financial Income Fee Waiver Request” section.
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Upload an electronic copy of your most recent federal income tax return (1040, 1040A, 1040EZ)
to PTCAS. If you are claimed as a dependent on someone else’s tax return, such as a parent or
parents, submit that tax return instead.
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Click the Submit button.
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PTCAS Instructions 2017-2018
LOW-INCOME LEVELS
The PTCAS fee waiver is tied to the US Department of Health and Human Services’ poverty level
guidelines. The Low-Income levels below equal 200% of the DHHS poverty level.
Persons in Family
or Household
48 Contiguous States
and DC
Alaska
Hawaii
1
$24,120
$30,120
$27,720
2
$32,480
$40,580
$37,340
3
$40,840
$51,040
$46,960
4
$49,200
$61,500
$56,580
5
$57,560
$71,960
$66,200
6
$65,920
$82,420
$75,820
7
$74,280
$92,880
$85,440
8
$82,640
$103,340
$95,060
For each additional person add
$8,360
$10,460
$9,620
FEE WAIVER NOTIFICATIONS
When a decision is made on your fee waiver application, PTCAS will notify you through your application
(login to your account and check for messages) and email. It is important that you not submit your
application until you receive your fee waiver decision. All fee waiver decisions are final.
FEE WAIVER EXPIRATION
If you are approved for a PTCAS fee waiver, you must submit your PTCAS application within 14 business
days from the time the fee waiver approval is emailed to you. If you do not submit your application
within 14 calendar days after the fee waiver award date, your fee waiver is automatically forfeited, and
you will not be able to submit another fee waiver request during this application cycle.
APPLYING FEE WAIVER TO PAYMENT
If a fee waiver is approved, the base application amount will automatically be applied to your account
during the application submission and payment process. If you apply to additional programs beyond the
scope of your awarded fee waiver, you may be responsible for the additional fees.
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PTCAS Instructions 2017-2018
APPLICATION DASHBOARD
Once you select your programs, you will automatically be routed to the main PTCAS application screen,
referred to as the dashboard. The dashboard provides a high-level overview of your progress in each of
the 4 mains sections: Personal Information, Academic History, Supporting Information, and Program
Materials. You can return to the dashboard at any time by clicking on “My Application” at the top left of
the screen.
PTCAS ID NUMBER
Your name and unique PTCAS identification number appear in the top right corner of the dashboard.
Please use this ID when sending materials to PTCAS or contacting us via email or phone.
HOW TO BEGIN
Begin your application by completing the items in the PTCAS Checklist first.
NOTIFICATIONS
You can view important messages from PTCAS from the application dashboard. Go to “Latest
Notification,” or click “View My Notifications” to view all messages. You are responsible for checking
your email and online notifications frequently throughout the admissions process. Note that PTCAS
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PTCAS Instructions 2017-2018
emails sent to you may be erroneously marked as spam and blocked from view, so check your spam
folders as well.
ONLINE INSTRUCTIONS AND FAQ
Click on your name at the top right corner at any time to access the Instructions and Frequently Asked
Questions (FAQ). These resources provide detailed information for each section of the application. You
can also access the “My Profile” section from this dropdown list to view your account and password
information.
See also instructions for the following dashboard tabs:
• Add Program
• Submit Application
• Check Status
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PTCAS Instructions 2017-2018
PERSONAL INFORMATION
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PTCAS Instructions 2017-2018
RELEASE STATEMENT
You may update this information at any time prior to submission. Once you have submitted, the
information on this page cannot be edited.
Pre-submission Release of Information
By answering “yes,” you authorize PTCAS to release your name and contact information to your selected
programs before you submit your final application. You are encouraged to select “yes” so that your
selected programs can send you important information about their specific admissions processes before
you complete your application.
Advisor Release
Select “yes” if you give PTCAS permission to release selected information regarding your PTCAS
application and admission status to the health professions advisor and the health professions advisory
committee of the postsecondary institution(s) that you have attended. By releasing your information,
your advisor is better able to assist you in the admissions process, as well as better guide other students
in the future. You cannot make changes to this item after you submit your application to PTCAS.
Certification and Authorization Statement
Your certification of this statement serves the same purpose as a legal signature, and is binding.
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I certify, as required in the application, that I have read and understand all application
instructions, including the provisions which note that I am responsible for monitoring and
ensuring the progress of my application.
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I certify that I have read and will abide by all program-specific instructions for my designated
physical therapist programs.
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I certify that all the information and statements I have provided in this application are current,
correct, and complete to the best of my knowledge.
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I certify that my personal essay and the information on my application represent my own work.
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I understand that withholding information requested on the PTCAS application, or giving false
information, may be grounds for denial of admission to a program participating in PTCAS or may
be grounds for expulsion from the institution after I have been admitted.
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I acknowledge that a program that makes an offer of acceptance to me will also know the
number of offers I have received and accepted at other programs in PTCAS. While the
admissions cycle is open, my designated programs will not know the total number of programs I
selected on the application or other (non-acceptance) admission decisions made by other
programs in PTCAS.
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I acknowledge that if I start classes at a PT program, my other designated programs in which my
application is still under consideration will be able to view matriculation status, if reported to
PTCAS.
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I acknowledge that in October after the end of the PTCAS admissions cycle, only my designated
programs will be able to view to what other programs I applied via PTCAS and the final
admission decision reported by each program.
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I agree, understand and consent to PTCAS and the American Physical Therapy Association
(APTA) releasing my de-identified application data that does not contain personally identifiable
information, as set forth in the PTCAS privacy statement, and admission decisions submitted to
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PTCAS Instructions 2017-2018
PTCAS by my designated PT programs to third party health and education organizations for
educational research purposes (including surveys). Such educational research is conducted for
the purpose of improving PT education and admissions.
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I acknowledge and agree that my sole remedy in the event of any proven errors or omissions
related to the handling or processing of my application by PTCAS is to obtain a refund of my
PTCAS application fee.
BIOGRAPHIC INFORMATION
You may update this information at any time prior to submission. Once you have submitted, the
information on this page cannot be edited.
Your Name
To update your name, please go to the “My Profile” section.
Alternate Name
Please enter any alternate names that may be listed on your documents (transcripts, test scores).
Sex
Please enter your legal sex or choose “decline to state.”
Birth Information
PTCAS uses your date of birth to help verify your identity and match your official GRE scores to your
application, if sent to a PTCAS GRE code. Programs also might require any of the following birth
information to generate student identification numbers:
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Date of Birth
Country
City
State
County
CONTACT INFORMATION
If your contact information changes, please login to your PTCAS account to update your information as
soon as possible. After May 15, notify your selected programs directly with changes to your contact
information.
Current Address
Select the address where you can most reliably receive mail from PTCAS and your selected programs.
You are encouraged to enter the approximate date through which your current address is valid. Please
indicate if this is your permanent address, and, if not, enter a second address.
Phone Number
To update this information, go to the “My Profile” section.
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PTCAS Instructions 2017-2018
Email Address
To update this information, go to the “My Profile” section.
CITIZENSHIP INFORMATION
You may update this information at any time prior to submission. Once you have submitted, the
information on this page cannot be edited.
United States Citizenship Details
Select your citizenship status at the time of application: US citizen, US permanent resident, temporary
US resident, or nonresident. Do not designate “permanent resident” unless you currently possess a valid
Permanent Resident card. If you applied for a Permanent Resident card, but it has not yet been granted,
please select “temporary US resident.”
Residency Information
United States residents and citizens can select only 1 permanent (legal) state of residency. Select your
state of residence at the time you apply; not your anticipated state of residency once enrolled. If you do
not have a legal residence in the United States or within a United States territory, select "No State." Not
all programs consider out-of-state or foreign residents for admission, so review each program’s policies
before you designate it in your application.
Visa Information
If you are a nonimmigrant visa holder, select the visa you hold at the time of application. Nonimmigrant
applicants who do not hold a valid visa should select “None.” Contact your selected programs directly if
your visa status changes after you submit your application. Below are the types of visa:
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B-1 Visitor
F-1 Student
F-2 Spouses and Children of F-1 Visa Holders
H1-B Employee
I-551C Conditional Permanent Resident
I-94 Refugee
I-94 Asylum Granted
I-94 Parolee
I-94 Victim of Human Trafficking
I-94 Cuban Haitian Entrant
J-1 Student
J-1 Teacher, Researcher, or Trainee
J-2 Spouses and Dependents of J-1 Visa Holders
Refugee
Visa Waiver WB
Other
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PTCAS Instructions 2017-2018
Previous State of Residency
If you have lived in your current state of residency for less than 1 year, you are encouraged to select
your previous state of residency, as required by many institutions.
RACE AND ETHNICITY
You may update this information at any time prior to submission. Once you have submitted, the
information on this page cannot be edited.
Ethnicity
Select yes if you consider yourself to be of Hispanic/Latino origin. If so, please also select all that apply
below:
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Cuban
Mexican, Mexican American, Chicano/Chicana
Puerto Rican
South or Central American
Other Spanish Culture or Origin
Race
Please select the racial category or categories with which you most closely identify. Leave the item blank
if you do not wish to report this information.
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American Indian or Alaska Native
o Please specify the name of your enrolled or principal tribe: ________________________
Asian
o Asian Indian
o Cambodian
o Chinese
o Filipino
o Japanese
o Korean
o Malaysian
o Pakistani
o Vietnamese
o Other Asian
Black or African-American
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
o Guamanian or Chamorro
o Native Hawaiian
o Samoan
o Other Pacific Islander
White
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PTCAS Instructions 2017-2018
OTHER INFORMATION
Language Proficiency
Please select your native language. If you speak more than 1 language, select the “Add Another
Language” button to enter the language and your proficiency level: beginner, intermediate, or
advanced.
Military Status
Please select your anticipated military status at the time you enroll. Applicants who opt to report
military experience will be required to provide the following related information:
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Armed Forces Branch
Service Began (MM/DD/YYYY)
Are you still serving?
Service Ended (MM/DD/YYYY)
Felony Information
PTCAS requires applicants to report any felony convictions. If you fail to provide accurate information
when answering this question, you could jeopardize your application.
Programs might require criminal background checks or drug tests to verify your eligibility to participate
in clinical education, to confirm your eligibility for physical therapist licensure, and to ensure patient
safety. You may be required to complete a criminal background check prior to or after enrollment into a
program. Please refer to PTCAS Criminal Background Check instructions for additional information. If
you answered yes about a felony conviction, enter an explanation in the box. Include all of the following:
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A brief description of the incident and/or arrest
Specific charge made
Related dates
Consequence
A reflection on the incident and how the incident has impacted your life
If you are convicted of a felony after you submit your PTCAS application, you must inform your
designated programs that an action has occurred. You may also be required to report 1 or more of the
following types of records directly to your designated programs with details about the judgements or
disciplinary action:
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Misdemeanor convictions
Arrests for misdemeanors and felonies
Adjudication withheld
Nolo contendere
Plea bargain
Academic Infraction
Indicate whether you have been disciplined for an academic performance or student conduct violation.
