Occupational Therapy Assistant

This program at Houston City College use a selective admissions process and requires an additional application beyond applying. Enrollment is limited, and not all qualified applicants may be offered placement. Please review the admission dates below carefully to ensure you complete all required steps by the required deadlines.

On average, approximately 60 students apply for admission each application period. Of these, approximately 22 are typically accepted for a full-time cohort and 10 will be accepted for a part-time cohort.

When the number of eligible applications exceeds program seat availability, selective criteria are used to determine which applicants are offered admission. Points are awarded based on the following selection criteria:

• 50% may be awarded based on the health program's academic criteria (grades earned from the pre-entry form, required and recommended courses, and general education requirements).
• 25% Health Science Reasoning Test (HSRT-AD) - All applicants must take the assessment exam.
• 20% awarded based on the interview process -qualified applicants will receive an invitation directly from the department after the application deadline to participate in a virtual interview to earn additional points towards the program application. If you have questions about the interview process, please contact the program director via email at angela.shepherd@hccs.edu.
• 5% based on Essay sample - please refer to page 4 under the Program Application section in this admission guide for more information.
• All application requirements must be satisfied by the close of the application window.

Learn more about the program by attending an information session.

Register to attend an in-person information session

HSRT Pre-entrance Exam

The Health Science Reasoning Test (HSRT-AD) – assessment entrance exam is required to apply for the Occupational Therapy Assistant program at HCC Coleman College.

• To schedule an on-campus HSRT-AD test, please contact HCC Coleman College Testing Center via email: coleman.testing@hccs.edu. The payment of $25.00 must be made by either credit or debit card.
• HSRT assessment result must be submitted with the completed Occupational Therapy Assistant program application. The HESI – critical thinking result may be considered in lieu of the HSRT exam result. The application will be declined if the exam result is not submitted with the application by the application deadline.
• No minimum score is required for admission; however, application rubric points are awarded based on the range of scores.
• Scores are valid for 3 years. Applicants are allowed to submit up to two assessment results with the program application for the purpose of scoring.
• Please note that HSRT official scores must be downloaded directly from the insightassessment.com website in a .pdf format. (Regardless taken at HCC or outside of HCC) - No exceptions.

Student Success Course:

HPRS 1201 – Introduction to Health Profession: Required only if new to college or transferring to HCC with less than 12 college-level credits.

Prerequisite Courses:

A minimum prerequisite GPA of 2.5 or higher is required.

Academic Courses:

Academic courses are HIGHLY ENCOURAGED to be taken in advance, but are not required for the application. Each completed course with a grade of “C” or higher will assign additional points on the rubric and will go towards the completion of the program/degree plan.

If You Are Offered Admission

If you are offered admission you will need to complete the following pre-enrollment requirements by a specific due date to maintain eligible status.

Please note the Program Director will be in contact with you once your Letter of Intent has been received to provide you the information on the process of getting a background check, drug screen, personal health insurance, and deadlines for immunizations. Please check your email regularly for updates and information.

• Complete Letter of Intent form. A form will be sent to your submitted email address with the program application along with the admission acceptance offer. Letter of Intent Form must be completed by the deadline stated in the admission acceptance offer email.
• Proof of personal health insurance; if you need to purchase health insurance please visit: student-health-insurance for a list of health care insurance providers that HCC has compiled as a courtesy to students who wish to contact a potential provider to meet their personal health insurance needs. Students are advised to contact more than one company and compare offerings.
• Passing drug screen
• Immunization record showing: Completion of Hepatitis B immunization series (may take up to 6 months) and should be valid within, MMR – 2 shots or titer, Tdap – every 10 years, TB – every year, Varicella – 2 shots or titer, Meningitis (required for students 22 years or younger) and Influenza – after September 1st.
• Cleared Criminal Background. Individuals with a positive background must declare with the Texas Occupational Therapy Board of Examiners.
• Complete the mandatory student services and program orientation on the date provided in your admission email. Please clear your calendar for orientations between July and August for Fall Term, so you are available to attend the mandatory orientation if you are offered admission.

HCC Coleman College Grading Scale

To best prepare students for success in their chosen fields, Health Sciences Programs have high standards for progression. Unlike other HCC programs, the Dental Hygiene program requires a C (75%) or better to progress to the next course or semester in the program. For specific questions about grades, grading, and progression within Health Science programs, please contact Coleman College at co.ota@hccs.edu. 

Occupational Therapy Assistant Program Grading Scale

• A = 100 – 90 %
• B = 89 – 80 %
• C = 79 – 75 %*
• D = 74 – 60 %
• F = 59 – 0 %

*A grade of C (75%) or better must be achieved to progress to the next course or semester. 

Clinical Requirements for Program Progression & Completion

To provide students with the most robust clinical educational experience and to ensure that students’ progress and graduate as scheduled, applicants are strongly encouraged to weigh all options before accepting a conditional acceptance into their desired health science program. To facilitate this decision-making, students should understand all the requirements of their program, including clinical education.

To be placed in a clinical educational experience, students must comply with the guidelines and requirements of HCC clinical sites, including health and wellness directives. Most clinical sites require background checks, health testing, drug screens, and immunizations.

Students are required to provide proof to HCC that they meet all immunization, testing, and other health requirements necessary for clinical placement. These requirements are determined by the healthcare facilities with which HCC partners for clinical education.

Many healthcare facilities require specific immunizations as a condition of employment, volunteering, or student clinical placement. If a student chooses not to receive or provide proof of required immunizations, HCC may be unable to place the student in clinical rotations. HCC will make reasonable efforts to place such students in a clinical site that does not require immunization(s), provided an appropriate site is available, and HCC has an active affiliation agreement that meets the necessary conditions to support the student’s learning outcomes. Though HCC cannot guarantee that such sites will be available at the time clinical placement is needed.

If a student cannot be placed in a qualifying clinical site due to unmet immunization requirements, the student’s progression in the program and ability to graduate may be delayed or prevented. Our affiliate partners’ expectations for student trainees reflect the same standards applied to individuals employed in their respective professional settings.

Students with questions about clinical requirements or placement should contact the program director of their program of interest.

HB 1508 requires the following information be given to students:

This program may lead to an occupational license for which a prior criminal history may make a student ineligible. For more information please visit:  HB 1508 Licensing Requirements.

Accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA)

Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE)

7501 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 510E Bethesda, MD  20814

Phone number 301-652-6611 (AOTA) 

acoteonline.org 

After graduation, the Occupational Therapy Assistant program graduates sit for certification by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy. Then they are eligible to apply for licensure by the state.

2023-2025 Third-Party Licensure/Certification Exam Results
Occupational licensure and/or certification pass rates reported by academic calendar year (Sept. 1–Aug. 31). Results for the 2023-2025 academic years are provided for comparison.  

Academic Years

A felony conviction may impact eligibility for certification and/or state licensure.

view the pass rates for the certification exam for the National Board for Certification in Occupational.