Application Requirements

If you are applying to the OT program you must meet the following requirements in order to be considered for admission:

• Completion of the OTCAS application.
• Completion of an bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited college or university. A minimum overall GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale and a minimum prerequisite GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale is required for consideration to the UC OT program. 
• Completion of prerequisite coursework (listed below). A grade of C or better is necessary for each prerequisite course. 7 of the 11 prerequisite courses must be completed at the time of application (Anatomy & Physiology are counted as 2 courses).  Any remaining prerequisite classes must be completed before summer OT classes begin.  If you have completed any of the recommended (but not required) courses please fill out the OT Recommended Courses form and upload this document to your application in OTCAS.
  
• Minimum of 40 hours of occupational therapy observation (not required for occupational therapy assistants with current state licensure). Must be completed in two settings for a minimum of 20 hours per setting.
• Three recommendation letters (Professional or Academic/Non-Relative). For OTA applicants, one of the three recommendation letters must be from a supervising occupational therapist.
• Completion of essay (500 word max) 
  • A statement of why you have selected occupational therapy as a career path.
  • A description of previous activities and experiences that are consistent with / supportive of your career choice.
  • A description of the personal attributes that you feel are most important for career success in occupational therapy.
  • A statement of the reasons for choosing the University of Cincinnati for your occupational therapy educational preparation.
• Effective for the 2023-24 admission cycle, the Graduate Records Examination (GRE) is no longer required.
• After your application is submitted and verified in OTCAS you will be required to pay a $65 supplemental application fee to the UC Graduate School.  You will receive an email from the UC Graduate School regarding this.
• Applicants will then be prompted to complete an online interview in Kira Talent.

All applicants seeking admission to the University of Cincinnati OTD program must have at 7 of the 11 prerequisite coursework completed at the time of application to be considered for admission (Anatomy & Physiology are counted as 2 courses).

Please review the information under each of the prerequisite categories below.  We have provided some of the UC course equivalent to help determine if your courses meet our requirements.  To look up how courses from other institutions transfer to UC use the transfer equivalency database.  Scroll to the bottom of the page to search for your institution. 

While we don’t offer transcript reviews as a service, we are happy to answer questions about individual courses that are not in the above linked databases.  For questions, please email occupationaltherapy@uc.edu and allow 72 hours for a response.  Please include university, course number, course name, description, # of credits, course objectives or syllabus.

• Intro to OT (UC equivalent HLSC 3061)
• Healthcare Ethics (UC equivalent HLSC 2011 - online or HLTH 2011)
• Pharmacology (UC equivalent HLSC 3014 online)
• Biomechanics (UC equivalent HLSC 3020 online or HLSC 3022C)
• Sensation and Perception (UC equivalent PSYC 2030 online)

If you have successfully completed any of these courses please fill out the OT Recommended Courses form and then upload it in the documents section of your OTCAS application.  

Transfer credit is allowed for undergraduate prerequisite coursework. Transfer credits are not accepted for courses within the OT curriculum. There is no credit given for previous work experience.

Learn more on Graduate School’s English Language Proficiency Requirements.