The Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) is one of Saint Louis University's flagship graduate health-sciences programs, run through the Doisy College of Health Sciences at a private, Jesuit Catholic, Carnegie R1 research university in St. Louis, Missouri. For applicants comparing DPT programs, SLU's pitch is a clinically respected professional doctorate embedded in a research-active university with a large regional healthcare footprint, at a price and admissions bar considerably more approachable than SLU's more elite private-university peers.
This guide walks through what it takes to get into SLU's DPT program — acceptance realities, cost, requirements, English-test rules, and what graduates go on to do.
Acceptance Rate
SLU does not publish an acceptance rate specific to the DPT program, and it does not publish a university-wide graduate acceptance rate either. What we know, grounded in SLU's own data:
- SLU's undergraduate acceptance rate is approximately 75%, but this is not a reliable proxy for a competitive, licensure-track doctoral program like DPT, which typically draws a smaller, more academically prepared applicant pool relative to seats than undergraduate admissions overall.
- Doctor of Physical Therapy programs nationally are consistently among the more selective graduate health-sciences degrees, given limited clinical placement capacity and cohort sizes — this is a structural feature of DPT admissions across US universities, not something specific to SLU, but it means applicants should not assume DPT is as accessible as SLU's headline undergraduate figure suggests.
- SLU's graduate application requirements note that GRE or GMAT scores are required only by select programs; whether DPT specifically requires the GRE is not stated in SLU's published university-wide data, so applicants should confirm this directly with the Doisy College of Health Sciences before applying.
Bottom line: treat DPT as meaningfully more competitive than SLU's 75% undergraduate figure. Without a published department-level number, the safest approach is to apply as though it is a selective, capacity-constrained clinical doctoral program, since that is true of DPT programs nationally.
Fees and Cost of Attendance
SLU does not publish a DPT-specific tuition or cost-of-attendance figure — graduate costs vary significantly by school, and professional/clinical doctoral programs like Law, Medicine, and DPT are typically priced separately from Arts & Sciences master's programs. What can be said with the data available:
| Cost Item | Amount (USD/year) |
|---|---|
| SLU undergraduate total cost of attendance (university-wide reference point only) | $83,710 |
| DPT-specific tuition and cost of attendance | Not published — confirm directly with Doisy College of Health Sciences |
There is no separate international-student tuition surcharge across SLU generally, so international DPT applicants should not expect to pay more than domestic applicants for the same program, even though the exact figure isn't published. SLU's own graduate application portal charges no application fee, though centralized health-sciences application services (such as PTCAS, which most DPT programs use instead of a university's own portal) typically charge their own separate fees — confirm whether SLU's DPT program is administered through PTCAS before budgeting for application costs.
Admission Requirements
SLU's graduate/professional application process applies to DPT, with department-specific supplements:
- Statement of Purpose
- Official transcripts from all institutions attended, including required prerequisite coursework (physical therapy programs nationally typically require specific prerequisites such as anatomy, physiology, and physics — confirm SLU's exact list with Doisy College)
- Letters of recommendation (number varies by program; clinical-doctorate programs commonly want at least one from a licensed physical therapist or clinical supervisor)
- Resume/CV, often expected to document observation or shadowing hours in a physical therapy clinical setting
- GRE or GMAT scores, required by some SLU graduate programs only — confirm current DPT policy directly
- TOEFL or IELTS scores, unless exempt
- Application fee, waived on SLU's own portal; centralized services such as PTCAS charge separately
SLU does not publish a minimum GPA for DPT, but competitive applicants to clinical doctoral programs nationally typically present a GPA well above 3.0-3.5 in prerequisite science coursework specifically, alongside documented clinical observation hours. Graduate deadlines at SLU vary by program rather than following a single university-wide date, so DPT applicants should confirm the Doisy College's specific cycle directly.
How to Get Into SLU's DPT Program
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Front-load your prerequisite science coursework and GPA. DPT admissions committees weigh performance in required prerequisites (anatomy, physiology, kinesiology-adjacent coursework) more heavily than a general GPA, since these predict readiness for the clinical science curriculum.
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Log real clinical observation hours before applying. Physical therapy programs nationally expect documented shadowing or work experience under a licensed PT; a resume without this is a common reason otherwise-qualified applicants are passed over.
