Student-centric advice and objective recommendations
Higher education has never been more confusing or expensive. Our goal is to help you navigate the very big decisions related to higher ed with objective information and expert advice. Each piece of content on the site is original, based on extensive research, and reviewed by multiple editors, including a subject matter expert. This ensures that all of our content is up-to-date, useful, accurate, and thorough.
Our reviews and recommendations are based on extensive research, testing, and feedback. We may receive commission from links on our website, but that doesn’t affect our editors’ opinions. Our marketing partners don’t review, approve or endorse our editorial content. It’s accurate to the best of our knowledge when posted. You can find a complete list of our partners here.
Top 19 Physical Therapy Scholarships in February 2023
Physical therapy is one of the most versatile areas in the medical field; physical therapists can find work at hospitals, universities, sporting clubs, spas, and a variety of other work environments. It’s also a quickly growing field; the US Bureau of Labor Statistics projected that the number of physical therapists will grow by a whopping 18% between 2019 and 2029.
Physical Therapy scholarships are one way to pay for your degree in this quickly growing profession! These PT scholarships can help pay for your undergraduate or graduate education.
Jump ahead to:
- Top physical therapy scholarships
- How to win physical therapy scholarships
- Resources for physical therapy students
- Frequently asked questions
- Other scholarship lists to explore
Below are some physical therapy scholarships to help make that degree a reality.
Also see: Exercise science major overview
Top 19 Physical Therapy Scholarships in February 2023
The Scholarships360 Research Team reviews all scholarships individually and strives to exclude any scholarship where any of the below applies:
- The scholarship requires a fee to apply
- The scholarship provider’s privacy policy allows for the misuse of student data
- The scholarship requires paid membership in an organization (with certain exceptions for reputable trade organizations and others)
- Student are required to sign up for a site or service to apply*
- The scholarship seems primarily used for lead generation** or idea harvesting purposes***
- The scholarship website has many grammatical errors and/or advertisements
- The scholarship or scholarship providing organization seem untrustworthy
- There is no evidence the scholarship was previously awarded
- The scholarship has not been awarded in the past 12 months
- There is no available contact information
If you believe a scholarship has been published in error, please reach out to [email protected] and we’ll take a look!
* There are certain exceptions to this, for example if the sponsoring organization is a major corporation or nonprofit with its own scholarship application system.
** Lead generation scholarships will require students to sign up for an app or website and require minimal (if any) application requirements.
***Idea harvesting scholarships will require students to submit blog posts or other materials that companies may use for marketing purposes.
$10,000 “No Essay” Scholarship
Scholarships360 Exclusive
Easy scholarship open to all US-based high school, college, community college and graduate students.
$2,000 Nitro College Scholarship – No Essay
Sponsored
Easy scholarship open to all high school, college, community and graduate students.
$25,000 No Essay Scholarship
Sponsored
Open to high school and college students, as well as anyone looking to attend college or graduate school in the next year.
Health Career Scholarships
Offered by International Order of The King’s Daughters and Sons
Students in their second or third year of any educational healthcare profession preparation program.
AMBUCS Scholarship
Offered by National AMBUCS
Students accepted to graduate level programs in physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech language pathology, or hearing audiology.
HIE Help Center Scholarship for Physical, Occupational, and Speech Therapy Students
Offered by HIE Help Center
Postsecondary students pursuing a career in physical or speech therapy who submit a creative project about why they chose the field.
Outstanding PT Student and PTA Student Award
Offered by American Physical Therapy Association
Open to student physical therapists and assistants who have made great contributions to APTA and the physical therapy profession.
“Follow Your Own Path” Essay Scholarship
Scholarships360 Exclusive
Open to all postsecondary students, regardless of the type of training/education they are pursuing.
This scholarship might not currently be accepting applications. Most scholarship programs only accept applications a few months ahead of their annual deadline. We’ve estimated this deadline based on last year’s deadline in order to help you plan out your scholarship applications.
Jan 31, 2024“Outstanding Undergraduate” Essay Scholarship
Scholarships360 Exclusive
Open to current undergraduates at four-year universities in the U.S.
This scholarship might not currently be accepting applications. Most scholarship programs only accept applications a few months ahead of their annual deadline. We’ve estimated this deadline based on last year’s deadline in order to help you plan out your scholarship applications.
