University of St Augustine for Health Sciences Reviews

"The st. Augustine campus ROCKS!!!! They prepared me very well for the real world. All of my teachers were excited to help us learn and would find new ways to teach us when things got boring. They provided us with great resources and foundational knowledge to prepare for NBCOT as well."

"I attended University of Saint Augustine in Saint Augustine, Florida. I was able to complete my degree under the Flex (Hybrid) Program. Not only do I feel that the college prepared me for my future, I was also able to obtain my first position as an occupational therapist from the job fair they offered. I highly recommend this school and program. Since becoming a graduate, I have taken on fieldwork students who demonstrate excellence in the field of occupational therapy as well."

"USAHS truly prepares you for clinical and real-world experience. The flipped classroom format fosters time management, research, critical thinking, and individual initiative. The curriculum is carefully crafted to scaffold your learning starting with the fundamentals and then building on clinical skills. The curriculum as a whole and with each course is also always being improved based on student feedback to ensure the best possible results for learning and clinical/fieldwork preparation. All the OT professors at the Miami campus go above and beyond to make sure each student succeeds. Whether it is with additional review sessions, open lab hours, consistent and open communication, or lecture breaks, the professors make it a point to get to know each of their students and check in on us. The professors are the best part of this school. The facilities are also specifically designed for the programs offered, so there is no better school to get your OT or PT degree."

"In just a few short weeks I will graduate from the St. Augustine campus PPOTD program. I am about to become a double alumni!!! I am so excited and grateful to this institution for supporting me at all different stages of my academic and professional life. If you want to be an expert in your field, and have while you get there, go to USAHS. Some of the highlights of my experience were: working with faculty who are also currently practicing in clinic, the helpful staff of the library who are always able to assist with hard to locate evidence, the faculty who have supported and encouraged me to push through my insecurities and of course the bottomless cups of coffee supplied to all students by the administration. Thank you for helping me be the best OT I can be and for giving me the skills I need to succeed in the best profession ever."

"I am an upcoming graduate reviewing for the full-time OTD program at the Miami, FL campus. The educators are highly knowledgable and significantly influenced my positive experience at USAHS. Educators are experienced OT practitioners, engaging, responsive to questions, empathetic, and willing to support students in areas that they need. Several professors and fieldwork educators have expressed that their support continues beyond graduation. Overall, I am very happy with my experience and learning at USAHS and would recommend the program to those who are interested in Occupational Therapy."

"As a member of the hybrid program, USA gave me the flexibility to achieve my goals without having to put my life on pause. The instructors are knowledgeable, compassionate, and facilitate a classroom environment that’s suited for all learning styles."

"I had an amazing experience at USAHS. The best part about my experience was that the faculty really cared. It is not an easy program, but they give you the tools you need to succeed. They don’t only teach you the academics, but they help you grow as a person, professionally and emotionally. I feel very fortunate to be a graduate of USAHS. They also support you after you graduate. They have an alumni association which connects current and graduated students which is a great advantage when you first get out."

"Finding an OT program can be overwhelming, but at USA I knew I made the right choice. I started the residential OT program during the midst of Covid, but it didn't stop the ability of the school to provide the educational skills needed. Once we fully transferred from virtual learning (due to covid) to fully in-person classes it really elevated the overall experience. The professors are all extensive in their knowledge and always willing to share their expertise and personal experiences in the field (for various settings!). The bond you form with your cohort as well is one that will continue to grow with you through your educational journey and out into the field. Most importantly, however, I want to especially note the preparedness you feel as you go off to Fieldwork (because it can feel very scary!). I, like many of my peers, felt very nervous about it until I actually started my rotations and realized that the school really did prepare us much more than other programs prepared their students. It came through in background knowledge for approach to treating patients, being able to advocate for other treatment methods, and it especially shone through while taking the NBCOT exam. Even after graduation I'm still in contact with multiple professors from my time during the program and I look forward to being able to step out into the world as a proud graduate of USA and proud OT practitioner."

"The residential occupational therapy doctorate program at the University of St. Augustine of Health Sciences San Marcos campus has been an amazing experience so far! Looking for a school that has the same values as I do regarding inclusive communities, environmental stewardship, and client-centered evidenced based practice was a process but St. Augustine made that choice easy and has proven to really prove itself over and over. I am so thankful for this school, community, and all of the opportunities that have been provided. Highly recommend!!!"

