PT School Deposits and Holding Multiple Acceptances

PT School Deposits and Holding Multiple Acceptances

No DPT program can require a deposit before January 15, 2027 for a 2027 start, and none can require more than $1,500 in total, under ACAPT's admissions traffic rules for entry-level DPT programs. You may hold more than one seat. Every program that admits you can see how many offers you have received and accepted.

Holding seats is not secret, and since 2020 it is not against any rule either. It is a cost question (deposits at the programs below are non-refundable) and a courtesy question, because every seat you hold is a seat an alternate cannot have. If you are still choosing, the guide to choosing between PT school acceptances sets out what to compare first.

Every ACAPT, PTCAS and program page quoted below was checked on November 7, 2026. Your offer letter states the deposit amount and the date that bind you.

The ACAPT traffic rules, verbatim

The American Council of Academic Physical Therapy adopted its rules "on October 2, 2015, and updated on October 16, 2020". The rules for programs say:

"2) Programs cannot require a deposit prior to January 15 of the year of enrollment or January 15 of year prior to enrollment for January and February start programs.

3. Programs must indicate to applicants whether deposits are non-refundable, including those voluntarily paid before the deposit deadline.

4. The maximum, cumulative deposit amount an entry-level PT education program may require accepted applicants to pay as a commitment to enroll is $1,500."

Rule 1 says programs "may begin extending offers of admission on applications deemed complete by the program at any time during the admissions cycle." So an offer can arrive in September, and the deposit still cannot be required until January 15. January 15, 2027 is a Friday.

Who the rules cover. They are "limited to entry-level, Doctor of Physical Therapy education programs in the United States", and they "would exclude early assurance pathways, dual-degree programs, post-professional degree programs, and PTCAS early decision applicants". They "would apply to both PTCAS and non-PTCAS programs".

Paying early is allowed. ACAPT's FAQ for programs answers: "Yes, an applicant may voluntarily submit a deposit prior to January 15." It also says "Programs are discouraged from informing applicants that, while they are not required to deposit prior to January 15, a seat cannot guaranteed [sic] if they wait until that date."

Who enforces them. PTCAS asks you to certify: "I certify that I have read and understand the American Council of Academic Physical Therapy (ACAPT) Admissions Traffic Rules for Applicants." But PTCAS also states the rules "are not a product of APTA or PTCAS, and neither can comment on or enforce them" (PTCAS application prep). ACAPT's own FAQ: "There is no formal compliance or enforcement arm of ACAPT." If a program asks for a deposit before January 15, ACAPT's advice is: "First, we encourage you to contact the program for clarification regarding the rules and your specific situation."

What changed in 2020

ACAPT's FAQ for applicants and its FAQ for programs record a rule diff that changes how to read old advice:

ACAPT gives the reason: a 2019 NACAC decision to remove similar language "in response to concerns about possible violations of antitrust laws. The concerns relate to limiting student choice." What remains is encouragement, not a rule: "Applicants who hold multiple acceptances are especially encouraged to withdraw their application from those programs they are no longer considering attending."

Any page telling you that holding two DPT seats breaks the traffic rules is quoting the pre-2020 text.

What programs can see about your other offers

The PTCAS certification you sign spells it out:

"I acknowledge that a program that makes an offer of acceptance to me will also know the number of offers I have received and accepted at other programs in PTCAS. While the admissions cycle is open, my designated programs will not know the total number of programs I selected on the application or other (non-acceptance) admission decisions made by other programs in PTCAS."

"I acknowledge that if I start classes at a PT program, my other designated programs in which my application is still under consideration will be able to view matriculation status, if reported to PTCAS."

"I acknowledge that in October after the end of the PTCAS admissions cycle, only my designated programs will be able to view to what other programs I applied via PTCAS and the final admission decision reported by each program."

So a program that admits you sees a count of your offers and acceptances, not the program names, while the cycle is open. Names and decisions become visible to your designated programs in October, after the cycle ends.

What three DPT programs charge to hold a seat

Columbia's two installments add up to the ACAPT cap exactly (our arithmetic: $1,000 + $500 = $1,500). Columbia also says decisions are made "no later than November 1st", so its admits wait more than two months between offer and the first payment.

Arizona's page adds a detail that matters for waitlists: "students waitlisted will be offered a place in sequential order according to their interview score." Every seat you release there moves the next name on a ranked list. The PT school waitlist letter guide covers the other side of that line.

How many DPT seats should you hold?

Our view: hold two at most past the first deposit date, and release every other seat the day you know you will not take it. Basis: each deposit in the table above is non-refundable, so a third hold is money you will not get back; programs see your count of accepted offers; and ACAPT's guiding principle names "applicants who hold multiple acceptances, submit multiple deposits" as the problem the rules exist to reduce. Two holds cover the real case: a deposit due at your second choice while your first choice has not answered.

The countercase: if your choice turns on financial aid figures that two or three programs have not sent yet, keeping those seats until the figures arrive is reasonable. Release the rest as soon as the numbers are in.

