Admission Requirements & Deadlines

Students who wish to enter the Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Doctorate in summer 2023 must apply by October 1, 2022 by submitting an application to the Occupational Therapy Centralized Application Service (OTCAS).

How to Apply 

To apply to the Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Doctorate (ELOTD), you must submit an application through the Occupational Therapy Centralized Application Service (OTCAS) by October 1, 2022 and your official transcripts must be verified in OTCAS by November 1, 2022.

It is your responsibility to understand the admission requirements and ensure that your application is complete.

Application Requirements

  • Official transcripts from all regionally accredited colleges and universities you have attended, demonstrating the following:
    • a last-60-credit GPA of 3.25 or higher
    • minimum prerequisite coursework completion (see prerequisite section below)
    • that you have earned or will earn your bachelor's degree by May 31, 2023
  • Your Entry-Level OT Graduate Program Prerequisite Worksheet (DOCX) 
  • Your personal statement
  • Three qualifying references
  • Your resume or CV

Admission Requirements

  • A bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited college or university** is required for full admission. Your bachelor's degree must be awarded by May 31, 2023 to begin the program.

    **see exceptions to this policy in Graduate Admissions
    Non-immigrant international students: see additional admission information about International Graduate Admissions

  • GPA Requirements: You must have a minimum GPA of 3.25 based on the last 60 credits of your bachelor's degree and eligible post-baccalaureate coursework. Post-baccalaureate coursework is eligible when taken at the upper level (3- or 400 level) or graduate level.

  • Prerequisite Coursework and Worksheet: You must complete 8 prerequisite courses prior to entering the program. Five of the 8 prerequisites must be completed at the time of application. One of the five must be Human Anatomy & Physiology I or Human Anatomy & Physiology II. Any prerequisites incomplete at the time of application (up to 3) must be completed before beginning the program.

    Prerequisite coursework criteria, including minimum grades and timeframes, are outlined on the Entry-Level OT Graduate Program Prerequisite Worksheet. You must submit official transcripts to OTCAS** confirming your current prerequisite status AND submit the prerequisite worksheet with your OTCAS application.

    Required Prerequisite Courses

    • Abnormal Psychology
    • Lifespan Human Growth and Development
    • Basic Statistics
    • Introduction to Sociology OR Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
    • Medical Terminology
    • Human Anatomy & Physiology I (within 5 years)
    • Human Anatomy & Physiology II (within 5 years)
    • Physics I (must include mechanics, heat, energy, and light

**Coursework taken outside of the United States must appear on an international credential evaluation to be used toward your application. See additional admission information about International Graduate Admissions

COVID-19 Adjustments

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the following exceptions have been approved:

  1. For courses taken ONLY in Spring 2020: We will accept a "pass" grade and/or a grade of "C" for any prerequisite course work.
  2. For courses taken in 2020 and 2021: We will accept online labs for Human Anatomy & Physiology I, Human Anatomy & Physiology II, and Physics I.
  • Three OTCAS References (Evaluations): One must be a professional reference (any person with whom you have interacted where professional expectations existed). The remaining two may be professional or academic. No personal references are accepted.

    You must enter each reference's information into the "evaluation" system within the OTCAS application. Each reference must rate you in at least six of the competencies. It is your responsibility to ensure your references understand this expectation.

  • A Personal Statement (Essay): Your personal statement provides an opportunity to clearly and effectively express your thoughts and ideas about OT and why you are pursuing the field.

    You must write and submit an original essay that reflects on our personal statement questions and follows our guidelines. Only essays uploaded in the "TU Document" section of the OTCAS application will be included in our review.

Personal Statement Questions

  1. Why have you selected Occupational Therapy as a career?
  2. Why are you pursuing an Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Doctorate instead of an Occupational Therapy Master's degree?
  3. How does a career in Occupational Therapy relate to your immediate and long-term professional goals?
  4. How will your personal, educational, and professional background help you achieve your goals?
  5. What specific area of OT practice are you most interested in being the focus of your capstone project?

Personal Statement Guidelines

  • Draw on what you have learned through observations, experiences, and other preparatory activities regarding your understanding of and how you fit into the profession.
  • Thoroughly answer the questions posed above and provide a meaningful, clear response.
  • Limit your personal statement to 750 words or less.
  • Present an original piece of writing that demonstrates high-quality academic writing skills; while you may request feedback on the quality of your personal statement, no other person should directly edit or write any portion of it.
  • A Current Resume/CV: Relevant work history and leadership experiences will be considered in the selection process; applicants may be asked for permission to contact current or prior employers.

Interview and Towson University Application

After our initial review of applicants, top candidates will be invited to apply to Towson University Graduate Admissions and participate in our interview process. Interviews are conducted virtually in a group format and usually occur in early December.

Admission Decisions

Our admissions committee uses the combined results of the interview and OTCAS application materials to make final admission decisions. Meeting all criteria does not guarantee admission to our programs: approximately 20-30 individuals are admitted to our ELOTD each year.

All offers of admission require the return of an intent statement by a specified deadline. If you are offered a position and fail to return the intent statement by the deadline, your offer of admission will be revoked.

Waitlist

If we are unable to initially offer you a position in the program(s) to which you have applied, we may offer you a position on the waitlist for said program(s). All waitlist offers require the return of an intent statement by a specified deadline. If you are offered a waitlist position and fail to return the intent statement by the deadline, your offer will be revoked.

We maintain our waitlist until approximately 1 week prior to the program starting, and we make every effort to enter the first term with a full cohort.

Deferral of Acceptance

Deferral of admission offers are not permitted at this time. If you are unable to accept an offer of admission, you must reapply if you wish to be considered in a future admission cycle.

More Information

If you have questions, please contact: 

Briana Rostkowski, M.S.
Admissions & Clinical Placement Coordinator
410-704-2653