"Overall, I was so glad that I attended this program because of the numerous unique opportunities that this campus had to offer, the faculty I met, and the level of preparedness I achieved before level II fieldwork. This university provides many outlets for students to get involved, such as the Student Journal of Occupational Therapy (an open-access journal that publishes student work from across the country). Additionally, this campus has peer tutoring services, writing center services, an active SOTA board, and hands-on experiences during level one fieldwork through various outlets such as the on-campus pro bono clinic and local community sites. The faculty at USAHS are all very passionate about the field of occupational therapy and are strong advocates for student success. Most of the faculty I encountered were very approachable and answered my questions promptly. Furthermore, they all took time to get to know me personally and to connect me to individuals within the community, which significantly contributed to my professional development and success at my capstone site. While in the didactic portion of my time at USAHS, I was provided with my “just right challenge” and was prepared to go into fieldwork (more than I realized), despite having less hands-on time due to COVID. Using the knowledge, tips, and skills I learned from my time at USAHS, I excelled during my fieldwork rotations, with one educator telling me that I was one of the best students she had in her 25 years of supervising students. I attribute that success to the professionalism and knowledge instilled during my time as a student at USAHS."

"To begin, I am rating the St. Augustine, FL campus. Although, I am grateful for the faculty of this institution granting me the opportunity to pursue my doctoral degree in OT. I honestly rate this campus 2/10 on a 10-point scale. I have had few faculty members who were professional and willing to assist me which I am grateful to them. However, the organization structure of the OTD program, fieldwork coordination, and structure of graduation severely needs improvement. I endured a high amount of stress that was not related to classes due to several professors lacking organization of classes and either not answering my questions or answering them halfway. When trying to get some of the profs. to answer (verbally/email) I felt as if I was being a bother. There is a lot to mention; however, the most recent was graduation, myself including some others did not receive an honors cord when we should have because there was not enough cords available. When speaking to someone from registrar regarding this situation their response indicated she was trying to come up with something to make it seem as if it was not their fault. Overall, while attending USA at the St. Augustine, FL campus I had several bad experiences that should not have occurred as a student. Hopefully, this review can provide insight to others."

"I can’t think of a better place to complete my degree. All the professors put students first, understand where we (as a Flex class) are coming from. The atmosphere and the campus is student friendly and the neighboring area is also beautiful. I am proud to become a USAHS alum."

"This has been a huge disappointment for me! The enrollment advisors lied to most of the Flex OT students! To be upfront, there is currently NO Flex class that has graduated from this campus. The first Flex cohort is just now finishing up the program, so there is no accurate NBCOT data. They also lied when they said that we're on campus once a month. We had lab 6 weekends one term and most of them were in-person lectures and NO benefit to our education. A lot of videos, group work on google docs and boring guest lectures. We had lab NINE weekends for our 6th term. Most of the labs are a waste of time since they mainly consist of lecture which can be done at home on Ring Central. There is a lot of group work, which makes no sense considering how much this program costs- the faculty expect us to teach ourselves. When we ask questions most of us are told to figure it out on our own, which is disappointing considering OT is a learned skill. We have brought up our problems to the director and were promised changes, but so far nothing."

"I'm not sure if this was due COVID or not but I felt like I had very limited access to resources during my time at the University of Saint Augustine - Dallas Campus. The Dallas Campus isn't really a campus it's more of a business office where you have to check in at a front desk. The staff members are very friendly and accommodating though. There isn't much of a library it's just a single room where you can check out study materials equipment and books. The technology and simulation center they have at the University of Saint Augustine are impressive, but you could hardly go onto campus to practice really outside of lab times to practice. If you plan on going to the ot program, be sure to check out lab equipment and have someone you can practice your techniques on. It's great that you are allowed to check out exam tables. The University of Saint Augustine is blended learning but leans more to the side of online learning as the lectures are pre-recorded. Living alone was not optimal for me. I was not able to thrive in the environment due to a lack of connections with my classmates and an in-person support system. I'm sure other people are capable of learning at the University of Saint Augustine, and it gives you ample time to work as you study. It's very hands-on and quite practical when you do have classes/labs on campus. You will become quite good at bed mobility. I am currently happy in another occupational therapy program that has its labs consistently open to practice even when classes are not in session."

