Occupational Therapy Assistant

Step 1

Apply to Ivy Tech

Students interested in the Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) program must first submit the Ivy Tech general application and complete requirements for admission to the college. During this application, you should apply for Healthcare Specialist program with an interest in OTA. Admission to the college does not ensure acceptance to a health science program, but students can be working on prerequisite courses for the OTA program after admission to the college and before applying to the program itself.

Apply to Ivy Tech

Step 2

Apply to the Occupational Therapy Assistant Program

Following completion of prerequisite courses, you may apply for the OTA program through the online application for health science programs. Students must have a GPA of 2.5 out of a 4.0 scale at the end of the spring semester in order to be accepted.

Please note that the OTA program is a selective admission program, which means there are a limited number of spots each year.

The OTA program begins each fall. The application window is between March 15 and May 15 to begin the program that year.

Filling Out the Occupational Therapy Assistant Online Application

Apply to OTA   

Before you begin:

• If you are not a current Ivy Tech Community College student, please Apply Now. You will need a C# (Ivy Tech student ID number) and Ivy Tech single sign-on login credentials in order to apply.
• Gather all required or optional documentation that you will need to upload into the system. View more about requirements here. You will have the ability to save your application in progress until you are able to secure documentation.
• If you are transferring from another institution, please make sure that your transcripts are evaluated at least 4 weeks prior to the application deadline.
  
  Frequently Asked Questions

How to Complete the Occupational Therapy Assistant Application:

1. Go to https://apps.ivytech.edu/apply/NursingAndHealthScience
2. Log in using your Ivy Tech credentials.
3. Check to make sure your personal information is accurate.
4. Select the programs and campuses you would like to be considered as an applicant. You can select up to three different programs and three different campuses. (Some students choose to apply to multiple programs within the School of Health Sciences.)
5. You must meet all of the prerequisites for a program in order to submit your application. If you receive a message indicating that you do not meet the prerequisites, then please remove that program selection in order to proceed with the application.
6. Upload any necessary documents.
7. Make sure grades in the system are accurate. If not, please contact your home campus registrar or advisor.
8. You will be able to submit your application if you are currently enrolled in a course identified as a prerequisite for the program.
9. Once complete, submit your application.
10. You will receive an email confirmation in your Ivy Tech email account that your application has been submitted and is pending review.
11. Once you have submitted your application, you have the option to reopen it to make changes.
    
    Note: DO NOT USE THE “BACK” function on your computer. Use the navigation pane at the side of the page to navigate.

Apply Now

Frequently Asked Questions

To learn more about the Health Sciences and Nursing application process, watch the below video, read the FAQ, or contact your campus of interest. 

Offers of Admission

Students can select up to three programs and three campuses each on the application. Offers of acceptance are for a specific program and campus. The offers are determined through eight rounds of auto-selection and six rounds of manual selection.

If a student is accepted, they will receive an email from the online application system to their Ivy Tech email account offering a seat in the program. Offers are emailed beginning within one week of the application close date and continue until program capacity is met or one week before the start of semester classes. Each round of offers begins at 6:00 am and applicants have until 11:59 pm the following day to either accept or reject an offer.

Depending on their rank and offers, a student could potentially receive multiple offers. Once one offer is  accepted, the student is immediately withdrawn from all other offers and will be contacted by the chair or dean of the program with information about the program orientation date, time, and location.

If a student fails to respond, then the offer expires. If a student rejects an offer three (3) times, the application is removed from the auto-selection application pool but will then be available for manual selection rounds that occur later in the process.

Students do have the ability to withdraw an application at any point during the admission cycle. However, once an application is withdrawn, another one cannot be submitted until the next application cycle.

After You're Accepted

If you are accepted into the program—first off, congratulations!—you will be required to attend on orientation session at your local campus during the summer semester prior to beginning classes. An email will be sent following your acceptance with details about the session.

What If I Don’t Get Admitted?

The OTA program does not maintain a waitlist. Non-admitted applicants can reapply in the next year’s application cycle, but we recommend that they to meet with an advisor to begin planning and preparing for the reapplication process. Advisors can also assist students in exploring other programs of interest in Ivy Tech’s School of Health Sciences if they have applied several times and have not been accepted into the program.

The Ivy Tech Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) program can be a challenging, yet rewarding, program. Before you apply, review the following requirements and expectations for students in the program.

Upon completion of the required pre-requisites and one college-required course (16 credits total) students may begin the application process required for consideration for admission into the Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) program for the inaugural class beginning Fall 2026.

NOTE: OTA is a selective admission program, which means not all students who apply to the program will be accepted. Therefore, individuals must apply to the OTA program through the online portal. Students interested in the Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) program must apply to Ivy Tech first using the Ivy Tech general application. In this application, students will apply for the Healthcare Specialist program with an interest in Occupational Therapy Assistant.

