Respiratory therapy programs often interview before they admit, and the interview can carry real weight. Boise State says grades and the interview have the biggest impact, and at Utah Valley the interview is 30% of the final score. Here is what named programs say.
From RT programs’ own admissions pages2027 admissionChecked October 28, 2026
Practice with a mock interviewOne-on-one on Zoom with Julie Cunningham, MA, CCC-SLP.
Interview formats at named programs
| Program | Format | What their page says |
|---|---|---|
| Utah Valley University | Standardized, about 1 hour, 30% | For the cohort starting Spring 2027: “The interview process is standardized to ensure that each candidate interviewed has an equal opportunity to be objectively evaluated.” “The interview process will last approximately 1 hour.” Source |
| UAMS (MS in Respiratory Care) | Required for all | For fall 2027: “After completing their application, all applicants will receive an email from the program to arrange a required admission interview.” Source |
| Boise State University (BS) | By invitation | “Selected students may be contacted to schedule an interview in mid-March.” Its FAQ: “Grades and the interview portion have the biggest impact on the application.” Source |
| Stony Brook University (BS) | If eligible | For summer 2027: “Your application will be reviewed by the Respiratory Care Program Admissions Committee. If eligible you will be contacted to schedule an interview.” Source |
| Indiana University (BS) | Required | “An admission interview is required during which communication skills in English will be assessed.” Source |
How much the interview counts
Utah Valley publishes its formula. Phase 1 is GPA (55%), TEAS (35%), and an essay (10%). Then “The interview score will account for 30% of the Phase 2 Application Score.” The other 70% is your Phase 1 score. Up to 24 interview candidates are offered a place, and “Applicants can only be invited to interview twice in a 5-year period.” (Utah Valley)
Its advice is plain: “Applicants should prepare as they would for a professional job interview.” A standardized interview means every candidate hears the same questions, so the difference is how clearly you answer them.
Practice questions
Most programs don’t publish their questions. These are my practice prompts, not questions any program has published:
- Why respiratory therapy?
- What does a respiratory therapist do in the ICU, the ER, and the NICU?
- Tell us about a time you stayed calm in an emergency.
- How would you explain a breathing treatment to a frightened child and their parent?
- Tell us about a time you made a mistake. What did you do next?
- How do you handle working nights, weekends, and twelve-hour shifts?
- Why our program?
How to prepare
- Treat it like a job interview, as Utah Valley advises: professional dress, firm answers, and questions ready.
- Shadow a respiratory therapist and bring one specific story about a patient or a piece of equipment.
- Practice clear, simple explanations. IU assesses communication skills directly.
- Know the weighting. Where the interview is 30% of the score, a strong interview can lift a middling GPA.
- Do a timed mock interview with someone who will give you blunt feedback.
Your interviewers may have your application in front of them, so reread your own respiratory therapy personal statement before the interview. If you haven’t submitted yet, see our respiratory therapy personal statement examples, or work with Lauren Hammond, PhD, our personal statement editor.
For perfusion, anesthesiologist assistant, and other professions, see our allied health interview guide.
If nerves are your biggest worry, see how to calm your nerves before an interview from Julie Cunningham, a licensed speech-language pathologist.
Practice with a real interviewer before the real one. My wife, Julie Cunningham, MA, CCC-SLP, is a licensed speech-language pathologist who runs mock interviews on Zoom for respiratory therapy applicants. She coaches every format: one-on-one, panel, MMI, and recorded video interviews such as Kira Talent. She works on how your answers come across: clear key words, pace, voice, filler words, organizing an answer so it has a point, staying steady when you’re nervous, and how you look and sound on camera. It’s $250 an hour.
Frequently asked questions
Do respiratory therapy programs interview?
Many do. UAMS and Indiana University require an admission interview, and Boise State and Stony Brook invite selected or eligible applicants.
How much does the RT interview count?
At Utah Valley, the interview is 30% of the Phase 2 application score. Boise State says grades and the interview have the biggest impact on the application.
How long is a respiratory therapy interview?
Utah Valley says its standardized interview lasts approximately one hour.
What do RT interviews assess?
Communication is the common thread. Indiana University says communication skills in English will be assessed in its required interview.
Related guides: Allied health, Perfusion, Radiation therapy, Sonography, Medical laboratory science, Dietetic internship, and Genetic counseling. See all interview guides by program.
Every date, number, and quotation on this page comes from the program’s own admissions page, linked where it appears. Boise State’s and IU’s pages give no cycle year; we used them only for their standing process. Last checked October 28, 2026.