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Duration

Two years, full time

Application Deadline

29 January 2025 (2025 entry)

Location

St George's, University of London

Accreditation

Health & Care Professionals Council (HCPC), Royal College of Occupational Therapists (RCOT) and World Federation of Occupational Therapists (WFOT)

UCAS Code

B921, institution code S49

UK, EU and non-EU

(International) citizens may apply

Start dates

August 2025

Occupational therapy is a very rewarding profession in which you will make a real difference to people’s quality of life. Occupational therapists work with people of all ages to enable them to participate in the daily activities that are important to them. You will work with people with a range of physical and mental health challenges in settings as diverse as schools, prisons, hospitals, the community and many more.

Established in 1752, St George’s, University of London is the UK’s specialist health university, and we are the only UK university to share our campus with a major teaching hospital. You will have opportunities to learn with students and professionals from a variety of healthcare professions that you will go on to work with.

Read more information about our courses and university services terms and conditions.

Highlights

  • Accelerated, two-year programme offering a master’s level route into occupational therapy.

  • NHS funding offers eligible new and continuing students on this course £5,000 maintenance grant each year.

  • This course is accredited by the Royal College of Occupational Therapists (RCOT) and the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), ensuring it meets the educational standards set by the professional and regulatory bodies.

  • Students are eligible to apply for The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) registration to practice on successful completion of the course.

  • 1,000 hours of practice placement experience within a diverse range of settings, for example, in acute and community hospitals, schools, forensic units and in primary care and non-traditional settings.
  • Benefit from well-established links with local NHS and social care organisations.

  • Cutting-edge facilities include our dedicated Art of Living Suite with simulated kitchen and bathroom, which enable you to learn skills for practice within a safe environment, as well as access to our pathology museum, and Anatomy suite.

  • Established in 1752, St George’s, University of London is the UK’s specialist health university, and we are the only UK university to share our campus with a major teaching hospital, St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which is both on the clinical frontline for a diverse local community and a centre of excellence for specialist conditions.

  • You will be surrounded by like-minded individuals, helping to build your multidisciplinary understanding and context.

Course info

Accidents, illness, disability, mental health issues and ageing affect millions of people all over the world, making it harder for them to do everyday activities, including education, work, leisure or caring for themselves. By working with service users, for example, teaching them new ways to do things, identifying specialist equipment and assistive technology, or making changes in their environment, occupational therapists enable people with a diverse range of needs to live a better life and do what matters most to them.

On our degree, learning is very much hands-on, developing your communication skills and preparing you for practice initially in simulated environments, including our dedicated Art of Living Suite, and subsequently on practice placements in an array of different settings. You’ll deepen your knowledge of the human body and how it works through practical sessions in our Anatomy suite.

By combining theoretical knowledge with practical experience, this course explores concepts, principles, and theories of occupational therapy and occupational science, human development, anatomy, physiology, and psychology to develop a strong foundation to practice as an Occupational Therapist (OT).

You’ll quickly realise that no day is ever the same for an ‘OT’ – you may find yourself helping someone rehabilitate after major surgery or providing the adaptations which enable the elderly to stay in their own homes, or supporting someone with mental illness, addiction, or learning disabilities.

Over the course of two years, you will spend 1,000 hours, which is approximately a third of your time on the programme, on placement in and around London in a range of different settings to broaden your experience. These reflect the evolving nature of the profession and may include a wide variety of settings, for example, acute trusts, community settings, schools, local authorities, social enterprises, charities, and non-traditional placements.

Want to know more?

Find out more about postgraduate study at St George’s, University of London by registering for our introductory email series.

“From the second you walk through the door, the staff at St George's are incredibly supportive and encouraging every step of the way throughout your learning experience. Our class bonded really well and we have a lot of fun as well as being there to provide support for each other.”

- Sharon

Occupational Therapy BSc

Clubs, Societies and Community Projects at St George's

Visit the Students' Union website

Entry Criteria: 2025 Entry

To be eligible for the Occupational Therapy MSc programme, you must meet the requirements outlined under Entry Qualifications, Other Academic Requirements, and Non-academic Requirements below.

