INTRODUCTION. Strategies of learning are fundamental processes in the acquisition of knowledge. The purpose of this study was to know the learning strategies profile that the first-year physical therapy students have and how they impact on academic performance. METHOD. In this type of study descriptive and correlational scope, 154 participated out of a total population of 179 first-year physical therapy Finis Terrae University students from the 2018 and 2019 intake cohorts, who were given the abbreviated ACRA test. The data analysis considered descriptive and inferential statistics through ANOVA, t-Student and Pearson taking into consideration an alpha of .05. RESULTS. It was found out that there is a good management of learning strategies by students (over 60%), however, there are significative differences between groups when cohorts are separated based on their performance. DISCUSSION. High-achieving students use strategies aimed at selection, organization and planning of the information. Also, they generate a work plan and use comprehension strategies. It is concluded that, the greater the use of learning strategies, the better the academic performance obtained by the student, and that students with good performance demonstrate greater use of intended strategies related to controlling their academic processes.