Early Assurance

Early Assurance

The BGSU School of Physical and Occupational Therapy partners with internal and external aligned undergraduate programs in Exercise Science, Applied Health Science, Psychology, and Gerontology to offer a limited number of early assurance selection decisions to qualified applicants.

The Early Assurance (EA) Pathway:

This pathway is intended for high-achieving juniors participating in partner program exercise science, applied health science, gerontology and psychology degree plans who meet elevated and accelerated entrance requirement criteria to secure their place early for the next eligible DPT or OTD class, ahead of the start of the general application cycle for each program.

  • Applications are received directly by the program in the Spring semester of prospective students’ junior year by the early assurance deadline, March 15th.

  • The DPT and OTD Admissions teams review unofficial transcripts, provided by the applicant, alongside all other general program application and admissions criteria. 

  • DPT and OTD early assurance applicants can expect a selection decision by the end of the Spring term. 

  • Applicants extended an early assurance decision will still be required to submit an official Web Admit application to the respective Centralized Application System (CAS) portal by the program’s Fall priority-action deadline, submit a BGSU Graduate Application, and submit a Seat Deposit to secure their spot in the upcoming class the following Fall. This step ensures all required and official transcripts, admissions data, and supporting documentation is collected and stored by the respective program.  

OTD Early Assurance Pathway Requirements

  • Applicants to the OTD Program must achieve a minimum cumulative and prerequisite GPA of 3.2 on a 4.0 scale from the partner program. 

  • Complete all prerequisite courses required for admission to the BGSU OTD Program with a grade of "B" or higher. Six of the nine OTD prerequisite courses must be completed prior to application for the Early Assurance OTD pathway:

    • Human Anatomy and Physiology I (4 credits, lab required)  
    • Human Anatomy and Physiology II (4 credits lab required)   
    • Kinesiology, Biomechanics or Physics (3 credits)  
    • Human Development (3 credits)   
    • Introduction to Psychology (3 credits) 
    • Abnormal Psychology (3 credits)   
    • Statistics (3 credits)  
    • Medical Terminology (1 credit)   
    • English Composition or Writing (3 credits)

  • Students who meet the Eligibility Requirements and are interested in applying for Early Assurance must indicate their intention to apply under this agreement in their application to the BGSU OTD Program and must complete their application by the Early Assurance deadline in the Spring Semester of their Junior academic year.

  • Completion of all other standard admissions criteria prior to matriculation including:

    • Baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution 
    • Three professional references:
      • One from a U.S.-licensed occupational therapist who has interacted with the applicant in a clinical setting either through employment or shadowing observation hours  
      • Two of the applicant’s choice
    • Attestation to the Minimum Technical Standards 
    • Completed criminal background check prior to matriculation
    • Submission of a statement of purpose 
    • Possession of a personal laptop with access to the internet
    • Recommended completion of 20 hours of shadowing with a licensed occupational therapist  
DPT Early Assurance Pathway Requirements

  • Applicants to the DPT Program must achieve a minimum cumulative and prerequisite GPA of 3.4 on a 4.0 scale from the partner program. 

  • Complete all prerequisite courses required for admission to the BGSU DPT Program with a grade of "B" or higher.  Seven of the eleven DPT prerequisite courses must be completed prior to application for the Early Assurance DPT pathway.

    • Biology with laboratory (8 semester hours/12 quarter hours)
    • Chemistry with laboratory (8 semester hours/12 quarter hours) 
    • Physics with laboratory (8 semester hours/12 quarter hours)
    • Human Anatomy and Physiology with laboratory (8 semester hours/12 quarter hours) 
    • Statistics (3 semester hours/4 quarter hours)
    • Psychology (3 semester hours/4 quarter hours) 
    • English Composition or Writing (3 semester hours/4 quarter hours)

  • Science prerequisite course descriptions should state that they are “for science or pre-health majors” or must be offered through a science department and should contain a lab. (i.e. prefix of BIOL, CHEM, PHYS, etc.). Any exceptions to this must be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

  • Students who meet the Eligibility Requirements and are interested in applying for Early Assurance must indicate their intention to apply under their respective program partnership agreement, in their application, to the BGSU DPT Program, and must complete their application by the Early Assurance deadline in the Spring Semester of their Junior academic year.

  • Completion of all other standard DPT admissions and application criteria prior to program matriculation including:

    • Baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution (by end of Spring semester of calendar year program start). 
    • Completion of all program course prerequisites (by end of Spring semester of calendar year program start).
    • Three professional references: 
      • One from a U.S.-licensed physical therapist who has interacted with the applicant in a clinical setting either through employment or shadowing observation hours.
      • Two of the applicant’s choice; academic source strongly encouraged. 
    • Completion of a minimum of 40 hours of volunteer or work experience with a US- licensed physical therapist.
    • One personal statement; one prompted essay response 
    • For all applicants for whom English is not their first language or those who have completed a degree and prerequisite courses in a foreign country, demonstration of English language proficiency is required through completion of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) exam.
    • Review and attestation to the ability to fulfill the technical standards and essential functions of the DPT program for admission. 
    • Completed criminal background check prior to matriculation.

*Students who do not meet the Eligibility Requirements above may still apply to the BGSU OTD or DPT program. BGSU and the program will consider such application for admission in accordance with its standard admissions application evaluation criteria.

For more information, please email spotea@bgsu.edu

Internal BGSU Partner Programs
  • Exercise Science, College of Education and Human Development
  • Applied Health Science, Department of Public and Allied Health
  • Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences
  • Gerontology, Department of Human Services

Please reach out to your program faculty advisor for detailed pathway requirements. 

External Partner Programs
  • The University of Akron, College of Health and Human Sciences
  • Glenville State University
  • Lake Erie College, Exercise Science
  • University of Saint Francis, Health and Exercise Science

Please reach out to your program faculty advisor for detailed pathway requirements. Specific course requirements may differ by program.

 

Updated: 10/29/2025 03:06PM