Run this decision before each deposit date:

1. List every offer with its deposit amount, due date and refund status from the offer letter.
2. Rank them on the factors in the PT acceptances comparison: first-time licensure pass rate, total cost, graduation rate.
3. Pay the deposit at your top offer if its date has come. If a lower-ranked offer's date comes first, pay it only if your top choice has not yet decided.
4. Decline everything ranked below your top deposited seat the same day, in writing.
5. When your top choice admits you, decline the backup seat that day. The deposit is gone either way; the seat is not.

Declining a DPT seat

PTCAS says it "does not share final admissions statuses or decisions with applicants at any time" and that each program "will share any admission status updates with the applicant directly." Decline the same way: write to the program, not to PTCAS. ACAPT's applicant Rule 1 asks each applicant to "comply with the application, acceptance, and admission procedures at each physical therapist education program", so if the offer letter names a form or a portal button, use it and send the email as well.

Constructed example: a DPT decline email

Constructed example, written by us, not a real applicant email. Context (invented): Teague Morrow holds a seat at a program called Thornbury and has accepted elsewhere.

Subject: Declining my offer of admission, DPT Class of 2030, Teague Morrow

Dear Dr. Quarles and the Admissions Committee,

Thank you for offering me a seat in the Thornbury DPT Class of 2030. I have accepted an offer at another program, and I am writing to decline my place so it can go to another applicant.

I understand my deposit is non-refundable. I enjoyed meeting your faculty in October, and the conversation about your pro bono clinic stayed with me.

Please confirm that my offer has been released.

Sincerely, Teague Morrow PTCAS ID 0000000

That email is 94 words, subject line included. It names the class, says the decision once, gives the reason in one clause, and asks for confirmation so you have a record. It does not explain the other program's merits or ask for the deposit back.

OT and pharmacy applicants

ACAPT's rules cover entry-level DPT programs only. The OTCAS applicant responsibilities page states no deposit rule; it asks applicants to "Personally respond immediately to all communication from OTCAS and programs" and to "Contact designated OT programs directly about admission decisions". The PharmCAS deadlines page states that "Deadlines are determined by each participating program, not PharmCAS" and gives no deposit rule. For OT and PharmD seats, the offer letter is the whole rule: read its deposit amount, due date and refund line before you pay.

Applying to SLP or audiology programs instead? The SLP and AuD April 15 deadline explains the CAPCSD rule.

Questions about PT school deposits

Can a PT program make me pay a deposit in December?

Not as a requirement for a 2027 fall start. ACAPT Rule 2 bars required deposits "prior to January 15 of the year of enrollment". You may pay early voluntarily.

Are PT school deposits refundable?

At the three programs above, no. Rule 3 requires every program to tell you "whether deposits are non-refundable".

Is it against the rules to hold two PT school acceptances?

No. The rule that expected applicants to "immediately withdraw" from programs they are no longer considering was eliminated in October 2020. ACAPT still "especially" encourages withdrawing from programs you will not attend.

Will a program know I accepted somewhere else?

It will know the number of offers you have received and accepted in PTCAS, not the names, while the cycle is open. If you start classes, your other programs can see your matriculation status if it is reported to PTCAS.

Review the writing you send next

If a program you prefer has you on its waitlist, your next document is a letter of continued interest; the PT school waitlist letter guide covers when to send one. If the cycle ends without the seat you want, get a free Quick Review of your PTCAS essay against GradPilot's PTCAS essay rubric, which reads whether the essay makes one credible profession-impact claim and supports it with interpreted evidence; start with the PTCAS essay guide.

More PT admissions guides

• How to choose between PT school acceptances: CAPTE's 2025 benchmarks and a comparison sheet.
• PT school waitlist letter of continued interest: when and what to send.
• PTCAS reapplicant personal statement: what to change if you apply again.
• Medical and health school essays: every guide in this hub.

Sources

Retrieved November 7, 2026, except where noted.

• ACAPT, Admissions Traffic Rules for Programs (adopted 2015, updated October 16, 2020): Rules 1 to 4, scope, guiding principles.
• ACAPT, Admissions Traffic Rules for Applicants (updated October 16, 2020): Rule 1.
• ACAPT, FAQ for applicants and FAQ for programs (updated October 2020): 2020 changes, voluntary deposits, enforcement.
• ACAPT, Follow admissions traffic rules (November 6, 2023): links to the current rules.
• APTA, PTCAS application prep (current cycle): certifications on offers, matriculation, October visibility, decisions, traffic rules.
• Columbia University, DPT Admissions (no year stated): deposit schedule, decision date.
• LSU Health New Orleans, DPT Admission Requirements (Class of DPT 2030): seat deposit.
• University of Arizona, Physical Therapy Admissions (no year stated): deposit, waitlist order.
• Liaison, OTCAS Applicant Responsibilities and PharmCAS Participating Programs and Deadlines (no year stated).