This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Data sourced from official university Cost of Attendance publications and federal legislation (Public Law 119-21, Title VIII, Sec. 81001).
By The DPTSchoolLoans Data Team | Updated March 2026
The most expensive DPT program in America is Anderson University at $375,699 total cost of attendance. Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans cap at $20,500 per year for graduate students, covering just $61,500 of that bill. The remaining $314,199 must come from private loans, personal savings, or family contributions. That single funding gap exceeds the median U.S. home price.
Which DPT programs cost the most in 2026?
We analyzed 206 DPT programs across 151 institutions using published Cost of Attendance (COA) data. Every single program exceeds the federal loan cap. Not 95%. Not 99%. All 206.
The range is wide. The least expensive DPT program clocks in at $69,789 total. The most expensive is more than five times that amount. The median sits at $156,060, which means half of all DPT programs cost more than $156,000 before you earn a cent as a licensed physical therapist.
Here are the 20 most expensive DPT programs by total cost of attendance:
| Rank | Institution | Status | Annual COA | Tuition | Living Expenses | Total Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anderson University | Full-Time | $125,233 | $100,170 | $23,263 | $375,699 |
| 2 | University of Southern California | Full-Time | $115,963 | $86,125 | $28,044 | $347,889 |
| 3 | Franklin Pierce University | Full-Time | $99,860 | $57,408 | $41,128 | $299,580 |
| 4 | University of Arizona | Out-of-State | $93,590 | $58,550 | $35,040 | $280,770 |
| 5 | Boston University | Full-Time | $90,734 | $69,870 | $19,862 | $272,202 |
| 6 | Saint Joseph's University | Full-Time | $86,696 | $52,654 | $23,263 | $260,088 |
| 7 | Mount Saint Mary's University | Full-Time | $83,894 | $58,080 | $23,263 | $251,682 |
| 8 | University of Maryland Eastern Shore | Out-of-State | $38,017 | $12,726 | $23,263 | $250,912 |
| 9 | Western University of Health Sciences | Full-Time | $83,363 | $51,816 | $31,312 | $250,089 |
| 10 | Northeastern University | Full-Time | $81,466 | $57,408 | $23,700 | $244,398 |
| 11 | Concordia University Ann Arbor | Full-Time | $81,049 | $68,175 | $12,800 | $243,147 |
| 12 | University of Oklahoma HSC | Out-of-State | $80,245 | $45,229 | $35,016 | $240,735 |
| 13 | William Carey University | Full-Time | $80,058 | $36,501 | $43,557 | $240,174 |
| 14 | Northwestern University | Full-Time | $89,639 | $56,367 | $32,736 | $239,336 |
| 15 | Baylor University | Online | $79,408 | $58,500 | $20,608 | $238,224 |
| 16 | Midwestern University-Downers Grove | Full-Time | $79,038 | $50,975 | $27,000 | $237,114 |
| 17 | Columbia University | Full-Time | $78,395 | $41,741 | $29,380 | $235,185 |
| 18 | University of Kentucky | Out-of-State | $77,506 | $50,638 | $26,868 | $232,518 |
| 19 | Medical University of South Carolina | Out-of-State | $75,755 | $40,791 | $33,264 | $227,265 |
| 20 | Elon University | Full-Time | $75,410 | $51,932 | $23,263 | $226,230 |
A few patterns jump out. Anderson University's $100,170 annual tuition is in a category of its own, nearly $14,000 more per year than the second-place USC program. But tuition alone doesn't tell the full story. Franklin Pierce University ranks third overall despite relatively moderate tuition ($57,408) because its $41,128 living expense estimate pushes the total COA to nearly $300,000. William Carey University follows a similar pattern: $36,501 in tuition paired with $43,557 in living expenses.
Out-of-state students face a particular penalty. Four of the top 20 are out-of-state price tags at public universities that would cost significantly less for residents.
📊 Your Funding Gap Is your DPT program on this list? Calculate your exact funding gap → Calculate Your Gap →
How does the $20,500 federal cap affect these programs?
Under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), graduate students in non-professional programs are limited to $20,500 per year in federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans. DPT programs are classified as graduate, not professional, under federal financial aid rules. This distinction matters enormously.
