Accepted Applicants Information and Checklist

• Attend an Open House for accepted applicants: 
  • Tuesday before Thanksgiving break, 11/21/23, from 9:45-12:15
  • First Friday in January, 1/5/24, from 9:00-2:45
• Or, view an information session – Get a feel for us! Attend our prerecorded information sessions for program information, a tour, and student experiences.
• Notify us of your intent to enroll by noon (central time) of your deadline date.

Later,

• Pay your non-refundable enrollment deposit to secure your spot in the program. Follow the instructions in your email offer of acceptance or look for the subject line “UIC DPT – Intent to Enroll and Deposit”
• Make sure UIC is your only accepted offer – Formally decline any other offers by Feb 15, or UIC DPT reserves the right to seek other candidates to fill your slot.
• Follow the Road to Registration Checklist outlined below

• Mandatory New Student Orientation: tentatively Friday, Aug 23, 2024
  
• First day of classes: Monday, August 26, 2024
• Review the UIC academic calendar with exceptions noted  in years one, two and three here
• Know what to expect

• Activate your UIC email account using instructions emailed from UIC Graduate and Professional Admissions;  Subject: UIC Admissions – Your Fall Application Decision Follow-Up. Your UIC email will be part of your Class email listserv — to be initiated by early March. If you’re not able to access your UIC account after following the instructions above, please contact the help desk (https://go.uic.edu/ask-an-IT-question or by calling 312-413-0003)
• Like the Department of Physical Therapy Facebook page
• Join the Class Facebook group (You or a classmate may create one after the email listserv is in place)
  
• Check-out Inside AHS, the online community for and by AHS students, faculty and staff
• Meet our faculty and staff
• Explore our labs and Health Innovations
• Have a question for a current student? Contact Erin Fagan  with your question so she can connect you

UIC does not offer scholarships to incoming students. Continuing students may apply for merit- and need-based scholarships ranging from $200-$1,000. Here are some scholarships offered outside UIC:

If you’re interested in financial aid, we encourage you to submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). UIC award letters are available on a first-come, first-served basis each spring — email GRADFinAid for more information.

International students are not eligible for federal student financial aid.

While some students work a few hours a week, the DPT program is rigorous and functions as a primary, full-time job in that it requires much of your time and dedication.  At the end of the first year, students may apply for a very limited number of part-time jobs within the department.

While the majority of our DPT students live in one of Chicago’s great neighborhoods, some commute from the suburbs, and a few live in UIC graduate housing. About a third of our students live with other DPT students. No matter where you live, you can take advantage of Chicago’s robust public transportation system with your CTA U-Pass.

You will receive an email this month regarding important information and deadlines for health requirements for the DPT program, but you can get started with your blood tests before getting that email. These are department-specific requirements for clinical experiences and are IN ADDITION TO the Med Proctor health requirements for UIC overall.

 To Do:

• Complete any outstanding prerequisites.
• Start thinking about housing plans.
• Review the health, certification, and documentation requirements. If you are planning to be away for the summer, or your current loans require you to be registered for classes, begin this right away!

There are a number of blood tests, certifications, background checks, and drug tests that are required before you can register for classes.

UIC, and our clinical sites, require lab results from blood tests, called “titers” which are vastly different than immunization records.

You will become familiar with a service called CastleBranch to verify your records, but you can get your lab tests/titers – before using CastleBranch – with the information below. Our current students learned the hard way, and they recommend you get started now!

To Do:

