Occupational Therapy BSc (Hons)

UCAS code: C812

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Level of study:
Undergraduate
Typical offer:
104 - 112 UCAS tariff points
Start date:
September 2026
Duration:
Three years full-time
Attendance:
Full-time
Course delivery:
On-campus (Clifton Campus)

A patient being supported by an Occupational Therapist in a care setting.

Information for 2026

About this course

This course has now closed for applications for September 2026. See our 2027 information.

Occupational Therapy helps people to live meaningful and independent lives, supporting people to do what is important to them. Present in hospitals, communities, schools, workplaces, prisons, care homes and many other settings, Occupational Therapists provide help to individuals to support them to overcome barriers and carry out activities that are meaningful to them.

The course is wide-ranging, holistic, focused and will enable you to explore many different opportunities in the UK and abroad. At NTU we offer learning experiences and environments that will prepare you for the varied career that you are about to embark upon, including a range of simulation teaching spaces such as our therapeutic kitchen, a domestic suite, hospital wards, consulting rooms, a virtual reality (VR) suite, and access to green space for outdoor teaching.

Why you should choose Occupational Therapy at NTU:

Complete four placements during the course

totalling over 1,000 hours of experiential learning as an Occupational Therapist.
Study in our state-of-the-art facilities

You'll learn in the purpose-built Health and Allied Professions Centre alongside our diverse community of student nurses and paramedics.
Embrace a focus on sustainability

as an Occupational Therapist to understand how environmental issues impact people and their communities.
Learn from the experts

at a university rated TEF ‘Gold’ for teaching and learning.

As a student you will experience practice based learning across a number of settings, meaning you gain real life experience to ensure you have the confidence, knowledge and skills within Occupational Therapy to embark on a successful career. The provision of four placements enables the opportunity for role emerging placements, which promote the value of Occupational Therapy in new areas of health and social care. These placements enable learners to develop a strong professional identity as an Occupational Therapists.

Module information

A standard full-time BSc (Hons) course is made up of 120 credits studied each year. Some courses may vary, however, and you can find information on the total number of credits achieved per module below.

Here’s a breakdown of what you’ll be studying throughout the course:

We regularly review our course content based on student and employer feedback to ensure they remain current and relevant. This may result in changes to module content or availability in future years. Optional modules will only run where there is sufficient demand. This will be determined on a case-by-case basis to protect the academic and student experience.

Naomi Iduaye

Occupational Therapy student

“My tutors especially are very approachable and attentive. They regularly check in to ensure that we are managing well academically and personally. Their passion for Occupational Therapy is truly evident in the way they teach, contributing to a nice learning environment.”
Read Naomi's profile
Georgia Owen

Occupational Therapy student

“I particularly like that we have guest speakers brought in to speak to us from first-hand experience. When doing this they will also support us in practical tasks and questions which can make our lessons dynamic and different.”
Read Georgia's profile
Catherine Taylor

Occupational Therapy student

“I think it’s wonderful that there are students of all ages on our course which for me makes it an enriching learning and supportive environment.”
Read Catherine's profile
Ashley Swedi

Occupational Therapy student

“I chose to pursue Occupational Therapy at Nottingham Trent University because of its strong reputation for practical learning, research-informed teaching, and commitment to community impact.”
Read Ashley's profile

The nature of the teaching is collaborative, with sharing of ideas. You will be encouraged to have an enquiring mind, be creative, resourceful, take on new opportunities and to discuss your learning with your peers. You will be part of a larger department with students from Nursing, Paramedicine and Public Health, enabling interprofessional opportunities to give you a wider perspective. The course has been created alongside people with lived experience, Occupational Therapists in practice and students from other programmes within the department.

There is also an MSc Occupational Therapy course, creating a community of learners, preparing you for the exciting opportunities ahead.

Learners will be allocated an individual personal tutor from the Occupational Therapy academic team. Learners will be placed within an Personal Tutor Group and be offered group personal tutor sessions throughout the course at key points in the academic year, for example, soon after the course starting, during placement. Learners will be able to also contact their personal tutor for an individual meeting.

The course has strong links with local organisations meaning our BSc students can really make a difference within the community, listening and providing opportunity to work with people to fulfil their potential. The philosophy of Occupational Therapy is to work with individuals and community to enable people to live fulfilling lives. This will be an empowering experience for you as a student, developing your own confidence in this field and looking beyond at where it can take you. We recognise that our learners will have taken many different journeys to starting this course and we provide support to enable each student to fulfil their potential.

NTU has a strong focus on sustainability and the profession of Occupational Therapy is embracing this focus. The BSc course enables students to debate, discuss and be creative around the issues of the environment and how it impacts on people and their community and it features throughout the course.

