Diploma in Occupational Therapist Assistant and Physiotherapist Assistant at Georgian College in Barrie, Canada is a diploma in Medicine & Health programme. The programme runs for 4 semesters, delivered on campus. Teaching is in English. Tuition for international students is CAD 7,619 per semester (CAD 1,652 per semester for local students).
This four-semester diploma combines Occupational Therapist Assistant and Physiotherapist Assistant training, building the theoretical knowledge and practical skills to support occupational therapists and physiotherapists, working under their supervision and alongside them in a complex health care environment. Students learn to help clients cope with temporary or permanent limitations in movement and daily functioning during and after recovery, through classroom, laboratory and field placement learning delivered with an inter-professional approach suited to both acute and community settings.
Requirements
Admission Requirements: Two-year Ontario College Diploma. Entry needs an Ontario Secondary School Diploma or equivalent, or mature student status, with Grade 12 English (C or U) and either Grade 11 or 12 Biology (C or U), Grade 12 Exercise Science (U), or an equivalent. Mature applicants aged 19 or over, applicants without secondary school and home-schooled applicants can qualify through equivalent courses, upgrading, a GED or equivalency testing.
An up-to-date immunisation record compliant with the Public Hospitals Act is required at registration so that clinical and field placements can be arranged. Hepatitis B vaccination is required for the student's own safety and can be obtained at reduced cost through the student insurance plan. Level HCP CPR and Standard First Aid must be held during the first semester, with online courses not accepted, and CPR renewed every two years while studying; a copy of the current certificate is submitted in the first semester for the semester in which field placements fall. A mask fit test is recorded at the college in semester two and renewed every two years before placements begin. A clear criminal reference check and vulnerable sector check are required before placement, obtained about three months beforehand; anyone charged or convicted criminally without a pardon cannot proceed.
Georgian publishes one set of academic prerequisites here for both applicant groups: domestic applicants apply through ontariocolleges.ca, while international applicants apply through Georgian's own applicant portal, where overseas qualifications are assessed against these Ontario courses. English, for any applicant whose first language is not English or who comes from a country where English is not an official language: Georgian's college-level band — IELTS Academic 6.0, TOEFL iBT 79, TOEFL paper 550, PTE Academic 58, Duolingo 110, CAEL 60, Cambridge C1 Advanced 170 or TOEIC public test 800 — with results older than two years refused.
Application Details
Start Date:Intakes Georgian lists on this program's own page (checked 6 September 2026): Fall 2026 at Barrie; Winter 2027 at Barrie; Fall 2027 at Barrie; Winter 2028 at Barrie. Campus names are the ones Georgian gives for each start; not every campus runs every intake. On Georgian's academic calendar for standard 14-week programs, the fall term opens with orientation on 8 September 2026 and classes on 9 September 2026; the winter term opens with orientation on 11 January 2027 and classes on 12 January 2027; the fall term opens with orientation on 7 September 2027 and classes on 8 September 2027. Individual programs vary from that pattern. Georgian has not yet published term dates for Winter 2028; its calendar currently runs only to Fall 2027.
Application Deadline:Georgian publishes no deadline unique to this program, and it is not on the college's highly competitive list for Fall 2026 entry. The dates below are the college-wide ones.
DOMESTIC APPLICANTS (Canadian citizens and permanent residents) apply through ontariocolleges.ca. 1 February is the equal consideration date: an application received on or before it is weighed alongside every other application received by then, while later ones are handled in the order they arrive for as long as seats last. Georgian's own worked example ties each 1 February to the fall, winter and summer that follow, so the date now in force is 1 February 2027 for entry in Fall 2027, Winter 2028 or Summer 2028. Letters of acceptance for most programs start going out on 1 November (1 November 2026 in the current cycle) and keep going until a program fills; an offer is confirmed back through ontariocolleges.ca by the deadline printed on it, normally 1 May (1 May 2027 this cycle), and only one offer may be held at a time. Late applicants can still receive an offer as far as the fifth day of the term. For a program in this category Georgian normally keeps accepting applicants after 1 February — check ontariocolleges.ca for current availability.
INTERNATIONAL APPLICANTS have no fixed cut-off. They apply directly to Georgian through its own applicant portal, which is also where a program's availability to international students is shown, and applications are taken year-round subject to that availability — Georgian warns that a program open when you apply can be closed by the time your file is assessed, and urges applying early enough to leave time for a study permit. A CAD 100 application fee applies, and a seat is only held once the pre-admission invoice is accepted and the non-refundable CAD 2,500 deposit is paid.
