Are you an intelligent, motivated individual? Do you want to learn to help people who have injuries or physically disabling  illnesses improve their movement and manage their pain?

Check the menu items to the left and links to the right for information about Physical Therapy and aspects of the Ithaca College PT program.

For freshman entry to the physical therapy major, a minimum of three years of high school mathematics and one year each of biology and chemistry are required for admission. In addition, one year of physics is strongly recommended. Students should have some knowledge of the profession, such as volunteer experience or employment.

All students in the physical therapy department must be able to perform the essential clinical as well as academic requirements, as the overall curricular objectives are to prepare students to practice in their chosen field. The Department of Physical Therapy has created a document that described what is necessary to assure that all students entering the physical therapy program know and understand the requirements, and can make informed decisions regarding their pursuit of this profession. Students must be able to meet these standards.

Applicants to the physical therapy program must be able to perform the functions described in the document titled, IC PT Essential Functions for PT Practice.


Ithaca College’s physical therapy faculty welcome opportunities to talk about the program with prospective students and their families. If you plan to visit campus, please ask an admissions counselor to schedule an appointment on your behalf.

Once you apply, be sure to log in to myIthaca and create a profile in IC Peers—Ithaca’s exclusive online community. There you can ask questions, get answers, and meet other applicants as well as faculty and currently enrolled students.

Employers love IC PT grads.

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Recent Events

Check out some ICPT Department Newsletters to read more about recent activities in the program.

Thanks for considering Ithaca College.

The Physical Therapy Program at Ithaca College is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE), 1111 North Fairfax Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22314; telephone: 703-706-3245; email: accreditation@apta.org; website: www.capteonline.org.

Based on admissions and enrollment data, the PT Department will not be accepting applications for internal transfer from students in the 2016 Freshman cohort. We will however consider applications from current Sophomore and Junior students; decisions will depend on eligibility of students and availability of seats. Please follow guidelines on the Transfer Opportunities page.

 At this time, due to current enrollment numbers, consideration of external transfer ((individuals not currently enrolled at Ithaca College or individuals that were enrolled at Ithaca College considering readmission)) is suspended until further notice. Information about future opportunities will be posted when available.

Our program, along with many PT programs in the US, has agreed not to participate in rankings of PT education programs.

Applicants should be aware that all physical therapist professional education programs in the US are subject to accreditation "standards that assure quality and continuous improvement in the entry-level preparation of physical therapists, and reflect the evolving nature of education, research, and practice." While the Education Section of APTA recognizes that there are proprietary organizations that rank physical therapist education programs, the profession encourages prospective students to provide their own comparisons through careful examination of information on program and APTA websites, and visits to the campuses to talk with enrolled students and program faculty.