Occupational Therapy

*The application cycle for Fall 2026 is open on OTCAS. The final application deadline is June 19, 2026. Please note that all applications must be verified and complete by the final deadline in order to be considered.*

All applicants seeking admission to the Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) Program must submit all required application materials including the OTCAS application and meet the following requirements prior to enrollment in the program.

  • Completion of an undergraduate (Bachelor’s) degree from a regionally-accredited college or university in the United States.
  • Preferred overall Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.00 on a 4.00 scale.
  • Required prerequisite GPA of 3.00 on a 4.00 scale.
  • Completion of all prerequisites prior to matriculation. Applicants with more than four (4) outstanding prerequisites cannot be considered for admission. Please note that the Program does not accept transfer credits from occupational therapy curricula from other institutions.
  • The prerequisites for Mercer’s OTD Program are:
    • two course series of human anatomy and physiology with labs preferred,
    • a biology course,
    • a general physics course with lab preferred,
    • a general psychology course,
    • an advanced psychology course (e.g. abnormal or development psychology),
    • a sociology course, and
    • a statistics course.
  • Notes about prerequisites:
    • Anatomy and Physiology courses must have been completed within 10 years prior to anticipated enrollment in the OTD Program.
    • Students who take Advanced Placement (AP) courses at the high school level and complete the examination by the Educational Testing Service are awarded credit based on the score and course equivalent(s); only scores 3 and above are accepted. No credit may be awarded for score of 1 or 2.
    • Survey courses will not fulfill prerequisites.
    • If a prerequisite has been taken more than once, all attempts will be considered in calculating your prerequisite GPA. Only grades of C or better are acceptable for prerequisite coursework.
  • Official GRE scores may be sent directly from ETS to OTCAS using the institution code 1935 (Mercer U Occupational Therapy). GRE scores optional, not required.
  • Required Experiential Hours: 40 hours of observation supervised by a registered and licensed occupational therapist.
  • Three (3) letters of reference must be submitted to OTCAS. At least one letter must come from a practicing occupational therapist, and one must come from a college professor/instructor. The third letter can come from any non-relative professional.

Qualified applicants with complete files and who meet or exceed the admissions criteria listed above may be invited to participate in an interview.

Submission of final official transcripts from all colleges/universities attended prior to enrollment is required. Accepted students must comply with requirements regarding health, immunizations, background checks, and drug screenings prior to enrollment in the Program.

International students or domestic students with credentials from institutions outside the United States are required to have those credentials evaluated by a professional evaluation service. Transcripts from colleges and universities outside the U.S. must be evaluated by World Education Services (WES) and submitted to PTCAS. Please see https://applications.wes.org/cas/ for instructions. Additionally, applicants whose native language is not English must also demonstrate satisfactory proficiency in English Language as measured by the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Until these documents have been submitted, an application for admission cannot be considered.

 

Please click here for answers to Frequently Asked Questions about the Doctor of Occupational Therapy Program.

To request additional information about Mercer’s OTD Program, please click here.