Virginia Commonwealth University

OTCAS Application Process

All applications for the Entry-Level Master of Science in Occupational Therapy (MSOT) class entering in the summer of 2012 will need to submit their application materials online directly through OTCAS. The entire process will be web-based.

All applicants will supply the following information to OTCAS:

  • biographic, background, and personal information
  • activities, accomplishments and recognitions
  • a listing of all college and university courses taken. (You will need a copy of all of your transcripts to do this.)
  • contact information for three references
  • a personal statement that describes:
    • why you are selecting OT as a career
    • how a master's degree in OT relates to your immediate and long-term professional goals
    • how your personal, educational, and professional background will help you achieve your goals
    • description of the minimum of 60 hours of OT observation in at least two settings - one adult and one with children. (You will need facility name, address, OT full name, email address, phone number, type of experience, setting and start and end dates.)

All application materials must be submitted to OTCAS by December 1, 2011. If you have applied to the VCU OT program previously you will need to reapply through OTCAS and the VCU Graduate School. Each year is a new application cycle and information is not available from previous submissions. Information can be entered into the OTCAS application pages over time building the application gradually until the application is complete.

The cost of OTCAS is $125 for application to the first program and $45 for each subsequent program. In addition to VCU, two other Virginia OT programs are participating in OTCAS this year James Madison University, and Shenandoah University.

In addition to the required components of the OTCAS application, VCU also requires all applicants to:

  • Complete the online VCU Graduate School Application and pay the VCU Graduate School application fee of $50.00. The VCU Graduate School Application can be accessed at: https://ssb.vcu.edu/
  • Report Graduate Record Exam (GRE) scores to VCU by directing the Educational Testing Service (ETS) to send an official copy of the GRE scores to VCU. The VCU ETS Institutional Code is 5570.