If yes, include:
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PTCAS Instructions 2017-2018
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A brief description of the incident
Specific charge made
Consequence
A reflection on the incident and how the incident has impacted your life
If you answer yes, you will not automatically be disqualified from admission to a program. Full disclosure
will enable programs to more effectively evaluate this information within the context of your
credentials. If you fail to provide accurate information when answering these questions, you could
jeopardize your application.
License Infraction
Any disciplinary actions related to professional licenses may be reported as part of a criminal
background check process. If you fail to provide accurate information when answering this question, you
could jeopardize your application. If you answered yes, you must enter an explanation. Describe the
charge and circumstances related to the licensure issue.
Background Information
Educational and Environmental Background
APTA defines “underrepresented minorities” as racial and ethnic populations that are underrepresented
within the institution relative to their numbers in the general population, as well as individuals from
geographically underrepresented areas, lower economic strata, and educationally disadvantaged
backgrounds. The following items may be used by programs to determine if you are from an
environmentally, educationally, or economically disadvantaged background or for research purposes.
Check any of the following that apply to you:
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I graduated from a high school from which a low percentage of seniors receive a high school
diploma.
I graduated from a high school at which many of the enrolled students are eligible for free
or reduced price lunches.
I am from a family that receives public assistance (eg, Aid to Families with Dependent
Children, food stamps, Medicaid, public housing) or I receive public assistance.
I am from a family that lives in an area that is designated as a Health Professional Shortage
Area or a Medically Underserved Area.
I participated in an academic enrichment program funded in whole or in part by the Health
Careers Opportunity Program.
I am a high-school dropout who received an AHS diploma or GED.
I am from a school district where 50% or less of graduates go to college or where college
education is not encouraged.
I am the first generation in my family to attend college (neither my mother nor my father
attended college).
English is not my primary language.
By designating any of the above, you are considered to have met the criteria for educationally or
environmentally disadvantaged, as defined by the above guidelines.
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PTCAS Instructions 2017-2018
Economic Background
To determine if you come from an economically disadvantaged background, use your parents’ income as
reported on the most recent tax return. Reference the fee waiver table to determine if your parents’
current family income based on size of household is within the federal low-income level. Programs
might use this information to determine if you are from an economically disadvantaged background or
for research purposes.
Your parent's family income falls within the table's guidelines and you are considered to have met the
criteria for economically disadvantaged.
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Select yes if you believe you qualify as disadvantaged based on income. If you are unable to
determine your parents’ earnings, or the 2016 tax returns do not reflect your parents’
household income while you were a dependent, you may still select yes to indicate you were
raised at an economic disadvantage.
Select no if you believe you were not raised at an economic disadvantage, even if you qualified
based on the criteria.
Geographic Background
The item may be considered by programs to determine your geographic background. Select 1 option
from the list below.
What is the type of geographic area where you were raised?
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Urban (1,000,000 population)
Large City (population 100,000 to 1,000,000 population)
Mid-size City (population 50,000 to 99,999 population)
Large Town (population 10,000 to 49,999 population)
Small Town (population 2,500 to 9,999 population)
Isolated Rural (population <2,500)
Do Not Wish to Report
Social Security Number
Your selected programs might require United States applicants to enter a valid Social Security Number
(SSN). PTCAS and your selected programs use your SSN to help verify your identity. PTCAS will hide your
SSN from your designated programs that do not require it. If you do not have an SSN and you are a
United States citizen, contact your local Social Security Administration office or the national office to
apply for a number. If you are not a United States citizen, leave the box blank.
Social Security Administration
Phone: 800/772-1213
Website: http://www.ssa.gov/SSA_Home.html
Academic Record
Does your academic record accurately reflect your capabilities? If no, describe why it does not. Present
any information that may assist the admissions committee in interpreting and evaluating your academic
history or credentials.
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PTCAS Instructions 2017-2018
PTA Education
Select yes if you have graduated from a physical therapist assistant (PTA) program recognized by the
Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education. Enter the PTA program in the Colleges
Attended section. To view a list of programs, go to http://www.capteonline.org/home.aspx.
Previous Physical Therapist Education
If you previously matriculated into a professional physical therapist degree program in the United States
or abroad, you must do the following:
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Select yes to this question.
Specify the physical therapist program from list.
If an international institution, select “Non-US (foreign) physical therapist program” from list.
Respond to item regarding whether you are eligible to return to the physical therapist program.
Enter the institution in the Colleges Attended section.
If the program is located in the United States or Canada, report all completed coursework in the
Transcript Entry section and arrange for an official transcript to be sent to PTCAS.
If you enrolled in a pre-physical therapist or PTA program, select no.
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PTCAS Instructions 2017-2018
ACADEMIC HISTORY
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PTCAS Instructions 2017-2018
COLLEGES ATTENDED
Complete this section first! List every college and university you have attended or plan to
attend through summer 2018, including associate, undergraduate, postbaccalaureate,
graduate, and professional degree institutions.
You must enter all colleges and universities attended, regardless of whether the courses are required
for admission or transferred to another institution. Also enter international institutions, nondegree
programs, community colleges, and dual-enrollment programs during high school in which college credit
was earned. Enter each institution once, regardless of gaps in attendance or number of degrees.
Duplicate entries may delay the processing of your application.
Adding a College
Select the “Add a College” button to enter each institution. Type the name of the institution in the box
and select it from the dropdown list. Continue to type the full name of the institution until it appears.
The application may not recognize partial, incomplete, or abbreviated institutional names. If the
institution does not appear in the list after the full name is typed, select “Can’t find your school?” and
indicate whether it is an unlisted Canadian institution, US institution, or other foreign institution.
Did you obtain a degree from this college?
Indicate if a degree was received or is anticipated from the institution. If yes, select degree from list,
enter the date the degree was awarded or anticipated, and select the major(s) and minor(s) from the list
that most closely match your area of study. If the categories do not match, select "other/not listed." If
you received multiple degrees from a single institution, please use the “Add another Degree” button.
What type of term system does this college use?
Specify the term type used at this institution: quarter, semester or trimester.
When did you attend this college?
Enter your start term and date, and end term and date, regardless of any gap in attendance. If you are
still enrolled, select “Check if you are still attending this college.”
TRANSCRIPTS
You must arrange for PTCAS to receive an official transcript from every college and university you
attended in the United States and Canada (if in English). Your file will not be verified until all official
transcripts are received. Arrange for only 1 transcript to be sent for each institution attended, regardless
of the number of programs you select in PTCAS. Arrange for your official transcripts to be sent to:
PTCAS Transcript Department
PO Box 9112
Watertown, MA 02471
Transcript Rules
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Official transcripts are required for every United States and Canadian college attended, even if
the courses later transferred to another institution.
Student-issued transcripts are not accepted, even if they are sealed.
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PTCAS Instructions 2017-2018
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Faxed and photocopied transcripts are not accepted.
Do not send transcripts to APTA.
PTCAS Transcript Request Form
Follow instructions to print a PTCAS Transcript Matching Form for every college attended
in the United States and Canada. Official transcripts that arrive at PTCAS without the form
enclosed may take longer to process.
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Once you have entered a college attended, click the Download Transcript Request Form button.
Each PDF form is unique to you and that particular college or university.
You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view and print the file.
Print and submit the completed form to the registrar or records office at your institution.
Advise the registrar office to enclose the PTCAS Transcript Request Form with your official
sealed transcript and mail it directly to PTCAS, PO Box 9112, Watertown, MA 02471.
Electronic Transcripts
PTCAS accepts official electronic transcripts through Credentials Solutions. To determine if
your college or university participates in this service, please check the Credential Solutions
directory.
If your institution is not listed in the Credentials Solutions directory:
• Arrange for the registrar to mail an official paper transcript directly to PTCAS using the PTCAS
Transcript Request Form. PTCAS does not accept electronic transcripts from other providers.
If your institution is listed in the Credentials Solutions directory:
• Go to the Credential Solutions electronic transcript order webpage to request to have your
electronic transcript sent to PTCAS.
• Allow 7-10 business days following your request for the electronic transcript to post to your
application.
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PTCAS Instructions 2017-2018
•
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If the transcript is not posted within 10 business days, contact Credentials Solutions directly at
847/716-3005 to confirm that the order was completed.
Electronic transcripts will not expedite the processing of your file at PTCAS.
Multiple College Campuses
If grades for multiple branches or campuses of an institution appear on 1 transcript, enter all in the
“Institutions Attended” section. It is not necessary to send a Transcript Matching Form for each campus.
Check Transcript Status
It is your responsibility to monitor the status of your transcripts at PTCAS throughout the application
process. PTCAS will not notify you regarding missing transcripts. If it has been longer than 10 business
days and your transcript has not been posted, the materials must be resubmitted. You may view the
status of your transcripts at any time after submission by referring to the “Check Status” tab of the
application home page. PTCAS will also send email notifications every time a transcript is posted to your
application. PTCAS is not responsible for materials lost in the mail or for delays caused by institutional
registrars’ offices. Express or certified mail does not guarantee expedient processing, and sending
transcripts express or certified mail does not guarantee receipt by PTCAS.
French Canadian Institutions
If you attended a Canadian institution that does not issue transcripts in English, then do not send the
transcript to PTCAS. Instead, follow the foreign transcript instructions on the PTCAS Directory for each
program. Most programs will require a foreign transcript evaluation. PTCAS will not hold an application
for this documentation, if it is missing.
International (Foreign) Institutions
Enter all international (non-United States/foreign) institutions you have attended on your PTCAS
application. If required by the program, order a foreign transcript evaluation from World Education
Services (WES) through the PTCAS application. Select the WES “course by course” option with grades.
Contact WES directly regarding questions about the foreign evaluation at 212/966-6311 or
[email protected].
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Do not send original international transcripts to PTCAS.
Do not enter international courses completed outside of the United States or Canada.
2017 Summer and Fall Transcripts
Review the Academic Update section to learn how to submit updated 2017 summer and fall transcripts
to PTCAS.
2018 Transcripts
Arrange for your winter, spring, and summer term 2018 transcripts to be sent directly to your selected
programs, as specifically required by each program. Do not send them to PTCAS.