Entry Qualifications

To be eligible for this programme, your degree should have been awarded within the past five years (e.g. no earlier than summer 2020). If your degree was awarded before this time, please click on the Recent Engagement in Education tab below.

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Undergraduate Degree

You should have or be expected to achieve, a minimum of a 2:1 Honours Degree in any subject. 

Experience of the research process and/or completion of an undergraduate research project is essential.

All degrees must be awarded before 1 August on the year of entry.

International Degree

We welcome applications from applicants around the world. For information on the requirements for your country, please visit our International Qualifications for Postgraduate Study page.

Other Academic Requirements

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English Language

If you are applying from outside of the UK, you will need to meet the English language requirements outlined here. This is a Group 1 course.

Non-academic Requirements

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Personal Statement

You will be asked to submit a personal statement with your application. This statement should outline your reasons for applying for the course, demonstrate evidence of experience and what transferable skills you learnt from this experience. The personal statement will be considered at various stages in the application process including if you are invited to interview.

You will need to provide one reference. This should be an academic or professional reference. See the 'Apply' tab for more information.

Through the application process, you will need to demonstrate appropriate personal qualities, motivation, communication skills and understanding of an occupational therapist’s role.

Work Experience and Insight

We understand the challenges for our prospective applicants for medicine and allied health courses trying to gain work experience at this time, particularly in clinical settings.

In response to the continued impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, we have chosen to relax our work experience requirements for prospective applicants for our courses which would normally require these.

Despite the relaxed requirements, we still require our applicants to have an understanding of the realities of working as a healthcare professional and to show they have the necessary skills and attributes for their chosen career. Online resources can give you valuable insight into working in the healthcare sector and outline the wide range of careers and courses available. You can find a number of suggested resources for each of our courses here.

Interview (MMI)

If you meet the entry requirements above, you will be invited to attend a Multiple Mini Interview (MMI). This will usually be in-person, however we can also offer remote MMIs for international applicants.

You can find further information about this process on our MMI Guidance page, however please note that some of this information may change for those applying during the 2025 application cycle.

Occupational Health Checks

Should you receive an offer to study at St George’s, you will be required to complete a health check and be declared fit to study and practise by the Occupational Health (OH) department before you begin your studies.

The following vaccinations are mandatory for all healthcare students before you begin your studies:

  • MMR (measles, mumps and rubella)
  • Meningococcal meningitis
  • Diphtheria
  • Pertussis (whooping cough)
  • Poliomyelitis
  • Tetanus

As part of the process, you will also be screened by the OH team for Chickenpox, Tuberculosis, HIV and Hepatitis B and C.

We do not currently require you to have been vaccinated against Covid-19, but we strongly recommend that you get double vaccinated before the start of your studies, unless medically exempt.

When admitting candidates to study and practise as a health practitioner, we have an obligation to both patients and to the individual student. Candidates who are concerned about a health issue are advised to contact us.

Disclosure and Barring Service Checks and Additional Declarations

This course will include work with children and vulnerable adults, so you will be required to submit a series of declarations.

If you are invited to an interview, we will request some additional information from you, regarding your criminal record, educational history and employment history. You will also have the opportunity to make any other declarations that you’d like us to be aware of. We may not able to consider applicants who were suspended from previous study/work due to fitness to practise issues or failure in assessments/examinations.

If you are made an offer, you will be required to complete an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. More information about this is sent to applicants as part of the admissions process.

Recent Engagement in Education

Due to the demanding nature of the programme, it is important that applicants can demonstrate recent engagement in education. If the qualifications that you are applying on the basis of (e.g. Level 3 or degree level qualifications) were awarded more than five years ago (e.g. before summer 2020), it may still be possible for us to consider your application. In this case, we would look at supplementary level 3 qualifications, or relevant work experience, that you have undertaken within the last five years.

These applications will be considered on a case-by-case basis, following submission of a UCAS application.

