Pre-Occupational Therapy Application Process

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• ADVISING | Meet with a pre-health advisor ASAP to map out your plan toward OT school admission.  Plan to meet with your pre-health advisor consistently throughout your journey.
  • For more information about advising, see our Frequently Asked Questions page.
• RESEARCH | Determine which OT schools you are interested in. A good place to start is the AOTA website, where you can find information on several OT programs and their timelines.
• PREREQUISITES | Research each school to understand and begin work as soon as possible on their application requirements including courses, GPA, shadowing, patient care, etc. 
  • It may be a good idea to bookmark the admissions page for each school you are interested in applying to.
  • Don't be afraid to reach out to your schools of interest and ask for clarification of their requirements if you have questions.
• TIMELINE | Know the application start date and deadlines for each school you are interested in. Application cycles for occupational therapy programs can vary, but the OTCAS Centralized Application Service typically opens in July.  
  
  • Application deadlines vary, but may close as soon as October. Please plan accordingly.
• OTCAS | Familiarize yourself with the OTCAS application site.  For detailed descriptions of each section, information on fees/fee waivers, and other FAQs, visit the OTCAS Applicant Help Center. 
  • If an accredited OT program is not a member of OTCAS, they will have their own individual application process and procedures.  Please review each OT program's official admissions website for full details and instructions about their application process.
• EXPERIENCE | Start early with shadowing, volunteering, and working with patients. Research and strive to exceed the number of hours each program of interest requires.
• INVOLVEMENT | Be involved in meaningful activities such as research, community service, work, and extracurriculars that are meaningful and unique. Well-rounded applicants are more competitive.
  • Consider being involved in regular community service.  Admissions committees like to see a committment to a specific cause or organization.
  • Quality is usually better than quantity.  Taking on leadership positions and heading initiatives for one organization means more than being somewhat involved in many different clubs and organizations.
• RECOMMENDATIONS | Determine what types and how many references your schools of interest prefer and begin early building relationships with potential letter writers.
• GRE | Check to see if your programs of interest require the GRE. If so, study for the GRE at least 3 months prior to attempting the test. Register 60-90 days prior to taking it and take it at least 6-8 weeks prior to application start date.
  • It is highly recommended that you register for a test date and site as early as possible because prime test dates and sites will fill up quickly.  Be sure to plan ahead!
• PERSONAL STATEMENT | Start to write your personal essay months prior to the application in a word document. Be sure to edit it carefully and have peers and faculty review and critique as well.  
  • The AHEC office offers free personal statement review.
  • You can also utilize the WKU Writing Center.
• TRANSCRIPT | Transcripts must be sent to OTCAS from all institutions you list in the 'Colleges Attended' section of your application, even if the courses later transferred to another institution. Your application cannot be processed until all of your transcripts have been recieved.
  • You can send your transcripts electronically (recommended) or directly to OTCAS by mail from the Registrar's Office.  View more information about how to send transcripts here.
• SUBMIT APPLICATION | A lot of OT schools are on OTCAS, but not all of them (view OTCAS Participating Programs). Get all material ready a month prior to the application open date, fill it out, double/triple check for errors, and then submit!
  • Plan to apply early in the application cycle, as the OTCAS verification process may take awhile. Additionally, some programs may have early decision deadlines and/or conduct rolling admissions policies.