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2023 Best Physical Therapy/Therapist Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in California

16 Ranked Colleges
1,758 Degrees Awarded
$32,800 Avg Cost*
Most Veteran Friendly in California for Physical Therapy for a Doctorate

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for veterans. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Most Veteran Friendly in California for Physical Therapy for a Doctorate” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

Physical Therapy/Therapist is the 55th most popular major in the country with 13,655 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.

Across California, there were 1,759 physical therapy/therapist graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in California for Physical Therapy for a Doctorate” ranking looked at 16 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in physical therapy/therapist. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent physical therapy/therapist programs, but they also offer a lot of support to veterans and active service members.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the physical therapy/therapist program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran population. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Most Veteran Friendly in California for Physical Therapy for a Doctorate” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Most Veteran Friendly in California for Physical Therapy for a Doctorate

The colleges and universities below are the best for california doctor’s degree vets studying physical therapy.

Top 16 Best Physical Therapy/Therapist Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in California

1
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Southern California. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Physical Therapy for a Doctorate list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 141 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s physical therapy students in 2020-2021.

USC also took the #1 spot in our “Best Physical Therapy/Therapist Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.According to our most recent data, University of Southern California supports 46,287 students, and 1,311 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 862 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $20,487. In addition to receiving other benefits, 388 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.

Full USC Veteran Student Life Report

2
SDSU crest
San Diego State University
San Diego, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend San Diego State University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Physical Therapy for a Doctorate list. Located in San Diego, California, this large public school handed out 39 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s physical therapy students in 2020-2021.

SDSU also made our “Best Physical Therapy/Therapist Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #10.Of the 36,334 students enrolled at SDSU, 1,433 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 853 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,806. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. SDSU does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at San Diego State University]](/colleges/san-diego-state-university/student-life/veterans/)

3

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Long Beach. The school came in at #3 for the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Physical Therapy for a Doctorate. This large school is located in Long Beach, California, and it awarded 33 doctorate’s physical therapy degrees in 2020-2021.

CSULB also made our “Best Physical Therapy/Therapist Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #14.According to our most recent data, CSULB supports 40,069 students, and 822 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 310 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $3,845. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. CSULB offers credit for military training for eligible students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read More…

4
SFSU crest
San Francisco State University
San Francisco, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend San Francisco State University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Physical Therapy for a Doctorate list. Located in San Francisco, California, this large public school awarded 71 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s physical therapy students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california doctor’s degree vets studying physical therapy list, SFSU has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Physical Therapy/Therapist Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.According to our most recent data, SFSU supports 27,349 students, and 950 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 536 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $5,581. During this same period, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at SFSU]](/colleges/san-francisco-state-university/student-life/veterans/)

5

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Northridge. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Physical Therapy for a Doctorate list. CSUN is a large school located in Northridge, California that handed out 29 doctorate’s physical therapy degrees in 2020-2021.

CSUN did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Physical Therapy/Therapist Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list.Our most recent data shows that 680 of the 40,381 students enrolled at CSUN were GI Bill® students, of which 336 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,745. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. CSUN offers credit for military training for eligible students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read More…

6

With a ranking of #6, University of California - San Francisco did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Physical Therapy for a Doctorate list. San Francisco, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s physical therapy degrees to 71 students in 2020-2021.

UCSF also took the #5 spot in our “Best Physical Therapy/Therapist Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 44 of the 3,201 students enrolled at University of California - San Francisco were GI Bill® students, of which 29 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $27,260. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Full UCSF Veteran Student Life Report

7
Samuel Merritt University crest
Samuel Merritt University
Oakland, California

With a ranking of #7, Samuel Merritt University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Physical Therapy for a Doctorate list. Samuel Merritt University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Oakland, California. It awarded 48 doctorate’s physical therapy degrees in 2020-2021.

