Fall 2023 Application Cycle

Master of Occupational Therapy Program Criteria and Application Process

How to Apply 

The University of New Mexico uses the Occupational Therapist Centralized Application Service (OTCAS) for its application process. Application deadline is November 1. 

1. Prior to the deadline of November 1st @ 11:59 p.m. EST - Complete your application profile and pay the application fee online at Occupational Therapy Graduate Program. The program application link becomes available August 1.  
   
   
2. Prior to the deadline of November 1st @ 11:59 p.m. EST - Submit your online application to the UNM Occupational Therapy Graduate Program through OTCAS. The OTCAS application link becomes available August 1. 
   
   
3. Prior to the deadline of January 1st - All applicants must complete the CASPer Computer Based Assessment.
   
   
4. If you are selected for an on-campus interview, submit your online Graduate Admissions application online at UNM Office of Graduate Admissions prior to February 14. Print the application confirmation page for your records. The Admissions Criteria and Information page has additional information.  

All applicants must meet the following criteria: 

• Completed bachelor’s degree in any discipline by the end of the spring semester in the calendar year of admission. 
• Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 on last 50 graded credits. 
• GRE scores are not required/considered.  
• Completion of pre-requisite courses with a grade of B (3.0) or better. 
• Pre-requisites may not be taken more than two times. Grades for additional attempts will not be considered. 
• Prerequisite courses must be completed within the past five years. 
• Pre-requisites must be completed by the end of the fall semester of the application period. 
• Students enrolled in other institutions must verify that their prerequisite courses will transfer to UNM as the required prerequisite course for the UNM OT program. Course transfer equivalencies can be verified using the Transfer Evaluation System (TES). 
• Anyone interested in applying is required to submit a Course Waiver Request form for any course that is not listed in TES as transferring into UNM as one of the required OT Prerequisite Courses.  The list of required prerequisites and the Course Waiver Request form for the OT Program are available under the "Prerequisite Courses" tab.

Update to 2022-2023 Admissions

The University of New Mexico Occupational Therapy Graduate Program realizes that this is an unprecedented time. Policies and certain restrictions put into place due to the Covid-19 pandemic may affect completion of application requirements. The UNM OTGP is committed to supporting potential applicants at this time. As such, we have made the following change to our OT shadowing requirement: 

• We recommend that applicants observe/shadow occupational therapy practitioners for at least 65 hours and in more than one setting. Applicants must complete a time log, including dates, hours, location and name of the therapist observed. The completed time log will need to be uploaded onto the individual’s OTCAS application. 
• However, due to the pandemic, we realize shadowing opportunities may be limited. In addition to any of your current shadowing hours, or in place of actual shadowing hours, applicants may complete self-paced online shadowing modules. Email us for additional information.   

Please note that a felony conviction may affect a graduate's ability to sit for the NBCOT certification examination or attain state licensure. 

Interviews and Final Selection

The top candidates will be invited to the Occupational Therapy Graduate Program at The University of New Mexico in Albuquerque for an interview and an extemporaneous sample of their writing ability in late January. Final selection will be made from this group of candidates. 

Up to 30 students will be selected for the Occupational Therapy Graduate Program. Selection will be based on: 

• Transcript evaluation and academic record. 
• Personal statement (OTCAS form). 
• Written materials, letters of reference, and application including your life experiences, volunteer/work experience, community involvement and regional bilingual skills. 
• Interview and spontaneous writing sample. 
• The GRE writing score will not be considered for the fall 2021 application cycle. 

The UNM Occupational Therapy Program does not discriminate against any student on the basis of gender, marital or parental status, race, color, religion, age, sexual orientation, national origin or physical disability. Please note that a felony conviction may affect a graduate's ability to sit for the NBCOT certification examination or attain state licensure.