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Background and Purpose. The cost of education is rising, with tuition and fees identified as the single largest educational expense contributing to student indebtedness. New graduates will need to seek a salary that allows them to repay these debts. A survey was conducted to gather data on physical therapists' salaries to assist program administration in determining a reasonable tuition for a 3-year, professional Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program. Subjects. Respondents include physical therapy directors from 126 facilities in 10 western states. Methods. All 358 clinical facilities in 10 western states that affiliate with one physical therapist education program were sent questionnaires requesting information on PT salaries and benefits, location of facility (urban vs rural), type of facility, and services provided. Respondents were also asked to indicate what they thought is a reasonable tuition rate. Data on student financial need is included. Results. A total of 126 responses were received for a response rate of 35.2%. The largest number of responses was from California (n=101). The majority is from facilities in an urban setting (87.8%) with the primary function being outpatient (55.6%) and acute care (50.8%). The average starting salary for physical therapy graduates is $48,242 (MPT) and $48,713 (DPT). Most report an average annual salary between $50,000-64,999 with a maximum salary of $55,000-75,000. Nearly half (43.7%) of the respondents consider an annual tuition between $18,001-21,999 realistic. Average salary is compared to financial need. Discussion and Conclusion. There appears to be little difference in starting, average, and maximum annual salaries between graduates from master's and doctoral professional (entry-level) programs. Rural facilities tend to pay more than urban settings. A large percentage of facilities (77.4%) cap physical therapist salaries, although periodic market adjustments are made. While salary alone cannot be used to determine a realistic tuition for a 3-year doctoral-level physical therapist program, the results of this study should be considered as one aspect for setting tuition.
Key words: Education costs, Physical therapist education, Salary, Tuition.
INTRODUCTION
Problem
The cost of physical therapist (PT) graduate education continues to rise every year resulting in higher student financial need. Tuition and fees are a primary factor in the medical students' financial debt at the time of graduation.1-4 The new graduate expects a reasonable salary to repay student...