Occupational Therapy

Requirements for Admission

Applicants must possess personal qualities of character, aptitude, integrity, and motivation as well as the capacity to perform essential functions suitable for a career in occupational therapy. All applicants must successfully pass a drug screening, criminal background check and family and child services review.

The admissions committee takes the following factors into consideration:

1. A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college/university or enrollment in an affiliated 3-2 program, and satisfactory completion of all prerequisite coursework. Prerequisite courses can be taken online or outside of the degree-granting school, as long as they are from an accredited institution. Advanced placement (AP) courses and test scores do not count for prerequisites.

2. The Graduate Record Exam (GRE) must be taken no more than five years prior to application. Quantitative, verbal and analytical writing scores are required. GRE score reports must be sent directly from the Educational Testing Service to the Washington University Program in Occupational Therapy. The Washington University Occupational Therapy code is 0081. The major code for Occupational Therapy is 0618.

Our mean GRE scores are typically in the range of 149 quantitative, 154 verbal and 4.0 analytical writing. The admission decision is based on a total portfolio, and GRE scores are one of many factors considered for admission.

3. Prerequisite and cumulative GPA: a B or better is required for all prerequisite courses and a 3.25 cumulative GPA is required for MSOT and OTD programs.

4. Three letters of recommendation are required from:

• A professor, teacher, or academic advisor. 3-2 applicants must submit one letter of recommendation from their advisor.
• A person who supervised you during observation experiences.
• A person of your choice, other than a relative or family friend, who can speak objectively about your strengths. A work supervisor or another teacher would be recommended.

5. A minimum of 30 hours of occupational therapy-related experience or observation. It is strongly recommended, but not required, that a portion of the hours include observation with an occupational therapist.

6. Demonstration of strong writing skills in the application essay.

7. Participation and leadership in extracurricular activities.

8. International students: TOEFL and TWE taken no more than one year prior to application. Transcripts for universities outside the United States must be reviewed by a credentialing agency.