"USA should pay their students for attending their disgustingly overpriced mediocre institution fueled by wealth and greed. There were a few professors who were very knowledgeable and extremely supportive and that I appreciate so much. The other faculty: very knowledgeable but scary and intimidating, so asking for help was dreaded and came as a last resort. Then there were those who were kind and supportive, yet apologetically unable to answer questions on the subject they were instructing. I imagine that making student loan payments will feel like pure torture and robbery.."

"I don’t usually write reviews, but I feel it is my moral obligation to write one: I was in the MOT program. The tuition is painfully overpriced. Not worth it unless A. You are absolutely set on USA or B. money is not an object There is a lot of turnover amongst faculty, and it appears the ones who leave are those wonderful professors who USA just didn’t deserve."

"I’ve completed my didactic coursework at the University of St. Augustine (USA) and I felt compelled to write a full review / opinion piece as this is the largest health science school in the states that offers the DPT program and it's that time for new applicants. I’ve spent many hours writing this, so I hope you read through and get something out of it, but TLDR at the bottom. For anonymity purposes, I will not be revealing my campus location. I’ll start by addressing some old negative reviews on reddit and other forums, regarding a few things, mainly, a bad case of a mislabeled PA program that happened about a decade ago, disorganization, the ‘very expensive’ argument, and most recently, the school being a ‘mill program.’ As a disclaimer, I may have some inherent bias, seeing as I will soon be a USA alumni, though I will do my best to outline my likes and dislikes as truthfully as possible without making undue defenses about the school. To begin, there was mismanagement/miscommunication with this strangely titled PA, or as I understand, “Orthopedic Assistant” program about a decade ago back in 2011. However, it really doesn’t bear any meaning to the current DPT program. USA’s DPT program is widely known, reputable, the school’s main revenue source, and obviously CAPTE accredited (barring any new campus) – they’re making millions for Atlas Partners, and they won’t mess up their cash cow. There is no issue here and there has not been any other public class action legal matters with USA in a long time. In general, I’d say USA has a good track record aside from this one fluke. With regards to disorganization, I believe this was more an issue early in the integration of the DPT programs at various campuses. Now, the curriculum seems fairly streamlined, fine-tuned, and they are consistently looking for feedback with surveys, plus each cohort meets every term with the program director. Classes build on each other and overlap intentionally very well term by term. It’s not a perfect system, but it’s not terrible by any means. Forum posts such as [See link 1.] are now quite inaccurate and not current to how USA operates. Elephant in the room, it’s expensive – yes. As of writing this for any new attendees, tuition for the residential DPT is roughly $110k (San Marcos campus 125k). It’s a lot, and sure, there are publics for $60-90k and as low as 32k (UTEP), which I would always recommend taking instead, but USA hovers at the average cost of a private PT school in the nation (avg is ~113k as of this post). Basically, all privates are expensive. However, it’s not the worst, compared to something like NYU DPT at 155k or USC at 200k for tuition alone, USA isn’t outrageous. My opinion on debt: if you can graduate with no more than around 150k in total debt (undergrad + grad), then PT is a reasonable, within limits, financial decision. If you live frugally for a few years upon graduating, you can pay down loans rather quickly (this includes no stupid spending, no graduation gifts of nice cars, no Kenzo bags, and no traveling every month – referring to the girl on Millennial Money who was a USA grad – [See link 2]). If you already have 30-50k from undergrad, not getting assistance from parents, and are looking to attend USA or another 100k+ private school, I strongly suggest a different career path - or school if you are adamant with PT. You will likely be graduating with a total sum of over 200k in debt, which is absolutely crushing on a starting PT salary (~65-75k in most states). You’ll be paying that off for many years. Improve your application, work a part time job to save up money, and try to get into a cheaper public state school next year. I will say this, the best school is the cheapest school. USA is NOT worth the $110,000 price tag if you have the option of a different school that costs half or even ¾’s that amount. What has now become the most criticized topic of USA: the voluminous amounts of students passing through the program (See link 3). It is true, USA graduates the highest amount of DPT students in the entire nation, accounting for roughly 4% of all DPT graduates annually. There are both positives and negatives to this. Simply put, USA has a different academic and business model to most schools. Instead of diversifying into many undergraduate and graduate programs, they have developed a prominent academic niche in the rehabilitation and health science sector. Paris and Patla did not have the capital in 1979 to create a large-scale University for all fields, I also doubt they were interested in that anyways, so they instead decided to make it solely PT based, which later expanded to other health and rehabilitation sectors. The reality is, USA is a very small private school compared to most Universities, with a valuation of what I estimate to be around half a billion dollars. The positives are that the school has a large focus on constantly improving, funding, and streamlining the DPT program. In other Universities, the DPT program makes up a small portion of revenue and staff in proportion. With the ability for USA professors to teach the same class three times per year, they can obtain 3x the amount of feedback and better the curriculum for the next cohorts to