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2024 Best Physical Therapy/Therapist Schools in California

17 Colleges in California
1,759 Physical Therapy Degrees Awarded
Ranked #55 in popularity, physical therapy/therapist is one of the most sought-after degree programs in the nation. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 17 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Physical Therapy/Therapist Schools in California ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 1,759 degrees in physical therapy/therapist to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Physical Therapy/Therapist School

Best Physical Therapy/Therapist Schools in California Your choice of physical therapy/therapist school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. For our Best Overall Physical Therapy/Therapist School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Pick Your Physical Therapy/Therapist Degree Level

Master's Degrees in Physical Therapy
Doctor's Degrees in Physical Therapy

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Physical Therapy/Therapist Schools in California ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.

Best Schools for Physical Therapy/Therapist in California

Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the physical therapy degree levels they offer.

10 Top California Schools in Physical Therapy

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In CA
142 Physical Therapy Degrees Awarded

University of Southern California is a good decision for students pursuing a degree in physical therapy/therapist. USC is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Los Angeles. A Best Colleges rank of #11 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means USC is a great university overall.

There were roughly 142 physical therapy/therapist students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in physical therapy/therapist from University of Southern California

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In CA
835 Physical Therapy Degrees Awarded

Every student who is interested in physical therapy/therapist has to take a look at University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences. USAHS is a moderately-sized private for-profit university located in the suburb of San Marcos.

There were approximately 835 physical therapy/therapist students who graduated with this degree at USAHS in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in physical therapy/therapist from University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
9th Most Popular In CA
48 Physical Therapy Degrees Awarded

Samuel Merritt University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in physical therapy/therapist. Located in the city of Oakland, Samuel Merritt University is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.

There were roughly 48 physical therapy/therapist students who graduated with this degree at Samuel Merritt University in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in physical therapy/therapist from Samuel Merritt University

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
10th Most Popular In CA
40 Physical Therapy Degrees Awarded

It's hard to beat West Coast University-Center for Graduate Studies if you wish to pursue a degree in physical therapy/therapist. West Coast University-Center for Graduate Studies is a fairly small private for-profit university located in the large city of Los Angeles.

There were approximately 40 physical therapy/therapist students who graduated with this degree at West Coast University-Center for Graduate Studies in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in physical therapy/therapist from West Coast University-Center for Graduate Studies

5
Loma Linda University crest
Loma Linda University
Loma Linda, CA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In CA
137 Physical Therapy Degrees Awarded

Located in the large suburb of Loma Linda, Loma Linda University is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.

There were roughly 137 physical therapy/therapist students who graduated with this degree at Loma Linda University in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in physical therapy/therapist from Loma Linda University

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
7th Most Popular In CA
54 Physical Therapy Degrees Awarded

Located in the suburb of Pomona, Western University of Health Sciences is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.

There were about 54 physical therapy/therapist students who graduated with this degree at Western University of Health Sciences in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in physical therapy/therapist from Western University of Health Sciences

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
5th Most Popular In CA
71 Physical Therapy Degrees Awarded

Located in the city of San Francisco, UCSF is a public university with a small student population.

There were roughly 71 physical therapy/therapist students who graduated with this degree at UCSF in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in physical therapy/therapist from University of California - San Francisco

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
12th Most Popular In CA
37 Physical Therapy Degrees Awarded

Pacific is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Stockton. This university ranks 40th out of 168 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were roughly 37 physical therapy/therapist students who graduated with this degree at Pacific in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in physical therapy/therapist from University of the Pacific

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
4th Most Popular In CA
82 Physical Therapy Degrees Awarded

Chapman is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Orange. A Best Colleges rank of #191 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Chapman is a great university overall.

There were roughly 82 physical therapy/therapist students who graduated with this degree at Chapman in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in physical therapy/therapist from Chapman University

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
11th Most Popular In CA
39 Physical Therapy Degrees Awarded

SDSU is a fairly large public university located in the large city of San Diego. A Best Colleges rank of #141 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means SDSU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 39 physical therapy/therapist students who graduated with this degree at SDSU in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in physical therapy/therapist from San Diego State University

Best Physical Therapy/Therapist Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Physical Therapy/Therapist Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Washington 831 131
Oregon 587 94
Nevada 354 83

View All Rankings >

One of 16 majors within the Rehabilitation & Therapeutic Professions area of study, Physical Therapy/Therapist has other similar majors worth exploring.

Majors Similar to Physical Therapy

Related Major Annual Graduates
Occupational Therapy 1,178
Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling 141
Therapeutic Recreation/Recreational Therapy 27
Rehabilitation Science 18
Music Therapy 17
Orthotist/Prosthetist 17
Art Therapy 1

View All Physical Therapy Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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