Admissions

Easiest OT Programs to Get Into

By · Updated October 9, 2026 · Sources: program admissions pages, NBCOT

The OT programs with the lowest published bars accept a minimum GPA as low as 2.5, don’t require the GRE, and ask for few or no observation hours. Of 152 OT programs that publish a minimum GPA, 13 accept below 3.0, and 11 combine a minimum of 3.0 or lower with no GRE and no observation-hour requirement. Ranked below from each program’s own admissions page.

Why we don’t use acceptance rates

Most “easiest OT schools” lists rank by a university’s overall acceptance rate. That number covers undergraduate freshmen, not the OT program, and few OT programs publish their own rate. Instead, we rank by what each program says it requires: its minimum GPA, whether it requires the GRE, and how many observation hours it asks for. A low minimum is not a guarantee: strong applicants usually exceed it.

OT programs with the lowest admission minimums

#ProgramStateDegreeMin. GPAGREObs. hoursNBCOT 2025
1 University of Nebraska Medical Center NE OTD 2.5 No None 100%
2 Maria College NY Master’s 2.5 — 20 56%
3 Utah Tech UniversityPreaccreditation UT OTD 2.7prerequisite GPA No 40 —
4 A.T. Still University, Arizona School of Health Sciences AZ Master’s 2.75 — 20 100%
5 West Virginia University WV OTD 2.75 — 30 100%
6 Emory and Henry University-Marion Campus VA OTD 2.75 No 40 95%
7 University of Oklahoma Health Campus OK OTD 2.75 — — 100%
8 Midwestern University-Downers Grove CampusApplicant IL Master’s 2.75 No — —
9 Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions UT OTD 2.75 — — —
10 George Washington University DC OTD 2.8 No None 100%
11 Nova Southeastern University-Ft. Lauderdale FL OTD 2.8 No None 100%
12 Nova Southeastern University-Tampa Bay Regional Campus FL OTD 2.8 No None 86%
13 York College, The City University of New York NY Master’s 2.9 No 50 71%
14 Carroll University WI Master’s 3 — 20 rec. 100%
15 Concordia University Ann Arbor MI OTD 3 No None 100%
16 Kettering College OH OTD 3 No None 100%
17 Grand Valley State University MI Master’s 3prerequisite GPA — None 98%
18 Maryville University MO Master’s 3 — None 97%
19 Kean University NJ Master’s 3 — None 96%
20 Duke University School of Medicine NC OTD 3 No None 95%
21 Shenandoah University VA Master’s 3 No 10 rec. 95%
22 San Jose State University CA Master’s 3 — 30 rec. 92%
23 Kean University NJ OTD 3 — None 88%
24 University of the Pacific-Sacramento Campus CA OTD 3prerequisite GPA No 50 rec. 83%
25 Andrews UniversityCandidacy MI OTD 3 No 20 rec. —
26 Bowling Green State UniversityPreaccreditation OH OTD 3 — None —
27 Hawaii Pacific University-Honolulu HI OTD 3 — 30 rec. —
28 Hawaii Pacific University-Las Vegas NV OTD 3 — 30 rec. —
29 San Jose State University CA OTD 3 — 30 rec. —
30 Shenandoah University-Loudoun VA Master’s 3 No 10 rec. —
31 Indiana Wesleyan University IN OTD 3 — 10 100%
32 Methodist University NC OTD 3prerequisite GPA No 10 90%
33 New York UniversityPreaccreditation NY OTD 3 No 10 —
34 University of New HavenPreaccreditation CT OTD 3 — 10 —
35 Slippery Rock University PA OTD 3 — 12 100%
36 University of Pittsburgh PA OTD 3 — 12 100%
37 Hanover College IN OTD 3 No 15 —
38 Duquesne University PA OTD 3 No 16 100%
39 University of Arkansas-Fayetteville/University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences AR OTD 3 No 16 100%
40 Duquesne University PA Master’s 3 No 16 88%
41 Stanbridge University CA Master’s 3 — 16 86%
42 Stanbridge University-Riverside CA Master’s 3 — 16 —
43 Faulkner University AL OTD 3prerequisite GPA — 20 100%
44 Florida Gulf Coast University FL Master’s 3 No 20 100%
45 Northern Kentucky University KY OTD 3 — 20 100%
46 Ohio State University OH OTD 3 — 20 100%
47 Quinnipiac University CT OTD 3 — 20 100%
48 Rush University IL OTD 3 — 20 100%
49 Quinnipiac University CT Master’s 3 — 20 95%
50 University of Alabama at Birmingham AL OTD 3 — 20 94%
51 Elmhurst University IL Master’s 3 — 20 90%
52 Pace University-Westchester Campus NY Master’s 3 No 20 89%
53 Gwynedd Mercy University PA Master’s 3 No 20 86%
54 Tuskegee UniversityCandidacy AL Master’s 3 — 20 75%
55 Carlow University PA Master’s 3 — 20 55%
56 Alliant UniversityCandidacy CA Master’s 3 No 20 —
57 Long Island University, Brooklyn Campus NY Master’s 3 — 25 81%
58 Pfeiffer University-Albemarle Campus NC Master’s 3 No 25 73%
59 Saginaw Valley State University MI Master’s 3 — 30 100%
60 The University of Texas at San Antonio Health Science Center TX OTD 3 No 30 100%
61 West Virginia University WV Master’s 3 — 30 100%
62 University of Florida FL OTD 3 No 30 98%