Before the OBBBA, Grad PLUS loans filled the difference between federal Direct loans and the full cost of attendance. That safety net is gone. The $20,500 annual cap is now a hard ceiling.
For a typical three-year DPT program, that translates to $61,500 in total federal borrowing. The average DPT program costs $161,354 total. Simple subtraction: the average student faces a gap of roughly $100,000 that federal loans will not cover.
At the top of the list, the math is devastating. Anderson University students can borrow $61,500 from the federal government toward a $375,699 degree. Federal loans cover 16.4% of the total cost. The other 83.6% must come from somewhere else. The largest DPT funding gaps show how that shortfall stacks up across all 206 programs.
Even at the 20th most expensive program on our list, Elon University at $226,230, federal loans cover just 27.2% of total costs.
The annual picture is just as stark. The mean annual cost of attendance across all 206 DPT programs is $54,147. The federal cap is $20,500. That leaves a mean annual gap of $33,647 every year you're in the program.
What's the total funding gap at the most expensive DPT schools?
The funding gap is the difference between what a program costs and what federal student loans will cover. For DPT students, this number should be the first thing you calculate before committing to any program.
| Rank | Institution | Total Cost | Federal Loans (3 yr) | Total Funding Gap | Annual Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anderson University | $375,699 | $61,500 | $314,199 | $104,733 |
| 2 | University of Southern California | $347,889 | $61,500 | $286,389 | $95,463 |
| 3 | Franklin Pierce University | $299,580 | $61,500 | $238,080 | $79,360 |
| 4 | University of Arizona (OOS) | $280,770 | $61,500 | $219,270 | $73,090 |
| 5 | Boston University | $272,202 | $61,500 | $210,702 | $70,234 |
| 6 | Saint Joseph's University | $260,088 | $61,500 | $198,588 | $66,196 |
| 7 | Mount Saint Mary's University | $251,682 | $61,500 | $190,182 | $63,394 |
| 8 | Western University of Health Sciences | $250,089 | $61,500 | $188,589 | $62,863 |
| 9 | Northeastern University | $244,398 | $61,500 | $182,898 | $60,966 |
| 10 | Concordia University Ann Arbor | $243,147 | $61,500 | $181,647 | $60,549 |
| 11 | University of Oklahoma HSC (OOS) | $240,735 | $61,500 | $179,235 | $59,745 |
| 12 | William Carey University | $240,174 | $61,500 | $178,674 | $59,558 |
| 13 | Northwestern University | $239,336 | $54,735 | $184,601 | $69,139 |
| 14 | Baylor University | $238,224 | $61,500 | $176,724 | $58,908 |
| 15 | Midwestern University-Downers Grove | $237,114 | $61,500 | $175,614 | $58,538 |
| 16 | Columbia University | $235,185 | $61,500 | $173,685 | $57,895 |
| 17 | University of Kentucky (OOS) | $232,518 | $61,500 | $171,018 | $57,006 |
| 18 | Medical University of South Carolina (OOS) | $227,265 | $61,500 | $165,765 | $55,255 |
| 19 | Elon University | $226,230 | $61,500 | $164,730 | $54,910 |
Note: Northwestern's federal loan total reflects its 2.67-year program length ($20,500 × 2.67 = $54,735). All other programs listed are 3 years.
The median total funding gap across all 206 DPT programs is $94,560 (median total cost of $156,060 minus $61,500 in federal loans). That's nearly six figures in financing you need to secure on your own for a median program, not an outlier.
At Anderson University, the annual gap alone is $104,733. That means every single year, a student must find over $100,000 beyond what federal aid provides. Over three years, the $314,199 gap is larger than many Americans' mortgages.
The aggregate federal loan limit of $100,000 and lifetime limit of $257,500 are technically irrelevant for most DPT students. You'll hit the annual cap of $20,500 long before you approach these higher limits during a three-year program.
Are expensive programs worth the cost?
This is where the debt-to-income math becomes uncomfortable.
Physical therapists in the United States start at approximately $80,000 to $90,000 per year. That's a solid salary by most standards. But stack it against six-figure debt and the picture changes.
