There's no "best" optometry school; like any graduate program, optometry schools can be judged on a variety of criteria. Perhaps the most important for prospective students is a school’s NBEO pass rate: the percentage of students who pass the optometry board exams each year. In 2019, the national NBEO pass rate was 92.3%, and the majority of optometry schools don’t stray very far from that rate in their individual averages. Show
While pass rates are crucial, you must also judge your prospective programs on factors like: And even factors like the date the optometry program was founded, whether or not the school offers residency programs, and where the program is. There are 23 accredited optometry schools in the United States. Use our calculator to find which might be best for you based on your criteria, and then read the program details, like the average GPA, OAT scores, and more! How much does the schooling cost to become an optometrist?Optometry school can be quite expensive. The average tuition in the United States for in-state residents was $36,000 per year. This does not include equipment fees and other costs, which can range from hundreds to thousands of dollars. That said, optometry school tuition ranges greatly between programs, from $27,000 per year to nearly $70,000 per year. This is why optometry student debt is so high: average student loan debt among optometrists is $134,199! That said, optometrists can also expect high salaries even in their first years out of optometry school, hastening their ability to pay off student loans. Check out our student loan payoff calculator to see how long it will take you to pay off all your loans! How long is optometry school?Optometry school generally takes four years to complete. However, some schools offer combined undergraduate and optometry degrees, either in agreement with other universities or at their home university. These 3+4 programs allow students to complete their undergraduate degrees in three years before entering optometry school. Some optometry schools also offer accelerated degree programs, which are 36-month intensive programs. These programs are currently offered by New England College of Optometry and Salus University. How difficult is it to get into optometry school?Getting into optometry school is challenging but not prohibitive. In 2018, the acceptance rate to optometry programs in the United States was 74%, compared to the 52% acceptance rate of dentistry. For the majority of schools, an applicant must complete these steps to apply:
Competitive applicants are often invited to an interview portion following review of their application materials. Average GPAs for optometry school applicants in 2018 were over 3.00; in fact, many optometry schools urge applicants to have a minimum GPA of 3.00. Average OAT scores range from 284 to 355. If you have a low GPA, you might find optometry coursework challenging. However, if you’re a motivated worker, have done work in the field, have an outgoing personality, and a lengthy list of relevant extracurricular activities, you’ll definitely have a fair chance of getting accepted. Optometry is a very people-oriented profession, so even if you didn’t excel in all of your undergrad classes, but are very people-oriented and compassionate, you could still excel in optometry. Start your applications early (late summer, early fall) and create a timeline for when all aspects of applications are due. Read on for the breakdown of optometry schools by state!University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Optometry
Website: http://www.uab.edu/optometry Arizona College of Optometry, Midwestern University
Website: https://www.midwestern.edu/admissions/apply/doctor-of-optometry-in-glendale.xml? Southern California College of Optometry at Marshall B. Ketchum University
Website: http://www.ketchum.edu/optometry University of California, Berkeley School of Optometry
Website: http://optometry.berkeley.edu Western University of Health Sciences
Website: http://www.westernu.edu/optometry Nova Southeastern University College of Optometry
Chicago College of Optometry, Midwestern University
Website: https://www.midwestern.edu/admissions/apply/doctor-of-optometry-in-downers-grove.xml? Illinois College of Optometry
Indiana University School of Optometry
University of Pikeville, Kentucky College of Optometry
MCPHS University, School of Optometry
New England College of Optometry
Michigan College of Optometry at Ferris State University
University of Missouri at St. Louis College of Optometry
State University of New York (SUNY) College of Optometry
The Ohio State University College of Optometry
Northeastern State University: Oklahoma College of Optometry
Pacific University College of Optometry
Salus University Pennsylvania College of Optometry
Inter American University of Puerto Rico
Southern College of Optometry
University of Houston College of Optometry
University of the Incarnate Word Rosenberg School of Optometry
What is the best college to go to for optometry?Here are the best colleges with a Optometry Major. Massachusetts Institute of Technology.. Harvard University.. Stanford University.. Yale University.. University of Chicago.. Johns Hopkins University.. University of Pennsylvania.. California Institute of Technology.. Which state is best for optometry?West Virginia is the best state for optometrists, where the median salary is $175,120. We found that the West is best for optometrists, and the Midwest is the worst.
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1. West Virginia.. What optometry school is the easiest to get into?10 Easiest Optometry Schools To Get Into in USA. College of Optometry, Midwestern University, Arizona.. Southern College Of Optometry.. University of Houston College of Optometry.. Ohio State University College of Optometry.. The University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Optometry.. Oklahoma College of Optometry.. What is the cheapest optometry school?The most affordable optometry schools in the US are the University of Houston, the University of Missouri-St Louis, and the SUNY College of Optometry. These three have tuition costs on the low end of the National Center for Education Statistics' average tuition costs.
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