come. This can also be seen in a positive light for students looking to be accepted into a PT school. More seats need to be filled, which means more opportunities to get accepted. The unappealing perspective this creates on the school is the negative disposition of opportunities for students who are not as diligent about their studies to get admitted to the program. More lax admissions have been thought to signify a less competitive school. Cheating is another issue with the high number of students concentrated in a single program, though I will address my thoughts on that later. Ultimately, I believe that it’s not solely the school that makes the student academically successful, but also the student’s own willingness and work ethic to succeed. Side story, I went to a ‘party school’ in undergrad, but quickly realized it’s only a party school if you chose to make it one. There were many students at my undergraduate university studying into the late hours of the night, obtaining 4.0 GPA’s. Likewise, any student can make Harvard or Stanford a party school if that is their prerogative. What I’m getting at is, just because there are some sub-par students that get admitted, will not make you a sub-par clinician or the school a sub-par university. It is entirely up to you to chose to succeed. In the end, all students from every accredited PT program must pass the boards examination to obtain their PT license. If you pass your boards examination, you’ve proven competency, and the school you attended has little bearing on your prospects or skills as a clinician. It’s up to you to decide how far you want to excel in the field. There is an argument for saturating the market, but the truth is, it’s not just USA, but every new PT program that is now being added. There is now emerging the new trend of 2 year accelerated hybrid PT programs, being advertised everywhere on IG and FB which cut an entire year of education but leave the burden of tuition at the same price as a 3 year, whilst using the awful US News Top PT Schools as their evidence of a successful program. If you ask me, that is truly the new plague of PT program saturation. PT program saturation is not the fault of USA alone, but of every school that is deciding to add the curriculum or start up these new 2-year pop-ups. The monster isn’t USA, the monster is the ~260 programs that now exist in the nation. You cannot blame a gridlock or traffic jam on one car alone. If you believe that the field is saturated, then I implore you to seek out different opportunities or careers in the healthcare field. Now that these are addressed, I’ll get to what I think about the school. I believe that all professors want you to succeed and truly care about the education you’re paying for, and they know you’re paying a lot. Many professors who taught me were ABPTS Specialists, Fellows, authors, or held other titles such as CHT. All the professors are very well trained and knowledgeable with years of experience in the field. As you may have heard, it’s a manual therapy driven school, which is accurate. The campuses itself aren’t really a typical college campus, but more so an office building space. The campus I went to was very high-tech, up-to-date, and generally felt like a very clean and professional environment, sort of like those Hollywood laboratory sets that look picture perfect. All equipment was high end: one of our classrooms had 18 displays and 4 flat screen TVs alone, all labs have modular hydraulic metal treatment tables (no cheap wooden massage tables from 15 years ago), plenty of models available on hand…etc. It at least feels like you get what you’re paying for, even though you’re still overpaying. And trust me, if I had the option, I’d use wooden treatment tables to save 40 grand on tuition, but unfortunately, I didn’t have that option. One thing to note, you will almost never use the flashy equipment you see on the advertisements. The Anatomage table? Used that in only two class sessions over the entire 2-year didactic program. The SIM lab with that fancy two-way mirror and viewing room? Used that only one time at the beginning of the program. Same was said from the OT class, that ADL simulation room with the driving seat? They never used it. It’s all just icing on the cake for students and parents of the students to see. The flashy items are purchased to sell you, not to educate you. One thing I do greatly applaud the school for was their amazing gross anatomy wet lab. When I began the program, our entire cohort got the opportunity to dissect 8 different cadavers, 4 of which were entirely new and untouched. This is something most DPT students do not get in regular universities since it’s the MD students that get to work most with the cadavers. Of the things I felt my tuition was truly paying for, the professors and the anatomy wet lab were on the top of my list. The school handled COVID very well. At no point did the program halt or get delayed, as they were easily able to transition to an online setting since they had experience from their flex programs. When we did slowly return to class, we were given extensive PPE (gloves, masks, face shields) that were required to be worn. We never had any serious COVID outbreaks in the school. Overall, classes aren’t bad. Some are more challenging than others, though relatively few truly difficult and demanding courses exist. After finishing this program, I can say with confidence that I had more challenging courses in my undergraduate Bachelors of Exercise Science program at a state university. In terms of overall workload, the 6-7 classes per term seems daunting, however, you don’t have to put too many hours outside of class for most classes when there aren’t exams or practicals. Many classes are informally known by students (and professors) as backburner classes: a class that you don’t need to either place any focus on until 2-4 days before the upcoming exam or be consistent with keeping up in content. Also, a good chunk of the classes in the USA curriculum are simply busy-work courses wherein you do not really learn much material. For example, in term 6, the Administration, Geriatrics, and Wellness courses are blatant