Samuel Merritt University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Physical Therapy/Therapist Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list.According to our most recent data, Samuel Merritt University supports 2,050 students, and 44 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 23 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $18,284. During this same period, 12 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Samuel Merritt University]](/colleges/samuel-merritt-university/student-life/veterans/)

8
MSMU crest
Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, California

Mount Saint Mary’s University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Physical Therapy for a Doctorate ranking. MSMU is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 27 doctorate’s physical therapy degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our california doctor’s degree vets studying physical therapy list, MSMU has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Physical Therapy/Therapist Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Among the 2,745 students enrolled at Mount Saint Mary’s University, 12 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 6 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $8,275. During this same period, 4 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full Mount Saint Mary’s University Veteran Student Life Report

9

California State University - Sacramento landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Physical Therapy for a Doctorate ranking. Sac State is a large school located in Sacramento, California that handed out 31 doctorate’s physical therapy degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california doctor’s degree vets studying physical therapy list, Sac State has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best Physical Therapy/Therapist Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.According to our most recent data, California State University - Sacramento supports 32,293 students, and 34 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 23 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,555. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Sac State Veteran Student Life Report

10
Azusa Pacific crest
Azusa Pacific University
Azusa, California

Azusa Pacific University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Physical Therapy for a Doctorate ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Azusa, California, and it awarded 52 doctorate’s physical therapy degrees in 2020-2021.

Azusa Pacific also made our “Best Physical Therapy/Therapist Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #11.Of the 9,006 students enrolled at Azusa Pacific, 58 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 44 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $5,529. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Azusa Pacific]](/colleges/azusa-pacific-university/student-life/veterans/)

11
Pacific crest
University of the Pacific
Stockton, California

With a ranking of #11, University of the Pacific did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Physical Therapy for a Doctorate list. Pacific is a medium-sized school located in Stockton, California that handed out 37 doctorate’s physical therapy degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Pacific, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Physical Therapy/Therapist Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 10 of the 6,263 students enrolled at Pacific were GI Bill® students, of which 8 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $21,238. To help with additional expenses, 5 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Pacific offers credit for military training for eligible students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full University of the Pacific Veteran Student Life Report

12

California State University - Fresno did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Physical Therapy for a Doctorate ranking, coming in at #12. California State University - Fresno is a large public school situated in Fresno, California. It awarded 31 doctorate’s physical therapy degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Fresno State, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best Physical Therapy/Therapist Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.According to our most recent data, Fresno State supports 25,497 students, and 471 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 211 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $3,324. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read More…

13
Chapman crest
Chapman University
Orange, California

Chapman University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Physical Therapy for a Doctorate ranking, coming in at #13. Chapman University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Orange, California. It awarded 82 doctorate’s physical therapy degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california doctor’s degree vets studying physical therapy list, Chapman has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Physical Therapy/Therapist Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Of the 9,761 students enrolled at Chapman University, 1 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $0. During this same period, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Chapman University does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Chapman University]](/colleges/chapman-university/student-life/veterans/)

14

With a ranking of #14, University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Physical Therapy for a Doctorate list. University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences is located in San Marcos, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 835 doctorate’s physical therapy degrees to qualified students.

USAHS also took the #3 spot in our “Best Physical Therapy/Therapist Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Of the 4,711 students enrolled at University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences, 31 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 20 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $17,427. On top of their other funding sources, 9 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

[Read full report on veteran student life at University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences]](/colleges/university-of-st-augustine-for-health-sciences/student-life/veterans/)

15

Western University of Health Sciences ranked #15 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in California for Physical Therapy for a Doctorate list. Located in Pomona, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 54 degrees to qualified doctorate’s physical therapy students in 2020-2021.

Western University of Health Sciences also made our “Best Physical Therapy/Therapist Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #7.Our most recent data shows that 46 of the 3,813 students enrolled at Western University of Health Sciences were GI Bill® students, of which 26 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $20,467. In addition to receiving other benefits, 15 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Western University of Health Sciences]](/colleges/western-university-of-health-sciences/student-life/veterans/)

16
Loma Linda University crest
Loma Linda University
Loma Linda, California

Loma Linda University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Physical Therapy for a Doctorate ranking. Loma Linda University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Loma Linda, California. It awarded 137 doctorate’s physical therapy degrees in 2020-2021.

Loma Linda University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Physical Therapy/Therapist Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list.According to our most recent data, Loma Linda University supports 4,468 students, and 1 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 0 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $0. During this same period, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Full Loma Linda University Veteran Student Life Report

Notes and References

References

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