PTA Application | Department of Human Performance & Recreation | BYU-Idaho

# PTA Application

The BYU-I PTA program will accept applications from May to July.

## Important Notice for Applicants

****Completed PTA Applications are due 8 am (MT) Monday, July 20th, 2026!**** 

Please complete your application online and send all other forms/letters to pta@byui.edu. Your acceptance letter will be sent to your BYU-I email address. If you have questions regarding your application, please contact Health Programs Outreach at pta@byui.edu.

Candidates who are initially accepted, and the top 5 students on the wait list, will be notified the first full week of August, after the previous semester grades are posted and reviewed. The accept/decline form is due the second week of August on the date/time listed in the acceptance notification.

***If you do not accept by the deadline given in your acceptance email, your seat will be given to the next student on the wait list.**

Application Steps

Step 1 (Program Requirements)

Step 2 (Complete your Application)

Application

Step 1 (Program Requirements)

Step 2 (Complete your Application)

Application

Step 1 (Program Requirements)

Step 2 (Complete your Application)

Application

## Step 1 (Program Requirements)

1. Apply to BYU-Idaho. You can begin your application on the Apply to Church Schools.
2. Contact the Academic Advising Center.
3. It is recommended that you complete at least 1 semester with 12 credit hours or more before applying to the program. 
 1. Successful completion of at least 12 credits in one semester demonstrates your ability to maintain grades with a decent academic load.
4. Overall GPA must be 3.0 or higher. You must demonstrate a minimum of a "C" in all prerequisite courses and the average GPA of the following "core courses" must also be 3.0 or higher: 
 1. BIO 264/264L,
 2. BIO 265/265L,
 3. HRHP 359, and
 4. HCA 280.
5. You must be able to graduate with the PTA degree with less than 120 credits OR graduate with less than 140 credits with a dual degree (BS & AAS). Please consider these limits when applying. 
 1. View a listing of all PTA prerequisite and program courses. This will help you verify that you can graduate within these limits. For a specific grad plan, contact the Advising Center.
6. 60+ hours of job shadowing experience: 
 1. 30+ hours of Outpatient Physical Therapy Clinic
 2. 30+ hours of the following: 
 1. Acute Care,
 2. Rehab/Sub Acute Rehab,
 3. Extended Care/Nursing Home/SNF,
 4. Home Health, or
 5. Pediatric facility.

## Step 2 (Complete your Application)

The following information will be required for the application:

1. ****Total university credits****
2. ****Grade and course requirements**** 
 1. Core and overall GPA of 3.0 or higher.
 2. Core GPA courses completed: BIO 264, BIO 264L, 
 BIO 265, BIO 265L, HRHP 359, and HCA 280.
 3. May only be missing 2 course requirements for the General Education for Applied Associate Program. 
 1. Required courses: REL 200, REL 225, REL 250, and REL 275. (All other required Religion courses may be taken during the PTA program.)
3. ****Complete 2 letters of recommendation****, one from each facility where you obtained your experience hours. Both recommendations need to be completed by the PT or PTA that you shadowed. 
 1. You will need to request access to the letter of recommendation request.
 2. Follow the directions in the survey carefully, then send the link given in the survey to your desired reference (survey link can be used multiple times).
4. ****Upload documentation of experience hours:**** 30 or more Outpatient Physical Therapy Clinic hours and 30 or more Acute Care, Rehab/Sub Acute Rehab, Extended Care/Nursing Home/SNF, Home Health, or Pediatric facility hours will be required by the time of application. 
 1. Download Experience Hours Form.
5. ****Apply for a background check.**** 
 1. Start the background check.
6. ****Upload the medical exam form signed by a Physician.**** 
 1. Download the Medical Exam Form.
7. ****Verify that you have read Extra Cost Notification document.**** 
 1. View the Extra Cost Notification.
8. ****Verify that you have read the PTA Student Handbook Review.**** 
 1. View the PTA Student Handbook.

After acceptance into the program, the following documentation will be due to the Health Programs Outreach Office (BEN 240, pta@byui.edu) by October 30th (email pta@byui.edu with any questions or concerns):

1. ****A record of following immunizations:**** 
 1. Tdap (within the last 10 years)
 2. MMR (vaccination dates (2) or positive titers)
 3. Hepatitis B (vaccination dates (3) or positive titer--some internship facilities may require the 3 vaccination dates, a current booster, and a responsive Hep B titer 4-6 weeks after the booster)
 4. Varicella/Chicken pox (vaccination dates (2) or positive titer)
 5. Annual flu vaccine (for the current flu season Oct thru March)
 6. Covid (vaccination dates (1) Johnson or (2) Maderna/Pfizer)
2. ****CPR card**** (once it has been completed in class)
3. ****10-panel drug screen**** (obtained from a facility of your choice)

****The following is required by December 1st:****

Annual verification of a negative TB/PPD skin test report (a positive result requires a clear chest x-ray report) or a Quanti-FERON Gold TB lab result (preferred).

Some internship facilities may require a 2-step TB/PPD or Quanti-FERON Gold TB lab result (preferred).

****A 2-step TB/PPD follows these guidelines:****

- Visit 1, Day 1: PPD antigen is applied under the skin.
- Visit 2, Day 3: PPD test is read (within 48-72 hrs of placement). If positive, it indicates TB infection and a chest x-ray and further evaluation is necessary.
- Visit 3, Day 7-21: a second PPD skin test is applied (for those that test one was negative).
- Visit 4, 48-72 hours after placement: the second test is read. A positive 2nd test indicates TB in the past. Clear chest x-ray and further evaluation is necessary.

## Application

****Please select the PTA Application Request Form below:****

Fall 2026 PTA Application Request Form

The PTA Application will be added manually to your I-Learn/Canvas section on your BYU-I student account. If you do not see a timely response on this, please email pta@byui.edu.

If you are a transfer student, have been accepted to BYU-Idaho, but have not yet taken any courses from BYU-Idaho, please email pta@byui.edu using your BYU-Idaho email and an Application Form will be emailed to you.

If you encounter any issues with the application, please email pta@byui.edu.

## Program Accreditation

The Department of Physical Therapy at BYU-Idaho is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE), 3030 Potomac Ave., Suite 100, Alexandria, Virginia 22305-3085.

Telephone: 703-706-3245 
Email: accreditation@apta.org 
Website

If needing to contact the program/institution directly, please call (208) 496-1285 or email pta@byui.edu.

According to the federal requirement of the Department of Education, Section 668.43(a)(5)(v), the Department of Physical Therapy program's curriculum meets all requirements for licensure in all states in the United States, including the District of Columbia.