### SUMMARY

 Studying Occupational Therapy is a valuable choice and typically a critical first step for students choosing to pursue a career as an occupational therapist, a professional sports therapist, or a wall street therapist. In fact, occupational therapy is an uncommon major ranking as the 240th most popular area of study. Last academic year, there were 788 occupational therapy diplomas received. In-state tuition for occupational therapy at private schools is, on average, 3.2 times more spendy than their public rivals.

 With only 41 universities having programs for this degree there might be limited options as to the institutions you can choose from. If you're looking to immerse yourself with other occupational therapy majors, consider colleges in New York which have the most undergrads admitted to occupational therapy annually. Zooming out, the top region to pursue occupational therapy is in the Mid East region with [Ithaca College](/colleges/ithaca-college), [Long Island University](/colleges/long-island-university), and [University at Buffalo](/colleges/university-at-buffalo) best representing the region. Interestingly, our pick of the top conference to study occupational therapy is the Mid-American Conference with [Eastern Michigan University](/colleges/eastern-michigan-university), [Western Michigan University](/colleges/western-michigan-university), and [University at Buffalo](/colleges/university-at-buffalo) representing the conference. Based on our comprehensive list on the [best colleges](/rankings/best-colleges), our choice for the best college for occupational therapy is [University of Southern California](/colleges/university-of-southern-california).

 The best school might not actually be the best school for every student. There can be tons more facets to consider when choosing school. Things such as campus amenities, transportation services, and food might definitely affect one's feelings of where to go to school. At authority.org, we evaluated the pros and cons for you. If, for example, you are intrigued by which occupational therapy college has the best campus, the answer is [University of Southern California](/colleges/university-of-southern-california). If you are primarily interested in which college is home to the best campus, then we have an entire list [dedicated to that](/rankings/best-college-campuses). We have carefully pored through government databases, professor reviews, student reviews, and more to evaluate each major in an unbiased and informative way. You can find our comprehensive list for the colleges with the [best student life](/rankings/best-student-life)&nbsphere and, from that list, our pick of the college with the best student life for occupational therapy is [University of Southern California](/colleges/university-of-southern-california). Are you curious why? Continue reading to discover more about Authority's top selections. Some of our decisions will probably shock you.

 If price is a significant deciding factor in your decision on where to go to school, you might consider avoiding [University of Southern California](/colleges/university-of-southern-california). [University of Southern California](/colleges/university-of-southern-california)&nbspis the most expensive college for occupational therapy, at least for out of state attendance. That being said, we have a list of the [most expensive](/rankings/most-expensive-colleges)&nbspschools that could put the price tag at [University of Southern California](/colleges/university-of-southern-california)&nbspinto perspective. You could also care to know that occupational therapy is the 201st most expensive major in the nation, with an average cost of $29,800. On a broader scale, the most expensive state for occupational therapy in the country is California demonstrated with a tuition of $57,256 at University of Southern California. Even more broadly, the most expensive region for occupational therapy is unfortunately unavailable due to missing data.

 Our cheapest region for occupational therapy is the Great Lakes region which is represented by [Baker College](/colleges/baker-college) with a cost of $9,720, [Eastern Michigan University](/colleges/eastern-michigan-university) with a cost of $13,658, and [Shawnee State University](/colleges/shawnee-state-university) with a cost of $13,014. In better news, the most affordable school for occupational therapy is [Salem State University](/colleges/salem-state-university). Authority's entire list of the most affordable schools can be explored [here](/rankings/most-affordable-colleges).

 In-state learners can expect to pay in the neighborhood of $11,500 for a degree in occupational therapy. That cost inflates intensely to a median of $20,700 for the out-of-state public-school undergraduate. Our selection for the school with the best value for occupational therapy: [University of Southern California](/colleges/university-of-southern-california). Here you can find our comprehensive list of the colleges we see as being the [best value](/rankings/best-value-colleges)&nbspoverall. Do know, this section is predicated on the assumption that you are an out-of-state student. The value proposition changes when in-state tuition costs are considered, but as we do not know what state(s) you might qualify for in-state tuition, we are approaching this discussion through out-of-state tuition costs.

 Earnings for occupational therapy majors differ widely, but two years after completing the major graduates will typically make around $61,800. While there is a lot of variation in salary; top earners can enjoy pay up to $100,800. Even right out of school, the minimum earning positions within the occupational therapy field earn $37,800, which could be worse. The top earning graduates for occupational therapy studied at [University of Southern California](/colleges/university-of-southern-california)&nbspand if you want to find the schools with all of the [highest earning graduates](/rankings/highest-earning-graduates), Authority has that too.

