How ORPAS Works: Applying to Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology in Ontario
By Muntasir Minhaz • Published Sep 20, 2026 • Updated Sep 20, 2026 • Fields of Study, Canadian Universities & Colleges
ORPAS is the single online application Ontario uses for professional master's programs in occupational therapy, physiotherapy, speech-language pathology and audiology. You apply once through the Ontario Universities' Application Centre, choose your programs, and pay a fee based on how many programs you pick at each school.
🎓 Covers OT, PT, speech-language pathology and audiology master's programs at Ontario universities, run through OUAC.
ORPAS is separate from the undergraduate 105 and 101 applications and from OMSAS.
Initial transcripts are due by January 30, final transcripts by June 30, every cycle.
💵 University fee is $100 for one program at a school, $200 for two or more programs at the same school.
For fall 2026 entry, speech-language pathology and audiology offers went out April 1, 2026, and OT and PT offers went out May 15, 2026.
📩 Each program sets its own reference and personal statement requirements.
What ORPAS Is
The Ontario Rehabilitation Sciences Programs Application Service (ORPAS) is the shared online application for professional master's programs in occupational therapy, physiotherapy, speech-language pathology and audiology at Ontario universities. The Ontario Universities' Application Centre runs it, separate from the undergraduate 105 and 101 applications and separate from OMSAS for medical school.
You submit one ORPAS application and select the programs you want at one or more Ontario universities. ORPAS forwards your file to each school, and each school runs its own review and makes its own offer decision.
Which Programs Use ORPAS
| Profession | Ontario universities |
|---|---|
| Occupational therapy | McMaster, Ottawa, Queen's, Toronto, Western |
| Physiotherapy | McMaster, Ottawa, Queen's, Toronto, Western |
| Speech-language pathology | McMaster, Ottawa, Toronto, Western |
| Audiology | Ottawa, Western |
Not every school offers every profession, and each program sets its own prerequisite courses and grade cutoffs. Check the program page at each university before you apply.
How ORPAS Differs from OUAC's Undergraduate Applications
OUAC also runs the 105 application for Ontario high school and returning applicants, and the 101 application for students still finishing an Ontario high school program, both feeding undergraduate degrees. ORPAS serves a different stage, it takes applicants who already hold or are finishing a bachelor's degree and routes them into professional master's programs in rehabilitation sciences.
105 and 101 largely compare your grades against a published cutoff. ORPAS programs add extra pieces on top of your GPA, a Personal Submissions response, academic and clinical or professional references, and in some cases an interview or written task each school sets on its own. Your undergraduate grades still matter, but they sit alongside a wider file review rather than deciding the outcome on their own.
How the Application Works
Create your ORPAS account through OUAC and select your program choices.
Order official transcripts from every postsecondary institution you attended, sent directly to ORPAS.
Complete the Personal Submissions section, where you answer questions set by your chosen programs.
Arrange references. Each program sets its own number and mix of academic and clinical or professional referees, confirm the exact requirement on your chosen program's page.
Pay your application fee before ORPAS forwards your file to any school. OUAC does not accept partial payment.
Key Dates
ORPAS runs on a fixed annual calendar. OUAC's ORPAS key dates page sets 2 transcript deadlines every cycle.
| Deadline | What's due |
|---|---|
| January 30 | Initial transcripts covering all coursework completed to date |
| June 30 | Final transcripts showing your degree conferred, including any courses still in progress when you applied |
Offer dates fall later in the cycle. For fall 2026 entry, speech-language pathology and audiology programs sent offers on April 1, 2026. Occupational therapy and physiotherapy programs sent offers on May 15, 2026.
Fees
ORPAS charges a university fee for each school you apply to, not one flat fee for the whole application. Apply to one program at a university and you pay $100 for that school.
Apply to 2 or more programs at the same university and the fee rises to $200. Toronto charges a flat $100 regardless of how many of its programs you select.
Fees are non-refundable, and OUAC will not forward your file until you pay in full.
After You Apply
Once your transcripts and references reach ORPAS, each program reviews your file on its own timeline. Some layer in an interview or a written submission before ranking candidates. Offers go out on the dates each program sets, and you respond directly to the university, not to ORPAS.
Keep your contact information current in your ORPAS account through the whole cycle. Programs and OUAC contact you by email, and a missed message costs you a seat.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Paying for fewer university choices than you actually want considered, ORPAS will not forward an unpaid choice to any school.
Skipping a transcript from a school where you only took one transfer or exchange course, ORPAS wants a transcript from every postsecondary institution you attended, not only your home school.
Assuming your final transcript alone satisfies the January 30 deadline, that date is for your initial transcript showing coursework to date.
Leaving reference requests until the final week before a deadline, your referees need real time to submit through the ORPAS reference system.
Before You Apply
Confirm 3 things at every program you're considering: the prerequisite courses it wants completed before you start, its minimum grade cutoff, and whether it asks for a supplementary written submission beyond the standard ORPAS Personal Submissions section. These details change program by program and year by year, so check the current program page rather than a past applicant's notes.
What You'll Need Before You Start
Set aside your unofficial transcripts from every school you attended, contact details for your references, and time to answer each program's Personal Submissions questions in your own words. Start your ORPAS account well before January 30, an official transcript request from a previous institution can take several weeks depending on how that school processes requests.