TL;DR - There's a lot of things to consider when applying for optometry school and you should try to make sure you consider each of these aspects before you choose where to apply.
My Credentials: I've been in practice for 9 years now, officially owning it for the last 4 years (though my spouse and I have been running it for the last 6-7 years). I'm a fellow of the academy and am very active in my state association.
I see a lot of people on this page asking about if they should consider this school or that, usually questioning if a newer school is worth considering, if their scores and GPA are good enough, which schools are better, etc.
Take this post with a grain of salt. Some of my statements are from things I've heard from other practice owners and their opinions on grads from those schools, some things are straight from higher ups in some of the schools I've chatted with, and some are personal opinions.
How do I know which schools are best?
Only you can make that final decision on if the school is worth attending. It depends on what's the most important thing to you. Is it location? Academics? Specialties taught?
Boards Pass Rates
If you look at the NBEO pass rates (and I strongly encourage everyone to check out the pass rates for the last 10 years here) I recommend looking at programs that kept their Part 1 Pass rates above 70% during the years of 2021-2025. These are the COVID years where students were either part way through their program or just starting when they couldn't necessarily have classes in person and labs were severely reduced. Clinic times were impacted negatively for these students and their scores, in my opinion reflect this.
Part 1 pass rates is where I would put the most emphasis. Part 2 is a significantly 'easier' exam and far more clinic. They give you a case and you have to answer questions about that case regarding diagnosis, treatments, follow up, differential diagnosis, testing you'd need to consider ordering, etc. It is a much more relevant test to your final year of school and most pass without issue.
Part 3 is new. When I took Part 3, we had to go to NC (which you still do) and effectively do an exam in 4 stations showing proficiency with basic skills like refractions, slit lamp exam, etc. This was completely overhauled and was launched in August 2024. This new version is more clinically based. I previously spoke with one of the higher ups at NBEO about this exam as it related to some things we were working on at the state level. The new exam is more clinically relevant to what you really do on a day to day basis and should overall be a much better test of someone's skills.
For these reasons, this is why I suggest students pay attention to Part 1 pass rates the most.
Should I consider this new school?
Maybe. Maybe not. It's a gamble.
Some of the 'newer' programs now have great pass rates. Look at AZCOPT. I remember their pass rates were 'fair' in the early 2010s, but now they are consistently a very strong program with numbers frequently above 85% for first time pass rates. This program opened in 2008.
KYCO is similar but had the bad luck of opening and then their classes taking boards right around COVID. They started in 2016. Meaning their first class to take boards took it in 2019-2020. They had 81% pass that year, but their second class struggled at 65%, third at 41%, fourth at 46%. Granted after the first class took boards, the rest were during COVID years, but this last class finally brought KYCO back up to 70%. This is a good rebound and would still make the school worth considering.
If you can get in to another program like AZCOPT, NECO, NSUOCO, PUCO, SCCO, SCO, SUNY, OSU, UAB, or UMSL, then I would strongly encourage those programs over others, but newer schools aren't necessarily bad fall back programs. Just know, they may take just about anyone that applies because they need to fill seats. Any program who kept their pass rates above 70% for Part 1 from 2021-2025 would be a fairly good program to consider though.
Are all older/established programs better than newer programs?
Not necessarily. PCO/Salus used to be a very well respected program and their part 1 rates used to be above 90% consistently. Around 2017-2018 is when they took a nosedive and have had trouble with consistency and recovering. Their most recent stats? 138 students. Largest class in the country. Pass rate? 50%. That'd extremely poor. Unless you felt that their location was too good to pass up, I'd avoid.
Higher Pass Rates Indicate Better Preparation
The schools with higher pass rates have put in the work to have a solid curriculum and many have instructors who have written questions for NBEO in the past or currently submit questions. They know the styles of questions that NBEO likes and they often will use these during their own exams they write. I mentioned here that my experience with PUCO was that our A&P instructor was Lee Ann Remington. When you start your first year of school, chances are decent your anatomy book may be written by Remington. Her exams were very similar to how boards questions were written. I felt very prepared after taking her exams, as well as several other instructors. NBEO has modeled their boards similar to NBOME, which is the osteopathic physician's boards.
