Applying to Rehabilitation Sciences Programs Outside Ontario: Direct Application Routes

Why There's No Shared Portal Outside Ontario

ORPAS is an Ontario-specific service, run by the Ontario Universities' Application Centre for that province's occupational therapy, physiotherapy, speech-language pathology, and audiology programs. Every other province routes applicants straight into each university's own graduate studies system. You open a separate account, submit separate documents, and pay a separate fee at every school you target. This guide covers the direct-entry routes for occupational therapy, physiotherapy, speech-language pathology, and audiology outside Ontario, alongside the exam and licensing details covered elsewhere on this site for each profession.

British Columbia

UBC runs the only occupational therapy program in the province, the Master of Occupational Therapy , through the UBC Graduate Studies Online Application. For the September 2027 intake, the application opens October 15, 2026 and closes January 15, 2027 . These dates shift forward roughly one year annually, so confirm the live page for your target intake. UBC sets a minimum B+ average, 76%, on your senior-level coursework, and asks for a CASPer test score plus a multiple mini interview.

UBC's Master of Physical Therapy runs as a separate 26-month program admitting 143 students across 4 sites. It sets a minimum 76% senior-level average, a minimum 72% in each prerequisite course, and requires CASPer, a 200-word written response to a set question, and at least 70 hours of volunteer or paid work involving direct contact with people who have a cognitive, emotional, or physical disability, spread across no more than 2 facilities. UBC treats BC CareCard or Services Card holders as BC residents, and reserves up to 10% of seats for applicants from outside the province.

Alberta

The University of Alberta's MScOT and MScPT programs both apply through the university's own graduate application. Both need a minimum admission GPA of 3.0 on a 4-point scale, calculated on your last 60 units or last 2 years of full-time coursework. Since the 2025 intake cycle, both programs also require a CASPer situational judgment test, with results sent directly from CASPer's provider to the department, not through your application file.

Alberta also runs a Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology through its Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, at campuses in Edmonton and Camrose. It sets a minimum GPA of 3.3, though most admitted applicants sit closer to 3.7, and asks for 3 letters of recommendation, GRE scores, and a CASPer result on top of your transcripts. Its stated application deadline is February 1.

Saskatchewan

University of Saskatchewan's Master of Physical Therapy sets a minimum 75% average on your most recent 60 credit units, plus a residency rule most other programs skip. You, your family home, or your undergraduate degree needs a tie to Saskatchewan, Yukon, the Northwest Territories, or Nunavut, normally a primary residence there for at least 1 year before September 1 of your admission year. The program reserves 8 seats for Indigenous applicants and requires ongoing CPR certification once you're enrolled.

Manitoba

University of Manitoba's Master of Occupational Therapy asks for a minimum B average on your last 60 credit hours, with no prerequisite grade below a B. For the 2027-2028 cycle, Canadian and US applicants apply by February 1, 2027, and international applicants by January 15, 2027.

Its Master of Physical Therapy sets a 3.25 GPA on your last 60 credit hours, and its application window runs online from August 1, 2026 to November 15, 2026.

Atlantic Canada

Dalhousie's MSc Physiotherapy requires a mandatory 90-minute CASPer test, and passing it stays a condition of keeping your seat if you're admitted. Dalhousie's entry-level MSc(OT) sets its reference requirement by how long ago you finished your undergraduate degree, 2 professional references, 1 academic plus 1 professional, or 2 academic references, if your degree is more than 5 years old.

Quebec

McGill's School of Physical and Occupational Therapy applies through McGill's own uApply portal, built on the Slate platform, not a shared rehabilitation sciences service. You select OT or PT as your area of study within a Qualifying Year program, and you maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4-point scale to keep your seat. Most Quebec programs outside McGill teach in French, confirm the language of instruction before you apply if French isn't your working language.

Application Systems at a Glance

What Stays the Same Everywhere

• You create a separate account at every university you apply to.

• You request separate transcripts sent to each school, not to one shared service.

• You register for tests like CASPer independently, since providers route results straight to each program.

• You track a separate deadline at every school, and missing one does not touch your other applications.

• You pay a separate application fee at every school on your list.

Practical Tips

Start early. Deadlines for direct-application programs cluster from fall through mid-winter for the following September's intake, and they shift by a few weeks every year. Some, like Manitoba's MPT window, open and close entirely within a single fall term the year before you'd start.

Confirm your target program's current deadline, GPA formula, residency rules, and test requirements on its own admissions page before you plan your application timeline, rather than relying on last year's dates. A program's residency preference, like Saskatchewan's or UBC's, can rule you out or push you into a small out-of-province quota regardless of how strong the rest of your file is.

Comparing Costs and Effort to Ontario's ORPAS

ORPAS applicants pay one university fee per school and reuse one set of transcripts and references across every program at that school. Applying directly multiplies the paperwork, each university outside Ontario wants its own copy of your transcripts, its own references submitted through its own system, and its own application fee, even if you're applying to 2 schools in the same province.

Building a Competitive File for Direct-Application Programs

Start your reference requests and volunteer or work experience hours well before you open any application. CASPer test slots fill up during peak weeks each fall, book yours as soon as your target programs confirm they require it for the upcoming cycle. Track each school's GPA formula separately, some average your full transcript, others only your last 60 credit hours or last 2 years, and those numbers rarely match.

If You're Applying to Multiple Provinces

Build a simple tracking sheet listing each school's deadline, GPA formula, required tests, reference count, and fee. Direct-application systems don't share information with each other the way ORPAS shares your file across Ontario schools, a missed document at one university has no effect on your standing at another, but it also means nothing you submit anywhere else carries over automatically.

Regulatory Registration After Graduation

Regulatory colleges also differ by province once you graduate. British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, and Quebec each run their own college for OT, PT, SLP, or audiology registration, separate from the national certification exams for occupational therapy and physiotherapy. Confirm your target province's registration path before you commit to a program there, especially if you plan to work in a different province after graduation.