Exclusive Physical Therapy Scholarships with 2025 Deadlines

About physical therapy scholarships

Physical therapists improve their patients' quality of life through movement. A physical therapist can work in general practice or specialty areas like athletics and geriatrics. No matter which area they choose, aspiring physical therapists should have a passion for health and helping others.

Many college students wish to pursue physical therapy careers for the lucrative job opportunities available. The profession is expected to grow by 21% from 2020-2030, and in 2020 the median salary for physical therapists was $91,010. Those who want to be physical therapists have a great career outlook, but they must first complete the required higher education.

In order to be a physical therapist, you need to first get your bachelor's degree and then attain a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree. Once your education is complete you must take the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) to become certified and begin practicing.

This high barrier to entry prevents many students from pursuing the physical therapy profession. Often, students find that their financial aid is less than their financial need and they struggle to pay the remaining tuition costs. Thankfully, many physical therapy scholarships exist to support students enrolled in physical or occupational therapy programs.

What is a physical therapy scholarship?

A physical therapy scholarship is a form of financial assistance for physical therapy students. Unlike loans, scholarships do not need to be paid back, so they are important for debt-averse students. Additionally, students often do not have to demonstrate financial need to be eligible for scholarships.

A physical therapy scholarship can be awarded to students based on a number of different criteria such as GPA and writing skills. Physical therapy scholarships allow deserving students pursuing physical therapist careers the support they need to continue their education.

Can you get a scholarship for physical therapy?

Getting a scholarship for physical or occupational therapy is easy with Bold.org. Bold.org allows students exclusive access to hundreds of scholarships including physical therapy scholarships. Students do not have to let their financial needs get in the way of their pursuit of a physical therapy program since getting a scholarship for physical therapy education is always possible.

How to apply for scholarships for physical therapy

Physical therapy students hoping to get scholarships must first begin apply. To apply for scholarships on Bold.org you must first create an account and complete your profile information. After completing your profile, you can begin searching for scholarships on Bold.org.

You can search for a scholarship by keyword, education level, and category. When you have found a scholarship you want to apply for, be sure to read the description and eligibility requirements to ensure you are a good candidate.

The specifics of your scholarship application will differ. Some scholarships require no material to be submitted while other scholarships will ask for things such as short essays or video submissions. Take note of specific deadlines to give yourself plenty of time to craft your scholarship application materials.

Once you have all your application materials ready you can submit your application. Applying is easy and often only takes one click of a button.

How to get a scholarship for physical therapy?

To get a scholarship for physical therapy, you first have to begin applying. It's best to apply for a broad range of scholarships to get the most college funding. Many students will be awarded scholarships for their physical therapy educational programs, but they must put in the effort to apply for scholarships first.

Apply to adjacent fields of interest as well, like athletic training scholarships!

You can find many scholarships that are suited to your background and educational goals. Applying for niche scholarships often gives you a better chance of being awarded. Some scholarships look for applicants with outstanding academic achievement, while others are targeted at minority PT students, such as a student from a disadvantaged background.

Similarly, there are also scholarships for specific grade levels, like scholarships for graduate students pursuing the physical therapy profession, or even high schoolers. Scholarships with specific eligibility requirements have smaller applicant pool, so applying for these specific scholarships can be a great way to fund your education.

Kinesiology is a similar field that might interest you as well. Use our list of the top kinesiology programs to narrow down your options for college.

Best physical therapy scholarships

A physical therapy scholarship can be a generous gift for students that are struggling to afford the exorbitant costs of higher education. Students can begin applying for physical therapy scholarships before beginning physical therapy school.

Even undergraduate students pursuing a career in physical therapy can find many resources available to them. Students in a physical therapy program can fund their education with the scholarships below.

Fairbairn FisioTherapy Fund

This scholarship aims to support BIPOC students who are pursuing undergraduate or graduate degrees related to physical therapy and will award $1,940 to one winner.

Physical therapy scholarships for high school seniors

High school seniors can secure funds for their degrees by applying to the scholarships available on Bold.org. It can be beneficial to apply for scholarships while still enrolled in high school as college students can find themselves burdened by other responsibilities and without the time to apply for scholarships.

1. Future Minority Leaders Scholarship
2. "$$$ Isn't Everything" Scholarship
3. Health & Wellness Scholarship
4. Healthy Living Scholarship

Physical therapy scholarships for graduate students

Graduate students enrolled or planning to enroll in physical therapy programs still have time to find scholarships to help fund their education or pay off student loans. Graduate-level students don't have to worry that student debt will stand in the way of their future profession. The scholarships below are great options to start securing aid.

1. Ruthie Brown Scholarship
2. Texas Women Empowerment Scholarship
3. Earl Pascua Filipino-American Heritage Scholarship
4. Niche College No-Essay Scholarship
5. Dr. Samuel Attoh Legacy Scholarship
6. Stand and Yell Community Impact Scholarship
7. Sports and exercise science scholarships

Physical therapy scholarships for international students

International students enrolled in an accredited college in the United States can apply for many of the scholarships on Bold.org. International students are often exempt from many other forms of financial aid, but scholarships can answer this financial need.

1. HRCap Next-Gen Leadership Scholarship
2. Small Seed Big Flower Scholarship
3. Jose "Sixto" Cubias Scholarship
4. Carlos F. Garcia Muentes Scholarship
5. Catrina Celestine Aquilino Memorial Scholarship
6. No You Did Not Win An Emi, But You Did Win This Scholarship

Frequently asked questions about physical therapy scholarships

How to find physical therapy scholarships?

You can find physical therapy scholarships by creating a free Bold.org profile and searching through the hundreds of exclusive scholarship opportunities. Searching through scholarships by category can be a good way to find scholarships relevant to your major and career interests.

Physical therapy majors or students who plan to enroll in a physical therapy program in the future can search through the "Health & Wellness" and "Healthcare" categories to find many scholarships for physical therapy students.

Looking through the many categorized scholarship articles on Bold.org can also be a great way to find physical therapy scholarships. Students can find anything from state-specific scholarship pages like the Exclusive Texas Scholarships page to athletic scholarships on the Soccer Scholarships page.

When can I start applying?

Many people think scholarships are only for high school seniors, but you can begin applying for scholarships as early as your first year of high school. It is usually better to apply for scholarships as soon as possible as it allows you to apply for many more scholarships than those who start applying later in life.

However, do not feel stressed if you haven't begun applying for scholarships yet, as even recent college graduates can find scholarships available to them.

Whether you're in your final year of university or you're still a high school student, you can apply for scholarships to ensure that you have the necessary funds to attend college.

How do I know if I'm eligible for a scholarship?

While some scholarships are open to all students with no restrictions, some require applicants to meet specific criteria. One scholarship might only accept applications from students that meet a minimum number of community service hours while another might be exclusively for low-income students.

Every scholarship is different, so it's important to read the description and all other information.

Bold.org makes it easy to tell when you are ineligible for certain scholarships by preventing students from applying to scholarships if they don't meet the criteria.

What do I have to do to apply?

To apply for scholarships, you will usually have to submit some kind of secondary material beyond your biographical information and academic history.

Most scholarships will require applicants to submit short essays on topics chosen by the donor, but some more creative scholarships may allow video and artistic submissions as well.

There are also many "no-essay" scholarships that are easy to apply for. For no-essay scholarships, all you need to do is click the "Apply to Scholarship" button and you're done.

Are scholarships counted as income?

Scholarships are a form of financial aid and are sent directly to a college to help pay educational expenses. This means that scholarships are not usually counted as taxable income unless they go towards non-educational expenses.