Study Abroad
If you participated in a study-abroad program under the auspices of a United States institution, and the
course work appears on the United States transcript as regular itemized credit, follow the steps below.
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PTCAS Instructions 2017-2018
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Send the United States transcript with study-abroad credits to PTCAS.
Enter all study-abroad courses that appear on a United States transcript with separate grades
and credits in the Transcript Entry section.
Do not list the international (foreign) institution in the Colleges Attended section.
If the United States transcript does not display the grades or credits for study-abroad courses,
follow the policies for international transcripts and coursework.
Overseas United States Institutions
PTCAS recognizes overseas United States institutions that are accredited through an agency approved by
the United States Department of Education and uses English as the primary language of instruction and
documentation. Submit transcripts and coursework for overseas United States institutions and United
States institutions with a campus overseas (eg, the University of Maryland at Munich).
Resending Transcripts after Accepting an Offer
If you accept an offer of admission to a program, you may be required prior to matriculation to submit a
second set of official transcripts from every institution you have attended. You must send this second
set directly to the program; PTCAS cannot forward transcripts to a program to fulfill this institutional
requirement.
No Transcript Available
PTCAS does not waive transcript requirements due to unpaid fees from the applicant to a college or
university. Applicants who are unable to obtain an official transcript from an institution due to
extenuating circumstances, such as a closed institution, must submit a signed letter of explanation on
official letterhead from the appropriate institution or state department of education. PTCAS will
evaluate transcript waiver requests on a case-by-case basis.
Transcript Investigations
PTCAS will investigate and report applicants suspected of submitting false or fraudulent information. If
any misrepresentation in data is suspected by or reported to PTCAS, the applicant will be notified, and
relevant information will be requested. If a misrepresentation in data is confirmed, PTCAS will notify the
programs to which the applicant has applied. In addition, on a case-by-case basis, PTCAS reserves the
right to notify all programs participating in the service.
TRANSCRIPT ENTRY
You must enter all United States and Canadian coursework attempted exactly as it appears
on your official transcripts, including those that were attempted, failed, repeated, and
withdrawn.
How to Enter Your Courses
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Do not enter courses from memory. Refer to a personal copy of your transcripts.
Enter each course once from the transcript provided by the school where you originally took the
course, even if the credits transferred to another institution.
Enter all courses, even if they do not fulfill a prerequisite or you later repeated them.
Enter courses in order of oldest to most recent.
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PTCAS Instructions 2017-2018
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Enter college credit granted in high school, such as Advanced Placement (AP) or International
Baccalaureate (IB).
Enter community college courses completed during summer terms.
Enter placement exams (eg, CLEP or a departmental exam) where college credit was earned.
Do not enter foreign coursework completed outside of the United States or Canada, unless it is a
study-abroad program.
Coursework Verification
PTCAS will verify your self-reported coursework against your official transcripts. PTCAS will not enter
your courses for you unless you pay an additional fee. PTCAS will return your application to you for
corrections or explanation if there are a significant number of course discrepancies or omissions. Your
application will be placed on hold until the corrections are fixed. If you fail to properly enter all of your
courses when you first submit your application or do not make timely corrections as requested, your
application will be delayed in processing and you may jeopardize your chances for admission.
Add a Semester
Select the institution and click the “Add Semester” button. Next, select the term, year, and academic
status.
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For any undergraduate-level terms completed after you received a bachelor’s degree, select
“Post-Baccalaureate.”
For any courses that fall outside of the typical academic statuses, choose “Freshman.”
After you enter all courses for all colleges, you will be prompted to start the Transcript Review
and identify coursework that was repeated, awarded as credit via an AP test, awarded as credit
by IB or other tests, was completed at honors level, and completed as study abroad. (See more
explanation below under “Review and Finalized Transcripts.”)
Add Coursework
Select the “Add a Course” button to enter courses for the appropriate term.
Course Code
Enter the departmental prefix and course number for the course, such as BIOL 100, exactly as it appears
on your transcript. If the course prefix is numeric on the transcript, enter it on the application in the
same format. Do not include section numbers.
Course Title
Enter the full title of the course, such as “Introduction to Biology,” exactly as it appears on your
transcript.
Subject
Select from the dropdown list the subject that best describes the content of the course. PTCAS will use
course subjects in the calculation of your GPAs. If the subject is not on this list, search for another
subject area related to this course and select it from the list. The subject must be chosen from the list
provided.
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PTCAS Instructions 2017-2018
Credits
Enter the attempted credit value for the course, exactly as it appears on your transcript. If you
completed courses with unit credits, you may need to convert the unit hours to semester hours (eg, 1.00
credit = 4 semester hours). Enter credit conversions before submitting the application.
Grade
Enter the grade exactly as it appears on your transcript. The official PTCAS reported grade will
automatically populate. For non-graded courses, enter the appropriate letter abbreviation:
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AU – Audited
CR – Credit
I – Incomplete
NG – No Grade
NP – No Pass
NS – Not Satisfactory
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P – Pass
S – Satisfactory
U – Unsatisfactory
W – Withdrawn
WF – Withdrawn Failing
WP – Withdrawn Passing
Review and Finalize Transcripts (Coursework Section)
Once you have entered all courses from all United States and Canadian institutions attended, complete
the transcript review process to finalize your coursework section. You will need to review your
coursework from each institution attended.
Primary College Attended
The primary institution is the college or university where you will earn or have earned your first
bachelor’s degree. If no degree, select the institution in which you completed the most undergraduate
courses.
Labs
If you have any courses that were labs or included a lab component on your transcript, then select yes.
Repeated Courses
You must enter all attempts of every course taken, even if you later repeated a course or if your college
removed the initial attempt from your GPA calculation. Mark the first, subsequent, and final course
attempts as “Repeated.” Enter the number of credit hours attempted, regardless of how many credits
you earned. List all grades as stated on the transcript.
Advanced Placement
Enter any AP courses that appear on your official transcripts under the term the credit was granted by
your college. Mark courses as “Advanced Placement” during the Transcript Review.
Other Test Credit
If you have course credits fulfilled by tests other than AP exams (such as CLEP, Department Exam,
Institutional Exam, IB, and the Regents Exam) and clearly marked as a test credit on your transcript, then
select yes.
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PTCAS Instructions 2017-2018
Honors Coursework
Specify any honors-level coursework.
Study Abroad
Specify if you have completed any coursework as part of a study-abroad program. If yes, it should be
listed under the United States institution that sponsored the program. A foreign transcript evaluation is
not needed for study-abroad coursework.
ACADEMIC UPDATE
If you submit your application before your summer or fall 2017 grades are available, enter your updated
courses online during the Academic Update and arrange for your updated transcript to be sent to PTCAS
as soon as it is available. Submit your updated courses as soon as you have an unofficial grade report
from the institution and do not wait for the registrar to release your official transcript.
You can only update your coursework once during the Academic Update and only after
your initial application and coursework is verified by PTCAS.
Start the Academic Update
PTCAS will send an email to you once you are eligible to enter your updated grades and any new
planned/in-progress courses.
Eligibility
After submission, you cannot update your courses in the Transcript Entry section until your application is
in “verified” status. You can update your coursework from the day you are verified until the end of the
application cycle; however, PTCAS will only update your GPA once during this Academic Update, if
properly submitted by the Academic Update deadline.
Course Edit Restrictions
During the Academic Update, you can update only previously planned/in-progress courses with your
new grade information and add new planned courses for the future. You cannot edit previously verified
terms or add terms that you forgot to report from past years.
Updating In-Progress Courses
You can make updates to in progress coursework multiple times during the course of the cycle.
However, please note that when submitting an update, you must move the entire term from “inprogress” to “complete.” You cannot move only some of the courses within a term to “complete” status
and add the rest later. This information will not be verified by PTCAS or included in your GPA.
Important Academic Update Dates
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December 12, 2017: The Academic Update opens. New courses will not be verified until the
Academic Update window is open and your initial file is verified.
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January 15, 2018: Priority deadline to submit your updated courses and transcripts to PTCAS. PTCAS
will continue to accept updated transcripts after the priority deadline date through February 15.
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PTCAS Instructions 2017-2018
•
February 15, 2018: The Academic Update closes. You cannot edit your courses after this date. PTCAS
will no longer accept Academic Update transcripts.
How to Submit Your Updates
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Once your application status is “verified,” navigate to the “Transcript Entry” section.
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Edit any planned/in-progress terms that are now completed by unchecking the “planned/in
progress” box for the term. Then, enter your grades and credits. All courses in the term must be
complete before you switch the term’s status to “complete.”
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Enter any new planned or in-progress terms. Once you are finished adding all new courses, submit
your Academic Update for verification. Do not submit until all course edits are done.
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Complete the Transcript Review again.
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To submit updates back to verification, click the “Submit My Updates” button.
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Once you have clicked the “Submit My Updates” button, navigate to your application dashboard. On
the top of your page you should see an “Update my Application” button. Click on this button to send
any application updates to your programs.
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As soon as you click on the “Update my Application” button, your information is immediately
updated on the application for all of your selected programs.
If you do not complete this process, PTCAS will be unable to process your coursework
changes, and your programs will not receive your updated GPAs.
UPDATED TRANSCRIPTS
PTCAS will not accept transcripts that appear to have been sent by the applicant. Arrange for all official
transcripts to be sent, enclosed with the PTCAS Transcript Request Form, to the address below:
PTCAS Transcript Department
PO Box 9112
Watertown, MA 02471
It is the responsibility of the applicant to make sure that all applicable grades are on the
transcripts received by PTCAS.
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PTCAS Instructions 2017-2018
PROFESSIONAL TRANSCRIPT ENTRY (PTE) SERVICE
If you do not wish to enter all of your coursework yourself, PTCAS offers all applicants the option to have
coursework professionally entered on their behalf by our specialists, for an additional fee. PTCAS
coursework entry staff are available to enter all completed coursework taken at institutions on our
school list. If you would like to take advantage of the PTCAS PTE service, please review the details below:
Ineligible Coursework
Foreign coursework, planned/in-progress courses, and coursework from nonlisted schools are not
eligible for this service due to the inherent complexities associated; they must be entered by the
applicant.
PTE Fees
Fees for PTCAS professional transcript entry service are as follows:
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$55 for 1-3 transcripts
$100 for 4-6 transcripts
$150 for 7 or more transcripts
The professional transcript entry fees are nonrefundable and must be paid by credit card. The PTE fees
cover coursework entry only and are in addition to the regular PTCAS fees. As this is an optional service,
no fee waivers are available for PTE.
Important PTE Timeline Considerations
Coursework entry will not begin until the application is in “complete” status, in which your submitted
application, payment, and all required transcripts are received.
