ADBLOCK #102
College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2026 Best Occupational Therapy/Therapist Schools in North Carolina

7 Colleges in the United States
301 Occupational Therapy/Therapist Degrees Awarded
$63,642 Avg Early-Career Salary

Occupational Therapy/Therapist degree programs prepare students for a range of careers in the field. The schools below stand out for the quality of their occupational therapy/therapist programs.

To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 11 schools to find the best for occupational therapy/therapist students.

What’s on this page:

ADBLOCK #159
DEBUG: Raw major_slug = ""
DEBUG: Initial offers_url = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/health-care-professions/rehab-and-therapeutic-professions/occupational-therapy-therapist/offers.json", major_slug = ""
DEBUG: After cleaning major_slug = ""
DEBUG: Before URL cleaning = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/health-care-professions/rehab-and-therapeutic-professions/occupational-therapy-therapist/offers.json"
DEBUG: After TrimSuffix = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/health-care-professions/rehab-and-therapeutic-professions/occupational-therapy-therapist/offers.json"
DEBUG: After HTTPS placeholder = "HTTPS_TEMP_PLACEHOLDERwww.collegefactual.com/majors/health-care-professions/rehab-and-therapeutic-professions/occupational-therapy-therapist/offers.json"
DEBUG: After slash cleaning = "HTTPS_TEMP_PLACEHOLDERwww.collegefactual.com/majors/health-care-professions/rehab-and-therapeutic-professions/occupational-therapy-therapist/offers.json"
DEBUG: After URL cleaning = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/health-care-professions/rehab-and-therapeutic-professions/occupational-therapy-therapist/offers.json"
DEBUG: offers_url = https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/health-care-professions/rehab-and-therapeutic-professions/occupational-therapy-therapist/offers.json
DEBUG: major_slug = ""
DEBUG: offers_url is valid, proceeding to fetch data
DEBUG: offers_data.offers found, count = 1
DEBUG: Specific major detected (cip4 = 51.23), keeping min_relevance at 0.8
DEBUG: Starting relevance filtering - min_relevance = 0.8, max_relevance = 1
DEBUG: Checking offer "Physical Therapy Assistant (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" with relevance 0.6
DEBUG: ✗ Offer "Physical Therapy Assistant (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" REJECTED (relevance 0.6)
DEBUG: relevant_offers count = 0
DEBUG: No relevant offers, showing generic ESYOH widget

Best Schools for Occupational Therapy/Therapist in North Carolina

If you are not interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the occupational therapy/therapist degrees they offer, see the list below.

Top Schools in Occupational Therapy/Therapist

1
Duke University crest
Duke University
Durham, NC

No school ranked higher than Duke University this year for occupational therapy/therapist. Set in the city of Durham, Duke University is a large private not-for-profit institution. The six-year graduation rate is 97%. There were roughly 36 occupational therapy/therapist students who graduated with this degree at Duke University in the most recent data year. Occupational Therapy/therapist graduates of Duke University earn a median of $68,778 early in their careers. Students borrow a median of $13,296 to complete this degree. More information about a degree in occupational therapy/therapist from Duke University

2
Wingate University crest
Wingate University
Wingate, NC

A rank of #2 makes Wingate University one of the top schools for occupational therapy/therapist. Wingate University is a mid-sized private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Wingate. Wingate University graduates 46% of students within six years. About 34 occupational therapy/therapist degrees were awarded at Wingate University in the most recent year. Soon after graduation, occupational therapy/therapist degree recipients from Wingate University generally make around $73,520. Typical student debt for the program is $25,556. See the full occupational therapy/therapist program report for Wingate University