63 Baylor University TX OTD 3 — 30 93%
64 Jacksonville University FL OTD 3 No 30 85%
65 Notre Dame of Maryland University MD OTD 3 — 30 80%
66 North Central College IL OTD 3 No 30 —
67 University of North AlabamaCandidacy AL Master’s 3 — 30 —
68 Colorado Mesa University CO Master’s 3 No 40 100%
69 Loma Linda University Health CA OTD 3 No 40 100%
70 Shawnee State University OH Master’s 3 — 40 100%
71 University of Texas at El Paso TX OTD 3 No 40 100%
72 Iona University NY Master’s 3 — 40 93%
73 University of Mary Hardin-Baylor TX Master’s 3last 60 hours No 40 89%
74 Wingate University NC OTD 3 No 40 88%
75 Tennessee Wesleyan University-Downtown Knoxville Site TN Master’s 3 — 40 87%
76 Abilene Christian University TX Master’s 3 No 40 85%
77 Davenport University MI Master’s 3 No 40 84%
78 Howard University DC OTD 3 No 40 55%
79 Biola UniversityPreaccreditation CA Master’s 3 — 40 —
80 Point Loma Nazarene University CA Master’s 3 No 40 —
81 University of Cincinnati OH OTD 3 — 40 —
82 William Carey UniversityCandidacy MS Master’s 3prerequisite GPA — 40 —
83 A.T. Still University, Arizona School of Health Sciences AZ OTD 3 — — 100%
84 AdventHealth University FL Master’s 3 — — 100%
85 Belmont University TN OTD 3 — 50 100%
86 College of St. Scholastica MN Master’s 3 — — 100%
87 Delaware State University DE Master’s 3 — — 100%
88 East Tennessee State University TN OTD 3prerequisite GPA No — 100%
89 Elizabethtown College PA OTD 3 — — 100%
90 Indiana University IN OTD 3 No — 100%
91 Milligan University TN Master’s 3 — — 100%
92 Southern California University of Health Sciences CA OTD 3 No — 100%
93 Southern Illinois University Carbondale IL OTD 3 No — 100%
94 University of Findlay OH OTD 3 — — 100%
95 University of Southern California CA OTD 3prerequisite GPA — — 100%
96 University of Vermont VT OTD 3 No — 100%
97 University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse WI Master’s 3 No — 100%
98 Colorado State University CO OTD 3 No — 98%
99 Belmont University TN Master’s 3 No 50 97%
100 Cabarrus College of Health Sciences NC Master’s 3 No — 97%
101 University of North Dakota ND OTD 3 — — 96%
102 University of Texas at Tyler TX Master’s 3last 60 hours — — 96%
103 University of Utah UT Master’s 3 — — 96%
104 Boston University, College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (Sargent College) MA OTD 3 No — 95%
105 University of Indianapolis IN Master’s 3prerequisite GPA No — 95%
106 University of Louisiana at Monroe LA Master’s 3 — — 95%
107 Sacred Heart University CT Master’s 3 — — 94%
108 University of Indianapolis IN OTD 3prerequisite GPA No — 94%
109 Indiana University South Bend IN Master’s 3 — — 93%
110 Chicago State University IL Master’s 3last 60 hours No — 92%
111 St. Ambrose University IA OTD 3prerequisite GPA — — 92%
112 Keuka College NY Master’s 3 — — 89%
113 New York Institute of Technology NY OTD 3 — 50 89%
114 Midwestern University-Downers Grove Campus IL OTD 3 No — 88%
115 Salem State University MA Master’s 3 — — 88%
116 Arkansas State University-Jonesboro AR OTD 3 — — 86%
117 MCPHS University-Manchester Campus NH Master’s 3 — — 85%
118 University of Findlay OH Master’s 3 — — 85%
119 University of New Mexico NM Master’s 3last 50 graded credits No — 84%
120 Concordia University Wisconsin WI Master’s 3 — — 83%
121 Dominican University New York NY Master’s 3 — — 83%
122 University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee WI Master’s 3 — — 81%
123 Cedar Crest College PA OTD 3 No — 72%
124 D'Youville University NY Master’s 3 — — 71%
125 Ithaca CollegeCandidacy NY OTD 3 — — —
126 MCPHS University-Worcester Campus MA Master’s 3 — — —
127 Radford University Carilion VA Master’s 3 — — —
128 Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions UT Master’s 3 — — —
129 The Chicago SchoolApplicant IL OTD 3 — — —
130 U. of the CumberlandsApplicant KY OTD 3 — — —
131 University of Mary Hardin-BaylorCandidacy TX OTD 3last 60 hours No — —
132 University of MontanaCandidacy MT OTD 3 — — —
133 University of Mount UnionPreaccreditation OH Master’s 3 — — —
134 University of North Dakota at Casper College WY OTD 3 — — —
135 Utica University NY OTD 3 — — —
136 California State University, Dominguez Hills CA Master’s 3 — 80 98%
137 Northern Arizona University AZ OTD 3 — 80 92%
138 California State University, Dominguez Hills CA OTD 3 — 80 —
139 East Carolina University NC Master’s 3 Required None 100%
140 University of Illinois Chicago IL OTD 3 Required 50 rec. 100%
141 Cleveland State University OH OTD 3prerequisite GPA Required — 92%
142 East Carolina University NC OTD 3 Required — —
143 Augusta University GA Master’s 3 Required 60 100%