PTCAS processing of all received transcripts can take up to 72 hours, which can delay the
start of PTE. Once an application is complete, PTE can take up to 15 business days.
Applicants Must Approve PTE Courses
PTCAS will send you an email once the PTE process is complete.
It is your responsibility to login and approve the completed coursework entry as soon as
possible. Your application will not enter verification until you approve all professional
coursework entries. Once approved, your file will move to the end of the verification
queue. Allow an additional 4 weeks for your application to reach “verified” status.
Consider the PTE timelines as you prepare to meet program deadlines. PTCAS is not responsible for
missed deadlines due to coursework entry turnaround times.
PTE Does Not Include Verification
PTE is a data-entry service, not a verification service. PTE staff will not notify you regarding previously
entered applicant errors or unreported institutions. PTCAS will only contact you about errors to your
coursework or colleges attended sections during verification, at which point it will be your responsibility
to make the necessary corrections as soon as possible.
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PTCAS Instructions 2017-2018
PTE Sign-Up Process
1. Start Your PTCAS Application. Create your PTCAS application to obtain a PTCAS ID.
2. Report all colleges attended. You are required to report all institutions attended.
3. Enter all coursework that is ineligible for professional entry. PTCAS will not enter nonlisted US
schools, planned/in-progress courses, or foreign coursework, and you must enter ineligible
courses before you sign up for PTE. If you do not enter your planned/in-progress work prior to
paying for PTE, you will be locked out from entering this work yourself and be required to wait
until the Academic Update period to add them.
4. Select the Professional Transcript Entry option. Click “Tell Me More” on the Transcript Entry
page to be taken to the professional coursework entry page, and select yes at the bottom of the
screen. Select the schools for which you would like PTE service.
5. Make your payment. Review and agree to the Professional Transcript Entry Service Agreement
and make your coursework entry fee payment. Then, you can add additional schools to the
service until application submission. Once your application is submitted, you cannot add new
schools for the coursework entry service.
6. Request transcripts to be sent to PTCAS. PTCAS must receive all required transcripts before the
PTE process can begin. Please review the Colleges Attended instructions for details on how to
properly submit and check the status of your transcripts.
7. Submit and complete your application. Before professional transcript entry can begin, you must
have a complete application. The “Prerequisite” tabs of the Programs Materials will be
deactivated until PTE is done, so you may submit without entering prerequisite information.
8. Professional Transcript Entry begins. Once the application is complete, it will be placed in line
for professional transcript entry. It can take PTCAS up to 15 business days to complete the
coursework entry process.
9. Review your coursework, enter prerequisite courses, and submit your approval. Once PTE is
complete, PTCAS will email you. It is your responsibility to review the coursework entered by
staff for accuracy and approve the entry. If you discover issues with coursework entry, email
[email protected]. Wait for corrections to be made before you approve the coursework
entry and match your prerequisite courses in the Program Materials section. Once you have
approved your coursework entry, your application will be placed in the verification queue
according to the date you approved your coursework entry and not the date your application
originally became complete.
PTE Refund Policy
Per the Professional Transcript Entry Service Agreement, PTCAS will not issue PTE refunds at any time
for any reason once payment is made. PTCAS is not responsible for delays caused by errors to the
coursework section or missed deadlines. It is the applicant’s responsibility to consider all turnaround
times and apply best judgment regarding deadline requirements when electing to use the PTE. See also
the information in the PTCAS Fee section regarding credit card disputes.
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PTCAS Instructions 2017-2018
GRADE POINT AVERAGES
PTCAS calculates a standardized set of GPAs to help programs evaluate applicants using uniform criteria.
PTCAS GPAs may differ from those calculated on your transcripts due to the grade standardization
process. Programs may use the PTCAS GPAs or calculate their own.
PTCAS GPAs Include:
•
•
•
•
Courses only from colleges and universities in the United States and Canada
Repeated courses
Study-abroad courses, if reported on a United States transcript
Withdrawn failing
PTCAS GPAs Do Not Include:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Foreign courses
Advanced Placement (AP)
CLEP
Audited
Deferred
Institutional/departmental exam
International Baccalaureate (IB)
Incomplete
Pass/fail
Withdrawn/withdrawn passing
Check Your PTCAS GPAs
Allow 4–5 weeks for PTCAS to calculate your GPAs once your file is complete. PTCAS will email you
once your coursework is verified and GPAs are calculated. Login to your application to view your GPAs. If
you have questions about your GPAs, contact PTCAS customer support.
PTCAS Grade Scale
4.0
A/A+
3.7 3.5 3.3 3.0 2.7 2.5 2.3 2.0 1.7 1.5 1.3 1.0 0.7 0.5 0.0
A-
AB
B+
B
B-
BC
C+
C
C-
CD
D+
D
D-
DE
E/F
GPA Calculation Rules
•
•
•
•
Repeated courses are included in GPAs, even if they are later repeated for a higher grade or
excluded from the GPA on the transcript.
Failed courses are included in GPAs, even if they are later repeated for a higher grade or
excluded from the GPA on the transcript.
If credits or grades are missing, courses are excluded from GPAs.
PTCAS will not calculate GPAs by totaling grade values and dividing by the number of courses
completed.
38
PTCAS Instructions 2017-2018
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
PTCAS includes grades and credits from transcripts where the course was originally taken,
regardless of transfer credit earned at other institutions. The only exception is study-abroad
coursework that transferred to a United States institution with itemized credit and grades.
GPAs are calculated on a 4.0 semester-based system.
Quarter hours are automatically converted to semester hours (Quarter hour x .667 = semester
hour).
Unit credits are converted to semester hours.
Grade value is multiplied by semester credits.
Grade value (eg, A=4.0) x semester credits (eg, 3) = quality points (eg, 12).
Total quality points divided by total credits attempted = PTCAS GPA.
All credit hours are rounded to the tenths place.
PTCAS GPAs are rounded to the hundredths place.
PTCAS GPA Descriptions
Overall Cumulative
Undergraduate Cumulative
Graduate Cumulative
Each Institution Attended
Science
Combined Science and
Math
Course Subject
GPA includes all undergraduate, postbaccalaureate, graduate, and
professional courses.
GPA excludes postbaccalaureate undergraduate courses.
GPA includes graduate courses only. No postbaccalaureate courses.
GPA may differ from the college or university transcript due to grade
standardization process.
GPA includes anatomy and physiology, biology, chemistry, and physics
courses.
GPA includes all courses in the science GPA, plus math.
Separate GPA for every PTCAS course subject:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Anatomy and physiology
Biology
Chemistry
English composition
Math
Movement science
Other course
Other science
Physics
Psychology
Social/behavioral science
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2017-2018 PTCAS Application Instructions
Course Subject GPAs
40
2017-2018 PTCAS Application Instructions
PTCAS Grading Schemes
PTCAS will assign the following grades to courses with numeric grading scales, regardless of the letter
grade value assigned on the official transcript. Enter your course grade exactly as it appears on your
transcript.
Grade on Transcript
PTCAS Letter Grade
PTCAS Grade Value
100-90
89-80
79-70
69-60
59-0
A/A+
B
C
D
F
4.0
3.0
2.0
1.0
0.0
Grade on Transcript
4.00-3.80
3.79-3.60
3.59-3.40
3.39-3.10
3.09-2.80
2.79-2.60
2.59-2.40
2.39-2.10
2.09-1.80
1.79-1.60
1.59-1.40
1.39-1.10
1.09-0.80
0.79-0.60
0.59-0.40
Less than or equal to 0.39
PTCAS Letter Grade
A+/A
AAB
B+
B
BBC
C+
C
CCD
D+
D
DDE
F
PTCAS Grade Value
4.0
3.7
3.5
3.3
3.0
2.7
2.5
2.3
2.0
1.7
1.5
1.3
1.0
0.7
0.5
0.0
Narrative Transcripts
Most US institutions evaluate students’ work with a numeric grade (eg, 4.0) or alpha grade (eg, B+).
Some institutions evaluate students with narrative sentences or paragraphs discussing the student’s
work. PTCAS cannot verify narrative transcripts. If received, these transcripts will be scanned and
released to your selected programs.
Review PTCAS GPAs
You may review your PTCAS GPA by logging into your account on the PTCAS website. Your PTCAS GPA
will be calculated within 4–5 weeks after PTCAS receives your submitted application, all transcripts, and
the correct fee payment. PTCAS will send you an automated email once your GPAs are online. PTCAS
GPAs are likely to be different from those calculated by the institutions you attended due to the PTCAS
grade standardization process. Please contact PTCAS by email with questions.
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2017-2018 PTCAS Application Instructions
STANDARDIZED TESTS
Graduate Record Examination (GRE)
Request Official GRE Scores
There is no GRE code for PTCAS. Instead, you must arrange for the Educational Testing Service (ETS) to
send your official GRE scores to the correct college code for each designated PT program. The GRE
college code for a DPT program often differs from the main university code. PTCAS will forward your
official GRE scores to a program if you arrange for ETS to send scores to that particular program’s
“PTCAS GRE code.”
PTCAS will not report your official GRE scores to a particular program, if:
•
•
•
You use the GRE code for a different program
You do not apply to the program during the 2017–2018 cycle
The DPT program only has a “university” GRE code
Failure to send official GRE scores correctly may jeopardize your chances of admission to a program.
Visit the PTCAS site for a list of GRE codes.
GRE Status at PTCAS
Login to your account to check the status of your GRE scores at PTCAS for each selected program. If
received, PTCAS will share your scores with only the programs that you selected to receive them from
ETS and that have a PTCAS GRE code. If you do not send your GRE scores to the correct codes, a
program may consider your file incomplete, even if PTCAS received your official scores from ETS.
Reapplicants
Reapplicants must request GRE scores for new designated PT programs and new exams taken.
Early Decision
Early Decision candidates in PTCAS must take the GRE and request scores by no later than July 31, 2017.
Enter GRE Scores on PTCAS Application:
Enter your GRE scores in the spaces provided. If you have taken the GRE multiple times, enter your
scores for each date separately. Also enter any planned GRE test dates. Do not mix and match scores
from different dates. A PT program may deny your application if you do not enter all of your unofficial
GRE scores on the PTCAS application.
Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
If English is not your first (primary) language, your designated PT programs could require you to submit
official TOEFL scores to TOEFL code 5312 by the application deadline. Please visit the PTCAS Directory
for program requirements.
To enter TOEFL information on PTCAS application: Enter your TOEFL scores in the spaces provided. If
you have taken the TOEFL multiple times, enter your scores for each date separately. Also enter any
planned TOEFL test dates. Do not mix and match scores from different dates.
