🧠 Occupational Therapy

📊 Analysis & Strategy

🏫 Programs (11)

McMaster University

Reach The 75% interview weight is the best in Canada for SpaceCat's profile, but the GPA interview threshold (~3.65-3.78) is very high. With a weak BA GPA, clearing this on the 20-half-course ORPAS window needs ~2 years of upgrading to fully reset. If SpaceCat commits to 2 years of strong coursework, the 75% interview weight makes this the most promising OT program — stronger than U of T OT (same GPA window, but academics weighted more heavily there).

University of Toronto, Department of Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy (Temerty Faculty of Medicine)

Reach The 20-half-course ORPAS window is resettable but requires 2 full years of upgrading. Below A-minus (3.50-3.70) is "extremely difficult," and academics are weighted more heavily than non-academic components. CASPer helps but cannot fully compensate for low GPA. No prereqs, no interview. If SpaceCat commits to 2 years of strong coursework, this becomes viable — but the GPA bar is high.

Dalhousie University, School of Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Health

Reach -- Dominant barrier is Atlantic residency preference (possibly ~4-5 OOP seats out of 68). No CASPer. Brief personal statement provides limited narrative opportunity.

McGill University, School of Physical & Occupational Therapy (SPOT)

Reach -- Two major barriers: locked cumulative GPA (avg admitted 3.67) and French B2 hard gate (~6-12 months study). OOP tuition ~$40K. But CASPer + video play to SpaceCat's strengths.

Queen's University, School of Rehabilitation Therapy (Faculty of Health Sciences)

Reach The writing-heavy Stage 2 (Statement of Intent + resume + references) is the best in Canada for SpaceCat's shelter experience, but the cumulative GPA is a near-impossible barrier. Queen's uses the full undergraduate record — no recency window. The 3.2/4.0 screening cutoff requires years of upgrading to shift a weak cumulative average, and the competitive admitted average is ~3.64. For comparison, McMaster OT's ~3.65 threshold applies to only the most recent 20 half-courses — a much more favorable window — and is still very difficult to reach. Clearing a similar bar on the full cumulative record is unrealistic without a second full degree. 814 applicants for 74 spots (~9% acceptance).

University of Alberta, Department of Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine

Reach Only 22 out-of-province seats out of 124 total. Even with CASPer 4th quartile and matching ASRQ equity criteria (shelter work with unhoused populations), the OOP bottleneck is severe. Route 2 also requires 3.4+ GPA on a 60-credit window (~2 years to reset). The lottery gives a fair chance once thresholds are met, but the OOP pool is likely large.

University of British Columbia (UBC)

Reach -- 87-92% OOP competitive band + ~9 OOP seats make this extremely difficult. But holistic evaluation (CASPer + statement + MMI + experience) provides more avenues than numbers-only programs.

University of Manitoba, Department of Occupational Therapy, College of Rehabilitation Sciences, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences

Reach -- MB preference + lottery mechanism for OOP is a significant barrier. But CASPer compensates for GPA in screening, and 50/50 GPA/Interview final weighting means a strong interview could be decisive. Very affordable (~$15,040 total).

Western University, School of Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Health Sciences

Reach -- Competitive GPA 3.78-3.88 makes this one of the hardest Ontario OT programs. Numbers-driven (GPA + CASPer, no interview). CASPer helps but cannot fully offset a GPA well below ~3.80.

University of Ottawa, Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Rehabilitation Sciences

Not viable French-language program. [details](#french-language-requirement)

University of Saskatchewan, School of Rehabilitation Science, College of Medicine

Not viable Residency requirement. SpaceCat meets none of the 4 criteria. [details](#out-of-province-considerations)