Foreign-Trained Applicants

List of Approved Credentialing Entities     FOREIGN-TRAINED FAQS

Foreign-trained applicants must submit the following items IN ADDITION TO the general requirements for licensure by exam or licensure by endorsement.

Required Items

1. Educational Evaluation – You must have your entry-level PT degree evaluated by a board-approved credentialing agency. The credentialer will report to the Board whether your degree is substantially equivalent to an entry-level degree in physical therapy granted by programs in the U.S., and whether you meet other specific requirements established by rule.   If your education is lacking evidence of coursework required by the Board, you will have to take those courses before you can be licensed.

   EXCEPTION:  A degree from a foreign CAPTE-accredited PT program exempts you from the evaluation requirement. However, applicants from CAPTE-accredited programs must have a transcript and a Letter of Completion sent by the school directly to the Board.

   
   NOTE:  Many US Masters and DPT programs are not entry-level programs.  Only graduation from an accredited entry-level PT program eliminates your foreign-trained status.  Check with the school to determine whether the program is entry-level and accredited.

2. Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) – All foreign-trained applicants must make these minimum scores, except for the applicants who meet one of the three exceptions listed below. We will not accept a Visascreen Certificate as proof of passing the TOEFL tests.  We do not accept other English proficiency tests.

– Internet-based (ibt): Writing 22; Speaking 24; Reading 22; Listening 21.

**If you took the test more than two years ago, the Board will accept certified copies of your scores from your credentialer, another licensing board, the company that did your Visa Screen or US University.

**The Board will accept more than one score report if it took more than one attempt to pass all parts of the TOEFL.  You do not have to pass a section again if you have passed it on a previous test date.

THERE ARE 3 EXCEPTIONS TO THE TOEFL REQUIREMENT:

1. You earned your PT degree in Australia, Canada (except Quebec), Ireland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, or you hold a degree from a foreign CAPTE-accredited program.
2. You hold a current license in another state and have been licensed in the US for the past 10 years.  (Documentation required: verification of licensure from state(s) showing length of licensure.)
3. You are a citizen or permanent resident of the US, or the holder of an H1-B visa, AND have attended 4 or more years of secondary (high school) or post-secondary (college/university) education in the US; a total of 96 credits is required.  (Documentation required: copy of passport or I-9, plus transcripts or certified letter from the school.)

Having a US master’s or transitional doctorate (tDPT) in Physical Therapy does NOT exempt you from the TOEFL requirement.

Contact ETS at 609/771-7100 (www.ets.org) to sign up for the ibtTOEFL.  When you sign up for the exams, you will need to know that the Institutional Code for Texas is 9357.