 The general diversity of occupational therapy is near the bottom, coming in only the 10th percentile of all programs. The school with the highest composite diversity for occupational therapy is [University of Southern California](/colleges/university-of-southern-california)&nbspand here you can find our general list for the universities which have the [most diversity](/rankings/most-diverse-colleges). The overall financial diversity of the Occupational Therapy major only is in the 77th percentile compared to all other majors. Racial diversity is even lower in the 17th percentile. White undergraduates compose the largest share, 76%, of students majoring in occupational therapy. Additionally, 90% of students pursuing an occupational therapy degree are women.

 The median ranking for occupational therapy professors is 3.25 stars, a rating which is 19% lower than the average score for every major; this is a subpar score. If you are curious about the most popular occupational therapy instructor in the country, consider looking up Stephen Wood at [Florida Institute of Technology](/colleges/florida-institute-of-technology). It might surprise you, but the highest rated instructors of occupational therapy from student rankings are at [Florida Institute of Technology](/colleges/florida-institute-of-technology). As we incorporate data other than simply rankings we find that the college with the best professors for occupational therapy is [University of Southern California](/colleges/university-of-southern-california). One will find an explanation of our evolving ranking methodology for the [best overall professors here](/rankings/best-professors), as well as many of the best professors in the U.S.

 Finally, the hardest university to get into for occupational therapy is [University of Southern California](/colleges/university-of-southern-california). While we think of this list more as a novelty, we have a comprehensive page for the [hardest colleges to get into](/rankings/hardest-colleges-to-get-into). That being said, we do hope you believe that considering academics through a lens mainly shaped by superlatives might cause problems. We at Authority encourage you to read our more nuanced pages on individual colleges and read some of Authority's background articles on essential details to look out for as your university search develops.



 ### POPULARITY

 Occupational therapy is the 240th most popular degree in America, with 788 students receiving their bachelors degree last year. It just beat out #241 [Architectural Engineering](/rankings/best-colleges-for-architectural-engineering), and narrowly lost to #239 [Military Technologies](/rankings/best-colleges-for-military-technologies).

 The degree is offered at a total of 41 colleges across the nation, and is the 300th most widely offered degree. It is only offered at 1% of the Top 100 [Best Colleges](/rankings/best-colleges) in America.

 It is also worth noting that 46% of colleges offering occupational therapy are public making it a pretty accessible field.

 The mid east produces the most occupational therapy graduates, largely led by [Ithaca College](/colleges/ithaca-college), while it’s the Mid-American Conference that leads conference totals. As far as states, New York ranks highest, with particular help from [Ithaca College](/colleges/ithaca-college) and [Long Island University](/colleges/long-island-university).

 All that being said, no individual school produces more occupational therapy graduates than [University of Alabama at Birmingham](/colleges/university-of-alabama-at-birmingham), which graduated 78 students last year alone. Although size is critical, another important factor to consider is the program’s density (the percent of all students that study occupational therapy). More students studied occupational therapy as a percentage of total students at [Saint Francis University](/colleges/saint-francis-university) than any other college.



 ### COST

 Occupational therapy is the 201st most expensive major in America, with a median cost of $29,767 for the top 50 programs (just ahead of #202, [Industrial Engineering](rankings/best-colleges-for-industrial-engineering), with a median cost of $29,741).

 The Far West has the most expensive colleges with top 50 occupational therapy programs predominantly led by [University of Southern California](/colleges/university-of-southern-california) with an annual cost of $57,256. California is the most expensive state for occupational therapy also led by [University of Southern California](/colleges/university-of-southern-california).

 Public schools with solid programs typically charge 68.67% less than private schools for in-state students. When looking at out-of-state tuition however, the median top 50 Public school charges 43.69% less than your average private school. So make sure to check out public shools in your state as soon as possible.

 The most high-priced option in the top 25 is [University of Southern California](/colleges/university-of-southern-california), which is the 14th most expensive college in the US. The most affordable option in the top 100 is [Salem State University](/colleges/salem-state-university). It costs just $7,050 per year, and it is ranked 23rd for its occupational therapy program. Another more affordable choice would be #20, [Worcester State University](/colleges/worcester-state-university) in Worcester County, MA with a cost of $970 for in-state students and $7,050 for out-of-state students.



### SALARY

 College is a huge investment for most people. It's important to ensure you are able to gain financially from your investment. We wish for the following income and job placement facts to help you in making a well informed decision when electing your focus.

 The average Occupational Therapy major brings home a starting income of $61,154 per annum, which is the 42nd highest of any subject. With experience in their jobs, they usually earn something between $37,839 and $100,836, but average near $61,787. To put it in context, that is 60% over the American average.

