Setting a Realistic Tuition for Physical Therapist Education Programs Based on Expected Income: A Survey of Physical Therapy Directors

Journal of Physical Therapy Education, Fall 2004 by Redman-Bentley, Donna

Other sources that routinely survey PTs and publish data on salaries include the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) and ADVANCE for Physical Therapists and PT Assistants.13,14 The latest PT salary report published ADVANCE was in 2002 and the most recent report published by APTA was in 2001. The surveys conducted by APTA and ADVANCE analyze the data by a variety of characteristics including gender, position, employment setting, years of experience, region, education, and specialty certification. The median salary reported by APTA is $52,000, based on 2,644 respondents.13 ADVANCE records salary ranges and indicates the top two ranges for the highest percentage of respondents in each category. Combining the top two ranges, the average PT salary range for 62% of the 835 respondents is $41,000 to $60,000.14

Most of the surveys conducted report only PT salaries. PayScale also provides a complete personal report for a fee that includes information on benefits such as vacation, sick leave, 401(k) plan, insurance, paid overtime, etc.12 The new graduate and prospective students should take into consideration benefits as well as salary when determining the cost of education versus potential earnings.

Purpose of Study

The Western University of Health Sciences Department of Physical Therapy Education, in collaboration with the university's Office of Strategic Planning and Institutional Effectiveness (OSPIE), developed a Physical Therapy Employer Survey to obtain current information on new graduate salaries and projected future salaries. The survey results also provide prospective DPT students with information regarding salaries and employee benefits immediately upon graduation as well as after work experience is gained. In addition, data from the Financial Aid Office was collected for PT students who graduated between 2001 and 2003. This data includes the PT student's financial need and debt at time of graduation for each class.

The major premise for conducting the PT salary survey is based on the assumption that high tuition adds to student debt upon graduation and that debts may be difficult to repay if earned income is low. Therefore, reducing tuition or maintaining a reasonable level will reduce the total student debt at the end of the program. An assumption is made, but not tested at this time, that if students do not expect to receive an income immediately upon graduation and over the next 10-15 years that will allow them to comfortably repay student loans, they may consider tuition as a major factor in deciding which program to attend.

Research Hypotheses

Six hypotheses were considered in this study:

1. Starting salaries vary by urban versus rural settings.

2. Starting salaries vary by type of clinical setting. 3. The new PT will reach a cap in salary after 10-15 years of clinical practice.

4. The staiting salary for a new graduate from a DPT program will he the same as the starting salary for a graduate of an MPT program.

5. No preference will be given toward hiring a graduate from a DPT program versus a graduate from an MPT program.