This two year MSc Occupational Therapy (Pre-registration) Occupational Therapy degree involves four successive practice placements with a total of 1,000 hours, which represents approximately a third of the programme.

This is an intensive programme which is 45 weeks per year. Your studies will incorporate university and practice-based learning. University-based teaching is problem-based, using an interactive, integrated and self-directed approach to learning the philosophy, underpinning theories and evidence for occupational therapy. Problem-based learning helps students to gain the evaluation skills relevant to masters level, such as critical thinking and analysis.

Problem-based learning sessions will be in small groups and facilitated by a member of the occupational therapy team. Students will consider real-life situations relevant to professional practice. Additional learning activities such as practical sessions, seminars, debates, self-directed learning and guest lectures are scheduled to integrate the skills, theories and evidence required to provide a solution to the real-life scenario.

There is a strong emphasis on the relationship between health, well-being, participation and human occupations, as well as occupational justice. Students will be encouraged to consider how occupational therapy skills and perspectives can be used in a range of education, health and social care settings, with both groups and communities.

Watch the Occupational Therapy (Pre-registration) webinar from our postgraduate virtual event.

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Year 1 modules

  • Occupational Beings
  • Theory and Foundations of Occupational Therapy Practice
  • Maximising Occupational Performance
  • Evidence-based Practice and Research
  • Practice Placement 1
  • Practice Placement 2

Year 2 modules

  • Advancing Contemporaneous Occupational Therapy Practice
  • Research in Practice
  • Contributing to Communities
  • Practice Placement 3
  • Practice Placement 4

Placement

The range and volume of placement opportunities we offer is what students tell us they like most about occupational therapy programmes – practice placements are undertaken in a variety of health and social care environments, including acute NHS hospital trusts, community-based services, mental health services, social care, non-statutory provision and children’s services.

The supervised, hands-on experience you get with service users and patients on placement is the best way to consolidate your learning. You will gain experience of working as part of a team, demonstrating professional behaviour, and implementing a range of occupational therapy assessments and interventions.

Over the two years of the programme, you will be expected to undertake a minimum of 28 weeks of placement, with full-time working hours. On placement, you are supervised by a practice educator who will facilitate your learning. You receive support from your University link tutor who will meet with you at least once during the placement and provide support as needed. You should be prepared to travel for your placements within the London/Greater London area.

Below are some examples of where our students have attended practice placements.

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Placement examples*

  • Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust
  • Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust
  • Enfield Community Services
  • Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust
  • Islington Community Rehabilitation Services
  • South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
  • South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust
  • Southend University Hospital NHS Trust
  • St Georges University Hospitals NHS Trust
  • Vauxhall City Farm and Randall Close/Leonard Cheshire
  • West London Mental Health NHS Trust

*This list is subject to change and should be used as a guide of where students may be able to go

To excel and work effectively as an occupational therapist, you need practical, personal, and professional knowledge and expertise, together with enthusiasm, patience, the ability to make people feel swiftly at ease and think quickly on your feet.

On our degree, you will build a portfolio of clinical and professional skills and competencies, to the standard expected by professional organisations. We pay particular attention to developing your critical thinking and practical skills. You will learn how to critically analyse and use the evidence base in clinical practice.  In addition, you will spend time practising how to use equipment on other students and mannequins, for example, learning basic life support, doing wheelchair or sliding board transfers, making splints, building your confidence to deal with patients and relatives.

One of the many benefits of studying at St George’s is the opportunity to study and work with students on other healthcare-related courses, including medical, physiotherapy, diagnostic and therapeutic radiography, to lay the foundation for future practice as part of a clinical multidisciplinary team. This collaborative inter-professional education helps you develop invaluable communication and team-building skills and appreciate the roles and responsibilities of other professionals.

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Our expertise

You will be taught by staff with extensive experience of working in practice, teaching and research, who will share their up-to-date knowledge and experience in specialist areas including mental health, neurology, trauma, orthopaedics, children and families. Where possible we invite carers, service users or patients to talk to you directly about their own experiences, for example, their lived experience of occupational therapy and the importance of participating in their occupations. Capitalising on our contacts with a range of organisations, we invite practitioners to deliver teaching sessions on specialist areas of practice (for example, palliative care) and evolving areas of occupational therapy practice (for example, working with refugees).  