 The most common job title for an Occupational Therapy graduate is Consultant, which predominantly earn roughly $56,000; next are Patient Access Representative and Certified Occupational Therapist Assistant, which usually make approximately $25,000 and $40,000 respectively.

 The Great Lakes has the most well paid Occupational Therapy graduates. The best paid state for Occupational Therapy alumni is MI. The most well paid conference for Occupational Therapy graduates is Patriot League.



### PROFESSORS

 Fast Facts for Occupational Therapy: Median Professor Rating: 3.25 / 5, which is below average.

 Instructors again and again have an astronomical influence your college experience, no matter what you major in. A thought-provoking professor may help a student find their passion and even make a difficult subject seem easy. Conversely, a bad experience with a professor can interrupt your development or even worse... fail you!

 Professors of Occupational Therapy, disappointingly, only have a median student rating of 3.25 / 5, putting these professors in the lower 1 percent in the US based on student approval. For context that's 18.75% shy of the national median professor rating for all subjects. Occupational Therapy professors slightly out-ranked those from ["Clinical Laboratory Science"](/rankings/best-colleges-for-clinical-laboratory-science), whereas ["Labor Studies"](/rankings/best-colleges-for-labor-studies)&nbspprofessors ranked one slot above Occupational Therapy.

 Now for some statistics about Occupational Therapy professors. Colleges located in small citys tend to have the best Occupational Therapy professors. The Sunshine State Conference has the highest rated Occupational Therapy professors. The Southeast region has the highest rated Occupational Therapy professors. Private schools tend to have higher rated Occupational Therapy professors than public universities. Finally, Florida has the highest rated Occupational Therapy professors in the US.

 Stephen Wood, instructor at [Florida Institute of Technology](/colleges/florida-institute-of-technology)&nbspin Melbourne, FL is the most popular Occupational Therapy professor in the US. Stephen Wood, instructor at [Florida Institute of Technology](/colleges/florida-institute-of-technology)&nbspin Melbourne, FL is the highest rated Occupational Therapy professor in the US, with a rating of 3.5 / 5.

 Learn which colleges have the [Best Professors](/rankings/best-professors)!



### STUDENTS

 College can be an especially productive adventure in one's life; it's an opportunity for individual growth and expansion. Undergrads try to figure out what they would like to do with their lives and build many of the indispensable skills to become a thriving member of society. But growth is not exclusively found in the classroom - the campus dialogue, the life lesson received from an old instructor, the exposure to a different way of thinking. As such, a diverse student population tremendously enriches what one gains from the time at school.

 Occupational Therapy is a less racially diverse subject than average\*. 76% of the United States' Occupational Therapy majors are white students, followed by asian students (10%), latino students (5%), and students of other races\*\*(5%). The most racially diverse college\* in the top 100 is [University of Southern California](/colleges/university-of-southern-california) located in Los Angeles, CA.

 Secondly, Occupational Therapy very highly skews female, more so 94% of subjects. Nine out of every ten students majoring in Occupational Therapy identify as women. [Baker College](/colleges/baker-college) in Owosso, MI has the most gender balanced student body in the top 100.

 Another significant type of diversity is economic diversity. Occupational Therapy is more socioeconomically diverse than 77% of programs. 27% of its majors come from homes with a sub $30,000 annual income, 17% are from families who take home between $75,000 and $110,000 a year, and 26% grew up in families with $110,000 plus annual incomes. [University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee](/colleges/university-of-wisconsin-milwaukee) is the most financially diverse institution in the top 100.

 Considering each type of diversity, overall CA is the most diverse state for Occupational Therapy. The Far West is the most diverse region, and the Pacific-12 Conference is the most diverse conference.

   \* diversity calculations and comparisons are based on [Simpson's Diversity Index](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diversity_index)   
  \*\* other races is used to refer to non asian, black, latino, or white

  #### Diversity Statistics

  ##### Racial Diversity

 * Asian: 10%
* Black: 4%
* Latino: 5%
* White: 76%
* Other: 5%
  ##### Gender Diversity

 * Male: 10%
* Female: 90%
  ##### Socioeconomic Diversity (By Household Income)

 * Under 30k: 27%
* 30k - 48k: 14%
* 48k - 75k: 16%
* 75k - 110k: 17%
* Over 110k: 26%
  ##### Geographic Diversity

 * In State: 75%
* Out of State: 21%
* International: 4%


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2023 Occupational Therapy Salary

There are about 19,175 students enrolled in Occupational Therapy in the USA.

SALARY