Physical Therapy Student Grants
Stretching Your College Budget?
Physical Therapists engage in careers that use their services and training in a variety of environments including sports environments, hospitals, extended care facilities, rehabilitation centers and nearly any environment that addresses physical mobility issues.
The work of a physical therapist may include helping athletes rehabilitate injuries or assisting hospital patients with functional physical movements. Their education also includes pain management and prevention of injuries.
Physical therapists are professionally required to hold Masters degrees, or Ph.D. degrees. As the aging American population increases, but refuses to slow down, there will be ever increasing demands for physical therapists. There are two different career levels: Physical Therapist (PT) and Physical Therapy Assistant (PTA). The income of most physical therapists working in hospitals or nursing homes is between $55,000 and $65,000.
Physical therapy assistants will find two-year community college and professional programs appropriate for their career needs.
Colleges and Universities
Students interested in a physical therapy career should shop carefully for college programs. Two-year community college programs may adequately train physical therapy assistants, but physical therapists will find four-year and graduate programs to be quite competitive. Request information related to scholarship, grant, work-study and internship programs from any college to which you are applying:
- University of Nevada at Las Vegas' School of Allied Health Sciences offers the Kitty Rodman Award. This grant is awarded based on financial need and to a sophomore level PT student who has maintained a GPA of 3.5. UNLV also sponsors the Rural Health Scholarship. Grant candidates must be freshmen entering the program from a disadvantaged background, and residents of Nevada. The grant provides the recipient with complete program tuition.
- The University of Maryland's Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science sponsors the Kendall Scholarship fund. The Kendall Scholarship helps to subsidize a student's undergraduate studies within the PT program.
Private Organizations
Private professional organizations that support the education, advancement and career interests of Physical Therapists should be an integral part of every aspiring PT student's fund discovery strategy. The following is a brief list of organizations that support the efforts of PT students:
- The Special Olympics is one of the most reputable organizations in the world. Their work with physically and mentally challenged individuals is unrivalled. The Special Olympics Health Professions Student Grants are awarded to any type of student who is actively enrolled in a health sciences degree program - undergraduate, graduate, doctorate, post-doctorate - including PT students. Grants are awarded first to those individuals who are engaged in studies aligned with the goals of the Special Olympics.
- The American Physical Therapy Association administers research and doctoral studies grants to students pursuing advanced degrees within the field of Physical Therapy. Founded in the 1930s, the American Physical Therapy Foundation supports active industry professionals, as well as education, research and career development for PTs.
- The Wisconsin Physical Therapy Association provides a stipend intended to help defray costs incurred during the last year of studies for both physical therapy students and physical therapy assistant students. Grants are need-based and awarded on an applicant-specific basis.
- The Texas Physical Therapy Education and Research Foundation administers grants for physical therapy doctoral degree programs. Post-graduate PT students as well as PT faculty may be eligible for these $1000 and $3000 grants. Candidates must qualify based on specific criteria, including a signed agreement to work in an approved institution as a faculty member or to work toward publication of a professional research-based article approved by the foundation.
