South Texas College PTA program costs $13,961. Here is how its graduates do.
An AAS program in McAllen, Five semesters (70 weeks excluding breaks, 89 including breaks). 100% of its graduates passed the NPTE-PTA on the first try over 2024 to 2025.
The short version
- Its NPTE-PTA rate (100%) is above the Texas program median of 90.4%.
- 100% of graduates looking for work in the field found a job, by CAPTE's measure.
- 79.0% of students who started finished the program.
- Its published cost is above the median for Texas PTA programs that publish one ($10,477).
- At 10% of the local median wage for physical therapist assistants, the program cost is paid back in about 1.9 years.
These lines are generated from the numbers on this page and change when the data does.
How graduates do
CAPTE requires every accredited program to publish the same outcome measures, so they can be compared program to program. 4
Graduates who passed the NPTE-PTA licensing exam on their first try, as a two-year average for 2024 and 2025 graduates, published by the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT). Where a program also publishes its ultimate pass rate (including retakes), it is shown separately. Job placement: graduates who sought work as a PTA and were employed within a year of passing the exam, as the program reports it.
Where the money goes
About half of every dollar goes to in-district tuition, technical phase. CAPTE PTA Student Financial Fact Sheet lines for the technical (PTA) phase. Other program-related expenses cover required texts, laboratory fees and other program costs. Prerequisite courses and living costs are not included. STC also posts a semester cost list (updated Oct 2025) totaling $17,670.99, but it includes a prerequisite semester and one semester total is $2 off its items, so the fact sheet is used.
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| In-district tuition, technical phase | $8,528 |
| Institutional fees, technical phase | $2,950 |
| Other program-related expenses (texts, lab fees, other) | $2,483 |
| Total 1 | $13,961 |
Not included: prerequisite courses and living costs. CAPTE financial fact sheet for students in the program Jan 1 to Dec 31, 2025, in-district.
What physical therapist assistants earn around Rio Grande Valley
The median yearly wage for physical therapist assistants in the Rio Grande Valley metro area is $72,520. 3 Payback time sets aside 10% of that each year toward the program cost.
Other PTA programs in the Rio Grande Valley area
Compare all 2 PTA programs in the Rio Grande Valley area
| Program | NPTE-PTA rate | Job placement | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Texas College (this page) AAS, McAllen | 100% | 100% | $13,961 |
| Rio Grande Valley College AAS, Pharr | 46.4% | 100% | $31,943 |
After you graduate: getting to work in Texas
Texas requires a PTA license issued by the Texas Board of Physical Therapy Examiners. Applicants must pass the NPTE for PTAs (run by FSBPT), pass the Texas jurisprudence exam (TX JAM), and complete a fingerprint background check.
| Step | Fee |
|---|---|
| Apply online to the Texas PT Board for a PTA license by exam and pay the application fee.5 | Not published |
| Register with FSBPT for the NPTE-PTA after the school verifies graduation, selecting Texas.6 | $485 |
| Pay the FSBPT card processing fee.7 | $8 |
| Reserve a seat with Prometric and take the exam.8 | $92 |
| Pass the Texas Jurisprudence Assessment Module (TX JAM) online.9 | Free |
| Send an official transcript and passport photo and complete fingerprinting (SSN required from Sept 1, 2026).10 | Not published |
| Optional: request a temporary license after applying.11 | $60not counted |
Typical fees to start working: $585. Counts the NPTE-PTA ($485), FSBPT's card processing fee (about $8) and the Prometric seat fee ($92). The Texas license application fee and fingerprinting are extra; we could not confirm the current state fee. Texas PTA licenses renew every two years by the end of the birth month and require 20 continuing competence units, including the board jurisprudence module, under 22 TAC 341.1 and 341.2. Full guide: how to become a physical therapist assistant in Texas
With South Texas College's published cost, the total to finish school and get credentialed is about $14,546, before prerequisites and living costs.
Program facts
- Credential
- AAS
- Length
- Five semesters (70 weeks excluding breaks, 89 including breaks)
- Schedule
- Daytime, full time
- Starts
- Fall (applications open first week of April 2027, deadline May 27, 2027)
- Before you apply
- BIOL 2401 (within five years) and PTHA 1409 (within two years), each with a B or better.
- Entrance exam
- HESI A2, 75% minimum in English composite, A&P and math
- Accreditation
- CAPTE, Accredited (initial 05/2000; next CAPTE action Fall 2026)
- Leads to
- National Physical Therapy Examination for PTAs (NPTE-PTA) and a Texas license
Sources and dates
- South Texas College PTA Student Financial Fact Sheet, CAPTE financial fact sheet for students in the program Jan 1 to Dec 31, 2025, in-district.
- South Texas College program outcomes page, Program page: 2-year graduation 79% (2024-2025); 100% of graduates who tested passed (2024-2025, first-time and ultimate 100% each year); employment 100% (2-year, 2023-2024)..
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Physical Therapist Assistants (31-2021), May 2025 estimates.
- Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE), checked Nov. 2026.
- Texas PT Board, Apply by Exam, checked Nov 2026.
- FSBPT Exam Registration and Payment, checked Nov 2026.
- FSBPT Exam Registration and Payment, checked Nov 2026.
- FSBPT NPTE Candidate Handbook, Exam Registration and Scheduling, checked Nov 2026.
- Texas PT Board, TX JAM, checked Nov 2026.
- Texas PT Board, Apply by Exam, checked Nov 2026.
- Texas PT Board, Temporary License, checked Nov 2026.
Every number was checked against its source on Nov. 4, 2026. Spot an error? Report it. Program Outcomes is independent and not affiliated with any school or CAPTE. Our independence policy