42
2017-2018 PTCAS Application Instructions
SUPPORTING INFORMATION
43
2017-2018 PTCAS Application Instructions
REFERENCES
Program Reference Requirements
The reference requirements vary across programs, and not all programs require references. Review the
PTCAS Directory to determine the number and types of evaluators required by each program. PTCAS will
not determine if you have met the reference requirements for a particular program.
Request References Early
As stated in the Checklist, enter the contact information for your evaluators on the application soon
after you create your account, so these individuals have adequate time to submit a reference on your
behalf before the deadline. You are encouraged to contact your evaluators in advance to confirm they
are willing to submit a letter of reference on your behalf and to obtain their preferred email address.
Alert your evaluators to watch for an email from PTCAS that describes how they will login to the PTCAS
Reference Portal and the 2-part reference process. Paper and emailed references are not accepted.
PTCAS emails are sometimes caught in spam or junk email folders. Advise your
evaluators to change their email security settings to permit messages from
[email protected].
After your evaluators create a PTCAS Reference Portal account, they will complete a 2-part process:
•
•
Part I: Complete questions and evaluation ratings via the PTCAS Reference Portal.
Part II: Upload letter of reference via the PTCAS Reference Portal
References Section of Application
Enter up to 4 references (evaluators) on your application.
Are you requesting a committee evaluation?
Some programs will accept a committee letter, a composite letter representing a compilation of
letters, or a single letter with the collective thoughts of a group. If a program to which you are
applying does accept such references, the individual who uploads the committee or composite
reference letter must also respond to the question on the PTCAS Reference Portal. PTCAS will
accept a college pre-health profession advisor in lieu of the evaluators. All reference letters
must be submitted via the PTCAS Reference Portal.
Reference’s Information
Enter the evaluator’s first and last name and email address.
Due Date
Specify the date by which you need this reference to be submitted to PTCAS. You are advised to
use a date no later than your earliest program deadline.
Personal Message/Notes
You may use this text box to enter a short personal note to your evaluator regarding the
reference request that will be included in the PTCAS Reference Portal email.
44
2017-2018 PTCAS Application Instructions
Waiver of Reference
The Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) gives applicants the right to access
written letters of reference, unless they choose to waive their right of inspection and review.
Prior to requesting a reference from an evaluator, you are required to indicate whether you
wish to waive your rights. PTCAS will release your decision to waive or not to waive access to
your evaluator and your selected programs. Programs may interpret references as more honest
and candid if you waive your right to see them. If you retain access, you must contact the
evaluator or the admissions office directly to view the references, and you may be asked to
explain your reasons for your choice during the interview(s).
Your waiver decision on the PTCAS application serves the same purpose as a legal signature and
is binding. If you decide to change your waiver decision, you must login to your PTCAS
application to edit your selection online. Once your reference is received, you cannot make
changes to your waiver decision.
Permission to Contact Reference
For PTCAS to process your letters of reference, you must certify the following statements: “I
hereby give permission to contact this reference via email to request the completion of the
reference form and letter of reference. If my reference does not submit an online reference
form in response to the email request, it is my sole responsibility to contact the reference
directly to ensure all references required by my designated schools are received by the
deadline.”
Permission for Schools to Contact Reference
For PTCAS to process your letters of reference, you must certify the following statement: “I
understand that the schools to which I am applying may contact the reference either to verify
the information provided and/or for further clarification of the information provided, and I
hereby give permission for the schools to do so.”
Reference Process Part I
Your evaluators will respond to the following questions through the PTCAS reference portal:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
How long have you known the applicant?
How well do you know the applicant?
Select the role that best describes your primary interaction with the applicant.
If you selected "Instructor/Professor" above, list all courses in which you have had the applicant.
Approximately how many references do you submit on behalf of physical therapy applicants each
year?
Are you a licensed physical therapist?
If you are a physical therapist, please indicate the physical therapy institution from which you
graduated.
If you are a physical therapist, please indicate the state in which you are licensed.
If you are a physical therapist, please enter your PT licensure number.
Evaluation Ratings (5 = Excellent, 1 = Poor)
o Commitment to Learning
o Critical Thinking
45
2017-2018 PTCAS Application Instructions
•
o Empathy
o Ethics
o Interpersonal Skills
o Leadership
o Oral Communication
o Professional Demeanor
o Response to Criticism
o Responsibility
o Stress Management
o Team Skills
o Time Management
o Written Communication
Overall Recommendation (select one)
o I highly recommend this applicant
o I recommend this applicant
o I recommend this applicant with some reservations
o I am not able to recommend this applicant
Reference Process Part II
Evaluators must upload a letter of recommendation on institutional or organizational letterhead via the
PTCAS Reference Portal. Accepted formats for uploads are .pdf, .doc (Microsoft Word), .rtf (Rich Text
Format) or .txt (ASCII Text File) files only. Uploaded letters must be less than 5MB in size.
Check Status of References
PTCAS will automatically email you after each reference is received. After you submit your application,
login to check the real-time status of your references. PTCAS will not notify you about missing
references.
Missing or Late References
Arrange for PTCAS to receive all of your references by the earliest program deadline. Programs might
not consider applicants who submit late materials; however, PTCAS does not enforce reference
deadlines and will release your references to your selected programs, even if they arrive late. You can
submit your application before all of your references are received.
Changing References
If 1 or more of your evaluators is unresponsive or declines your invitation to submit a reference on your
behalf, you may request a reference from a new evaluator. You cannot delete a reference once PTCAS
receives it.
Extra References
Do not submit more than 4 references to PTCAS. Send any additional references directly to your
designated programs, if the program requires them. Unless required, programs might not consider extra
references.
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2017-2018 PTCAS Application Instructions
PHYSICAL THERAPIST OBSERVATION HOURS
Enter all of your paid or volunteer physical therapist observation hours on the application. If you have
observed a PT in more than 1 setting, select “Add New Entry” for each additional experience. If you are a
physical therapist assistant (PTA), enter your paid experience in this section. It is up to the individual
program whether or not it accepts paid experience. Your selected programs can view your experiences,
regardless of whether the hours were verified by a physical therapist.
Program Requirements
Not all programs require PT observation hours or a signed form as part of the admissions process.
Review the Directory for program-specific requirements. PTCAS will not determine if you met the
requirements for your selected programs.
PT Observation Hours Submission Type
Choose 1 option below.
Option #1: PTCAS Observation Portal
PTCAS will email the PT with instructions on how to verify your hours via the PTCAS Portal.
Select “Send my PT observation hours to my PT supervisor for verification” and enter the email
address for the PT. Alert the PT to watch for an automated email from PTCAS.
PTCAS emails are sometimes caught in spam or junk email folders. Advise the PT to
change their email security settings to permit messages from
[email protected].
Option #2: Upload Signed Form
You will upload an image of a paper hours form signed by the PT. Select “Upload a signed form
verifying my PT observation hours.” Select the “Add Document” button to upload the form.
Accepted formats for uploads are .pdf, .doc (Microsoft Word), .rtf (Rich Text Format) or .txt
(ASCII Text File) files only. Uploaded letters must be less than 5MB in size.
Option #3: No Signed Form
Select “I will not have my PT observation hours verified” if none of your selected programs
require PT hour verification or if you will not request verification for this particular experience.
Facility
Enter the mailing address for the clinic or facility.
Experience Dates
Enter the start date and end date, or anticipated end date, for this observation experience.
Experience Details
If you worked as a PTA, physical therapy aide, athletic trainer, or other type of employee at this facility,
select “Paid.” If you were a paid employee at the facility and also accumulated unpaid PT observation
experiences, select “Both.” All others should select “Volunteer.”
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2017-2018 PTCAS Application Instructions
Setting and Hours of Experience
Check and enter hours for all settings that apply to your experience in this facility. An inpatient facility
generally admits patients overnight. An outpatient facility has no overnight patients. Enter the number
of hours completed and the number of hours planned or in-progress for each setting.
•
Acute Care Hospital. Physical therapy is provided to patients who are admitted for short-term
care for reasons such as illness, surgery, accident, or recovery from a trauma. The goal in this
setting is to discharge patients as soon as they are medically stable and have a safe place to go.
•
Rehabilitation/Subacute Rehabilitation Facility. This category includes both types of settings
below:
o
o
Rehabilitation Hospital: Physical therapy is provided to patients who are admitted to a
facility or rehabilitation unit, with the goal of providing intense therapy to improve
patients’ ability to care for themselves (typically 3 hours or more per day).
Subacute Rehabilitation: Physical therapy is provided to patients who are admitted to a
special hospital that provides medical and rehabilitation care. The rehabilitation is less
intense than that in a rehabilitation hospital (typically less than 3 hours per day).
•
Extended Care Facility/Nursing Home/Skilled Nursing Facility. Physical therapy is provided to
patients who typically are elderly. These facilities provide long-term nursing care, rehabilitation,
and other services.
•
Free-standing Physical Therapy or Hospital Outpatient Clinic (also known as private practice).
In this common setting, physical therapy is provided to individuals who visit a clinic, office, or
other health care facility primarily to address musculoskeletal (orthopedic) and neuromuscular
injuries or impairments.
•
School/Preschool. Physical therapy is provided within an educational environment, including
preschool, elementary, or secondary (high school and vocational) education facilities.
•
Wellness/Prevention/Fitness. Physical therapy is provided to individuals with a focus on
wellness. This approach to health care emphasizes preventing illness and injury, and promoting
healthy lifestyle, as opposed to emphasizing treatment of disease, injury, or other conditions.
•
Industrial/Occupational Health. Physical therapy is provided to individuals primarily to help
them return to work or to enhance employee health, improve safety, and increase productivity
in the workplace.
•
Home Health. Physical therapy is provided in a home setting rather than in a medical facility.
Patient Diagnoses/Patient Observed
Check off all that apply to your experience at the facility. Do not check boxes for populations that the
facility serves but that you did not observe.
Name of Physical Therapist
Enter the name of the licensed physical therapist who supervised you during the experience and can
verify your PT hours.
PT License Number and State of License
If you do not know this information about the physical therapist who supervised you, leave the items
blank.
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2017-2018 PTCAS Application Instructions
PT Email Address
If an office administrator at the facility will verify your hours in lieu of the physical therapist, enter the
name and email address for the office administrator.
Updating Observation Hours After Submission
You may add new experiences at any time during the application cycle. If you have completed additional
hours at a facility where you have already listed the experience, please create a new entry and list only
the new hours completed.