St George’s enjoys a global reputation as experts in population health, infection and immunity, and molecular and clinical sciences thanks to our four world-class research institutes – Molecular and Clinical Science, Population Health Research, Faculty of Health, Social Care and Education and Infection and Immunity.

Assessment methods

Students will receive feedback after each of their module assessments, which may include an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE), an examination, written analyses and reports, presentations, research proposals and projects. Students are assessed separately in professional practice placements blocks by their nominated assessor.

While the St George’s courses are recognised by many different countries, applicants are advised to check with their own individual national authorities if they wish to practise in their chosen country.

More occupational therapists are needed across the UK to help address the growing number of people who need their support now, as well as those who will require it in the future. 

Career prospects are excellent with opportunities for career progression within the NHS and other settings through professional practice and development into Senior Occupational Therapist and Advanced Practitioner roles, as well as progression into management, education and training, or academic career pathways. 

If you are an EU or non-EU (international) applicant, you should check with the professional registration body in your country to ensure that you will be eligible to practise there. 

As well as working with individual patients and their families, you could also work with groups and communities, or as part of a multidisciplinary team in hospitals, clinics, charities, prisons and social services departments. As you gain experience, you may opt to specialise in a particular area of practice such as mental health, hand therapy, elderly care or paediatrics. The skills you’ll develop could lend themselves to new emerging roles too, such as working with asylum seekers or refugees, the police or the fire services. 

There are many exciting opportunities for career advancement, further study or research, including further postgraduate study at St George’s on our MSc Rehabilitation course.

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Career examples

 

  • Acute health and social care
  • Charities
  • Children’s therapy services or schools
  • Forensic mental health
  • Hospices
  • Hospitals
  • Housing departments
  • International services
  • Mental health services
  • Older people’s services
  • Private practice
  • Rehabilitation centres

 

Facilities

St George’s is the only UK university, which specialises in healthcare education and is based on a hospital site, namely St George’s Hospital, where the Channel 4 television series 24 hours in A&E was filmed. We offer a unique opportunity to study and work alongside the full range of clinical professionals and their patients. Based in the thriving multi-cultural hub of Tooting in South West London, our location has the added advantage of being just a short tube ride from Central London and all the city lifestyle has to offer.

We also have a range of specialist health and academic facilities to support your learning, listed below.

The Art of Living Suite

This specifically designed teaching facility for occupational therapy has adapted, functioning kitchen and simulated bathroom facilities, in addition to specialist equipment so that you can practise assessment and intervention skills.

Anatomy suite

The anatomy suite is where present and future healthcare professionals and scientists in the hospital and University learn or expand on their anatomy knowledge directly from the human body, through access to high quality anatomy resources. These include plastinated (preserved) specimens, osteological materials, anatomical models and digital/imaging resources such as Anatomage tables and Complete Anatomy.

Pathology museum

Our on-site museum houses a collection of over 2,000 pathological specimens, including a number of original specimens donated by Sir Benjamin Collins Brodie in 1843. This space is used for small group tutorials by students across all of our courses as an educational tool to help you understand the mechanisms of disease.

Library and learning technology

Our modern health sciences library offers a wide range of books, e-books, academic journals and other resources to support you. You will also have access to online resources, such as the Canvas virtual learning environment

and our Hunter discovery service to help you find the information you need. The library is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and comprises silent, quiet and group learning areas, as well as four group discussion rooms.

IT facilities

We have five computer suites housing 260 workstations. Three of these suites are accessible 24 hours a day. It’s easy to find a free space with our handy real-time computer locator. We also have 75 self-service laptops available. Free Wi-Fi covers the whole campus, including all accommodation. You can use these resources to access your course materials, discussion boards, assessment and feedback through Canvas.

