How to Apply — D.P.T.

Des Moines University Medicine and Health Sciences participates in the web-based Physical Therapist Centralized Application Service. Direct applications to DMU are not accepted. PTCAS applications are made available each year in June for the class that begins the following August. The typical application deadline is December 15.

Note: If you are an international student, please refer to our international student information pages.

Application process

1. Review the requirements for admission.
2. Submit your online application through PTCAS. Applications are available in June for the class that begins the following August. The application deadline is June 2 the following year.
3. Submit all official transcripts through PTCAS. Please include all colleges and universities attended. Transcripts must be from a regionally accredited college or university within the United States.
4. Submit two letters of recommendation to PTCAS. One letter must be from an academic instructor with whom you have taken a course; the other must be from a physical therapist with whom you have completed observation hours.*

*Note: For the 2025-26 admission cycle, two letters of recommendation will be required, with a preference that at least one letter is from an academic advisor or professor.

Admissions Decisions

Once your application file is complete with PTCAS, it will be sent to Des Moines University. You will be contacted by email if you are selected for an interview.

An interview is required for admission. Because of the rolling admissions schedule, those who apply early in the admissions cycle are more likely to be interviewed than those who apply later.

Please note: First-time entering students may apply to only one of DMU’s clinical programs at a time (including D.O., D.P.M., PA, D.P.T. and O.T.D.). Multiple applications will not be accepted or processed.

Accommodations in Education Policy

The university complies with the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Rehabilitation Act, the Iowa Civil Rights Act and other laws relating to the Accommodations of disabilities in its educational programming. Read the full Accommodations in Education Policy.