22 Best Occupational Therapy (OT) schools in California, US

Updated: March 15, 2026

Ranking by academic field

Below is a list of best universities in California ranked based on their research performance in Occupational Therapy. A graph of 322K citations received by 7.92K academic papers made by 22 universities in California was used to calculate publications' ratings, which then were adjusted for release dates and added to final scores.

We don't distinguish between undergraduate and graduate programs nor do we adjust for current majors offered. You can find information about granted degrees on a university page but always double-check with the university website.

1. University of Southern California

Los Angeles

For Occupational Therapy

#8 in the United States

#13 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 10%
Average SAT: 1500
Average ACT: 34
Net Price: $43,412

2. University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles

For Occupational Therapy

#12 in the United States

#17 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 9%
Receiving Aid: 59%
Average Aid: $25,627
Enrollment: 47,335

3. University of California - San Francisco

San Francisco

For Occupational Therapy

#14 in the United States

#19 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 13%
Enrollment: 3,007
Male:Female: 36:64
Founded: 1864

4. University of California-San Diego

San Diego

For Occupational Therapy

#34 in the United States

#43 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 27%
Receiving Aid: 66%
Average Aid: $25,757
Enrollment: 44,256

5. Stanford University

Stanford

For Occupational Therapy

#35 in the United States

#44 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 4%
Average SAT: 1545
Average ACT: 35
Net Price: $25,078

6. University of California - Irvine

Irvine

For Occupational Therapy

#41 in the United States

#52 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 29%
Receiving Aid: 61%
Average Aid: $23,110
Enrollment: 37,297

7. University of California - Davis

Davis

For Occupational Therapy

#76 in the United States

#91 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 42%
Receiving Aid: 65%
Average Aid: $24,591
Enrollment: 40,065

8. University of California - Berkeley

Berkeley

For Occupational Therapy

#106 in the United States

#123 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 11%
Receiving Aid: 63%
Average Aid: $29,608
Enrollment: 45,882

9. Loma Linda University

Loma Linda

For Occupational Therapy

#108 in the United States

#125 in North America

Enrollment: 4,210
Male:Female: 34:66
Founded: 1905

10. San Diego State University

San Diego

For Occupational Therapy

#125 in the United States

#145 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 36%
Receiving Aid: 62%
Average Aid: $12,053
Enrollment: 41,137

11. San Jose State University

San Jose

For Occupational Therapy

#133 in the United States

#153 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 85%
Receiving Aid: 69%
Average Aid: $12,353
Enrollment: 37,661

12. California State University - Sacramento

Sacramento

For Occupational Therapy

#181 in the United States

#205 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 94%
Receiving Aid: 86%
Average Aid: $12,767
Enrollment: 31,943

13. San Francisco State University

San Francisco

For Occupational Therapy

#200 in the United States

#228 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 96%
Receiving Aid: 81%
Average Aid: $12,996
Enrollment: 22,563

14. California State University - Northridge

Los Angeles

For Occupational Therapy

#224 in the United States

#256 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 93%
Receiving Aid: 86%
Average Aid: $12,825
Enrollment: 38,313

15. Samuel Merritt University

Oakland

For Occupational Therapy

#239 in the United States

#271 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 66%
Enrollment: 1,926
Male:Female: 22:78
Founded: 1909

16. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach

For Occupational Therapy

#242 in the United States

#274 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 46%
Receiving Aid: 82%
Average Aid: $11,795
Enrollment: 42,003

17. Dominican University of California

San Rafael

For Occupational Therapy

#253 in the United States

#287 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 83%
Average SAT: 1255
Net Price: $37,456
Receiving Aid: 100%

18. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton

For Occupational Therapy

#257 in the United States

#291 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 91%
Receiving Aid: 83%
Average Aid: $11,234
Enrollment: 43,662

19. Chapman University

Orange

For Occupational Therapy

#270 in the United States

#306 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 65%
Average SAT: 1350
Average ACT: 30
Net Price: $47,902

20. California State University - Fresno

Fresno

For Occupational Therapy

#271 in the United States

#307 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 95%
Receiving Aid: 88%
Average Aid: $12,326
Enrollment: 24,427

21. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles

For Occupational Therapy

#272 in the United States

#308 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 91%
Receiving Aid: 95%
Average Aid: $13,824
Enrollment: 23,163

22. Palo Alto University

Palo Alto

For Occupational Therapy

#274 in the United States

#310 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 12%
Enrollment: 1,065
Male:Female: 16:84
Founded: 1975

Closest to California states to learn Occupational Therapy

State	Universities Unis	Best university country rank Best uni rank
Oregon	5	43
Utah	4	48
Arizona	4	72
Washington	5	4
Colorado	4	53
Nebraska	4	89
Texas	22	25
Oklahoma	3	129
Minnesota	3	19
Iowa	2	42
Missouri	5	16
Arkansas	4	93
Louisiana	3	98
Wisconsin	6	29
Illinois	12	7
Mississippi	3	137
Indiana	5	38
Michigan	8	5
Tennessee	7	56
Alabama	4	6
Kentucky	4	49
Ohio	11	13
Georgia	6	20
South Carolina	3	51
North Carolina	7	21
Virginia	8	37
Pennsylvania	15	2
Florida	11	9
District of Columbia	3	77
Maryland	7	3
New York	22	22
New Jersey	5	28
Connecticut	5	11
Massachusetts	13	1
Rhode Island	3	46