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2025 Best Occupational Therapy Schools in California

6 Colleges in California
1,378 Occupational Therapy Degrees Awarded
Occupational Therapy is of the hottest degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #83 most popular major in the country. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.

College Factual looked at 6 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Occupational Therapy Schools in California ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,378 degrees in occupational therapy annually.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Occupational Therapy School

Best Occupational Therapy Schools in California Your choice of occupational therapy school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for occupational therapy schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Pick Your Occupational Therapy Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Occupational Therapy
Master's Degrees in Occupational Therapy
Doctor's Degrees in Occupational Therapy

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Occupational Therapy Schools in California list to help you make the college decision. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.

Best Schools for Occupational Therapy in California

Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the occupational therapy degree levels they offer.

Top California Schools in Occupational Therapy

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In CA
274 Occupational Therapy Degrees Awarded

Any student pursuing a degree in occupational therapy has to check out University of Southern California. Located in the city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #13 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means USC is a great university overall.

There were roughly 274 occupational therapy students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in occupational therapy from University of Southern California

2
Loma Linda University crest
Loma Linda University
Loma Linda, CA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
7th Most Popular In CA
53 Occupational Therapy Degrees Awarded

Loma Linda University is a wonderful choice for students pursuing a degree in occupational therapy. Loma Linda University is a small private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Loma Linda.

There were about 53 occupational therapy students who graduated with this degree at Loma Linda University in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in occupational therapy from Loma Linda University

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
8th Most Popular In CA
55 Occupational Therapy Degrees Awarded

It is hard to beat Samuel Merritt University if you wish to pursue a degree in occupational therapy. Samuel Merritt University is a small private not-for-profit university located in the city of Oakland.

There were about 55 occupational therapy students who graduated with this degree at Samuel Merritt University in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in occupational therapy from Samuel Merritt University

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
9th Most Popular In CA
54 Occupational Therapy Degrees Awarded

Dominican University of California is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in occupational therapy. DUofC is a small private not-for-profit university located in the small city of San Rafael. This university ranks 54th out of 161 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were approximately 54 occupational therapy students who graduated with this degree at DUofC in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in occupational therapy from Dominican University of California

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In CA
66 Occupational Therapy Degrees Awarded

Located in the city of Carson, CSUDH is a public university with a large student population. This university ranks 91st out of 161 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were approximately 66 occupational therapy students who graduated with this degree at CSUDH in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in occupational therapy from California State University - Dominguez Hills

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
5th Most Popular In CA
61 Occupational Therapy Degrees Awarded

Stanbridge is a small private for-profit university located in the large city of Irvine.

There were roughly 61 occupational therapy students who graduated with this degree at Stanbridge in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in occupational therapy from Stanbridge University

Best Occupational Therapy Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Occupational Therapy Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Washington 831 100
Oregon 587 39
Nevada 354 25

View All Rankings >

One of 16 majors within the Rehabilitation & Therapeutic Professions area of study, Occupational Therapy has other similar majors worth exploring.

Majors Similar to Occupational Therapy

Related Major Annual Graduates
Physical Therapy/Therapist 1,688
Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling 142
Music Therapy 22
Rehabilitation Science 20
Therapeutic Recreation/Recreational Therapy 14
Orthotist/Prosthetist 12
Art Therapy 8

View All Occupational Therapy Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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