How to become an occupational therapist in Australia
Occupational Therapists assess functional limitations of people resulting from illnesses and disabilities, and provide therapy to enable people to perform their daily activities and occupations.
The all-jobs median is $1,852 a week. Jobs in the occupational therapists group are projected to grow 33.1% between May 2025 and May 2035, faster than the 13.3% projected for all jobs. Projections are indicative, not forecasts, and JSA says they don't yet reflect generative AI.
What the job involves
- Assessing clients' emotional, psychological, developmental and physical capabilities using clinical observations and standardised tests
- Assessing clients' functional potential in their home, leisure, work and school environments, and recommending environmental adaptations to maximise their performance
- Planning and directing programs through the use of vocational, recreational, remedial, social and educational activities on an individual and group basis
- Providing advice to family members, carers, employers and teachers about adapting clients' home, leisure, work and school environments
- Providing adaptive equipment, such as wheel chairs and splints, to assist clients to overcome their functional limitations
- Working with other health professionals in overall case management of clients
How to get there
What it usually takes. A bachelor degree or higher. This is the skill level Jobs and Skills Australia gives the occupational therapists group, and some roles differ.
What people in the job have. Highest qualification held: 98% a degree or higher, 1% a diploma, 0% a Certificate III or IV.
Many jobs also need registration, a licence or a specific accredited course. Check the professional body or regulator before you choose.
Courses that can lead here
Estimate your ATAR and this page shows the gap to each course. Your marks stay on your device.
Victoria12 matches
VTAC lowest selection ranks, December 2025 offer round.
Occupational Therapy (Honours) · Monash, Peninsula90.50 Occupational Therapy (Pass and Honours) · ACU, Melbourne90.25 Occupational Therapy (Honours) · La Trobe, Melbourne89.70 Occupational Therapy (Regional and Remote) · Deakin, Geelong Waterfront82.45 Occupational Therapy · Deakin, Geelong Waterfront81.75 Occupational Therapy · Charles Sturt, Albury-Wodonga71.15 Occupational Therapy (Honours) · Federation, Gippsland66.70Showing 8 of 12 matches. Search every course.
NSW and ACT14 matches
UAC lowest selection ranks, December Round 2, 2025-26 admissions.
Bachelor of Occupational Therapy · Notre Dame99.95 Bachelor of Occupational Therapy · ACU99.55 Bachelor of Applied Science (Occupational Therapy) · Sydney96.55 Bachelor of Occupational Therapy (Honours) · La Trobe96.15 Bachelor of Occupational Therapy · Western Sydney92.50 Bachelor of Occupational Therapy · Charles Sturt91.95 Bachelor of Occupational Therapy (Honours) · Newcastle90.15 Bachelor of Occupational Therapy · Canberra80.55Diplomas and other ways in
Diploma of Health (Occupational Therapy) · Southern Cross50.35Showing 9 of 14 matches. Search every course.
Queensland17 matches
QTAC course pages, ATAR/Selection Rank profile for semester 1, 2026.
Bachelor of Occupational Therapy (Honours) · Griffith, Gold Coast96.15 Bachelor of Occupational Therapy (Honours) · UQ, St Lucia95.55 Bachelor of Occupational Therapy · ACU, Brisbane87.10 Bachelor of Occupational Therapy (Honours) · UniSC, Sunshine Coast85.05 Bachelor of Occupational Therapy (Honours) · UniSQ, Ipswich77.00 Bachelor of Occupational Therapy (Honours) · CQUniversity, Bundaberg70.25 Bachelor of Occupational Therapy · Southern Cross, Gold Coast70.00 Bachelor of Occupational Therapy (Honours) · JCU, Townsville68.65Diplomas and other ways in
Showing 10 of 17 matches. Search every course.
Western Australia3 matches
TISC Course Search: lowest ATAR offered for 2026 entry and guaranteed offer ATARs.
Bachelor of Occupational Therapy (Honours) · Notre Dame, Fremantle76.30 Bachelor of Science (Occupational Therapy) (Honours) · Curtin, Perth75.25 Bachelor of Science (Occupational Therapy) · ECU, Joondalup74.15Matched on course names, 46 across four admissions centres. A lowest selection rank includes adjustment points and moves every year. Check prerequisites and whether the course is accredited for this job.
Graduate outcomes, national
Undergraduates surveyed about four to six months after finishing, in 2025, across all providers. Full-time work is among those available for it. All graduates: 75.4% and $77,000. These are national figures for the study area, not for this course or uni, and a first-year salary says little about later pay. Source: QILT Graduate Outcomes Survey 2025.
Does it fit your interests?
Strongest interest areas for this kind of work: Social, Investigative, Realistic.
From O*NET ratings for "Occupational Therapists", the closest US occupation in JSA's correspondence (a good match). US ratings are a guide to Australian jobs, not a measurement of them.
Careers with similar interests
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Share your storyJob data: © Commonwealth of Australia, Jobs and Skills Australia occupation profiles, February 2026 and Employment Projections, May 2025 to May 2035 (Victoria University), CC BY 4.0. Jobs and Skills Australia, ANZSCO 2013 Version 1.2 to O*NET-SOC 2019 Taxonomy correspondence.
Graduate outcomes: QILT Graduate Outcomes Survey 2025, National Report Tables (Social Research Centre, for the Australian Government).
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Curve ATAR has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.