Delaware licenses occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants through the Board of Occupational Therapy Practice in the Division of Professional Regulation. You apply online in DELPROS. Everything below comes from the board's own pages and rules, checked October 18, 2026. Fees and rules change, so confirm on the linked pages before you pay.
Check with your board. OT Ticket is a study aid, not clinical or legal guidance. Not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT), AOTA, ACOTE, the OT Compact Commission or any state board; NBCOT, OTR and COTA are their marks, used here only to name the exam.
Delaware at a glance
Occupational therapist (OT)
OT assistant (OTA)
Exam
NBCOT OTR exam (180 questions, 4 hours), $540 to NBCOT
NBCOT COTA exam (190 questions, 4 hours), $540 to NBCOT
Board fees
$236 application
$96
Background check
Delaware and FBI criminal background check with the board's service code (checks for other purposes do not count)
Same
OT Compact
Member, not accepting applications yet. Delaware has enacted the OT Compact but has not opened privilege applications, so for now you need a full Delaware license. (OT Compact, checked October 18, 2026)
Delaware, step by step
Delaware Board of Occupational Therapy Practice (Division of Professional Regulation)
Request third-party documents first (transcripts, verifications, the background check), then apply in DELPROS with the fee: $236 for an OT, $96 for an OTA.
Background check: a State of Delaware and FBI criminal background check using the service code on the Division's Criminal Background Check Process page.
NBCOT: if you took the exam after 2006 and designated Delaware, the board can see your scores online; otherwise have NBCOT send an official score transfer. If you passed more than three years ago, show 20 hours of continuing education from the last two years.
Compact: Delaware has enacted the OT Compact but is not accepting privilege applications yet.
Every state licenses occupational therapists and OT assistants on NBCOT certification: an ACOTE-accredited degree with its Level II fieldwork, then NBCOT's exam (the OTR exam for OTs, 180 questions in 4 hours; the COTA exam for OT assistants, 190 questions in 4 hours; 450 on a 300-600 scale passes; $540 to apply online). NBCOT certification is not a license: you apply to your state board separately, and NBCOT sends the board your score (the Score Transfer is free if you add it when you apply for the exam, $35 later). The full walk-through: How to get your OT license.