WHAT HAPPENS NEXT

Processing Your File

Review the PTCAS Checklist to ensure you have fulfilled all requirements. PTCAS will consider your application complete and begin to process it once the following materials are received:

• Complete PTCAS application
• Sealed official transcripts mailed directly from every accredited U.S. postsecondary institution attended *, AND
• Correct PTCAS application fee

Also send letters of reference, TOEFL scores, signed PT observation hours forms, and foreign transcript evaluations to PTCAS by the application deadline, if required by your designated PT programs.  Your designated PT programs may also require you to send supplemental fees and/or application materials directly to the institution, such as such as supplemental applications, official GRE scores, and signed PT observation forms. Failure to submit all required materials as instructed may jeopardize your eligibility for admission consideration.

Application Verification

PTCAS will process your application once you submit your completed application, required fee, and all official transcript(s) to the Service. PTCAS processing may take up to 4-5 weeks once all required materials are received.

Once your application is complete, PTCAS will verify the accuracy of your application materials, compare your original transcripts to the self-reported course information on your application, calculate your PTCAS GPAs, and submit your application to each of your designated PT institutions. You will receive an automatic email once your file has been verified and your GPAs are available to you online. It is your responsibility to review the GPAs for accuracy.

File Shipments to PT Programs

PTCAS will begin to forward complete applications to PT programs in mid-August 2009. PTCAS ships newly completed and revised application files to programs on at least a weekly basis during the cycle. PTCAS will not determine if you have met the minimum course requirements or are eligible for admission to a particular PT program. Your designated PT programs may contact you about your application within a few weeks after receiving your application or only after the PT program deadline has passed, depending on PT program policy. PT programs will notify applicants directly regarding all admission decisions.

Check Your File Status Online!

Check your application status on-line! To view the real-time progress of your file, login to your PTCAS application and select the status options on the right-hand side of the screen.

Do not call or email PTCAS until you have read the instructions, checked your status on-line, reviewed your email account for any PTCAS messages, and read the FAQ section. If you still have questions, contact PTCAS staff. Provide your PTCAS ID Number and name in all communication. Allow up to 3 business days for PTCAS to respond to your inquiry. PTCAS will only discuss a file with an applicant and the applicant’s designated PT programs. Staff will not discuss an application file with a parent, spouse, relative, friend, or employer. Hours: Monday-Friday (9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time).

PTCAS will make every attempt to process your application in a timely manner. At the same time, you are responsible for submitting your application and ALL other related materials to PTCAS so they are received before the earliest deadline date established by your designated PT programs. PTCAS processing may take up to 4-5 weeks after your application, transcripts, and fee are received. PTCAS is not responsible for any materials lost in the mail or for delays caused by the registrar's office. You are responsible for monitoring the status of your application, as well as the receipt of your documents, and alerting PTCAS of any questions or concerns you have regarding your application status in a timely manner.

Post-Submission Changes to Your Application

After you e-submit your PTCAS application, you may only make changes to the following items:

• Alternate Name
• Mailing Addresses
• Phone Numbers
• Email Addresses
• Password: Not transmitted to your designated PT programs
• Designate Additional PTCAS Programs: No substitutions or deletions
• Planned and In-Progress Courses: One-time changes during the Academic Update only
• New Fall Courses Completed: One-time changes during the Academic Update only
• Reference Contacts: You may not delete an evaluator from your application once PTCAS receives the evaluator’s reference
• PT Observation Hours: You add new PT experiences or update planned/ in-progress experiences at any time.  Programs may not consider updated hours in the admissions process.
• GRE and TOEFL:  You may add new test dates and scores at any time. Programs may not consider updated scores in the admissions process.

Sharing of Admission Decisions

Beginning in summer 2010, PTCAS institutions will receive reports regarding the number of offers of admission made to their applicants and number of offers of admission accepted by their applicants. At that time, your designated PTCAS institutions will know how many offers of admission you have received and how many offers of admission you have accepted at other PTCAS institutions. PTCAS institutions will not know how many applications you have submitted. They will also not know whether you were denied admission to another PT program or be informed of any other admission actions made by other PTCAS institutions, except the number offers of admission made or accepted.  In fall 2010, after the completion of the 2009-10 admissions cycle, programs in PTCAS will be able to view the other programs in PTCAS to which their respective applicants applied and the final admission decision reported by each competing institution.

Accepting Offers of Admission

You are encouraged to make a final decision related to your matriculation as soon as possible. It is your responsibility to adhere to any deadlines for acceptances established by the institutions to which you have been offered admission. You should refer to the appropriate PT program page for instructions on deadlines, documents, and deposits that may be required to formally accept an offer of admission. PT institutions establish their own policies for applicants who have accepted multiple offers of admission, and reserve the right to require that accepted applicant formally decline other admission offers before finalizing their own offer. Contact your designated PT programs directly, if questions.

Notice to Applicants Offered Admission

If you are offered and accept an offer of admission to a PT degree program, you may be required to submit a second set of official transcripts from every college/university you have attended directly to the PT program prior to matriculation. PTCAS cannot forward transcripts to a PT program to fulfill this institutional requirement.

Wait-List Policy

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