The Nottingham Institute of Health and Social Care, in which the Occupational Therapy course is situated has international links and the BSc course takes a global focus to enrich our learning and thus provide a more inclusive experience to students and to the people you will work with. Our aim is that you feel empowered through the journey of becoming an Occupational Therapist and that you take that experience to empower the people you will have the privilege to work with both within placement and as a registered Occupational Therapist.

How you're assessed

Assessment types include:

Essays
Reflective accounts
Objective structured clinical examination (OSCE)
Presentations
Academic posters
Multiple choice and short answer question exams
Professional discussion
Group exercises

Assessment is also included in all the Practice Based Learning modules and passing the four placements is required for registration to the Health and Care Professions Council, thus enabling learners to register as Occupational Therapists.

Louise Couchman

Senior Lecturer

Louise Couchman is a Senior Lecturer and BSc Occupational Therapy Course Lead at NTU, with clinical expertise in hand therapy, research and student learning.
Visit Louise Couchman's staff profile
Lisa Patrick

Senior Lecturer

Dr Lisa Patrick is a Senior Lecturer in the Nottingham Institute of Health and Social Care, teaching on the MSc and BSc Occupational Therapy courses.
Visit Lisa Patrick's staff profile

Entry requirements

UK students

Standard offer: 112 UCAS Tariff points from up to four qualifications

Contextual offer: 104 UCAS Tariff points from up to four qualifications

Other requirements: Submit a written statement, attend a selection activity, GCSE English and Maths at grade C / 4.

To find out what qualifications have tariff points, please use our tariff calculator.

Additional requirements for UK students

a 300 – 500 word written statement in which you should outline reasons for wishing to undertake the BSc Occupational Therapy. We will be looking to ensure that you have a sound rationale for joining the course based on:
- A demonstrated desire to study Occupational Therapy
- An understanding of the Occupational Therapy role
- Evidence of transferable skills and practice
- Evidence of communication and interpersonal skills
- A consideration of professional values such as trustworthiness and integrity
Candidates who have been shortlisted will be invited to attend a selection activity involving an interview with academics, occupational therapy practitioners, or service users. This will explore candidates' values in line with the HCPC Code of Ethics, and Royal College of Occupational Therapists (RCOT) professional standards, alongside your knowledge and commitment to the profession.
You will also need to be at least 18 years of age at the start of the course. This is the minimum age requirement set by our placement providers. If you will be under 18 at the start of the course, your application may be declined, or you may be offered the opportunity to defer your application until next year.
If you have been offered a place, you will also be expected to complete a good-health check through health screening and attend a follow-up occupational health review as required.
Successful candidates will also be required to complete an Enhanced-Level Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

Vaccinations

As a healthcare student, you have a duty of care towards patients and other staff, including taking reasonable precautions to protect yourself and others from communicable diseases. We therefore require you to be vaccinated for some infectious diseases if you do not already have immunity to them. Whilst we cannot force you to have a vaccination, the University and our practice partners strongly recommend you do.

Failure to undertake the required immunisations and blood screening may lead to you not being able to be placed in certain clinical areas which may adversely impact your ability to complete the required practice hours and clinical competencies.

Contextual offers

We consider every application in the context of your individual circumstances and educational background. This may include information about where you live, the school or college you attended, or experiences that may have shaped your educational journey. This is known as a contextual offer, and we use information provided through UCAS to help inform our decisions. By considering achievement in context, we can better recognise academic potential and ensure applicants are assessed as fairly and fully as possible. Please note we do not make contextual offers during Clearing.

Meeting our entry requirements

Hundreds of qualifications in the UK have UCAS Tariff points attached to specific grades, including A-levels, BTECs, T Levels and many more. You can use your grades and points from up to four different qualifications to meet our criteria. Enter your predicted or achieved grades into our Tariff calculator to find out how many points your qualifications are worth.

Other qualifications and experience

NTU welcomes applications from students with non-standard qualifications and learning backgrounds, either for year one entry or for advanced standing beyond the start of a course into year 2 or beyond.

We consider study and/or credit achieved from a similar course at another institution (otherwise known as credit transfer), vocational and professional qualifications, and broader work or life experience.

Our Recognition of Prior Learning and Credit Transfer Policy outlines the process and options available for this route. If you wish to apply via Recognition of Prior Learning, please contact the central Admissions and Enquiries Team who will be able to support you through the process.

Getting in touch

If you need more help or information, get in touch through our enquiry form.

