Choosing an OT program is a big decision, and wrong information is worse than none. These are the rules we follow.
1. ACOTE is the source of truth for which programs exist
We list a program only if it appears in the ACOTE school directory. From ACOTE we take the program’s degree level (OTD, master’s, OTA associate or bachelor’s), accreditation status, institution type, address, distance-education share, and on-site review dates. Our current copy was retrieved on October 9, 2026: 648 active programs (422 OT, 226 OTA). Programs that ACOTE marks inactive are not listed.
2. Every other fact comes from the program’s own website
We open the program page ACOTE links to and record the official degree name, program length, credits, format (on-campus, hybrid, weekend) and start term, along with the exact sentence we took it from. That quote and the date we checked appear on each program page. If the website doesn’t state something clearly, we leave it blank rather than guess. So far 545 programs have at least one fact confirmed this way.
3. We flag programs that have stopped admitting
ACOTE keeps listing a program while its current students finish. When a program’s website says it is no longer accepting applications, we mark it “Not admitting” and quote the website (6 at last check).
4. Pass rates come from NBCOT; admissions and cost from program pages
NBCOT pass rates are NBCOT’s own school performance data (2021–2025), matched to each ACOTE program by state, degree level and school name (474 programs). NBCOT counts new graduates who passed during the testing year regardless of attempts.
Admission facts (minimum GPA, GRE policy, OTCAS use, observation hours, TOEFL, class size) and program cost come from each program’s own admissions and cost pages. Every value is reviewed against the sentence it came from; statements about progression, scholarships, other degrees or other programs are rejected. Costs are shown exactly as the school publishes them (tuition versus all-in totals, in-state versus out-of-state, cohort year).
Licensing details come from NBCOT’s state regulatory board contact list (rev. July 2026), the OT Compact Commission (otcompact.gov), and quotes from each board’s website. OTCAS dates and fees come from Liaison’s OTCAS applicant help center.
5. Pay and job outlook come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics
Wages are BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025) for occupational therapists (29-1122) and occupational therapy assistants (31-2011), pulled from the BLS public data API.
6. Review and corrections
Listings and guides are reviewed by Deepam Pawar, OT. We re-check ACOTE and program websites regularly and update the date shown on each page. If you see something wrong, tell us: we will check the source and fix it.
Independence
We are not affiliated with ACOTE, AOTA, NBCOT or any school, and schools cannot pay to change their listing.