3

University Of North Carolina At Chapel Hill is a great choice for students pursuing a degree in occupational therapy/therapist, landing the #3 spot this year. Located in the city of Chapel Hill, University Of North Carolina At Chapel Hill is a very large public university. About 91% of students finish within six years. There were roughly 21 occupational therapy/therapist students who graduated with this degree at University Of North Carolina At Chapel Hill in the most recent data year. Occupational Therapy/therapist graduates of University Of North Carolina At Chapel Hill earn a median of $58,000 early in their careers. Typical student debt for the program is $15,117. See the full occupational therapy/therapist program report for University Of North Carolina At Chapel Hill

4

Students looking for a strong occupational therapy/therapist program will find one at Cabarrus College Of Health Sciences, which ranked #4. Cabarrus College Of Health Sciences is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Concord. About 29 occupational therapy/therapist degrees were awarded at Cabarrus College Of Health Sciences in the most recent year. Students who receive their occupational therapy/therapist degree from Cabarrus College Of Health Sciences earn around $60,869 in the first couple years of their career. Students borrow a median of $24,414 to complete this degree. Read more about the occupational therapy/therapist program at Cabarrus College Of Health Sciences

5

East Carolina University is a great choice for students pursuing a degree in occupational therapy/therapist, landing the #5 spot this year. Set in the city of Greenville, East Carolina University is a very large public institution. The six-year graduation rate is 63%. About 23 occupational therapy/therapist degrees were awarded at East Carolina University in the most recent year. Students who receive their occupational therapy/therapist degree from East Carolina University earn around $56,764 in the first couple years of their career. Typical student debt for the program is $26,000. See the full occupational therapy/therapist program report for East Carolina University

6

Lenoir Rhyne University landed the #6 spot for occupational therapy/therapist this year. Lenoir Rhyne University is a mid-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Hickory. The six-year graduation rate is 48%. About 78 occupational therapy/therapist degrees were awarded at Lenoir Rhyne University in the most recent year. Occupational Therapy/therapist graduates of Lenoir Rhyne University earn a median of $68,628 early in their careers. Lenoir Rhyne University graduates carry a median of $26,900 in student loans. See the full occupational therapy/therapist program report for Lenoir Rhyne University

7
Methodist University crest
Methodist University
Fayetteville, NC

Methodist University placed #7 among the best occupational therapy/therapist schools. Set in the city of Fayetteville, Methodist University is a small private not-for-profit institution. Methodist University graduates 43% of students within six years. About 24 occupational therapy/therapist degrees were awarded at Methodist University in the most recent year. Soon after graduation, occupational therapy/therapist degree recipients from Methodist University generally make around $73,105. Typical student debt for the program is $27,604. More information about a degree in occupational therapy/therapist from Methodist University

8
Pfeiffer University crest
Pfeiffer University
Misenheimer, NC

Pfeiffer University landed the #8 spot for occupational therapy/therapist this year. Located in the rural area of Misenheimer, Pfeiffer University is a small private not-for-profit university. About 35% of students finish within six years. Pfeiffer University awarded about 29 occupational therapy/therapist degrees in the most recent data year. Graduates of the occupational therapy/therapist program make about $54,891 in their early career. Pfeiffer University graduates carry a median of $26,375 in student loans. See the full occupational therapy/therapist program report for Pfeiffer University

9

Winston Salem State University placed #9 among the best occupational therapy/therapist schools. Located in the city of Winston-Salem, Winston Salem State University is a moderately-sized public university. The six-year graduation rate is 47%. About 27 occupational therapy/therapist degrees were awarded at Winston Salem State University in the most recent year. Occupational Therapy/therapist graduates of Winston Salem State University earn a median of $58,227 early in their careers. Students borrow a median of $28,000 to complete this degree. Read more about the occupational therapy/therapist program at Winston Salem State University

ADBLOCK #173
View All Occupational Therapy/Therapist Rankings >

ADBLOCK #115

Notes and References

The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs graduation rate, post-graduation earnings, cost, and program quality, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).

Ranking method: College Major Top Ranked · 11 schools evaluated.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

ADBLOCK #116

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs
ADBLOCK #613

Compare Your School Options