How to Apply

Key Information

  • The application process is now closed.
  • For any questions and concerns regarding applications email mot.admissions@ubc.ca.
  • Virtual Interviews: Feb 28, Feb 29, Mar 1.

Application Guidance

Students conversing whilst walking around campus.

The Master of Occupational Therapy program is highly competitive. There are 56 seats in MOT Vancouver cohort, up to 8 seats in MOT Vancouver’s international cohort, 16 seats in the MOT North cohort (Prince George), and 16 seats in MOT Fraser cohort (Surrey).

  • Apply well before the deadline to avoid any issues with the processing of your application.
  • It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that all documentation (including references) have been submitted and will be received by the Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy department by the deadline.
  • Once you have completed all the necessary sections of the application form, please pay the application fees and submit your online application.
  • If you are applying for the Master of Occupational Therapy North cohort, please ensure you include the additional documentation before the application deadline.
  • After you submit your application, you will receive a UBC student number (usually a 8-digit number) and may continue to access and upload documents to your online application until the deadline.

For any questions or concerns related to admissions please email mot.admissions@ubc.ca.

Student at a laptop computer.

Additional application documents you may need

  • MOT Fraser Cohort:
    • No Additional Documents Required

Please note that there are new forms for each year’s admission cycle, and you will not be able to download the forms either before the application window or after the deadline.

Our Step-by-Step Guide to Applying


1. Check our admission requirements

Before you start any part of the application process, please check our Admission Requirements.

2. Altus Suite / Casper Test

Completion of the Altus Suite / Casper Test is part of our Admission Requirements. Please make sure you review and complete the test before the application deadline. Applicants are not required to complete the optional Casper Snapshot as part of admission requirements but may choose to do so to provide the program with additional information.

Applicants can use their 8-digit UBC Applicant ID (the same Student Number used in the UBC Application Portal) to distribute their Casper test scores. Applicants who have completed the Casper test before starting an application in the portal may return to the Altus Suite website and enter their IDs retroactively. Applicants who do not have their UBC ID # may opt to use their phone number in lieu.

3. Start an application online

Start an application online through the Faculty of Graduate and Post-doctoral Studies online application system. You will need to create a new CWL account if you don’t already have one. Existing UBC students or previous UBC applicants can login using their CWL credentials.

4. Prepare your documents for upload

When completing your online application, you will be prompted to upload specific documentation. Before you submit any documents, please review the document upload instructions below. 

Questions on the online application will specify which documents need to be uploaded.

This year’s documents will be visible in the top section for you to download. They are provided as PDF but can be downloaded and submitted as any of the accepted document formats below.

  • Accepted document formats: PDF, DOC, and DOCX are accepted. Any other file types will not be accepted.
    • DO NOT upload any JPEG, GIF, or PNG files.
    • If your uploaded document is in an accepted format, but is unreadable or corrupt, you will be asked to re-upload your documentation.
    • It is the responsibility of the applicant to provide clear documentation that can be used in the application evaluation process.

5. Provide referee contact information

As part of the application process, you are required to submit the contact information of three unique referees. Two of these referees must provide an Academic reference, and the third referee must provide an Experience reference that vouches for your 70 hours of experience. Please note that referees are only notified by the system to provide an electronic reference AFTER you have submitted your application. The deadline for referees to submit is the same as the application deadline.

Please include their institutional email address. After you submit your application through the online application system, your referees will receive an auto generated email requesting a reference for you. They will have the option to answer questions to fill out the reference form, or submit an electronic copy of a reference letter on official institution letterhead in PDF format. As referee management is the responsibility of the applicant, we advise all applicants to keep in contact with their selected referees throughout the application process. 

– Academic references

Your academic referees must be listed as Referee 1 and Referee 2 in the References section of the online application. If you are unable to attain your academic references from past or current professors, you can submit a form from a past or current employer for one of the two references, the second academic reference must come from a purely academic source. The academic references, whether submitted by professors or employers, must speak to your current academic ability, as well as your ability to succeed in a graduate-level degree. If your academic reference speaks to your work ability and not your academic ability, the reference will not be accepted as an academic reference. If your employer does not have an institutional email address or did not receive the automated link, please them have fill out and submit the Academic Reference Form via email only to mot.admissions@ubc.ca

– Volunteer & Work references

This referee must be listed as Referee 3 in the References section of the online application. If your volunteer/work experience referee does not have an institutional email address, did not receive the automated link, or if you have completed your minimum 70 hours of volunteer/work experience at two organizations/facilities and will have a supplemental referee (for a total of four references: two academic and two volunteer/work), please have them fill out and submit the Volunteer & Work Experience Reference Form via email only to mot.admissions@ubc.ca

If you are applying as a re-applicant, you must submit a new and complete application for the next intake. Re-applicants are free to use referees from past years, but must provide updated reference letters each year.

