<p>I'm considering getting a doctorate of physical therapy (I'm a college freshmen). I was hoping some people could share their experiences. Every program I looked at so far costs $75,000 and up, which includes in-state schools. How do you afford to get your degree without being in large amounts of debt? Is the debt easy to make back? I know there are some scholarships available, but the program is basically continuous, so you can't even work in the summers.</p>
<p>I know 2 people who went to DPT programs. One took out a very large student loan. (She went to a private U DPT program in CA.) She’s 4 years out and still making large monthly payments. Frankly she’s able to pay her loans because her husband has well paying job and they live in a low Cost of Living area. The other is going part time while working full time (in an unrelated to PT job) until she enters the clinical portion of the program in a couple of years.</p>