Pima Medical Institute, El Paso OTA program costs $45,701. Here is how its graduates do.
An AAS program in El Paso, About 20 months (80 weeks). 94.0% of its graduates passed the NBCOT COTA exam in 2025.
Each campus reports its own outcomes to ACOTE:
- El Paso (this page): 94.0% NBCOT COTA exam rate
- Houston: 94.0% NBCOT COTA exam rate
The short version
- Its NBCOT COTA exam rate (94.0%) is close to the Texas program median of 92.0%.
- 87.0% of students who started finished the program.
- Its published cost is above the median for Texas OTA programs that publish one ($11,003).
- At 10% of the local median wage for occupational therapy assistants, the program cost is paid back in about 6.1 years.
These lines are generated from the numbers on this page and change when the data does.
How graduates do
ACOTE requires every accredited program to publish the same outcome measures, so they can be compared program to program. 4
| Year | NBCOT pass rate |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 94.0% |
| 2024 | 92.0% |
| 2023 | 95.0% |
New graduates who passed the NBCOT COTA certification exam, divided by new graduates who took it, as NBCOT or the program reports it. Job placement: graduates employed as occupational therapy assistants, as the program reports it.
Where the money goes
Nine of every ten dollars goes to tuition. Same price at El Paso and Houston. A later PMI disclosure (Aug 2026) lists $45,742 including tax. Excludes immunizations, background check, drug screen, clinical travel, NBCOT and licensure fees.
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Tuition | $42,300 |
| Registration fee | $150 |
| Textbooks | $2,486 |
| Uniform | $165 |
| Technology fee | $600 |
| Total 1 | $45,701 |
Not included: prerequisite courses and living costs. OTA tuition breakdown effective January 1, 2026 (updated 1/20/2026).
What occupational therapy assistants earn around El Paso
The median yearly wage for occupational therapy assistants in the El Paso metro area is $74,640. 3 Payback time sets aside 10% of that each year toward the program cost.
After you graduate: getting to work in Texas
Texas requires an OTA license issued by the Texas Board of Occupational Therapy Examiners. Applicants must pass the NBCOT COTA exam (score sent by NBCOT directly to the Board), pass the Texas jurisprudence exam, and complete fingerprinting.
| Step | Fee |
|---|---|
| Apply to NBCOT and pass the COTA certification exam.5 | $540 |
| Apply to the Texas OT Board for an OTA license by exam.6 | $100 |
| Pass the 20-question open-book online jurisprudence exam.7 | Free |
| Have NBCOT send the passing score to the Board, send a photo, and complete fingerprinting after applying (SSN required from Sept 1, 2026).8 | Not published |
| Optional: request a temporary license if taking the NBCOT exam for the first time.9 | $55not counted |
Typical fees to start working: $640. Counts the NBCOT exam ($540) and the Texas OTA application ($100). Fingerprinting is extra. Texas OTA licenses renew every two years by the end of the birth month with at least 24 contact hours of CE including a human trafficking course; NBCOT certification renews every three years with 36 units ($65 online). Full guide: how to become an occupational therapy assistant in Texas
With Pima Medical Institute's published cost, the total to finish school and get credentialed is about $46,341, before prerequisites and living costs.
Program facts
- Credential
- AAS
- Length
- About 20 months (80 weeks)
- Schedule
- On campus, with 720 externship hours in person
- Before you apply
- High school diploma or equivalent; no college prerequisite courses listed.
- Entrance exam
- School entrance exam with a minimum score (may be waived), plus interview
- Accreditation
- ACOTE, Accredited (ACOTE)
- Leads to
- NBCOT COTA certification exam and a Texas license
Sources and dates
- Pima Medical Institute OTA tuition disclosure, OTA tuition breakdown effective January 1, 2026 (updated 1/20/2026).
- Pima Medical Institute, El Paso program outcomes page, NBCOT School Performance Data, checked Nov. 5, 2026; graduation rate from the program's page (Calendar years 2023 to 2025).
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Occupational Therapy Assistants (31-2011), May 2025 estimates.
- Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE), checked Nov. 2026.
- NBCOT Fees, checked Nov 2026.
- Texas OT Board, Initial Licensure General Information (2026), Document dated 2026.
- Texas OT Board, OT Application, checked Nov 2026.
- Texas OT Board, OT Application, checked Nov 2026.
- Texas OT Board, Initial Licensure General Information (2026), Document dated 2026.
Every number was checked against its source on Nov. 4, 2026. Spot an error? Report it. Program Outcomes is independent and not affiliated with any school or ACOTE. Our independence policy