UCSF Physical Therapy Residency Admissions, Schedules, and Tuition

Admissions Requirements

UCSF does not use race, gender, sex, or other protected categories in the admissions process.

Eligibility

  • Graduate of a CAPTE-accredited physical therapy program or or currently enrolled and in good standing with expected graduation date by June (or the deadline to sit for the NPTE in July).
  • Proof of licensure or Physical Therapy Licensed Applicant (PTLA) status by Physical Therapy Board of California by program start date. If PTLA, must complete the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) within 90 days of being granted PTLA status by the PT Board of California per the California Physical Therapy Practice Act, Section 2655.93.
  • Must meet requirements to be employed as a practicing PT at UCSF Health. UCSF does not have the ability to sponsor visas for this program. Candidates must be able to demonstrate work eligibility for the duration of the program to be considered for acceptance.

Application Requirements

  • Three letters of reference: two must be from licensed physical therapists who have supervised or worked with you (personally know you and your abilities); one should be from a previous course instructor or academician (who may or may not be a physical therapist)
  • Official graduate academic transcripts
  • Personal statement
  • Curriculum Vitae (CV) including:
    • Academic history (undergraduate, graduate, or professional institutions attended or currently attending)
    • Continuing education courses attended; include name of course, course instructor/sponsoring organization, approximate number of contact hours, date of completion
    • Clinical experience (PT clinical experiences/internships, professional employment history, research, volunteer work, teaching and professional presenting experience, research)
    • Honors or awards
    • Licenses (indicate if you currently have PTLA status)
    • Residency or fellowships
    • Credentials or certifications (e.g., ABPTS certifications, APTA-credentialed instructor, ATC)
    • Professional memberships (e.g., APTA, specialty section memberships)

Application Process and Timeline

Timeline

  • October 1, 2025: all residency applications open for Fall 2026 in the centralized application service RF-PTCAS (by clicking the link, you will be exiting the UCSF site)
  • Application deadlines: 
    • February 15, 2026: Neurologic, Orthopedic, and Women's Health PT Residencies
    • March 1, 2026: Acute Care PT Residency
  • February/March 2026: Applications reviewed
  • March/April 2026: Selected applicants invited via email for online interviews; if you are invited to interview and decline or do not RSVP by the deadline, you will not be considered for admission
  • April 2026: All applicants notified of admissions status; typically within two weeks after interviews

Application Status

All applicants will be notified of their application status as soon as admissions decisions are finalized. We are aware of how stressful this time can be for applicants, and we do everything we can to complete the process as quickly and efficiently as possible. We ask for your help by not contacting us to check on your admission status and by waiting for our notification, which will inform you of your status:

  • Accepted: If you've been accepted to the Residency program, congratulations! Your notice will contain all necessary instructions and due dates. If we do not hear from you by the deadline, your offer of admission will be withdrawn.
  • Wait List (Alternates): If you've been selected as an alternate, congratulations! Your notice will contain all necessary instructions. You must accept or decline the alternate position offer by the date in the notice. If we do not hear from you by that deadline, your alternate offer will be withdrawn. The wait list will remain active until the first day of instruction. 
  • Denied: If you are not offered admission, we thank you for the time and effort you spent on applying to our program. Applicants may apply a maximum of three times to our program.

Coursework/Schedule

All UCSF Physical Therapy Residencies one year in length and begin at the start of September every year.

Resident Schedules

Resident schedules include:
•    25-32 hours per week of patient care
•    4-6 hours per week of mentoring
•    2-8 hours per week of didactic coursework, journal club, and/or inter-professional rounding
•    2-4 hours per week of teaching within the UCSF/SFSU Graduate Program in Physical Therapy
•    Intermittent 1-day weekend coursework

Financial Commitment/Support

Residents will be employed by the University of California, San Francisco through the Office of Graduate Medical Education (OGME).

Stipend & Tuition

  • Residents will receive a stipend for time spent performing patient care, as well as benefits. 
  • Some programs may offer tuition scholarships, and additional details will be provided to all applicants.
  • Annual tuition for the program is $3,000 (for Fall 2025 residents) and is due by the first day of residency.  

At the request of the program's accrediting organization, ABPTRFE, prospective residents can also view program costs and program-sponsored financial assistance in the ABPTRFE Residency and Fellowship Financial Fact Sheet.

Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF)

The Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program was created under the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007 (CCRAA) as a way for indebted professionals to reduce their federal student loan debt burden by working full-time in public service. Please visit the PSLF website (by clicking the link, you will be exiting the UCSF site) for more detailed information on the program, qualifying repayment plans, and the enrollment process.