After you e-submit your PTCAS application, you can do the following:
•
•
Add new PT observations to the application
Request a PT to verify a new observation
After you e-submit your PTCAS application you cannot make edits to the following:
•
•
PT observations that have an uploaded verification form
PT observations that were listed as “I will not have my experience verified”
Verification Request Denied or Rejected
To correct a request for verification of PT observation has been denied or rejected, do the following:
•
•
•
•
Login to your PTCAS application.
Delete the initial request.
Relist the information appropriately.
PTCAS will email the PT again with instructions on how to verify your revised hours or make
further recommendations for edits.
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2017-2018 PTCAS Application Instructions
EXPERIENCES
Enter in your various experience types by completing the required relevant information for each
type. Do not include work experiences from high school, and do not enter the same experience in
multiple Experience sections. Your experiences will not be displayed in any particular order, regardless
of the order or the dates entered. Classify each experience properly by referring to the descriptions
below:
Employment
List all paid employment (nonphysical therapy). Include a brief description of your responsibilities.
Extracurricular Activities
Includes research, club memberships, sports, etc.
Volunteer
List all volunteer experiences with this experience type. Note 1-time experiences in the job description
section.
ACHIEVEMENTS
List all relevant honors and awards that you have received or been awarded.
LICENSES AND CERTIFICATES
Complete items in this section for all professional licenses and certificates earned, including a physical
therapist assistant and CPR license. If you have more than 1 license or certificate, select the “Add a new
entry” button for each. Upload an image of the license or certificate.
ESSAY
Use your own words to create a personal essay that responds to the question below.
What is professionalism in the context of being a student in a doctor of physical therapist degree
program?
You cannot make edits to your personal statement after you have submitted your
application to PTCAS. Your personal statement will be sent to all PTCAS programs to which
you apply, and so you should not personalize it to any specific program. PTCAS staff will not
review your essay response for grammar or content.
Technical Requirements for Essay
You are limited to approximately 1 page (4,500 characters, including spaces). Some formatting
characters used in programs such as Word (angled quotes, accents, special characters, bold, underline,
or italics) will not display properly. Therefore, PTCAS recommends that text be copied and pasted into
the web form from a plain text editor such as Notepad, rather than Word.
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2017-2018 PTCAS Application Instructions
PROGRAM MATERIALS
PROGRAM-SPECIFIC QUESTIONS
Some programs require applicants to respond to custom questions in addition to the standard PTCAS
application questions. The PTCAS application will automatically prompt you to respond to any programspecific questions when you designate programs that require them. You will not be able to submit your
application until you have responded to all required program-specific questions for all of your selected
programs. Any program-specific essay will be seen only by the program that requested it. If you have
questions about a program-specific question, contact the program directly. You cannot edit your
responses to these program-specific questions once you have submitted your application.
PREREQUISITES
The Prerequisites tab will allow you to match your coursework to the course prerequisites for each
selected program. The Prerequisites tab may or may not be available, depending on the settings for
each program. If available, the program’s list of prerequisite courses will be displayed on the screen. You
must complete the Transcript Entry section and the “Review & Finalize My Transcript” process before
you can select courses for prerequisites.
Assign Course
Select the completed and planned course or courses you believe will fulfill these program-specific
requirements. There is no guarantee that the courses you selected will fulfill the program’s course
prerequisites. PTCAS will not verify that you have properly matched your courses or that you have
51
2017-2018 PTCAS Application Instructions
fulfilled the program’s course prerequisite. If you have questions about course prerequisites, contact the
program directly.
DOCUMENTS
The Documents tab will display any program-specific requirements for uploaded materials. This tab may
or may not be available, depending on the selections of each PTCAS program. If a program has opted to
receive uploaded documents, these documents will be either recommended or required.
Types of documents that may be requested include the following:
•
•
•
•
Catalog course descriptions
Cover letter
Writing sample
Other
The particular documents requested will be specified in the “Instructions” section of this tab. If a
program requires you to complete and upload an institution-specific form, you must download the form
from the institutional website. Review the program’s requirements for the link. Contact the program
directly with questions.
SUPPLEMENTAL REQUIREMENTS
In addition to the PTCAS application, programs might require you to send a supplemental application,
fee, and other materials directly to that institution. Supplemental applications and materials are
requested by the program, graduate admissions office, and/or the university. Examples of supplemental
materials include, but are not limited to, the following:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Graduate school application
Supplemental fee
Official GRE scores
Results of a physical examination
Immunization records
Final transcripts
The deadline for supplemental applications and materials may or may not be the same as the program’s
PTCAS deadline. Review the PTCAS Directory or contact the program directly to obtain supplemental
instructions or materials.
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2017-2018 PTCAS Application Instructions
ADD PROGRAM
ADD PROGRAM
Select this tab to view and apply to programs in PTCAS. Before you finalize your selection, review the
admission requirements of each program to which you are applying, and confirm that you meet all of
their admissions criteria. Review the PTCAS Directory for additional information.
Program Designations
Follow the instructions to add or delete programs before you submit your application.
•
Click “Add Program” at the top left side of dashboard.
•
Filter programs by name, state, start term, or deadline, or scroll through the entire list.
•
Select the blue plus symbol (+) to the left of a program’s name to select and apply to the
program.
o
o
o
•
Once selected, program will appear on the “Add Program” tab and “Check Status”
section.
Complete the “Add Program” section before submission.
Review and complete the “Program Materials” section for each selected program.
Select the undo button to the right of the program name to remove it.
o
You must have at least 1 program selected at all times.
o
If you wish to remove a program and you have only 1 program selected, you will need to
select a second program before the undo option is available for the first program.
No Program Deletions after Submission
Once you submit your application, you are committed to applying to your selected
programs and will not be permitted to delete or substitute program selections. PTCAS
cannot issue a refund or transfer the payment to another designation due to program
selection errors.
After you submit, you may apply to additional programs, if their deadlines have not passed.
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2017-2018 PTCAS Application Instructions
SUBMIT APPLICATION
PAYMENT OVERVIEW
The green status bar indicates your progress toward a completed application. Once you have entered all
required items on the application, a blue “Pay and Submit this Program” button will appear. Once you
have reviewed your application for accuracy and completion and have finalized your program selections,
click this button to submit your application.
PTCAS cannot delete program selections after you submit your application. You can
continue to add programs, although all application fees must be successfully processed
before 11:59 pm ET on the individual program’s deadline date in order to apply.
Application Fees
The PTCAS application fees are automatically calculated for you on the program selection screen. The
fees are $145 for the first program and $45 for each additional program, including any programs you
select later in the application cycle. Your application fee is paid directly to PTCAS through the
application. The PTCAS fee covers operational and system costs for the service and does not include any
supplemental fees required by your selected programs. The following table calculates fees for applying
to the first 10 programs.
Fees for 2017-2018 Cycle
Number of PTCAS Designations
PTCAS Application Fee
1
$145
2
$190
3
$235
4
$280
5
$325
6
$370
7
$415
8
$460
9
$505
10
$550
11+
Add $45 for each additional program
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2017-2018 PTCAS Application Instructions
Submitting a Fee Payment
Do not send payments to PTCAS before you submit your application. Payment
information must be entered via the online application. To submit your PTCAS application
fee payment, click the “Pay and Submit this Program” button and follow the payment
instructions. PTCAS accepts credit cards from VISA, MasterCard, Discover, and American
Express. You must enter payment information into the online application; PTCAS will not
accept credit card payments over the phone.
PTCAS Accepts the Following Payment Methods
• VISA credit cards
• VISA debit cards
• MasterCard credit cards
• MasterCard debit cards
• Discover
• American Express
PTCAS Will Not Accept the Following Payment Methods
• Bank debit cards (no VISA or MasterCard logo)
• VISA or MasterCard gift cards
• Money orders
• Cashier’s checks
• Personal checks
• Cash
• Payments made over the phone
PTCAS Refund Policy
PTCAS application fees are nonrefundable. PTCAS does not issue refunds for withdrawn
applications or missed deadlines. Once payment is posted to your application, your
selected programs have full online access to your application information. It is your
responsibility to complete the application correctly, monitor the status of the
application, ensure all required documents are received and posted to the application
by their deadlines, respond to all notifications in a timely manner, and adhere to the
requirements posted by programs.
Credit Card Payments
Enter your credit card information on the application:
•
•
•
•
•
Credit Card Type: Select from the list of acceptable options.
Exact Name on Card: Enter the name of the cardholder exactly as it appears on the card.
Card Number: Enter the entire credit card number. Do not enter spaces or dashes between any
of the numbers.
Expiration Month: Select the month that the card expires.
Expiration Year: Select the year that the card expires.
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2017-2018 PTCAS Application Instructions
•
•
•
•
•
•
Street: Enter the street address of the billing address for the credit card.
City: Enter the city of the billing address for the credit card.
State: Enter the state of the billing address for the credit card.
Zip: Enter the zip code of the billing address for the credit card.
Designations: This field presents the total number of DPT program designations you have
selected.
Total Fee: View total amount that will be charged to the credit card.
Credit Card Payment Disputes
Applicants who issue a dispute through their credit card company to reverse a payment, known as a
chargeback, that are not authorized by PTCAS will receive a bad-payment notification, and the
application will be removed from consideration from all programs. Applicants will be given 10 business
days to mail a money order payment for the full application fee, plus a $25 bank processing charge to
reinstate their application. If PTCAS does not receive payment within the allotted time frame, the
application will remain blocked, and all programs to which the applicant applied will be notified of
nonpayment. If the application cycle ends with an application in a bad-payment status, the applicant will
be barred from creating future PTCAS accounts until all fees owed to PTCAS from previous cycles are
paid in full.
Card Holder Authorization
If you use the credit card of a parent or guardian to pay application fees, communicate
with the card’s owner and ensure he or she is fully aware of all charges in advance. If a
cardholder disputes a charge, your application will encounter delays, holds, and additional
fees, even if the cardholder reverses the dispute.
Supplemental Applications and Fees
Individual programs may require supplemental applications or fees in addition to the materials
submitted through PTCAS. Send these directly to the program per individual program instructions.
Please see the PTCAS Directory to view the supplemental requirements.
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CHECK STATUS
To view the real-time progress of your application and materials, login and select the Check Status tab at
the top of the dashboard. You are responsible for monitoring the status of your application and the
timely receipt of your documents, and for contacting PTCAS promptly with any questions or concerns
you have regarding your application status.
PTCAS APPLICATION STATUSES
Below is a list of PTCAS application statuses. Your status at each program may differ.
•
IN PROGRESS: You have created an application but have not yet submitted it to PTCAS. Your
programs will have access to your name, email address, and PTCAS ID number if you authorized
PTCAS to release this information prior to submission.
