Physical Therapy Board of California
US-Educated PT/PTA Applicant — New Graduate
If you DO NOT already hold a physical therapist or physical therapist assistant license in another U.S. physical therapy licensing jurisdiction, you will apply for licensure in California as a new graduate applicant. All application requirements and process information are available on this page using the navigation bar to the left. Please review all information prior to selecting Apply Now.
As an applicant, you are personally responsible for all information disclosed on your application form as well as all supporting materials. An application may be denied based upon omission, falsification, or misrepresentation of any item or response on the application or any attachment. PTBC considers violations of an ethical nature to be a serious breach of professional conduct.
If you would like PTBC to disclose information regarding the processing of your application to another party, you must provide PTBC a letter authorizing release of your application information to that party.
Due Diligence
Pursuant to CCR § 1398.21, an application shall be denied without prejudice when, at the discretion of PTBC, an applicant does not exercise due diligence in the completion of his or her application, in furnishing information or documentation requested, or in the payment of fees.
Grounds for Denial
Each applicant’s credentials for licensure in California are evaluated on an individual basis. PTBC has the authority to deny licensure based upon an applicant’s act of dishonesty, unprofessional conduct, conviction of a crime, discipline of professional license of a jurisdiction in the United States, or inability to practice safely.
| COMMON ACRONYMS AND TERMS | ||
|---|---|---|
| PTBC | Physical Therapy Board of California | PTBC is the state agency charged with protecting physical therapy consumers and enforcing the Physical Therapy Practice Act. |
| Federation or FSBPT | Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy | The Federation is a national organization comprised of the 54 U.S. physical therapy licensing jurisdictions. |
| Prometric | Prometric testing center | Prometric testing centers are where the NPTE and CAL-Law are administered. |
| NPTE | National Physical Therapy Examination | The NPTE is a standard and defensible measure of entry-level competency that applies equally to all licensure candidates. |
| CAL-Law | California Law Examination | The CAL-Law is a state-specific examination that tests applicants’ knowledge of laws and regulations specific to physical therapy practice in California. |
| CAPTE | Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education | CAPTE is an accrediting agency that is nationally recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, and grants specialized accreditation status to qualified entry-level physical therapy programs. |
| Live Scan | Live Scan fingerprinting | Live Scan is a method of fingerprinting that enables electronic fingerprint submission for processing. |
| DOJ | Department of Justice | For applications, the DOJ conducts background checks using Live Scan fingerprint submissions. |
| FBI | Federal Bureau of Investigation | For applications, the FBI conducts background checks using Live Scan fingerprint submissions. |
| BreEZe | BreEZe | BreEZe is a one-stop online shop for consumers, licensees, and applicants. Consumers can verify a provider’s license status and file a complaint; applicants can apply for licensure; and licensees can submit a license renewal and access a variety of other services relating to licensure. |