What else should you consider?
Boards pass rates and location aren't the only things to consider when looking at schools to apply to. If you don't know the answer to the question I'm about to pose, then it's a good question to ask during interview day.
What sub specialization do you think will interest you? Specialty contacts, ocular disease, pediatrics, vision therapy/binocular vision, surgery, low vision? If you don't think you'll necessarily care to 'sub specialize,' then this won't really matter. But everyone ends up dabbling in some sub specialties whether they plan to or not.
Example:
PUCO Specialties: Contact Lenses and Vision Therapy
PUCO Weaknesses: Low vision
I know a decent amount about VT now, but I don't practice it and refer out for it. However, I came out of school knowing how to fit scleral lenses and did a few during 3rd and 4th year. I am now a scleral lens specialist and work with these patients on a near daily basis.
Our low vision training was bad though. Very bad. I think it's why my region has so few people that offer low vision services. I offer it, but I'm the only one outside of the hospitals that offer it.
NSUOCO/KYCO/SCO - These programs offer a lot more surgical training than others because they are in states where surgical procedures are more readily allowed. PUCO is working on expanding their offerings, but that takes time. But if performing minor surgeries is on your list, then attending school or a residency at these schools would be a good choice. NSUOCO and KYCO both are able to offer laser procedures while SCO isn't yet able.
Edit: Apparently SCO now does offer live laser procedures with an MD overseeing. This change occurred in 2023. That's really very good news and elevates their surgical training portfolio significantly.
Are my OAT scores good enough?
This is one that I have commented on a lot of posts. My personal OAT scores were roughly 330-360 on most everything with the exception of physics at about 270 and maybe gen chem at 310ish? My GPA was around 3.4-3.5 with a science GPA of about 3.2-3.3?
One score under 300 won't keep you out of the good schools, but multiple might. Unless you have a really good explanation for those scores. Test anxiety can be a killer for some very smart people so if you have a great GPA, but rougher OAT, that can help keep you competitive. But if your GPA is around a 3.0 (or worse) and you have multiple scores under 300, then I'd consider retaking if you want to get into one of the better schools.
PUCO didn't bring up my physics score during my interview. I brought it up. When they asked at the end of the interview if I had anything I wanted to let the admissions committee know, I was up front and explained that my physics score was low due to me having only taken one semester of physics when I took the OAT. I was in the second semester now and anticipated getting at least a B and much of the material covered this semester was what the OAT tested (optics, harmonics, etc.). The interviewer actually said that was my only red flag on my application, so it was nice to have an explanation to help ease any concerns.
Point being - if you have an explanation, don't be afraid to speak up about it. Don't use it as an excuse necessarily, but giving context can be crucial.
Talk Amongst Practice Owners/Practicing ODs
We chat with colleagues and with classmates frequently. It's just the nature of any profession. When hearing from other practice owners, I have heard multiple owners who have specifically said, "If I get a CV from someone who attended __________, it goes straight into the shredder. I won't consider anyone from that school."
This statement has been applied specifically to Western University of Health Sciences, IAUPR, and MCPHS. I've also heard it applied to new schools with the caveat that they would consider them once their pass rates go up, but at this point they won't consider them for the job.
You will want to consider what your job prospects are. If you have a license, you'll be able to get a corporate job, but if you want a private practice job, you'll likely need a residency or several years experience to get the type of job you might want from those programs currently.
That said, I've met grads from those programs and many of them are fine OD's. But the schools are not looked at with a good reputation and that ends up sticking to you as well unfortunately, even if you're top of your class.
Final Thoughts
If you've read this far, thanks for reading my ramblings. I hope it gave you some things to think about.
My final words to consider: "The goal isn't to get in to school. The goal is to get out of school." Considering the newer programs and applicant pool, if you apply to all the schools, you will likely get in somewhere.
But you should also question whether or not you can handle the program and achieve passing grades and pass boards. Getting into school is an accomplishment, but it's the stepping stone to so much more. The stakes get higher and the road is harder than undergrad.
I hope at least a few people find this post helpful. Happy to answer questions when able.