•
RECEIVED: You have submitted your PTCAS application, but PTCAS has not yet received all
required official transcripts or payment. Your programs have electronic access to your
application.
•
COMPLETE: You have submitted your PTCAS application, all required official transcripts, and fee
payment to PTCAS, and your file is in queue for verification. You may still be missing other
materials required by your programs, such as references. Your programs have electronic access
to your application.
•
VERIFIED: PTCAS has processed your complete application, and it is fully available to your
designated programs, including GPAs.
•
UNDELIVERED: PTCAS has released your application back to you to fix errors in “Coursework” or
“Institutions Attended” sections. You must make corrections to your application and resubmit in
order to continue processing. (Your programs do not have electronic access to your application
while it is in this status.)
•
ON HOLD: Your application has significant omissions or errors that need to be addressed before
PTCAS can take any additional action on your file. (Your programs do not have electronic access
to your application while it is in this status.)
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2017-2018 PTCAS Application Instructions
CHECK STATUS TAB
Click the “Check Status” tab to determine what materials have been received and if your application has
been “verified.” The Check Status icon does not change in color depending on status, so you must click
and open the page to view the status of your materials.
Transcript Status
If you are missing transcripts, but you have submitted to at least 1 program, your application status will
show as “Received.”
Once all of your transcripts have been received, your application will move from “Received” to
“Complete” status at PTCAS. Your transcript status will show as “Verifying” to indicate that your
application is in queue to be verified. You may still be missing required materials for your selected
programs, such as references or GRE scores.
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Once PTCAS has verified your application, which is done in the order that applications become
complete, your status is “Verified.”. This is the final status with PTCAS:
Evaluations Status
The Check Status page also allows you to view the status of your letters of recommendation:
Standardized Tests Status
The Check Status page also allows you to view the status of GRE scores submitted to PTCAS GRE codes:
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2017-2018 PTCAS Application Instructions
PROCESSING AND UPDATING YOUR FILE
PTCAS will begin to process your application once the following materials are received:
•
•
•
Completed PTCAS application
Sealed official transcripts from every US and Canadian college attended*
Correct PTCAS application fee payment via credit card processed through the application
VERIFICATION OVERVIEW
PTCAS processing may take up to 4–5 weeks once all required materials are received. Once your
application is complete, PTCAS will verify the accuracy of your application materials, compare your
original transcripts to the self-reported course information on your application, calculate your PTCAS
GPAs, and release your application to each of your designated DPT programs.
OTHER MATERIALS REQUIRED BY PROGRAMS
Your selected programs may require additional materials, including supplemental applications or fees.
You are responsible for submitting your application and all other related materials to ensure they are
received by the program’s deadline. Failure to submit all required materials required by your selected
programs may jeopardize your eligibility for admission consideration. PTCAS will not determine if you
have met the minimum course requirements or are eligible for admission to a particular program. Please
check the Program Directory to view supplemental requirements.
POSTSUBMISSION CHANGES
Review your application carefully before you submit. You generally cannot make corrections after your
application is submitted. Only the following sections can be updated following submission:
•
Alternate Name
•
Contact Information
•
Password and Security Questions
•
Add Programs: No substitutions or deletions.
•
Colleges Attended: Add new institutions attended.
•
Courses: Add new coursework completed or planned at any time. One-time submission of new
planned and completed courses in the Transcript Entry section during Academic Update only for
new verification and updated GPA.
•
Evaluations: New references only. No deletions once reference is received.
•
PT Observation Hours: Add new PT experiences at any time. Programs might not consider newly
listed hours.
•
GRE and TOEFL: Add new test dates and scores at any time. Programs might not consider
updated scores in the admissions process.
•
Experiences and Achievements: New entries only. No deletions or revisions.
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CHANGING PROGRAM SELECTIONS AFTER SUBMISSION
•
Withdrawing Your Application. If you wish to withdraw your application from 1 or more
programs, contact the institution directly.
•
Substituting or Deleting Program Selections. PTCAS cannot substitute or delete program
choices or refund application fees after you submit your application. If you wish to rescind your
application to a particular program after you submit, contact the institution directly to remove
your application from consideration.
•
Adding a New Program after Submission. You may apply to additional programs after you
submit your application, provided the application deadlines have not yet passed. To apply to
additional programs, review the “Add Programs” instructions.
SHARING ADMISSION DECISIONS
Programs will notify applicants directly regarding all admission decisions. Any PTCAS program that offers
you acceptance will have access to the number of acceptance offers you have received from other
programs and the number of other offers you accepted. Programs will not know the total number of
programs you applied to, nor admissions decisions other than acceptance made by other programs at
that time. A program that has placed an applicant on a wait-list will not have access to that applicant’s
admission status at other institutions. After the completion of the 2017–18 admissions cycle in fall 2018,
programs then will be able to view applicants’ other selected programs and the final admission decision
reported by each.
RESPONDING TO ACCEPTANCES
Review the ACAPT Admission Traffic Rules for Programs and Applicants. If you are offered and accept an
offer of admission to a program, prior to matriculation the program might require you to submit a
second set of official transcripts from every institution you have attended. You must send these directly
to the program; PTCAS cannot forward transcripts to a program to fulfill this institutional requirement.
CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECK
Accepted applicants may be required to complete a criminal background check.
TRANSCRIPT EVALUATIONS
PTCAS will investigate and report applicants suspected of submitting false or fraudulent information. If
misrepresentation in data is suspected by or reported to PTCAS, the applicant will be notified and
relevant information will be requested. If misrepresentation in data is confirmed, PTCAS will notify the
PT programs to which the applicant has applied. In addition, on a case-by-case basis, PTCAS reserves the
right to notify all PT programs participating in the service.
REFERENCE EVALUATIONS
PTCAS will not verify an evaluator’s identity. If a PT program suspects a reference is falsified, the PT
program may choose to contact the applicant or evaluator to investigate. PTCAS will share any
suspected cases of falsified references reported by a PT program with the applicant and the applicant’s
other designated PT programs without comment regarding appropriate action. PTCAS will not attempt
to verify the accuracy of the PT program’s investigation results.
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CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECKS
PTCAS facilitates a centralized background check process for accepted applicants. The purpose of the
process is, in part, to ascertain the ability of a student to meet the requirements of clinical education
sites and to become licensed physical therapists. Each program participating in PTCAS chooses whether
to use the PTCAS background check vendor, Certiphi Screening Inc. Not all programs conduct a
background check process through PTCAS via Certiphi.
PROGRAM OPTIONS FOR BACKGROUND CHECKS
Following are possible approaches that different programs might take to securing background checks:
•
Require accepted applicants to complete a background check through the PTCAS partner,
Certiphi Screening Inc. To determine if a background check is required by a particular PTCAS
program, visit the Certiphi website (list is subject to change).
•
Require accepted applicants to complete a background check through a different provider.
•
Require students to complete a background check after they enroll (in lieu of or in addition to
the PTCAS background check process through Certiphi).
•
Require or help students to complete a background check, if required by a clinical education
site.
•
Not require a background check at any point.
If your responses to the PTCAS felony question or related criminal questions differ from the background
check results, you may jeopardize your application.
CERTIPHI EMAIL NOTIFICATIONS
If you accept an offer of admission from a program that uses the PTCAS background check, Certiphi will
email you a link to a secure online form that will request additional information and your consent to
initiate the background check process.
CERTIPHI FEES
The background check fee is $75 per applicant and is payable by the applicant to Certiphi Screening Inc.
The fee includes all record search fees charged by states and counties. If you are accepted by multiple
programs that require a background check through Certiphi, you will only undergo a single search and
pay a single fee.
CERTIPHI RESULTS
Once you have provided consent, Certiphi will begin the background check process. Results are typically
completed within 1 week. Once the report is complete, Certiphi will allow you to review the results
before they are released to the PTCAS program(s) that requested the report. You will then have ten (10)
calendar days to verify the accuracy of your report before it is made available to the appropriate PTCAS
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2017-2018 PTCAS Application Instructions
program(s). If you do not review the report within the time allotted, Certiphi will release your report to
the program(s).
SHARING CERTIPHI RESULTS
If you consent to the background check process through PTCAS, Certiphi will release the results to the
PTCAS program(s) whose offer of admission you accepted. Neither APTA nor PTCAS will receive or hold
personal information gathered by Certiphi. APTA receives deidentified aggregated data for research and
statistical purposes only.
DESCRIPTION OF CERTIPHI PROCESS
Below is a description of checks conducted by Certiphi. The results of the background search do not
include juvenile records.
Social Security Number
A search of credit report header data to help confirm the applicant’s identifying information such as
name, aliases, current and prior address(es) and residence(s), and Social Security Number.
County Criminal Records
A direct search of county courthouse records for any felony or misdemeanor criminal history. All records
are researched to help ensure positive identification.
Statewide Criminal Records
A search conducted through statewide criminal records repositories or court systems for any felony or
misdemeanor criminal history.
Federal Criminal Records
A direct search of federal courthouse records for any felony or misdemeanor criminal history.
National Criminal Database
An instant, multijurisdictional private database search covering more than 194 million criminal records
collected from across the country. All database “hits” are verified directly through the source of
information to ensure that records reported are current.
National Sexual Offender Database
A search of a national private database that contains sex offender data collected from across the United
States.
US Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General List of Excluded
Individuals/Entities
A search of this federal agency database that provides information about parties excluded from
participation in the Medicare, Medicaid, and all federal health care programs.
Dishonorable Discharge from the Armed Forces
Military records are verified either through telephone interviews with the applicant’s former
commander or by obtaining the applicant’s DD-214 form. Verification generally includes applicant’s
name, service number, rank, dates of service, awards and decorations, and place of entrance and
separation.
Sanctions Base Screening
A search covering sanctions and disciplinary and administrative actions taken by hundreds of federal and
state health care regulatory authorities, including FDA, NIH, GSA, OFAC, terrorist watch lists, and more.
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2017-2018 PTCAS Application Instructions
LEGAL POLICIES
PTCAS PRIVACY POLICY
http://www.ptcas.org/PrivacyPolicy/
APTA and PTCAS have developed policies to prevent the exposure of personally identifiable information,
to limit the distribution of sensitive data to only the situations that require it, and to permit distribution
of nonsensitive directory information whenever a useful purpose can be served. Data submitted by or
on behalf of an applicant is used for the PTCAS application process in communication with the PT
program, as part of the application, for record keeping, research, and statistical purposes. PTCAS
protects the information provided. If information is provided to third parties for educational research
purposes, it does not contain any of the following personally identifiable information about the
applicants, parents, family, or other household members of the applicant in the application file:
•
•
•
•
•
Name
Address
Personal identifier such as Social Security Number, student number, or biometric record
Other indirect identifiers such as date of birth, place of birth, and mother's maiden name
Other information that, alone or in combination, is linked or linkable to a specific person that
would allow a reasonable person who does not have personal knowledge of the relevant
circumstances to identify the person with reasonable certainty
Researchers must agree not to publish any particular category or data set if the number of individuals in
the category or data set is 25 or fewer.
