Living in the Quad Cities 

Application and Admissions Procedures for Track I High School Students

Track I is exclusively for high school seniors who are enrolling as freshmen in St. Ambrose University.  Each year up to 15 high school students are granted placement in Track I position conditionally reserving them a place in the DPT class that will commence with their senior year in college.

To apply for a Track I position, high school seniors will need to:

• Meet the entrance requirements of St. Ambrose University

• Have completed the equivalent of one year each of high school biology and chemistry. One year of high school physics is strongly recommended

• Attain a minimum of 3.5/4.0 unadjusted high school GPA

• Score a minimum of 24 on the ACT or 1090 on the SAT

• Document at least 20 hours of observation with a licensed physical therapist in one or more physical therapy settings. Documentation forms will be provided for you or can be downloaded by clicking here.

• Complete an acceptable on-site personal interview with SAU PT faculty members

• Apply by February 15.  Applications are available by contacting the Physical Therapy office by e-mail at pt@sau.edu or by phone at 563-333-6403 or by clicking here for a printable version of the Track I application.

Track I students utilize a "3+2.5" plan of study (three years of undergraduate work plus 2.5 years in the DPT Program). Students accepted into Track I apply the first year DPT courses toward completion of their undergraduate degree.  The Track I student will be guaranteed admission into the DPT Program if all of the Phase B requirements are met.  A student who does not meet the Track/Phase B criteria remains eligible to apply to the DPT Program using Track II or Track III.

Track I/Phase B - College Prerequisites
Students accepted into Track I are required to meet the following criteria in order to advance into the DPT Program for their senior year.  These selected students will need to:

• Complete the required courses for the declared undergraduate major at SAU.   Any major may be declared, but majors in Exercise Science, Health and Human Performance, Biology, or Psychology are the most commonly selected.

• Complete all prerequisite courses with a grade of "C" or above prior to enrollment in the DPT Program.  Students in Track I who will not complete the prerequisites by the time of their application to Phase B must provide a detailed written plan of study (click here for form) for completion of the remaining courses prior to final admission into the DPT Program.

• Earn and maintain a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.30/4.00 and a prerequisite grade point average of at least 3.30/4.00 by the by the end of their third semester at SAU.

• Complete the GRE, with no less than 900 combined score on the Verbal and Quantitative sections.  The GRE should be scheduled after the spring semester of the sophomore year.

• Submit a Track I, Phase B application form by January 15. Form provided by Physical Therapy Department.

• Document at least 50 hours of observation with licensed physical therapists in two or  more settings (may include the 20 hours completed for Phase A).  The completed documentation forms can be downloaded by clicking here.

• Submit official transcripts from all undergraduate institutions attended. If these have been submitted to the SAU Records and Registration Office you will not need to supply additional copies.

• Provide two favorable references from SAU faculty. Forms will be provided to you by the Physical Therapy Department.

• Complete an acceptable on-site personal interview with SAU PT faculty members.