OTA Admissions

How to apply to the OTA program

You will apply to the occupational therapy assistant program in a separate application in addition to Jamestown Community College's general application. Admission to the OTA program is selective.

  1. Apply to JCC »
  2. Apply to the OTA program »
    Applications received by February 15 will take priority. Applications will be reviewed after February 15 until the program is full.
  3. Submit your high school and/or college transcripts from all other institutions other than JCC. They must be filed with Admissions before you’ll be considered for acceptance to the OTA program.
  4. Complete any additional next steps.

Admissions criteria

  • Students in the top 20% of their high school graduating class within the last 2 years and who meet the minimum requirements will receive automatic acceptance into the program, if application is received by the deadline (February 15).
  • A grade point average (GPA) for acceptance consideration of at least 2.25 for current or previous college students who have completed at least 15 credits of college.
  • HS average of 80% (B-) or better or combined GPA/HS average of 2.25 (C+) for those with less than 15 credits of college.
  • Eligibility for placement in MAT 1500: Problem Solving with Mathematics. 
  • Eligibility for ENG 1510. Students who are required to take an additional ENG 0500 will be considered for admission.

Once the minimum requirements are met, a point system will be used with your application to determine your acceptance into the program.

Typed essay (up to 10 points): type a professionally presented response to the following prompt in a document to be uploaded or typed directly on the application (max 500 words). Introduce yourself to the OTA faculty. Explain why you aspire to become an occupational therapy assistant and discuss professional goals that you have set for yourself. Identify your perceived strengths and weaknesses as you seek to further your academic career.

Points for education and GPA:

Points for education and GPA
Education Rank Points
Previous education Bachelor's degree or higher score 3 points
Associate degree score 2 points
Technical degree or certificate score 1 point
GPA (15 credits or more) GPA of 3.45-4.0 score 3 points
GPA of 2.95-3.44 score 2 points
GPA of 2.45-2.94 score 1 point
GPA of 2.25-2.44 score 0 points
HS or HS/GPA (less than 15 credits) 91.5-100% score 3 points
87.5-91.4% score 2 points
82.5-87.4% score 1 point
79.5-82.4% score 0 points

More information

Requests by health care agencies for criminal background checks on OTA students are becoming more common. OTA students may be required, at their own expense, to complete drug testing and a child abuse background check and/or a state or federal background check before beginning OTA courses and Level I and Level II clinical placements. Inability to obtain a satisfactory clearance can jeopardize a student’s ability to successfully complete course requirements (i.e.: Level I and Level II fieldwork), as well as register for the national certification exam. Passage of the national certification exam is required to practice occupational therapy in the United States.

A student seeking readmission may enter the OTA program according to the following criteria:

  • Each student must apply for readmission through the director of admissions at the Jamestown Campus. Admission criteria must be fulfilled.
  • Any readmitted student who has withdrawn from the program for a period greater than three years will be given credit for OTA 1510 only, providing a grade of "C" or higher was obtained. The student will be required to complete all other OTA courses in sequence.
  • A student will be permitted to repeat each OTA course one time. If the student is unsuccessful in repeating any OTA course, they are ineligible to continue in the OTA program.
  • A student seeking readmission into the OTA program will be considered on the basis of the space availability and a grade point average of at least 2.5.

You will be expected to perform the following skill sets (cognitive, physical/motor, sensory, behavioral) as an OTA student. You may contact Accessibility Services to discuss accommodations and/or auxiliary aids. JCC will provide reasonable accommodations but is not required to substantially alter the requirements or nature of the program.

Download the PDF and sign the declaration »