Freshmen at The College of St. Scholastica may apply for FACT (the Freshman Admission Criteria Tract). Students who declare their intent to pursue a Master's (M.A.) Degree in Occupational Therapy will be guaranteed admission to the program after three years of undergraduate work, if they meet the plan criteria. Up to 20 freshmen will be accepted for the FACT each year.

FACT criteria follow:

1. Make application to the program by the end of fall semester of the freshmen year. The application
   form will be a working document as the student progresses through the three years preceding
   entry into the professional program. Initially, complete only pages 1 and 2.
2. Complete 96 semester credits prior to entry into the professional program; including a minimum
   6 upper division credits.
3. Complete all general education requirements.
4. Complete all prerequisite courses for the Occupational Therapy Program.
5. Maintain an overall and a prerequisite grade point average of 2.7 or higher.
6. Obtain no grade lower than a C in any prerequisite course.
7. Obtain a minimum grade of B on the first year English composition course.
8. Complete a minimum of 40 hours of work/volunteer experience. This must be completed at two
   different locations to contribute to the student's understanding of occupational therapy, and how
   their unique skills match the demands of being a care provider and a therapist. One of the
   experiences must be in a setting that allows the student to observe the work of a certified
   occupational therapy assistant (COTA) or registered occupational therapist (OTR). The minimum
   time for each experience is 20 hours. Complete the Master of Arts in Occupational Therapy
   Observation Forms, obtained from the Graduate Admissions Office, for a minimum of two
   experiences.
9. Submit three recommendation forms, one from each of the work/volunteer/observation
   experiences noted above and one from a reference of the student's choosing. Suggestions for the
   third reference include a college instructor, employer, or volunteer coordinator/supervisor. The
   reference should be from someone who is sufficiently familiar with the student to be able to offer
   behavioral examples to support statements.
10. Meet minimally one time per semester with an assigned member of the Occupational Therapy
    Program faculty

Students who do not meet the above criteria FACT criteria are able to apply to the Occupational Therapy Program through the standard application process. Benefits to the FACT applicant include exemption of the graduate application fee, continuous access and interaction with Occupational Therapy Program faculty member, exemption from the on-site essay, exemption from the application interview and guaranteed admission, if criteria are met.

The initial acceptance pool consists of up to 20 qualified FACT students and the remainder of qualified St. Scholastica and transfer students for a class of 32.