6. Submit your application

Once you have completed all of the necessary sections of the online application, please pay the online application fee and submit your online application. 

It is highly recommended that you submit an application as soon as possible. The admissions office suggests that the latest by which your application should be submitted is December 15 as referees will be notified to submit a electronic reference only after you have submitted an application. Please note that transcripts can be uploaded onto your application after it has been submitted.

7. Upload your written response

The department requires a written response to a prompt (maximum 250-words) as part of the application process. The prompt will become available once applications open and the completed document must be uploaded to the online portal no later than the application deadline.

If you are applying to the Master of Occupational Therapy North, please also upload your additional documentation prior to the deadline.

Please note that the new online application system will allow documents to be uploaded onto your application after the application has been submitted. You have until the application deadline to submit all of your documents.  

8. Upload your transcripts

You are required to submit the most recent official final transcripts from all post-secondary institutions that you have attended (except UBC).

  • If you are currently in the last year of your undergraduate degree, submit your most recent transcript. If you have courses that are in progress for the September – December term you may upload transcripts that show courses in progress, or you may choose to wait until final grades for these courses are posted. Please note that any transcript receipt delays made due to waiting for final grades will not exempt applicants from the application deadline. 
  • Applicants with credentials from institutions in which English is not the primary language of instruction, or in which documents are printed in a language other than English, are required to have their transcripts evaluated by a credentialing service, such as the BCIT International Credential Evaluation Service. Additionally, applicants with international credentials from non-English speaking institutions must upload transcripts in the original language and certified literal English translations AND official degree certificate in the original language and a certified literal English translation from your institution’s translation service, in PDF format. 

Please note that the new online application system will allow transcripts to be uploaded onto your application after the application has been submitted. You have until the application deadline to submit all of your documents. 

9. Upload your English Language proficiency exam results (if applicable)

If applicable, the application system will ask if you have completed acceptable English language proficiency tests.

All applicants who completed their degree in an university outside Canada in which English is not the primary language of instruction must provide results of an English language proficiency examination as part of their application. Tests must have been taken within the last 24 months of the application deadline.  

10. Check the status of your application

After submitting your application, it is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that all supporting materials are submitted by the application deadline.

You can check the status of your application and supporting materials through the online application system.

Please do not contact the department office for an update on the status of your application.

11. Virtual Interview process

  • Applicants can expect to receive an email on the status of their application, and whether an interview will be offered, by late February. Interviews are typically held in the first week of March and are conducted virtually.
  • The purpose of the interview is to determine an applicant’s verbal communication skills, maturity level and personal suitability to the program and profession.
  • The Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy will offer a maximum of 3 interviews to any one applicant over a lifetime. If after 3 interviews, an offer of admission is not made, applicants will no longer be offered an interview with the department, regardless of the competitiveness of the admission GPA achieved.
  • Fulfillment of the minimum admission requirements does not guarantee an interview.

12. Final selection

You will have had the opportunity to indicate your site preference as part of the application process. Following an admissions decision, you will be allocated to a site based on your preferences. Your site choice is given priority, unless the available positions at that site have been filled, in which case you will be added to a waitlist for your preferred site.

Please note that acceptance of admission to the MOT program is site specific.

Accommodations

If you require accommodations for any part of our application please contact UBC’s Centre for Accessibility.

Advising Appointments

If you have questions that are not answered by our website, please contact us via email or book a virtual appointment:

Please note that all communication and interactions with the department are considered part of the admission process and are taken into account when considering applicants for admission. Admission may be denied to applicants who communicate in an unprofessional manner or who act in an inappropriate manner during the admissions process, regardless of academic or interview standing.

Email inquiries are usually responded to within 7 business days of receipt. Inquiries will be responded to in the order received as quickly as possible; however, it is not always possible to respond within 7 business days due to the high volume of inquiries received. Do not re-send your email if you do not receive a response within 7 days.


Program Information

Find program locations, tuition fees, volunteering advice and the curriculum framework.

Admission Requirements

Check your eligibility and confirm your suitability for the program.

Start your Application

Apply for the MOT program through the UBC Graduate Studies Online Application portal.

Image for Application documents section by Christin Hume