Honors College

Guaranteed Admission Program for Physical Therapy Requirements

All Guaranteed Admission Program for Physical Therapy students must meet the following eligibility requirements prior to enrolling in the physical therapy program. 

• Graduate with University Honors.
• Submit the honors dossier by the stated deadline (January 1 for May graduation, July 15 for August graduation and August 15 for December graduation).
• Complete all prerequisites for admission to the VCU physical therapy professional program.
• Maintain a cumulative 3.5 GPA at VCU. Transfer, AP/IB and repeat course grades are not used in the GPA calculation.
• Complete BIOL 205 (Human Anatomy) with a grade of B or better.
• Complete BIOL 300 (Honors section only of Cell Biology) at VCU with a grade no lower than a B. In addition, complete one of the following with a grade no lower than a B: BIOL 310 (Honors section only of Genetics) or BIOL 455 (Immunology) or BIOL 524 (Endocrinology).
• Complete 50 hours per year of clinical work in physical therapy (volunteer or paid employment). Although healthcare research is highly valued, the only healthcare-related experience that is approved for this requirement must involve patient contact. Students may not earn healthcare-related hours under the supervision of professionals in their family.
• Complete a minimum of 10 hours each semester in community service, non-healthcare related.
• If you wish to take required coursework from either an institution other than VCU or in summer session at VCU, you must obtain advance permission from the director of Guaranteed Admission Programs. This includes the summer session between high school and college.
• Meet with the director of Guaranteed Admission Programs every semester for academic advising. Students who fail to receive advising from the director of Guaranteed Admission Programs prior to the beginning of Honors registration will be placed on hold for registration until they secure such advising.
• Attend all meetings of Guaranteed Admission students as directed by the director of Guaranteed Admission Programs and meet with the director upon request.
• Complete the GRE with an earned score of 150 in Quantitative Reasoning and a score of 150 in Verbal Reasoning. This must be completed by October 1 of the year prior to the year you plan to begin the physical therapy program.
• Complete a physical therapy application through Physical Therapy Central Application Services including, in part, three references, an essay and payment of a nonrefundable application fee to PTCAS by October 1 of the year prior to the year you plan to begin the physical therapy program.
• Engage in professional behavior at all times. Any institutional or legal sanction will result in dismissal from the Guaranteed Admission Program.
• Monitor your vcu.edu email daily during your entire undergraduate program, including summer sessions and breaks. If you will be (or anticipate being) without email access for more than seven consecutive days, you must notify the director of Guaranteed Admission Programs of alternative ways of communication and provide the date when you will again have email access.
• Student records will be reviewed every semester to determine compliance with the requirements. If a student fails to complete the requirements, this will result in dismissal from the Honors College Guaranteed Admission Program for Physical Therapy.