• Get your titers before Apr. 30 for IgG antibodies that prove your immunity to Hepatitis B (HepB surface antibody), Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR) and Varicella (Chicken Pox). Some students visit their doctor/clinic, while others order these blood tests online and go directly to a lab.
• Begin your vaccination series if needed, as recommended by your doctor/clinic. For those requiring multiple vaccinations, know that they may need to be taken a month or more apart. NOTE: Given many of prior year’s classes tested not immune to HepB (despite being vaccinated years ago), see if you can skip the initial HepB titer and just start the vaccine series again. Also, typical HepB vaccinations (Engerix) are 3-shots over 6 months, but a shorter series called Heplisav that is 2-shots over 2 months may be available.
• Provide proof of a current Adult Tdap (Tetanus/Diptheria/Pertussis) vaccination. (no titer for this)
• SCHEDULE your two courses for certification in Basic Life Saving (BLS) skills for healthcare professionals (must be from American Heart Association), and in First Aid, but note that BLS CPR courses for healthcare professionals are different than those for the general public.
  • Complete the AHA BLS skills sessions between April 1 and July 15. BLS certifications must be renewed every two years while you are in the program, and this timing fits with your future clinical education experiences.
  • Complete the First Aid skills session anytime before Aug 1. First Aid renewal is not needed. Either AHA or Red Cross is acceptable for First Aid.
• Register and complete your profile for CastleBranch as directed in the email that came to your UIC.edu email account.
• Upload your titer lab results to CastleBranch, whether positive or negative.
• Begin your other health tests and documentation requirements.
• Get your TB test between April 1 and Jun 10. TB tests must be renewed every year while you are in the program, and this timing fits with your future clinical education experiences.
• When you have completed your prerequisites and/or bachelor degree, request your official transcript(s) be sent to Erin Fagan at efagan@uic.edu. Please refer to the checklist of outstanding course requirements sent with your offer of admission to see if you need to send transcripts. (Only if your school doesn’t issue electronic transcripts, you may request official paper transcripts be sent to: UIC Dept of Physical Therapy – Attn: Erin Fagan, 1919 W. Taylor, 4^th Fl (MC 898) Chicago, IL 60612)

If your titers are negative and do not indicate immunity (this happens a lot!), you will need to get a series of vaccinations, and then repeat titers. This can take months to complete – especially if you need multiple boosters!

To Do:

• If you require the Hepatitis B vaccine, or you haven’t gotten your HepB titer, get your first shot of the 2 or 3-shot series this month. Note, typical HepB vaccinations (Engerix) are 3-shots over 6 months, but a shorter series, called Heplisav, that is 2-shots over 2 months, may be available.
  
• Continue your vaccination series as needed in consultation with your doctor. Boosters need to be complete by Jun 5.
• Continue completing your health, drug test, background check, certifications and documentation requirements. Upload them to CastleBranch.
• Plan ahead – this is a very busy time for CastleBranch, and the verification process can take up to 14 days.
• Register and complete your profile on Exxat as directed in the email that came to your UIC.edu email address. Upload documentation as directed.
• When you have completed your prerequisites and/or bachelor degree, request your official transcript(s) be sent to Erin Fagan at efagan@uic.edu. Please refer to the checklist of outstanding course requirements sent with your offer of admission to see if you need to send transcripts. (Only if your school doesn’t issue electronic transcripts, you may request official paper transcripts be sent to: UIC Dept of Physical Therapy – Attn: Erin Fagan, 1919 W. Taylor, 4^th Fl (MC 898) Chicago, IL 60612.)

ALL of your documentation must be completed on both CastleBranch and Exxat before you are able to register. Allow 2-4 weeks for drug test and background check results to arrive. Also, learn from prior students who submitted incomplete documentation, which got rejected, and provide time to get things corrected.

The deadline is Aug. 1. This includes:

• Transcripts received for any outstanding prerequisite courses and/or bachelor degree. (Please refer  to the checklist of outstanding course requirements sent with your offer of admission to see if you need to send transcripts.)
• Background Check (CastleBranch only)
• Drug Test (CastleBranch only)
• AHA or Red Cross BLS CPR for HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS certificate
• AHA Heartsaver or Red Cross First Aid certificate
• Lab results of positive titers showing antibodies to MMR, Varicella, and Hepatitis B (or at least 2-shots of HepB vaccination series)
• Adult Tdap immunization
• 2-step TB, or Quantiferon Gold TB test results
• COVID vaccination and boosters
• Signature on Consent to Release Education Records, Honor Code Policy, Notice of Training And Licensure Requirements, and PT Technical Standards (Castle Branch only)
• Signature on p50-51 of UIH Orientation Handbook (Exxat only)
• DPT Student Handbook Acknowledgement (Exaat only)
• Government Photo ID (Exxat only)
• DPT fee payment

Failure to complete these health and documentation requirements by the deadline will limit your ability to participate in clinical education experiences. Part-time experiences begin in your first year!

Phew!  When everything has been submitted and processed, you will be able to register for classes. Rest assured, since your whole class takes the same fall courses, there is a seat for everyone.