Student support

Whether you are heading off to university straight from another university or returning to education as a mature student, we want to ensure your experience is positive from the outset. At St George’s, you’ll be welcomed by a multicultural student and staff body of different ages, ethnicities, nationalities, and backgrounds, all with one thing in common – an interest in healthcare.

Students frequently tell us they greatly appreciate the diversity of our student and staff body, as well as the patients who access healthcare services in the borough of Tooting. We attract a substantial number – over two-thirds – of ‘mature’ students, aged 21 or over when they start; many have family and caring responsibilities.

We offer a full range of academic support and student services across all institutes, departments, and faculties, some of which are listed below. We take pride in offering a transformative educational experience underpinned by cooperation and collaboration between staff and students. Our innovative Student-Staff Partnership Grants (SSPGs), for example, provide funding for small projects led jointly by students and staff.

If you require reasonable adjustments or disability services you can find information on our disability information for students pages. For any further information please contact the disability adviser.  

Personal tutor

On arrival, you will be allocated a personal tutor, who is a member of the programme team, someone with whom you can have regular contact, who you ask questions and discuss problems with, both academic and personal. The main purpose of a personal tutor is to monitor your progress, pick up and help you resolve any problems, whether academic or welfare related. Even if they don’t have the answer, they will point you in the right direction towards the best people to deal with specific problems.

Induction programme

Within your first week at St George’s, you’ll take part in an induction programme to help with your orientation and introduce you to various study skills and support available to you. Additional sessions provide advice and guidance about the Registry, Students’ Union, personal tutor system, safety, occupational health and sexual health awareness.

Academic staff support

You’ll have access to your lecturers, usually by arrangement via email.

Placement support

Placement in practice is formalised through a placement management agreement. Whilst on placement, an allocated practice educator will facilitate your learning. One of our occupational therapy lecturers will also be your link tutor and will meet with you and the practice educator at least once during the placement and offer support as needed.

Mums and dads scheme

‘Mums and dads’ is a buddy scheme organised by the Students’ Union. Every fresher (first year student) has the choice of being assigned a ‘parent’ from the year above in their respective course. The returning student then acts as a ‘go to’ for advice about courses and university life, providing an additional support system during your first year, both academically and socially. They have been in your position and know the struggles of starting university; they also know all of the best pubs, clubs, restaurants, gyms and will help introduce you to your new St George’s family. 

Student Life Centre

Our Student Life Centre team can help you with almost any aspect of student life: finances, accommodation, exams and assessment, academic procedures, admissions, international queries, careers, disability and wellbeing, even finding your way around – whatever it takes to make you feel at home.

Careers service

Our careers service works to support current students and recent graduates to find and maintain the career of their dreams. We work with careers tutors from each course area to ensure that careers activities specific to your programmes and future profession come to you. In previous years, we have held a careers fair for Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy students, which has included presentations from occupational therapists from local trusts as potential future employers, as well as opportunities for students to practise various skills in preparation for job applications (including writing CVs and interview skills).

Tuition fees

Apply for a £5,000 NHS Training Grant

Apply to create an account on the NHS Learning Support Fund website to stay updated.

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Home (UK) student fees

Academic year

UK (per academic year)

Total fee*

2025/26

£9,250

£18,500

For more information, see our fees and funding pages.

*Tuition fees for home (UK) students are determined by UK Government policy. Tuition fees are charged for each year of your course. Fees for second and subsequent years are likely to increase annually in line with UK inflation as measured by the Retail Price Index (RPI-X) and subject to maximum regulated fee rates set by the UK Government.

International (including EU) student fees

Academic year

International (per academic year)

Total fee*

2025/26

£ 20,100 £40,200

*Tuition fees for international students are set by St George’s, University of London. Tuition fees are charged for each year of your course. Fees for second and subsequent years are likely to increase annually in line with UK inflation as measured by the Retail Price Index (RPI-X) and will not normally increase by more than 5% each year, except when the rate of inflation is significantly more than that projected in the preceding year.

For more information, see our fees and funding pages.

Additional costs

The table below highlights the additional course-specific costs related to this degree.

Visit the additional course-related costs for more information on general costs to consider alongside your studies.