International students

Academic entry requirements: 112 UCAS Tariff points from up to four A levels. We accept equivalent qualifications from all over the world. Please check your international entry requirements by country.

Other requirements: Submit a written statement, attend a selection activity, GCSE English and Maths at grade C / 4.

Please note: Due to the mandatory teaching and placement requirements of this course, we are unable to accept applications from individuals with a Tier 2 Skilled Worker Visa.

English language requirements: IELTS 7.0 (with no component less than 6.5), or TOEFL iBT: 100 overall with at least 19 in Reading, 19 in Listening , 22 in Speaking and 23 in Writing.

See our English language requirements page for information on alternative tests and Pre-sessional English.

Additional requirements for international students

a 300 – 500 word written statement in which you should outline reasons for wishing to undertake the BSc Occupational Therapy. We will be looking to ensure that you have a sound rationale for joining the course based on:
- A demonstrated desire to study Occupational Therapy
- An understanding of the Occupational Therapy role
- Evidence of transferable skills and practice
- Evidence of communication and interpersonal skills
- A consideration of professional values such as trustworthiness and integrity

Candidates who have been shortlisted will be invited to attend a selection activity involving an interview with academics, occupational therapy practitioners, or service users. This will explore candidates' values in line with the HCPC Code of Ethics, and Royal College of Occupational Therapists (RCOT) professional standards, alongside your knowledge and commitment to the profession.
You will also need to be at least 18 years of age at the start of the course. This is the minimum age requirement set by our placement providers. If you will be under 18 at the start of the course, your application may be declined, or you may be offered the opportunity to defer your application until next year.
If you have been offered a place, you will also be expected to complete a good-health check through health screening and attend a follow-up occupational health review as required.
Successful candidates will also be required to complete an Enhanced-Level Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

Vaccinations

Interview dates

Interview dates may be subject to change and will be confirmed to successful applicants when they are invited to interview.

English Language Requirements

Students whose first language is not English will be required to meet the English language requirements of the Health and Care Professions Council. In anticipation of development towards the requirements of the HCPC on completion, applicants whose first language is not English will be required to produce evidence of proficiency in written and spoken English to level 7 (with no component less than 6.5) using IELTS scale.

English language requirements

View our English language requirements for all courses, including alternative English language tests and country qualifications accepted by the University.

If you need help achieving the language requirements, we offer a Pre-Sessional English for Academic Purposes course on our City campus which is an intensive preparation course for academic study at NTU.

Other qualifications and experience

If you have the right level of qualifications, you may be able to start your Bachelors degree at NTU in year 2 or year 3. This is called ‘advanced standing’ entry and is decided on a case-by case basis after our assessment of your qualifications and experience.

You can view our Recognition of Prior Learning and Credit Transfer Policy which outlines the process and options available, such as recognising experiential learning and credit transfer.

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Getting in touch

If you need advice about studying at NTU as an international student or how to apply, our international webpages are a great place to start. If you have any questions about your study options, your international qualifications, experience, grades or other results, please get in touch through our enquiry form. Our international teams are highly experienced in answering queries from students all over the world.

Policies

We strive to make our admissions procedures as fair and clear as possible. To find out more about how we make offers, visit our admissions policies page.

Fees and funding

UK students

- see the fees for this course, as well as information about funding and support.

£9,790 per year

Find out about the extra support we may be able to provide to help pay for uni, including NTU bursaries and scholarships.

NHS Learning Support Fund

As an NTU student you would be eligible to apply for the NHS Learning Support Fund (NHS LSF) which offers eligible students additional support while studying for their degree.

The new package includes:

training grant of £5,000 per year
parental support payment of £2,000 per student per year to help with childcare costs
specialist subject payment of £1,000 per year for students on degrees that struggle to recruit, including mental health and learning disability nursing
help towards additional travel and accommodation costs to clinical placements over your normal daily travel costs
an exceptional hardship fund of up to £3,000 per student per academic year.

You will need to pay tuition fees for each year that you are at university. The tuition fees, including the placement year and study abroad options are subject to government policy and may change in future years of study.

Preparing for the financial side of student life is important, but we don’t want you to feel anxious or confused about it. Visit our fees and funding pages if you have any concerns.

International students

- see the fees for this course, as well as payment advice and scholarships.

£17,950 per year

You will need to pay tuition fees for each year that you are at university. The tuition fees might increase from the second year of your undergraduate course, in line with inflation and as specified by the UK government.

Scholarships

We offer international scholarships of up to 50% of your tuition fee. You can apply for a scholarship when you have an offer to study at NTU.

Living costs

See our advice on managing your money and the cost of living as an international student in Nottingham.

