Apply to Optometry School – Pre-Health/Pre-Law Advising Center

Applications

There are 3 general steps to the optometry school application process. See the tabs below to view the steps and more information on financial aid resources.

Application Process Application Checklist Financial Aid Tracker Templates

Application Process

3 general steps in applying to optometry schools: the primary application, the secondary application, and the interview.

1. Primary applications

Optometry Centralized Application Service (OptomCAS)
Opens in late June
Includes biographical data, academic history, a personal statement (4500 characters), work experience, extracurricular experience, and letters of recommendation
Application fee: $180 for the first school, $70 for each additional school

Once the application is complete, OptomCAS forwards it to the schools selected by the student. For schools with rolling admission, submit your primary application as early as possible.

2. Secondary applications or supplementary forms are specific to individual optometry schools. Schools may include these applications in the OptomCAS application. Other schools may send these after they have received the OptomCAS application. Both frequently request additional information, essays, letters of recommendation, and/or fees. Some schools screen applicants before the applications or forms are sent out.

3. Interviews: After reviewing the primary and secondary applications (or supplementary forms), optometry schools invite promising applicants to interview. Applicants are responsible for all costs incurred while interviewing, including airfare, lodging, ground transportation, professional attire, and meals.

Interview Information
Sample Interview Questions
Health Professional School Interview Room Reservation Request: During the COVID-19 pandemic, many health professional schools are conducting their interviews online. Applicants can submit a reservation request for a private space with wifi access on-campus.

For Hawaiʻi Residents Only: Apply to the Hawaiʻi WICHE Professional School Exchange Program. PSEP enables residents from WICHE participating states affordable access to enroll in out of state professional healthcare programs, at participating WICHE institutions, when those programs are not available at a public institution in their home state. Applications open on August 1.

Background Check: Prior to official acceptance, schools usually contact a background check on accepted students. Thus, please ensure that you conduct yourself professionally at all times. A record of misconduct may result in the residence of acceptance by schools.

Re-applicants: Many applicants may not be admitted to the professional school that they desire on their first try. However, if an when you choose to re-apply, there are many things to consider before re-submitting another application the following cycle.

Tips:

The more you know about the school, the better your chances of being accepted.
Most application questions can be answered by reading the SCOAR.
Visit program admission websites for information on how they handle the following items:
- Advanced Placement (AP) credits
- International Baccalaureate (IB) credits
- College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) credits
- Military credits
- Community college courses
- Non-US coursework
- Courses taken for credit/no credit
- Residency
- Prerequisite science course time limits

Please note that if you are retaking courses because optometry schools may not accept Advanced Placement (AP), online, or community college credit, your financial aid and/or scholarship status may be affected.

Application Checklist

Financial Aid

Financial planning is a crucial step in applying to optometry schools. It is important for students to create a plan and make decisions in their educational expenses. Students are highly encouraged to budget their finances before, during, and after optometry school.

Financial Planning Information

TRIO Mānoa Student Support Services (SSS): is a resource for first-generation college students and students with high-financial need. TRIO Mānoa is an academic advising office specialized in helping students succeed. Services offered include one-on-one advising, a computer lab, free printing, study room spaces, educational workshops, exclusive events, and a summer scholarship for accepted students.

Free Application for Federal Student Aid:

All applicants are encouraged to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
Must apply the year prior to matriculation even if you do not know if you were accepted into graduate or professional school yet.
Applicant may be considered for grants, work study, and loans to help fund the cost of undergraduate, graduate and professional school education.
Opens on October 1st.
Provides funding on a rolling basis (first come, first serve).