filler courses that have no substantial learning purpose and are just there as credit fillers and assignment churners. Much to my surprise, the program is also very light in written assignments and essays. On average, most papers I had to write were only 1-2 pages in length. The longest paper I wrote in the program, individually, was about 4 pages. Seeing as this was a doctoral program, I was awed but thankful that I never had to write a single double-digit page paper by myself, though we did have a few group papers in double digits. In the average week with no upcoming exams, you can expect to comfortably study for 1-2 hours outside of class and have ample time available for leisure, exercise, and social activities. When an exam comes for a class, I shifted focus shifts towards that one class 3-5 days before the exam. I assume that’s how most of my cohort and I have work through each term. No, you won’t be spending 8 hours per day for the next 2 years studying. 1-2 hours per day outside of class with no exams coming up, and 3-5 hours per day 2-3 days before an exam, should generally get you a passing grade (excluding heavy courses like anatomy and biomechanics where keeping up with material is fairly vital). The information they present seems slightly dated, especially MSK, old images and pictures used back in the 90s and early 2000s during the Paris and Patla days, but they still give you the most recent clinical practice guidelines. For the price I am paying, I wish they had slightly more up to date material, even if it is just visually. With everything said, I believe the school prepares you well to become a competent clinician when you graduate. Clinical internships are where USA still hasn’t perfectly fit the mold yet. You can expect to be placed in a completely remote location, a setting that you did not want, or be placed at the very last minute. With COVID, we even have students that have had placements cancelled last minute (though this isn’t necessarily the fault of USA). Unfortunately, you really have no official say in the matter and it’s up to the school and clinical coordinator staff to place you. Generally speaking, you will be placed, and you will graduate on time, this isn’t something to worry about unless you’re very picky and decline the options they give you. I say, just take what you get, it’s only a temporary move. The next thing I’ll say is that the school does not want you to fail or flunk out. They have several tactics to actually help keep you in. My overall opinion on the difficulty of the program, as mentioned before, is that it was much easier than I anticipated. Not that it did not have it’s challenging or stressful moments, but I expected far more arduous and challenging work from a doctorate program. Most courses are weighted to having 50-60% of the course be in exam and quizzes, 20-40% in practicals, and the rest of the grade be miscellaneous assignments. In general, most students pass the practicals with an A, and they are simply grade boosters and allow for worse grades in the written/didactic exams. I managed to get through the program without failing a single practical, and in most practicals I received an A. The professors are generally lenient and only take a modest amount of points off for errors. Failure typically only occurs in an autofail setting (safety or major error). With each practical, only a handful of students have had this happen to them. During my final MSK practical, I completely blanked on a manipulation that I missed in my studies, but still passed with an A. Practicals are more there to psychologically stress you and psych you out to study, but the reality is, you will pass most practicals with ease and will find yourself saying it wasn’t that bad. If you do the math, getting an A on the practicals and completing all the assignments with good grades, you’re given plenty of leeway to do bad on the exams. There is no passing grade requirement for didactic exams or final exams, just the overall grade. There was not a single point in the curriculum where I was in a pass or fail situation for a class based on a final exam. In all honestly, many students slack on finals, because they calculate their current grade, see that they only need a 40% on the final exam, and don’t bother studying for that final exam at all. The university has a hidden agenda of requiring minimum weighing of practicals in all courses (20% I believe), so students have a less likely chance to flunk out and buffers against bad written exam grades. In addition, another artificial GPA booster tactic that the school employs is a skewed grading system. Per the system, you’re given a wide 0.5% rounding to the next letter grade (i.e. a 89.50 is an A). More significantly, there are no minuses in USA’s grading system, only pluses (i.e a B+ does exist, but a B- does not). I finished didactics with about a 3.5, however, had I been given minuses where deserved, my GPA would have more realistically been a 3.2-3.3. Since this is a doctorate program, I believe a much more stringent grading policy should have been followed. As it stands, I believe the pass rate for classes overall is far too high compared to the work students are putting in. The Residential DPT Program at USA is overall well didactically coordinated, and professors care for your success. The terms are built to synergize and build onto each other. The school doesn’t sacrifice quality for quantity but does allow for some sub-par students to slip through due to the sheer number of seats that need to be filled. I did not find the program to be extremely challenging and encountered harder courses in my undergraduate degree at a state university. Though not stress free, I expected a tougher program. The most difficult terms for me were 2 and 4, though I felt I learned the most content term 1. I would not recommend attending if you will graduate with over 150k in student loans and plan to work in a 65k average new grad starting salary area - unless you have a very specific plan of living frugally and quickly reducing loan debt. The best school is always the cheapest CAPTE accredited school you are offered acceptance to. Good luck!"

