Applying

• UIC Graduate Application
• Occupational Therapy Centralized Application System (OTCAS) application
• Transcripts
• GRE scores
• Observation hours
• OTCAS personal statement
• UIC-specific personal statement
• Three letters of recommendation
• Supplemental statement (optional)
• TOEFL scores (for applicants whose native language is not English)

Submit your application online via the UIC Website —just follow the instructions listed there.  There is a non-refundable application fee of $70 for all applicants.  A $100 International Credential Evaluation (ICE) will also be assessed to all students with international coursework at the point of application submission.

You may leave the section of the application requesting that you compute your grade point average blank. We’ll do that calculation.

You may receive an email from the UIC Office of Admissions indicating that you will need to upload your transcripts or letters of recommendation, or that you are missing these materials. Disregard this email if your materials have been received by OTCAS, as there is a time lag before the OTCAS materials are recorded by the Office of Admissions.

Submit your OTCAS application online via the OTCAS website. There is a non-refundable application fee of $140, plus $60 per additional school to which you apply.

Submit original transcripts from each U.S. institutions you have attended directly to OTCAS.

International students: Submit original transcripts from non U.S. institutions, transcript evaluations and translations to OTCAS and the UIC OT Department.

GRE scores are required for all applicants.

Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores should be sent directly from Education Testing Service to UIC. If you have taken the GRE within the past five years, you must request that scores be sent from ETS to UIC. UIC Institution Code: R1851.

The minimum recommended score on the GRE Exam is 150 on the verbal and quantitative sections, which is around the 40th-45th percentile. Scores below 150 are acceptable if the applicant’s grade point average is sufficiently high to demonstrate strong academic potential. The typical mean for accepted applicants on the verbal section is 157 or 158, which is approximately the 75th percentile. For the quantitative section, the typical mean is 153-154, which is approximately the 50th percentile.

There is no minimum score for the writing assessment, although most accepted applicants earn at least a 4 out of 6 and the mean is typically 4.3-4.4.

Retake scores will be accepted until January 15.

Enter all of your paid or volunteer experiences into the OTCAS application. Refer to the OTCAS website for detailed instructions on reporting.

Submit a personal essay that address why you selected OT as a career and how an OT degree relates to your professional goals. Refer to the OTCAS website for requirements.

Submit a 400-word max UIC-specific essay answering the questions below.

Why is the UIC OT program a good match for you and why are you a good match for UIC? Think about the kind of OT you want to be, and how UIC will provide a means to get there. Answer the question by explaining how the UIC OT program links with your career plans and your prior experiences, interests, values or background.

Scan and upload your essay as a pdf document to the OTCAS Application under the Documents tab under the Program Materials section specific to UIC.

Submit three letters of recommendation in support of your application. Personal references are not acceptable. Recommenders are typically faculty, academic advisors, teaching assistants, or work or volunteer supervisors. Refer to the OTCAS website for submission requirements.

UIC allows applicants to submit an optional 2nd essay/supplemental statement. It must be no longer than 400 words. Submit the statement as an attachment and email to otdept@uic.edu

In the subject line indicate “Supplemental Statement from (your name here).” It must be submitted at the same time as your OTCAS application or it will not be considered. If the below condition applies, you may submit a supplemental statement as part of your application:

• You had at least one full-time semester with a GPA below 3.0 (B). Your statement should describe the time period, what year of college you were in, the situation, how your grades were affected, and, if applicable, steps you took to prevent the situation from continuing to have a negative effect on your academic performance.

If you choose to send a second essay/supplemental statement and do not meet these criteria, it will not be included in your application review.

If English is not your native language, you must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).

Scores must be submitted to UIC directly using the institutional code 1851.

Our program has higher minimum score requirements than the Graduate College. Our minimum score for the internet-based TOEFL is 93, with subscores of Reading 22, Listening 25, Speaking 22, and Writing 24.

The Declaration and Certification of Finances form must be signed by both the student and the sponsor.

It must be accompanied by an original or certified copy of a bank statement showing proof of sufficient funds in U.S. dollars. Please email the form and bank statement as a pdf to otdept@uic.edu.

Provide an original transcript in the native language AND a translated copy in English. Translations should be on a translator’s letterhead and should be literal (not an interpretation).

UIC only accepts translations from ATA certified translators, court-appointed translators, or from the consulate. You can find a translator on the ATA website. Plain translations, notarized translations, and translations done by someone other than a certified translator are not acceptable.  A $100 International Credential Evaluation (ICE) will also be assessed to all students with international coursework at the point of application submission.

We highly recommend applying by October 1 if you have transcripts that are not in English.

A Detailed International Academic Credential Report is also required. Make sure to get a course-by-course report.

The evaluation must be completed by one of the companies listed below. An ECE translation is strongly preferred.

Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE)
P.O. Box 514070
Milwaukee, WI 53203-3470
414-289-3400

World Education Services, Inc. (WES)
P.O. Box 11623
Chicago, IL 60611-01623
312-222-0882

Send to OT department:

• Original transcript in the native language
• ATA transcript translations on official letterhead
• Declaration and Certification of Finances form
• Copy of bank statement

Mail the above documents to:

UIC Department of Occupational Therapy
1919 W. Taylor St., 3rd floor (MC 811)
Chicago, IL 60612

Send to OTCAS:

• Original transcript in the native language
• Detailed international academic credential report from ECE or WES