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Get at least one recommendation from a licensed physical therapist or clinical supervisor. A reference that can speak directly to your clinical readiness carries more weight than an academic-only reference for a licensure-track doctoral program.
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Confirm whether SLU's DPT program uses PTCAS or its own portal, and plan the application fee and timeline accordingly. Centralized services run on their own cycles and fee structures, separate from SLU's general graduate admissions process.
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Clear your English-proficiency requirement early and comfortably above the minimum. Clinical doctoral programs demand precise written documentation and verbal patient communication from the first clinical rotation, so international applicants should not treat this requirement as a formality.
English Proficiency Requirement (IELTS/TOEFL)
SLU's graduate-level English-proficiency floor applies to DPT applicants, though SLU's own materials note that individual professional programs — explicitly including Physical Therapy — may set higher minimums than the university-wide floor:
- IELTS: university-wide graduate minimum 6.5 overall, recommended 7.0 — DPT specifically may require higher; confirm with Doisy College
- TOEFL: university-wide graduate minimum 80 iBT, recommended 90 — DPT specifically may require higher; confirm with Doisy College
- PTE Academic: minimum 54; Duolingo: minimum 110 (university-wide floors)
- Conditional admission: INTO SLU's pathway extends to participating graduate programs — academically qualified applicants who haven't yet cleared the English requirement can complete INTO SLU coursework and progress directly into their graduate program
Because DPT graduates must communicate precisely with patients and document clinical care in writing from their first rotation, applicants should not aim for the bare university-wide floor — a comfortable score above the general graduate minimum is the safer target, especially given SLU's own note that Physical Therapy is one of the programs most likely to set a higher bar. For the full breakdown of SLU's testing policy, see the Saint Louis University guide.
Career Outcomes
SLU does not publish employment or starting-salary figures specific to DPT graduates, but physical therapy is nationally one of the more consistently in-demand licensed healthcare professions, and SLU's broader graduate outcomes data offer a directional proxy:
- Top recruiters (university-wide graduate): Deloitte, EY, Accenture Federal Services, Mercy and BJC HealthCare and other regional health systems, and Edward Jones — with DPT graduates specifically most commonly entering clinical practice at hospital systems, outpatient rehabilitation clinics, and sports-medicine practices rather than the corporate recruiters listed above
- St. Louis's status as a regional healthcare hub, with major systems including Mercy and BJC HealthCare, gives SLU DPT students a strong local clinical placement and hiring pipeline
- DPT graduates who pass the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) enter a licensed profession with consistent national demand, largely independent of broader economic cycles affecting corporate hiring
DPT is a clinical doctorate leading to licensure rather than a direct-hire corporate pipeline, so "career outcomes" for this program are best measured by NPTE pass rates and clinical placement quality rather than the recruiter list relevant to SLU's business or STEM graduates — confirm SLU's specific NPTE first-time pass rate directly with Doisy College, since it is not published in SLU's general outcomes data.
FAQ
Does SLU publish a DPT-specific acceptance rate? No. SLU publishes only a university-wide undergraduate acceptance rate (approximately 75%), which is not a reliable proxy for DPT. DPT programs nationally are structurally more selective than general undergraduate admissions due to limited clinical placement capacity.
How much does SLU's DPT program cost? SLU does not publish a DPT-specific tuition figure. Graduate and professional-program costs vary significantly by school at SLU, and applicants should confirm the exact cost of attendance directly with the Doisy College of Health Sciences.
What IELTS or TOEFL score do I need for SLU's DPT program? The university-wide graduate floor is IELTS 6.5 or TOEFL 80, but SLU's own materials flag Physical Therapy as a program that may require a higher minimum than that floor — confirm the current DPT-specific requirement before applying.
Does SLU's DPT program require the GRE? SLU's published policy is that GRE/GMAT requirements are set by individual graduate programs. Whether DPT specifically requires it is not stated in SLU's university-wide data, so confirm directly with Doisy College.
Is clinical observation experience required to apply? SLU's general graduate application does not itemize this, but DPT programs nationally typically expect documented clinical observation or shadowing hours under a licensed physical therapist; applicants should plan to have this before applying.
What if my IELTS/TOEFL score is below SLU's requirement? INTO SLU's conditional-admission pathway extends to participating graduate programs, allowing academically qualified applicants to complete English-language coursework and move into their program without reapplying — confirm whether DPT is a participating program.