Award Description

Rizing Tide will annually award the Crest scholarship to 20 students who are pursuing a physical therapy degree—and who come from an underrepresented racial and/or ethnic background. Applicants must be entering their first or second year of PT school or they must be a PTA entering a PTA-to-DPT bridge program.

Ten of the Crest scholarships award up to $14,000, and 10 of the Crest scholarships (known as the runners-up Rizing Star scholarships) award up to $5,000. The Crest scholarship and the Rizing Star scholarship both may be renewed each year the scholar is still attending DPT school (up to two renewals). Funds may be used to cover any school expenses (e.g., tuition, room and board, books, or fees) and will be paid directly to the school’s financial institution.

Scholarship Eligibility

To be eligible for this scholarship, you must:

• Be a student entering your first or second year of a DPT program (with your second year beginning no sooner than May 1), OR be a student entering a PTA-to-DPT Bridge Program;
• Have been accepted into a CAPTE-accredited PT program within the U.S.;
• Have an underrepresented racial and/or ethnic heritage (i.e., American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, Middle Eastern/North African, Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander, and/or multi-ethnic with 50% representation from this list);
• Have earned a minimum cumulative 3.2 GPA in your most-recent studies; and
• Be a U.S. Citizen or have DACA status.

Application Process

In order to apply to the Crest scholarship, applicants must complete one application form and submit:

• Three 500-word essays,
• One official transcript,
• One acceptance letter from your DPT program, and
• Two letters of recommendation.

Completed applications for the Crest scholarship (including the digital copies of letters of recommendation) must be turned in no later than 11:59 PM Pacific on the specified deadline. Technical support will be available ONLY on Mondays through Fridays, from 9:00 AM–5:00 PM Pacific Time. We encourage you to submit your application prior to the deadline to avoid any technical problems. Please be advised that technical problems will not be accepted as a valid excuse for missing the deadline.

Applicants or their recommenders may mail a hard copy of each letter of recommendation to Rizing Tide or send them via email instead of submitting online. If you elect to send your letters of recommendation via email, please send them to [email protected]. If you elect to send your letters of recommendation through the mail, send them to this address:

     Rizing Tide Foundation

     RE: Crest Scholarship

     PO Box 32681

     Phoenix, AZ 85064

Remember that all digital and hard copies of your application materials must be received no later than the specified deadline. We suggest giving your recommenders as much time as possible to complete and postmark their letters.

When applicants submit an application without attaching all requisite transcripts and letters of recommendation, the application status will remain incomplete until all required documents are received.

Selection Process

The Crest scholarship selection process is divided into three steps:

1. The Rizing Tide team evaluates applications for basic eligibility. 
2. A committee of screeners review applications and their attached documents, selecting a small number of finalists to continue through the selection process. 
3. The Beachcombers (a.k.a. the selection committee) conduct interviews with finalists via Zoom and select the winners. 

After the Beachcombers select the final winners of the Crest and Crest: Rizing Star scholarships, the Rizing Tide team notifies all applicants of their final application status and begins the scholarship distribution process.

Scholarship Renewal

Crest scholarship recipients may renew their scholarship each August during which they’re still enrolled in a DPT program. To renew the Crest scholarship, recipients must send the Rizing Tide foundation a transcript showing that they maintained a minimum cumulative 3.2 GPA during the school year. Additionally, scholarship recipients must ask one of their instructors to submit a feedback survey on their behalf once per school year. Furthermore, to assist our continued evaluation of the scholarship program, we may request an update regarding recipients’ activities or accomplishments.

The Rizing Tide foundation reserves the right to refuse a Crest scholarship renewal if this criteria is not met or if circumstances change. Individual situations and circumstances will be taken into consideration and final decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis.