Residency usually refers to on campus study, although this may differ with the program and context. Consider tuition costs, residency requirements, relocation costs, and opportunity to continue working. Some graduate programs offer teaching and research assistantships that pay a stipend and partial tuition. Some employers and other organizations might subsidize graduate study. Check financial aid resources in the library and through the program and university.
Some students also work part- time as an occupational therapy practitioner.
If this is your plan, you will need to assess the availability of employment opportunities. AOTA does not rank academic programs. Some ranking systems exist and the criteria and sources used need to be carefully considered. Author searches can be run on faculty and program and faculty webpages also should provide valuable information. What resources are there for students, such as computer access technological support, and libraries.