"I was warned about this program and I wish I listened. Professors aren't here to help but to be condescending. They throw you with NOTHING BUT BUSY WORK that contributes nothing to your learning. They ask for feedback and just get offended. Don't ask for constructive criticism if you can't take it. Tuition is going up and if I wasn't more than halfway in I would have gone to another program. Please save yourself and go somewhere if you're pursuing occupational therapy. You'll be paying to teach yourself."

"Where do I begin...I am currently an OTD student at USAHS-St. Augustine Campus. To say that my experience thus far has been atrocious would be a gross understatement. You will be promised professional education and treatment, and will receive less than satisfactory education and treatment. The only thing they can and will guarantee, is to drain your pocket book. Expect to be charged for services you are not provided or allowed to use. If you are a student with ADA accommodations, expect to be mocked and gaslighted. You are not allowed to have a voice and if you do not conform to what they believe, you will be lashed out upon and your grades and professionalism points will begin to decline (without any change from you). The professors and staff are under qualified for their positions and have a huge turnover rate, causing inconsistencies with teaching, grading, and with which "guidelines" will be followed and not. DO NOT WORRY, IF YOU UPSET ONE PROFESSOR OR STAFF MEMBER, YOU WILL BE TALKED ABOUT AND SLANDERED BY ALL. It is very clear that teachers have an ongoing black list where they keep the names of students who do not conform. The slander is so bad, that professors who have "quit" (aka been let go due to not conforming) have come forward to students about what to expect and the real reasons they are no longer employed with the school. As a student, I can tell you personally, I have had several professors speak ill of the school and drama that goes along with the staffing system and student body discrimination. The school has received multiple payouts for COVID relief that was supposed to be divided out to students, we have not received the proper deviations of money promised. COVID will be their excuse to get away with student discrimination and labeling. Unvaccinated students are labeled as just that and are denied access to learning material and experiences. This is just the tip of the list of issues that have occurred. All in all...choose another school, even if it means waiting to be accepted to another program."

"The university of st augustine -st augustine campus is joke. Do not go their no one cares about you . It is the worst program ever. The school does not care about anyone and they purposely fail people. It is very depressing how you are treated. I would never send anyone to this school."