Additional cost

Description

Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check

DBS - £40
Post office verification - £6
Administration fee - £9

Clothing

Students will require a lab coat for use in wet labs, these can be purchased from the SU - £10.

Uniforms are provided by the University; replacement uniforms are paid for by the student at £30 per full set.

Membership

Student Membership with the Royal College of Occupational Therapists is optional but highly encouraged - £5.05 per month.

Travel to placements

You should expect to spend approximately £800 - £2,000 on travel to placements for the duration of your course.

If you qualify for the UK government Learning and Support fund you maybe able to claim travel and accommodation costs (if the cost of travelling to placement is more than the cost of travelling to university) and accommodation (only if it has been agreed that it would be impractical to travel to placement daily).

If you qualify for the UK government Learning and Support fund you may be eligible to receive a training grant of £5,000 per academic year to help with maintenance and associated study costs and an additional £1,000 for studying a specialist subject. Visit the NHS BSA website for more information.

 

Occupational therapy (MSc) scholarships

Number of scholarships

Each scholarship amount

Scholarship payment

Who is eligible?

4

£3,000

Paid as a tuition-fee discount

All applicants (see eligibility criteria below)

How to apply for this scholarship

There is no separate application process to postgraduate scholarships. In order to be considered for a postgraduate scholarship, you must submit an application for an eligible programme. Your submission will then be reviewed against the scholarship eligibility criteria.

The deadline for scholarship applications is Wednesday 31 January 2024.

You must ensure that your application is complete and submitted by this date in order to be considered for funding. To be deemed complete, it must contain all the relevant supporting documentation required by the programme applied to, such as references, transcripts and English language scores.

The following sections set out the eligibility for our scholarships, as well as how applicants will be assessed.

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Eligibility criteria

To be eligible for a scholarship you must:

  • have completed an application for the course
  • not already be qualified at Masters level or above (e.g. PhD)
  • must be self-funding (courses fully funded by the NHS or students receiving employer or sponsor funding are not eligible)
  • have or be predicted to obtain at least a 2:1.

Please note scholarships cannot be deferred to 2025 or later entry.

Applicants with the highest scores across all courses will be considered for the scholarship and may be invited for interview.

Assessment criteria

If you are a Home (UK) or International (EU or non-EU) applicant applying for a taught postgraduate programme which has a scholarship, you will be automatically considered for the scholarship, providing you apply by the deadline (31 January 2024).

You do not need to submit an additional application form. However, you may be asked to attend a physical or virtual interview.

Successful candidates will be those whom the Scholarship Committee consider will make a positive contribution to the academic environment at St George's and achieve the highest scores.

Your application will be scored based on:

  • your degree classification
  • your personal statement
  • your interview
  • your references.

Apply for this course through UCAS (the University and College Admissions Service) by the UCAS January deadline in the year of entry.

To apply for this course you must complete an Undergraduate UCAS application. When you have started the Undergraduate UCAS application, it will be possible to add this course as a choice by selecting ‘add choice’ and then inputting the institution and course title/code. Please be aware that if you attempt to complete a Postgraduate UCAS application, this course will not appear as a course choice on the form and it will not be possible to apply.

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Application checklist

You must provide:

  • full details of your Level 2 (GCSE or equivalent) qualifications with grades
  • full details of your Level 3 (A Level or equivalent) qualifications with achieved/predicted grades
  • full details of your degree qualification(s) with achieved/predicted grades
  • a personal statement (more information about this document is available on the UCAS website)
  • an academic reference from your current or most recent institutions with predicted grades.

Deferred entry

We will consider applications from applicants who wish to defer entry by a year, provided you plan to use the time constructively. If you are offered a place on the course and subsequently decide to defer, you must inform us by 1 June of the year of application.

After application

Acknowledgement emails are sent out as soon as we receive your application. Please make sure that your email account is able to accept communications from St George’s as we will mainly communicate with you via email.

Apply now

Duration

Two years, full time

Application Deadline

29 January 2025 (2025 entry)

UCAS Code

B921, institution code S49

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