Includes admitting OT programs whose admissions page states a minimum GPA of 3.0 or lower (143 of 152). “—” = not stated or not verified. Programs with an ACOTE status badge are still working toward accreditation. Each value has a source quote on the program page.

Programs that publish acceptance data

Very few OT programs publish their own applicant or acceptance numbers. These are the ones we found, quoted from each program’s site. They show how competitive OT school is even when published minimums are modest:

ProgramStateWhat the program publishesSource
University of the Pacific-Sacramento CampusCAOver 500 applicants for 40 seatsschool site
University of Illinois ChicagoILAccepted applicants’ GPAs are typically 3.6–3.8; 40 students enrolled per yearschool site
Tufts UniversityMAAverage student GPA 3.6; cohorts of about 35school site
St. Catherine UniversityMN188 applicants, class of 48 (26% matriculation), average GPA 3.66 — Summer 2024 entry-level cohort (MAOT and OTD reported together)school site
University of PittsburghPAAccepted applicants typically have cumulative and prerequisite GPAs of at least 3.5school site
Eastern Washington University (OTM)WA70+ applicants interviewed and 35 accepted each year; accepted students' prerequisite GPA averaged 3.70 (lowest 3.17), 2025–26 cycleschool site
University of Wisconsin-MilwaukeeWI35 accepted out of 143 qualified applicants (2025)school site

St. Catherine University reports its master’s and OTD applicants together, so it appears once. Know of another program that publishes these figures? Tell us.

How to improve your odds anywhere

Related: filter programs by your GPA · how to choose an OT school

Frequently asked questions

What is the easiest OT program to get into?

No program is “easy”, but some publish lower minimums. Of 152 OT programs that publish a minimum GPA, 13 accept below 3.0, including A.T. Still University, Arizona School of Health Sciences (2.75), George Washington University (2.8), Nova Southeastern University-Ft. Lauderdale (2.8), Nova Southeastern University-Tampa Bay Regional Campus (2.8). 11 programs combine a minimum of 3.0 or lower with no GRE and no observation-hour requirement.

What GPA do you need for OT school?

Most programs that publish a minimum set it at 3.0; a minority accept 2.5–2.9. Meeting the minimum does not guarantee admission: admitted students’ average GPAs are usually higher.

Are “easiest OT schools” lists based on acceptance rates reliable?

Be careful. Many lists use a university’s overall undergraduate acceptance rate, which says little about how competitive its OT program is. Program-specific requirements, like the ones on this page, are more useful.

Is a new OT program easier to get into?

Sometimes new programs have fewer applicants, but graduates can only take the NBCOT exam if the program is accredited by the time they graduate. See new OT programs for what each ACOTE status means.