The World Physiotherapy accreditation service supports education providers in strengthening the quality and global recognition of their physiotherapist entry-level education programmes.
Based on international education quality requirements
Designed for entry-level physiotherapist education
Open to programmes worldwide
What is accreditation?
Accreditation is a quality assurance process that evaluates physiotherapist entry-level education programmes against international benchmarks for excellence, underpinned by the World Physiotherapy Physiotherapist education framework.
It helps ensure that graduates of accredited programmes are prepared to deliver safe, effective, and evidence-based care.
Through accreditation, programmes can:
Demonstrate alignment with global standards
Identify strengths and areas for improvement
Gain international recognition
Enhance credibility with students, employers, and regulators.
Who can apply?
This service is designed for:
Education providers including:
universities and institutions offering entry-level physiotherapist programmes
programmes seeking international recognition
institutions without access to national accreditation systems.
Countries, territories and regulators including:
regions developing physiotherapy education systems
organisations wanting to benchmark programmes internationally.
Why choose World Physiotherapy accreditation?
Accreditation provides clear benefits:
global recognition: align your programme with internationally accepted standards
quality improvement: strengthen curriculum, teaching, and assessment
transparency: demonstrate accountability to students and stakeholders
international credibility: support graduate mobility and workforce development.
How the accreditation process works
Getting accredited is a structured and supportive process that usually lasts between 6-8 months.
Step 1: Check eligibility
Confirm your programme meets basic requirements for applying by filling out the eligibility form (coming soon).
Step 2: Prepare your application
Submit online documentation demonstrating how your programme meets the accreditation requirements.
Step 3: External review
Experts assess your submission and conduct a virtual or in-person visit.
Step 4: Accreditation decision
A decision is made based on the evidence provided.
Step 5: Ongoing improvement and reporting
Accredited programmes continue to monitor and enhance quality.
What is assessed?
Your programme will be evaluated against the following key requirements:
The educational institution: governance, leadership, and overall institutional support for the programme
Academic staff: qualifications, experience, and capacity of teaching staff
Resources: availability of facilities, equipment, and learning resources
Academic programme: structure, content, and delivery of the curriculum
Practice education programme: clinical education, placements, and supervision
Outcomes: graduate competencies, achievements, and overall programme effectiveness.
How much does it cost?
The cost of accreditation is 13,500 GPB payable at the time of application submission. In addition to the accreditation fee, Higher Education Institutions (HEI) are responsible for the travel and accommodation costs of two reviewers during the site visit.
Testimonials
View our full list of World Physiotherapy accredited programmes.
"Since the beginning of this process in 2017, international training standards and a culture of quality have been strengthened, positively impacting our students, faculty, and graduates. The reaccreditation has reinforced our position as a benchmark programme in Colombia and Latin America, facilitating global recognition of our physiotherapists and expanding opportunities for collaboration within academic and research networks. This journey has enabled us to align our curriculum with international best practices, ensuring that our graduates are highly competent professionals, well-prepared to meet global challenges.” - Ingrid Alexandra Tolosa Guzman, head of programme at Rosario University in Colombia.
"This World Physiotherapy accreditation journey has consistently driven improvements in the quality of our education. Adhering to World Physiotherapy’s educational standards framework, we have actively incorporated invaluable suggestions from World Physiotherapy accreditation experts, continuously pushed forward teaching reforms and innovations, integrated and optimised teaching resources, strengthened faculty team development, and refined our quality control mechanisms.” - Xia Shen, head of the programme at Tongji University in China.
"The World Physiotherapy accreditation signifies our newly established physical therapy programme at Iryo Sosei University is of a global standard. While we are aware it is necessary for any programme to constantly develop and mature, the accreditation process was critical in accelerating our development by highlighting areas for improvement and advancement. The thorough audit of our documents and the helpful feedback from the onsite reviewers has given us valuable insights on both our strengths and weaknesses, and this has motivated us to do even better for our students and staff.” - Ah-Cheng Goh, acting president of Iryo Sosei University in Japan.
Resources
Access the information you need to get started:
Support
We are here to help you through the accreditation process. If you have any questions or need support with your application, please email us at [email protected]
