2025 Best Physical Therapy Assistant Associate Degree Schools in Illinois

Physical Therapy Assistant is of the hottest associate degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #17 most popular major in the country. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.

College Factual looked at 13 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Physical Therapy Assistant Associate Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 253 associate degrees in physical therapy assistant to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

• Best Associate Degree Schools List

Choosing a Great Physical Therapy Assistant School for Your Associate Degree

The physical therapy assistant associate degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality physical therapy assistant program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:

Overall Quality Is a Must

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To account for this we consider a college's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a host of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

• Major Focus - How many resources a school devotes to physical therapy assistant students as compared to other majors.
• Major Demand - How many other physical therapy assistant students want to attend this school to pursue a associate degree.
• Educational Resources - How many resources are allocated to students. These resources may include educational expenditures per student, number of students per instructor, and graduation rate among other things.
• Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized physical therapy assistant related body.

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for physical therapy assistant students working on their associate degree.

More Ways to Rank Physical Therapy Assistant Schools

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Physical Therapy Assistant Associate Degree Schools in Illinois ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

Best Schools for Associate Students to Study Physical Therapy Assistant in Illinois

The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing an associate degree in physical therapy assistant.

10 Top Illinois Schools for an Associate in Physical Therapy Assistant

1

Fox College
Tinley Park, IL

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

38 Annual Graduates

Fox College is a great option for individuals interested in an associate degree in physical therapy assistant. Fox College is a small private for-profit college located in the suburb of Tinley Park.More information about a associate in physical therapy assistant from Fox College

2

College of DuPage
Glen Ellyn, IL

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

15 Annual Graduates

College of DuPage is one of the best schools in the United States for getting an associate degree in physical therapy assistant. Located in the large suburb of Glen Ellyn, COD is a public college with a very large student population.More information about a associate in physical therapy assistant from College of DuPage

3

Oakton Community College
Des Plaines, IL

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

27 Annual Graduates

Oakton Community College is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting an associate degree in physical therapy assistant. Located in the city of Des Plaines, Oakton Community College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a associate in physical therapy assistant from Oakton Community College

4

William Rainey Harper College
Palatine, IL

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

10 Annual Graduates

William Rainey Harper College is a good choice for students pursuing an associate degree in physical therapy assistant. Located in the large suburb of Palatine, Harper College is a public college with a fairly large student population.More information about a associate in physical therapy assistant from William Rainey Harper College

5

Elgin Community College
Elgin, IL

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

14 Annual Graduates

ECC is a moderately-sized public college located in the midsize city of Elgin.More information about a associate in physical therapy assistant from Elgin Community College

6

Illinois Central College
East Peoria, IL

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

11 Annual Graduates

ICC is a medium-sized public college located in the suburb of East Peoria.More information about a associate in physical therapy assistant from Illinois Central College

7

Lake Land College
Mattoon, IL

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

15 Annual Graduates

Lake Land College is a small public college located in the rural area of Mattoon.More information about a associate in physical therapy assistant from Lake Land College

8

City Colleges of Chicago - Malcolm X College
Chicago, IL

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

23 Annual Graduates

Malcolm X College is a medium-sized public college located in the large city of Chicago.More information about a associate in physical therapy assistant from City Colleges of Chicago - Malcolm X College

9

Morton College
Cicero, IL

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

18 Annual Graduates

Located in the large suburb of Cicero, Morton College is a public college with a small student population.More information about a associate in physical therapy assistant from Morton College

10

Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Carbondale, IL

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

18 Annual Graduates

Located in the distant town of Carbondale, SIUC is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a associate in physical therapy assistant from Southern Illinois University Carbondale

Best Physical Therapy Assistant Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Physical Therapy Assistant Schools in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State	Colleges	Degrees Awarded
Ohio	450	335
Michigan	410	265
Wisconsin	224	147
Indiana	221	137

View All Rankings >

Physical Therapy Assistant Related Rankings by Major

Physical Therapy Assistant is one of 14 different types of Allied Health & Medical Assisting Services programs to choose from.

Most Popular Majors Related to Physical Therapy Assistant

Related Major	Annual Graduates
Occupational Therapist Assistant	139
Medical/Clinical Assistant	100
Anesthesiologist Assistant	9
Emergency Care Attendant (EMT Ambulance)	5

Notes and References

• The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard). More about our data sources and methodologies.