A graduate of Anderson University carrying $314,199 in private loan debt (assuming zero savings and no family help) faces a debt-to-income ratio of roughly 3.5:1 against an $90,000 starting salary. Even graduates of the median DPT program, carrying about $95,000 in gap financing on top of $61,500 in federal loans, are looking at total debt around $156,000. That's a debt-to-income ratio approaching 2:1 at best.
For comparison, medical students borrow more in absolute terms but earn starting salaries of $250,000 or more in many specialties. Their debt-to-income ratio often lands below 1:1. DPT graduates face among the worst ratios in allied health.
The question isn't whether physical therapy is a rewarding career. It is. The question is whether a $375,699 version of that career produces meaningfully better outcomes than a $100,000 version. Our DPT ROI analysis digs into the debt-to-income ratios at every price point. Program prestige, clinical placement networks, board pass rates, and geographic job markets all matter. But $275,000 worth of "better"? That's a hard case to make with salary data alone.
Some key questions to ask before committing:
- Board pass rates: Does the expensive program produce first-time NPTE pass rates significantly above the national average?
- Clinical placements: Will the program connect you with clinical sites in your target geography and specialty?
- Residency vs. program cost: Could attending a less expensive program and funding a clinical residency afterward achieve the same career outcome?
- In-state options: If you're considering an out-of-state public university, have you exhausted in-state alternatives?
What options do DPT students have for covering the gap?
With 100% of DPT programs producing a funding gap, every incoming PT student needs a plan. Here are the primary paths, listed roughly from least to most costly.
Savings and family contributions. The most affordable dollar is one you don't borrow. Even $20,000 in savings reduces lifetime interest costs significantly on a 10- or 20-year repayment timeline.
Employer sponsorship and tuition assistance. Some health systems offer tuition assistance for employees pursuing clinical doctorates. These programs are competitive and often require a service commitment, but they directly reduce the gap without interest.
Scholarships and assistantships. DPT programs offer limited funding compared to PhD programs, but scholarships exist. Program-specific aid, APTA scholarships, and state PT association awards can chip away at costs. Even $5,000 per year reduces your total gap by $15,000.
Private student loans. For most DPT students, private loans will cover the bulk of the gap. These loans carry variable or fixed interest rates that typically exceed federal rates. They lack income-driven repayment options and the forgiveness pathways available on federal loans. Comparison shopping across multiple lenders is essential.
Income during the program. DPT programs are intensive, and most are full-time. Working significant hours is difficult. Some students earn modest income through tutoring, research assistant positions, or weekend work. This can offset living expenses but rarely makes a dent in tuition.
The reality for students at the most expensive programs: private loans will likely form the backbone of your financing plan. Understanding the interest rate, repayment terms, and total repayment cost of those loans before you enroll is not optional. It's the difference between a manageable career and a financial burden that lasts decades.
Across all 7,191 graduate programs in the national dataset, 95.2% produce a funding gap under current federal lending rules. DPT is one of the few fields where the rate is 100%. No DPT student escapes this math.
📊 Your Funding Gap Find your program's cost and gap in seconds → Calculate Your Gap →
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most expensive DPT program in America?
Anderson University's Physical Therapy (DPT) program is the most expensive in 2026, with a total cost of attendance of $375,699 over three years. Annual tuition alone is $100,170, with an additional $1,800 in mandatory fees and $23,263 in estimated living expenses per year.
How much do DPT students need in private loans?
It depends on the program, but the median DPT program costs $156,060 total. After subtracting $61,500 in federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans (the maximum over three years at $20,500/year), the median student faces a gap of approximately $94,560. At the most expensive programs, that gap exceeds $300,000. Use our calculator to find the exact gap for your specific program.
Does the federal cap apply to all DPT students?
Yes. DPT programs are classified as graduate (not professional) under federal financial aid rules, which means the $20,500 annual cap on Direct Unsubsidized Loans applies to every DPT student regardless of institution, residency status, or program format. The OBBBA legislation eliminated Grad PLUS loans, which previously allowed graduate students to borrow up to the full cost of attendance. That option no longer exists for DPT students entering programs in 2026 and beyond.