Jan 31, 2024DAR Occupational/Physical Therapy Scholarship
Offered by Daughters of the American Revolution
Open to students accepted to or currently enrolled in an accredited school of occupational therapy.
This scholarship might not currently be accepting applications. Most scholarship programs only accept applications a few months ahead of their annual deadline. We’ve estimated this deadline based on last year’s deadline in order to help you plan out your scholarship applications.
Jan 31, 2024$25k “Be Bold” No-Essay Scholarship
Sponsored
Easy scholarship open to high school students, college students, community college students, and graduate students.
FPTR Scholarships and Fellowships
Offered by Foundation for Physical Therapy Research
Open to post-professional doctoral students studying phyiscal therapy who have completed at least one full year of coursework.
This scholarship might not currently be accepting applications. Most scholarship programs only accept applications a few months ahead of their annual deadline. We’ve estimated this deadline based on last year’s deadline in order to help you plan out your scholarship applications.
Jan 4, 2024APTA Mary McMillan Scholarship Award
Offered by American Physical Therapy Association
Open to physical therapy students in the final year of their programs. Applicants must be nominated.
This scholarship might not currently be accepting applications. Most scholarship programs only accept applications a few months ahead of their annual deadline. We’ve estimated this deadline based on last year’s deadline in order to help you plan out your scholarship applications.
Dec 1, 2023APTA Minority Scholarship Award
Offered by American Physical Therapy Association
Open to minorities in their final year of a physical therapy program and faculty members pursuing postdoctoral physical therapy degrees.
This scholarship might not currently be accepting applications. Most scholarship programs only accept applications a few months ahead of their annual deadline. We’ve estimated this deadline based on last year’s deadline in order to help you plan out your scholarship applications.
Dec 1, 2023NSCA Challenge Scholarship
Offered by National Strength and Conditioning Association
Open to NCSA members in college who are pursuing a degree and career in the strength and conditioning field.
This scholarship might not currently be accepting applications. Most scholarship programs only accept applications a few months ahead of their annual deadline. We’ve estimated this deadline based on last year’s deadline in order to help you plan out your scholarship applications.
Oct 15, 2023$10,000 CollegeXpress Scholarship
Sponsored
Annual $10k scholarship from CollegeXpress open to all high school students.
Niche $2,000 “No Essay” College Scholarship
Sponsored
Easy scholarship from Niche open to all high school, college, and graduate students.
How to win physical therapy scholarships
A strong scholarship application is key to winning! Before sending your application, you can use our scholarship resume guide and our article about how to write a winning scholarship essay to help give you a leg up!
We all know finding scholarships and writing essays for them can be a hassle. The scholarships above are just some of the many options that are out there. If you’re looking for more, you can use our guide for how to find and win scholarships! Don’t miss out on how we can help you write an essay about yourself, how to start your scholarship essays and how to end your scholarship essay in 5 steps!
Resources for physical therapy students
American Physical Therapy Organization
The American Physical Therapy Organization is a national group that is dedicated to connecting physical therapists and advancing the state of the profession. They have a host of benefits, including student loan refinancing and counseling, and discounts for a variety of physical therapy-related products.
Free Application for Federal Student Aid
The FAFSA is used to calculate students’ eligibility for a wide variety of forms of financial aid. These include institutional, federal, and state aid. Students in accredited physical therapy undergraduate programs can take advantage of programs like the Pell Grant and Stafford loans. Remember, the application is free and relatively easy to complete. Even if you think you won’t qualify, it’s a good idea to fill it out just in case. You might just thank yourself later!
Frequently asked questions about physical therapy scholarships
Can you get scholarships for physical therapy school?
There are many scholarships available for different physical therapy programs! AMBCUS offers scholarships for graduate-level students pursuing a degree in physical therapy. And there are many other opportunities in our list above!
How much does a Dr. of physical therapy make?
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics found that the 2020 median pay for physical therapists was $91,010 per year, or $43.75 per hour.
Can you earn a physical therapy degree online?
There are a wide range of online and hybrid degree programs for physical therapy, including well-known schools such as the University of Southern California. However, most forms of physical therapy education involve at least some form of in-person training.