Scholarship Opportunities for Test Prep Materials

Hawaiʻi WICHE Professional School Exchange Program: Hawai`i residents are eligible to participate in the Professional School Exchange Program (PSEP), a service of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE). PSEP enables qualified residents from WICHE participating states affordable access to enroll in selected out of state professional healthcare programs at participating WICHE institutions when such programs are not available at a public institution in their home state. Many Hawai‘i residents must attend professional schools out-of-state to obtain the necessary education and training needed for professional healthcare positions. Therefore, the State of Hawai‘i, through WICHE PSEP, helps subsidize the tuition costs for qualifying Hawai‘i residents to attend a participating WICHE PSEP program. In return, WICHE PSEP students are required to return to work in the State after completing their program of study.

PSEP selected students pay reduced levels of tuition at the WICHE participating institution. The home state pays a negotiated “support fee” designed to cover a portion of the cost of the students’ education; this fee is paid directly to the enrolling program’s institution. No payments are made directly to students. Students enrolled at public institutions generally pay the resident tuition rate, however, students may be required to pay the unmet non-resident tuition differential if the WICHE PSEP support fee does not cover the entire non-resident tuition differential. Students enrolled at private institutions pay the balance of the full private tuition minus the WICHE PSEP support fee.

Support is available to a limited number of Hawai‘i residents studying optometry and enrolling at participating WICHE PSEP schools.

List of Participating Schools

Note: To be considered for this scholarship, you must apply one full year in advance of matriculation, generally in the summer of your application year.

Military Financial Aid Information

Additional Funding Opportunities:

American Optometric Association (AOA) and American Optometric Student Association (AOSA) Opportunities in Optometry Grant: To promote diversity and equity in the optometric profession for generations to come, the American Optometric Association (AOA) and the American Optometric Student Association (AOSA) have created the AOA/AOSA Opportunities in Optometry Grant program. This fund is designed as a one-time stipend for under-represented minority students interested in the field of optometry to help defray the costs associated with applying to optometry school. Multiple grants of $1,500 each will be awarded annually to students who are chosen by the selection committee.

The Indian Health Service (IHS) Scholarship Program: The IHS Scholarship Program provides qualified American Indian and Alaska Native health professions students an opportunity to establish an educational foundation for each stage of your pre-professional careers. Since IHS began providing scholarship support to American Indian and Alaska Native students to pursue health profession careers in 1978, the program has grown to support, educate and place health care professionals within medically underserved Indian health programs throughout the continental United States and Alaska.

University of Pikeville Kentucky College of Optometry (KYCO) OAT Grant: The Optometry Admission Test (OAT) currently costs $500.00 to register. OAT Preparation materials are expensive with the three most popular practice texts costing $117.95 total. These dollar amounts create a significant financial barrier for some students that wish to enter the profession of optometry. It is KYCO’s desire to increase the diversity of the optometric profession and removing barriers is one way of achieving this goal, therefore, KYCO has established the KYCO Optometry Admissions Test Grant fund to assist students with paying for the OAT and preparation materials. The goal is to remove the cost of the OAT as a barrier for Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, Native American/Native Hawaiian or “first in college” students who need financial assistance. Anyone in the United States who plans to attend optometry school is eligible for the assistance. For more information, please contact Dr. Michael Bacigalupi, Dean of Kentucky College of Optometry at mbacigalupi@upike.edu.

US Army Health Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP): The US Army can help pay for your advanced medical degree with one of the most comprehensive scholarships available in the healthcare field — The F. Edward Hébert Armed Forces Health Professions Scholarship Program. Qualifying students can receive full tuition for any accredited medical, dental, veterinary, psychiatric nurse practitioner, psychology or optometry program, plus a generous monthly stipend of more than $2,400+.

Walman Scholarship, 13% Promise: Walman has established a scholarship program to encourage and assist students at schools and colleges of optometry. Scholarships are offered each year for full-time study at participating schools selected by Walman. The Walman Scholarship Program encourages students that self-identify as Black or African American to apply. Up to ten awards will be granted to applicants that self-identify as Black or African American that meet eligibility requirements. Up to (10) $5,000 scholarships will be awarded to 2nd and 3rd year OD students.

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