Information about applicants and students is disclosed to the PT programs to which an applicant applies
or matriculates. With the exception of monitoring reports related to multiple acceptances, information
submitted to PTCAS by a PT program is available only to that institution. Programs that participate in
PTCAS are advised not to disclose or share individual applicant data with other individuals or offices at
the institution for student recruitment purposes, unless explicitly granted permission by the applicant.
PTCAS will make every attempt to protect any personal information submitted to it via email. However,
email is not secure against interception. Any sensitive information emailed to PTCAS is provided at the
risk of the sender. If you are concerned that the content of your communication is especially sensitive,
you should consider contacting PTCAS by phone or sending the information by postal mail instead.
This privacy policy is subject to change and applies only to information on the PTCAS website, and not to
other APTA websites or outside sites linked to by APTA's websites. By using the PTCAS website, you
signify your agreement to the terms of the privacy policy.
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2017-2018 PTCAS Application Instructions
SECURITY
Security is a priority at PTCAS. We are committed to protecting the security and confidentiality of your
information. We use a combination of state-of-the-art technology and methods to help ensure that your
online sessions are secure.
Any personal information you send to us is scrambled. This technology, called Secure Socket Layers
(SSL), protects information you submit or receive through this site. In addition, any sensitive personal
information that you send to our website (eg, Social Security Number) is held in a secured environment,
protected by tools such as firewalls or database field encryption. The technology is designed to make
using your personal data and credit card information on the Internet as safe as possible. PTCAS protects
the privacy of your credit card information, name, address, email, and all other information you provide
to us via the online payment process. No representation is made, however, regarding the unconditional
security of such submissions.
Outside sources claim it is statistically safer to submit your credit card information electronically via an
SSL site than it is to give your card to a store clerk. SSL technology is reported to be so safe that VeriSign,
the PTCAS certifying authority, warrants it against fraudulent use for up to $100,000.
The SSL technology depends on secure Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) that are certified by an
authority such as VeriSign. Secure URLs always begin with "https://" (not "http://"). If you use a browser
that recognizes SSL, you will be notified that you are on a secure page. Any information you enter on
such a page is encrypted, sent over the Internet in encrypted form, and de-encrypted at our server. If
your browser doesn't support SSL technology, you will receive an error message when trying to access
our SSL page. If this error occurs, logout of your application and download the most current Internet
Explorer browser.
Once we receive your credit card information, it is accessible only to designated PTCAS administrators.
TERMS OF USE FOR APPLICATION
https://ptcasplayground.liaisoncas.com/applicant-ux/#/userAccount
Terms of Use
These Terms of Use constitute an agreement ("Agreement") between you and Liaison International, Inc.
(the "Company"), the owner of the website located at www.liaison-intl.com (the "Site"). Your use of the
Site and/or the services provided on the Site (the "Services") constitutes your agreement, without
limitation or qualification, to be bound by and to comply with the terms of this Agreement. This
Agreement will continue until terminated by either party, or modified or amended as set forth herein.
If you elect to use certain Services on the Site, you may be asked to agree to certain terms that are
specific to such Services (the "Service Terms"). To the extent of any conflict between such Service Terms
and this Agreement, such Service Terms shall govern.
Use of Site
You represent and warrant that you are at least 18 years of age or the applicable state age of majority
and that you possess the legal right and ability to enter into this Agreement. You agree not to use the
Site for any unlawful or abusive purpose or in any way which interferes with our ability to provide Site
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2017-2018 PTCAS Application Instructions
and/or any Services to our customers, or damages our property. Without limiting the foregoing, you
agree not to:
• Use any robot, spider, scraper or other automatic device, process or means to access the Site for
any purpose without our express written permission;
• Take any action that imposes or may impose (in our sole discretion) an unreasonable or
disproportionately large load on our infrastructure;
• Implement any manual processes to monitor or copy content from the Site without our express
written permission;
• Utilize any device, software or routine that will interfere or attempt to interfere with the
functionality of the Site;
• Interfere with another person's use and enjoyment of the Site;
• Use the Site for chain letters, junk mail, spamming, or use of distribution lists;
• Interfere with or damage the Site, including without limitation through the use of viruses, cancel
bots, Trojan horses, harmful code, flood pings, denial-of-service attacks, packet or IP spoofing,
forged routing or electronic mail address information or similar methods or technology,
including methods that in any way reproduce or circumvent the navigational structure or
presentation of the Site; or
• Disrupt, interfere with, or otherwise harm or violate the security of the Site, or any services,
system resources, accounts, passwords, servers or networks connected to or accessible through
the Site, or affiliated or linked sites.
No Warranties
THE MATERIALS AND CONTENT CONTAINED IN THE SITE ARE PROVIDED "AS IS." THE COMPANY, through
and together with its directors, managers, officers, stockholders, members, agents, representatives,
employees and affiliated entities (collectively, the "COMPANY Affiliates" and each, a "COMPANY
Affiliate") MAKE NO WARRANTIES REGARDING THE MATERIALS, CONTENT OR SERVICES WHATSOEVER
AND DISCLAIM ANY AND ALL EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, INCLUDING ANY
WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, NON-INFRINGEMENT OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY, FITNESS FOR A
PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR WARRANTIES ARISING BY COURSE OF DEALING OR CUSTOM OR TRADE. THIS
PARAGRAPH SHALL SURVIVE TERMINATION OF THIS AGREEMENT.
Some jurisdictions do not allow the disclaimer of implied warranties. In such jurisdictions, the foregoing
disclaimers may not apply to you insofar as they relate to implied warranties.
Limitation of Liability
IN NO EVENT SHALL ANY COMPANY AFFILIATE BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES, INCLUDING BUT NOT
LIMITED TO DIRECT, COMPENSATORY, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY
OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES (INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF PROFITS,
BUSINESS INTERRUPTION, LOSS OF INFORMATION REGARDLESS OF WHETHER ANY COMPANY AFFILIATE
HAS BEEN INFORMED OF THE LIKELIHOOD OF SUCH DAMAGES) ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS
SITE OR THE PROVISION OF SERVICES BY THE COMPANY.
YOU AND THE COMPANY AGREE THAT THIS SECTION, "LIMITATION OF LIABILITY", IS AN AGREED
ALLOCATION OF RISK BETWEEN YOU AND THE COMPANY.YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT ABSENT YOUR
AGREEMENT TO THIS LIMITATION OF LIABILITY, THE COMPANY WOULD NOT PROVIDE THE SITE OR
SERVICES TO YOU.
THIS LIMITATION OF LIABILITY SHALL APPLY TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW AND SHALL
SURVIVE TERMINATION OF THIS AGREEMENT.
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2017-2018 PTCAS Application Instructions
Indemnity
YOU AGREE TO DEFEND, INDEMNIFY, AND HOLD HARMLESS THE COMPANY AFFILIATES, FROM AND
AGAINST ANY AND ALL CLAIMS, EXPENSES OR DAMAGES (INCLUDING ATTORNEYS' FEES), WHETHER
KNOWN OR UNKNOWN, ARISING FROM, INCURRED AS A RESULT OF, OR IN ANY MANNER RELATED TO
(A) YOUR USE OF THE SERVICES OR THE SITE, OR (B) YOUR PROMISES OR STATEMENTS MADE IN THIS
AGREEMENT. YOU HEREBY AGREE TO WAIVE (TO THE EXTENT PERMISSABLE) ALL LAWS THAT MAY LIMIT
THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE FOREGOING RELEASES.NOTWITHSTANDING THE FOREGOING, YOU SHALL
NOT BE LIABLE FOR CLAIMS, EXPENSES OR DAMAGES ARISING FROM THE INTENTIONAL OR GROSSLY
NEGLIGENT ACTS OF ANY COMPANY AFFILIATES. THIS INDEMNIFICATION SHALL APPLY TO THE FULLEST
EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW AND SHALL SURVIVE TERMINATION OF THIS AGREEMENT.
Ownership of the Site and Content
This Site, and all information, materials and content available on the Site, including without limitation
any trademarks, logos, service marks, trade dress, text, and graphics (collectively the "Content"), is the
property of the Company and/or certain third-parties. Nothing contained on the Site should be
construed as granting, by implication or otherwise, any license or right to use any of the Content
without the written permission of the party that owns the Content, whether it be the Company or a
third party.
Links to Other Materials
The sites linked to the Site, if any, are not necessarily under the control of the Company and the
Company is not responsible for the content of any linked site. Any links included in the Site have been
selected by the Company for your convenience. The selection or omission of links is not intended to
endorse any particular companies or products. If you decide to access any of the third party linked to
the Site, you do so entirely at your own risk.
Governing Law; Jurisdiction and Venue
This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth
of Massachusetts, excluding that body of law applicable to conflicts of law. You agree that any suit,
action or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement shall be instituted only in a
Massachusetts state or federal court sitting in Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America. You
hereby waive any objection you may have now or hereafter to the laying of the venue of any such suit,
action or proceeding, and irrevocably submit to the jurisdiction of any such court in any such suit, action
or proceeding.
Privacy
Our Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use and disclose information that pertains to your privacy.
The Privacy Policy forms part of our agreement with you and is incorporated in this Agreement by
reference. For full details, please refer to our Privacy Policy.
General Information
We may change or modify this Agreement from time to time. You can review the most current version
of this Agreement at any time at the Site. Your continued use of the Site or any Services after the
Agreement has been changed and posted to the Site constitutes your acceptance of the modified
Agreement. We may assign all or part of our rights or duties under this Agreement in connection with a
sale of all or substantially all the assets of the Company to a third party. You may not assign this
Agreement without our prior written consent. If any part of this Agreement is held invalid or
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2017-2018 PTCAS Application Instructions
unenforceable, that portion shall be construed to reflect the parties' original intent, and the remaining
portions shall remain in full force and effect. This Agreement, together with the Service Terms and the
Privacy Policy, constitutes the entire agreement between the Company and you with respect to your use
of the Site and the Services, and it supersedes all prior or contemporaneous communications and
proposals between the Company and you with respect thereto. Any failure by the Company to exercise
or enforce any right or provision of this Agreement shall not constitute a waiver of such right or
provision.
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