NOTE: The online application cycle for fall programs opens on March 15th of each year and closes May 15th of each year, and the deadline for completing the TEAS exam required for admission is April 30th of each year. To be eligible to apply for the inaugural Fall 2026 OTA class, students will need to complete the following by the stated deadline:

• Submit your OTA application with required supporting documentation as outlined in the overview packet applicants will receive (on or after March 15th, 2026, but before May 15th 2026).
• Complete the TEAS exam by April 30th.
• Attend a mandatory OTA info session
  NOTE: NOTE: All required pre-req classes must be completed by the end of spring semester of the year you are applying.

Time Commitment

The OTA  program requires a major commitment of time and energy. Students must be enrolled as a Full-Time student with daytime courses. Students may also need to schedule additional general education courses as needed each semester. It is essential that you plan for the same amount of study time as class time per week. OTA course schedules and assignment due dates will not be adjusted to accommodate individual work schedules.

Attendance

Students are expected to attend all class meetings, or other activities assigned as a part of a course of instruction. Attendance is necessary to maximize student-learning opportunities. Students who are absent are responsible for missed material. Clinical courses require that the student be present to effectively evaluate successful achievement of clinical course objectives and concepts, as clinical course objectives cannot be accomplished or evaluated outside the clinical setting. There are no make-up sessions for missed clinical hours; therefore, regular clinical attendance is mandatory for successful clinical course and program completion.

Additionally, students must be prepared to provide their own transportation to and from clinical sites within an hour-and-a-half drive from their campus in order to complete clinical hours.

Mandatory Drug and Criminal Background Screenings

All OTA program clinical affiliates require mandatory drug and criminal background screenings before allowing students to participate in clinical courses at their facilities. Results of these screenings could impact your ability to complete clinical courses and therefore, your ability to meet the program's requirements for completion. Requiring criminal background and drug screenings ensures students meet the same standards as healthcare facility employees. Annual criminal background and drug screenings are required for all OTA students.

OTA Program Student Requirements

The following are required for participation in clinical activities:

• Annual criminal background and sex offender registry screening
• Annual drug screening
• Physical examination and verification of essential functions
• Annual flu vaccination
• Required documentation of immunity to communicable/infectious diseases and background/drug screenings prepare students to meet the requirements of healthcare facilities to allow for clinical placement
• Annual TB skin testing or other documentation for positive tests per CDC guidelines
• Documentation of current CPR Certification in Basic Life Support (BLS) for Health Care Providers from the American Heart Association (AHA).

Students interested in applying for admission to the PTA program should begin locating childhood immunization records early to ensure complete vaccination and physicals are submitted by established deadlines.

Students with disabilities are required to contact the college Disabilities Support Staff at the campus of interest for assistance in requesting accommodations (if applicable).

Cost of Attendance...Lower Cost, Great Value—That’s the Ivy Tech Difference!

Getting your degree at Ivy Tech allows you to avoid or significantly decrease student loan debt while earning a credential that’s respected by employers.  Tuition and fees are set by the State Board of Trustees and are subject to change, but two recent programs have been established to assist students with tuition and textbook costs:

•  textbooks mean sall required textbooks are one price.
•  tuition means the student gets the same tuition rate if you enroll in 12 or more credits per semester

Expenses for the OTA student may include fees, educational materials, uniforms, and other materials/equipment for use in the clinical and classroom area. At the time of participation in any required onboarding/acceptance into the program, the student will incur expense associated with obtaining the required physical examination, immunizations, tuberculosis testing, and Healthcare Provider CPR certification (American Heart Association or American Red Cross), criminal background check, drug screen and clinical tracking system. Students should also anticipate costs associated with applying for licensure/certification upon program completion.

Financial Aid

Connect with the Financial Aid team at your home campus to find out if you can receive financial aid for the program of your choice. Make sure that you have completed the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) by the established deadlines to be considered for financial aid assistance.

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What is Selective Admission? 

The Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) program is a selective admissions program. Due to the nature of this program and the high number of applications received, we are only able to accept a small number of students each year. 

Weighted Point System

A weighted point system is used to evaluate applicants for admission. Student applications are assigned points based on their grades in prerequisite courses. Point totals for applicants receiving admission offers will vary between campuses. Point totals are not shared.

If there is a tie, the tie breaker will be determined by the student's Ivy Tech GPA from the spring semester.

General Education Weighted Point System

When multiple course attempts are reported on applicant transcripts (including transcripts from other colleges and universities), the highest earned grade of the first three attempts will be used for the selection decision score through the application period. Points for courses transferred from other institutions will be awarded from the grade recorded on the transcript from the other institution provided transfer credit appears on the Ivy Tech transcript.