For the third year in a row, UCF physical therapy graduates have achieved a 100% pass rate on their first attempt on the National Physical Therapy Examination. That makes UCF one of only 15 programs in the nation to achieve such outstanding exam performance in back-to-back years, putting the UCF program among the top 6% in the nation for grad exam performance.
The UCF DPT program has achieved a 100% ultimate pass rate each year in its 12-year-history as a program— with eight of the these cohorts achieving a 100% pass rate on their first try. This 100% first-attempt pass rate achievement includes six out of the last seven cohorts. Over that time span, only one of the fifteen DPT programs in Florida has met this mark just three times, making UCF by far the most successful in this metric in the state of Florida.
“We are so proud of the class of 2021 for joining the classes of 2020 and 2019 in this major achievement,” says Patrick Pabian, division chair and program director of the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program. “I wish the exam agency tracked this measure of student excellence beyond two years, because now with UCF on year three, I know we are setting a very high record to break.”
Pabian says it is the students’ dedication to being excellent clinicians, coupled with the expertise of the UCF DPT faculty who prepare them not only to be successful on the licensure exam, but also empower students to be science-informed physical therapists who are dedicated to excellence in all facets of patient care.
“The students in our Doctor of Physical Therapy program represent the best and brightest that the nation has to offer,” says Jeffrey Stout, founding director of the School of Kinesiology and Physical Therapy. “We are so proud of what they have achieved thus far and know this is only the beginning of their achievements.”
