ADVANCED STANDING (TRANSFER) STUDENT ADMISSION CRITERIA
Advanced standing (transfer) students are applicants who have attended any regionally accredited college or institution on the college level and attempted 18 or more semester credits subsequent to high school graduation. Consideration for transfer admission to the physical therapist assistant program is based on the following criteria:
1. Applicants must demonstrate sufficient ability to perform college-level course work in one of the following ways:
a. Cumulative college grade point average of 2.75 (on a 4.0 scale)
b. A grade point average of 2.75 or better (on a 4.0 scale) for all college-level course work completed in the past year (at least 12 credits).
c. Students who have completed college-level biological science courses with grades of “C” or better will be given preference over those who do not have an academic record of biological science coursework. Preferred courses include Human Anatomy and Physiology I and II.
2. Good standing at institutions previously attended.
3. A high school diploma or equivalent and completion of the high school units noted above.
Note: Transfer credits in biology courses (Anatomy and Physiology I and II) must have been earned within five years prior to acceptance into the PTA program. If courses were completed more than 5 years prior to acceptance, the student may be accepted, but they will need to repeat the anatomy and physiology coursework.
Achievement of the minimum criteria does not guarantee admission into the PTA program. The program is competitive and applications submitted to Penn State by November 30 will be given priority consideration. Applications received after November 30 will be reviewed on a space-available basis. Consideration will be given to students with strong academic performance in science courses.
How to Apply
Penn State requires that all transfer applicants submit their application online. To expedite the review of your transfer application, submit your official transcripts from high school of graduation (or GED) and all postsecondary institutions to the Undergraduate Admissions Office. These official transcripts should be forwarded by you, to Penn State’s Undergraduate Admissions Office in the original, sealed envelopes provided by those schools. Standardized test scores are not required of transfer applicants.