Paying fees

As an international student, you'll need to make an advance payment as part of your offer conditions. You'll then need to pay your tuition fees in full, or have an agreement to pay in two further instalments, in order to enrol on the course.

Find out how and when to pay your fees, including information about your advance payment, instalment dates and how to make payments securely to the University.

Enquiries

If you have any queries relating to advance payments or arrangements to pay, please contact our friendly and experienced international enquiries team.

Additional costs

Your course fees cover the cost of studies and include loads of great benefits, such as the use of our library, support from our expert Employability team and free use of the IT equipment across our campuses. There are just a few additional things you may need to budget for:

Textbooks and library books

Your modules will point you to key textbooks and recommended reading. Many are available online, and in our libraries, but some students choose to buy their own copies. You’ll receive resource lists showing where to access eBooks, digital resources and physical copies. Our friendly Library team is always on hand to help you find what you need.

Printing and photocopying costs

The University allocates an annual printing and copying allowance of £20 depending on the course you are studying. For more details about costs for additional print and copying required over and above the annual allowance please see the printing and photocopying information on the Library website.

Field trips

All essential field trip costs will be included in your course fees. There may be the opportunity to take part in optional field trips, which do incur additional costs.

Placements

If you're undertaking a placement year, you'll need to budget for accommodation and any travel costs you may incur whilst on placement. Many of our placement students do earn a salary whilst on placement which can help to cover these living costs.

Fees and funding advice

For more advice and guidance, phone the Student Money Team on +44 (0)115 848 2494.

Cost of living information and support

Managing your money can help you make the most of life at NTU. Here's how we can support you, and now you can make your funding go further.

Cost of living in Nottingham

Our student benefits and free services

Money advice for international students

Careers and employability

Successful completion of this course will provide eligibility to register with the Health and Care Professions Council under the protected title of Occupational Therapist.

Occupational Therapy is a career that can provide many exciting opportunities, working with individuals, groups and communities across public, private and third sector organisations. Our course will prepare you through the development of strong links to East Midlands NHS Trusts, Schools and private sector organisations.

Employability Promise

Personalised support, one-on-one coaching and industry-specific advice – it’s all part of our Employability Promise. And it doesn’t end when you leave NTU – you’ll have access to all our careers services for three years after you graduate (conditions apply).
Assessed work-like experience

We’ve embedded at least eight weeks of assessed work-like experience into all of our courses. This gives you the opportunity to apply your learning in real-world scenarios, build your confidence, and develop the experience employers are looking for.
NTU Enterprise

If you’re a budding entrepreneur, NTU Student Enterprise can help you to develop your ideas and innovations and turn them into a reality. We also offer training, mentoring, workshops, financial advice and more to develop your business skills.

Campus and facilities

You’ll mainly be studying in the purpose-built Health & Allied Professions (HAP) Centre. The 34,000 square foot building features mock hospital wards, consultation and counselling rooms, creative teaching spaces and specialist equipment.

Our self-contained, community-focused Clifton Campus has been designed to keep our students busy between lectures. Catch-up with your coursemates in the Pavilion’s barista café and Refectory; brainstorm group presentations in chic and stylish study spaces; enjoy some proper R&R in The Point, home of our Students’ Union. The campus also hosts the multimillion-pound Clifton Sports Hub, offering great options for everyone — whatever your interests, and however competitive you’d like to get!

You’re also right next to the bright lights of Nottingham — one of Britain’s top 10 student cities, and one of Europe’s top 25. All through termtime, a dedicated on-campus bus service will get you to the heart of the action (and back) in under 25 minutes. You’ll find a city stuffed with history, culture, and well-kept secrets to discover at your leisure: enjoy lush green spaces, galleries, hidden cinemas and vintage shopping by day, and an acclaimed food, drink and social scene by night.

Applying

UK students

We're no longer taking applications for 2026 entry - see our 2027 information.

Ready to join us? Then apply as soon as you can. Just click the Apply button and follow the instructions for applying. Make sure you check the entry requirements above carefully before you do.

Keeping up to date

After you’ve applied, we’ll be sending you important emails throughout the application process – so check your emails regularly, including your junk mail folder

You can get more information and advice about applying to NTU on our Your Application page. Good luck with your application!

Apply through UCAS

International students

We're no longer taking applications for 2026 entry - see our 2027 information.

You can apply for this course through UCAS. If you are not applying to any other UK universities, you can apply directly to us on our NTU applicant portal.

Would you like some advice on your study plans?

Our international teams are highly experienced in answering queries from students all over the world. We also have members of staff based in Vietnam, China, India and Nigeria and work with a worldwide network of education counsellors.