Admission & Aid
The Optometry Admissions Committee will use a holistic applicant review process. In addition to academic records, the Committee will consider extracurricular activities, demonstrated interest and experience in the profession, personal statements, interview scores and letters of recommendation. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis. The final date for submission for the 2025-26 application cycle is May 21, 2026.
All applicants must have successfully completed at least the equivalent of three academic years of postsecondary education (90 credit hours or 135 quarter hours). The undergraduate course prerequisites for all applicants are listed below. Completion of all course prerequisites will be verified by official transcripts to the Office of Admissions for all colleges and universities that were attended in advance of matriculation to the School of Optometry.
Required Courses
- Courses must be taken from an accredited U.S. or Canadian college or university.
- General Biology with lab (8 credit hours or 12 quarter hours)
- General Chemistry with lab (8 credit hours or 12 quarter hours)
- Organic Chemistry with lab (4 credit hours or 6 quarter hours)
- General Physics with lab (8 credit hours or 12 quarter hours)
- Microbiology (3 credit hours or 4.5 quarter hours, lab recommended by not required)
- English (6 credit hours or 9 quarter hours)
- Choice of (choose one):
- Anatomy (3 credit hours or 4.5 quarter hours) - can be a combined A&P course
- Physiology (3 credit hours or 4.5 quarter hours) - can be a combined A&P course
- Biochemistry (3 credit hours or 4.5 quarter hours)
- all required courses must be completed with a final course grade of “C” or better.
- The following course(s) are strongly recommended, with a final course grade of “C” or better:
- Statistics (3 credit hours or 4.5 quarter hours)
- Psychology (3 credit hours or 5 quarter hours)
- Pass/Fail grading will generally not be accepted for prerequisite courses. Required courses taken after Spring 2020 in a Pass/Fail format will be reviewed by the Director of Admissions and may not be counted toward admissions requirements.
- Due to variations in credit hour calculations, 6 credit hours instead of 8 credit hours (or the equivalent) will be accepted from applicants at Canadian institutions for prerequisite courses.
- Credits must have been earned within 10 years of application for admission into the Optometry Program.
Health and Immunization Requirements
Expand the section below for important Health Standards and Immunization Requirements for the School of Optometry.Contact
Steven Chang
Executive Director of Admissions
Juliette Daniels,
Associate Dean, Student Services & Enrollment Management
Inquire about School of Optometry
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Health Standards and Immunization Requirements
Pre-matriculation Health Standards
Following acceptance to the Optometry program, students are required to submit a completed physical exam form signed by a physician that indicates the student is medically cleared for enrollment and participation in the program.
Additionally, the student will be required to submit documented laboratory evidence of the absence of tuberculosis (updated yearly) and proof of immunization against measles, mumps, rubella, varicella (chicken pox), diphtheria/tetanus/pertussis, and hepatitis B through blood titers of circulating antibodies. See the School of Optometry Policy for Immunizations below for details.
Medical Exemptions
The School will consider medical exemptions under certain conditions, such as health circumstances which contraindicate immunization, pregnancy, or participation in a current sequence of immunizations. A written statement from a licensed physician involved in the diagnosis and/or treatment is necessary in all health circumstances.
School of Optometry Policy for Immunizations
Risk of Infectious Illnesses
The University of Detroit Mercy Optometry students, in the course of their clinical/academic duties, may have significant exposure to blood, tissue, secretions, or body fluids of patients potentially containing infective organisms such as Hepatitis B (HBV), Hepatitis C (HCV), Tuberculosis, Varicella, and other infectious diseases. Unintentional punctures of the skin with contaminated instruments or needles sometimes occur despite careful technique. These factors increase student and patient risk of contracting and spreading diseases.
Vaccination Requirements for Students, Faculty, and Staff at the School of Optometry:
- Hepatitis B vaccination verification AND proof of immunity through a blood test: The student must provide proof of the three-injection series AND antibody testing (quantitative titer) which documents sufficient immunity.
- Tuberculosis (TB) testing by the PPD (Mantoux) skin test and verification of the results (positive or negative), or a Gold spot test, or a Chest x-ray: Results of a TB test must be submitted each year. If the test is positive, or has been positive in the past, the student will follow the physician’s recommendations for treatment and submit verification that these recommendations are being followed.
- Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccination verification or proof of immunity to Measles (Rubeola), Mumps and Rubella (German Measles) through a blood test.
- Diphtheria, Tetanus, and Pertussis (Tdap).
- Chicken Pox (Varicella).
- It is recommended that students are immunized against Influenza annually during flu season.
Vaccinations and testing can be received at any County Health Department, the University of Detroit Mercy Student Health Center, or through the student’s personal physician. Costs associated with the vaccinations and testing are the responsibility of the student.
GPA Requirements
Minimum acceptable cumulative undergraduate science GPA: 3.0 from an accredited college or university.
Minimum acceptable cumulative undergraduate GPA: 3.0 from an accredited college or university.
Candidates with a GPA of 3.0 and above will be considered more competitive.
Admission Tests
The Optometry Admission Test (OAT) is the preferred admissions test for the School of Optometry. To be considered competitive, applicants should aim for at least 300 for the academic average and each section of the examination. Applicants are required to submit scores directly to OptomCAS. Unofficial score printouts may be requested by Office of Admissions. The program also accepts scores from the MCAT, DAT, and PCAT with scores below the mean for each examination considered less competitive. GRE is accepted on a case-by-case basis. Scores from any of the aforementioned examinations should be from within three years of the date of application.
Letters of Recommendation and Shadowing
A minimum of three letters of recommendation are required, which must include the following:
- One letter from science faculty from the applicant’s undergraduate institution
- One letter from a practicing, non-relative optometrist
- One letter of the applicant’s choice from the following potential recommenders: a non-relative optometrist, science faculty, non-science faculty, pre-health advisor, faculty advisor, healthcare professional or employer.
Letters of recommendation should attest to the intelligence, integrity, skills and maturity of the applicant, as well as other attributes that indicate the student will be successful in the Doctor of Optometry program.
Applicants must complete a minimum of 10 hours of shadowing a practicing, non-relative optometrist to gain exposure to the field of optometry and observe the professional duties, skills and attributes associated with a career as an optometrist.
The School of Optometry is accepting applicants into our inaugural Class of 2029 cohort; prospective students can submit applications now in OptomCAS.
Complete and submit an Optometry Centralized Application Service (OptomCAS) application by May 22, 2025 for application into the next class at Detroit Mercy Optometry.
ENTER INTO OPTOMCAS
- Colleges and/or Universities attended
- GPA, coursework and grades (Have your college transcripts available when accomplishing this)
- Your optometric experience, employment, extracurricular activities and honors/awards.
- OAT and/or other test scores
- Letters of recommendation
All applicants should review the following functional guidelines for didactic and clinical optometric education to ensure compliance with all listed abilities and attributes.
Program Disclosure of Accreditation Status
The Accreditation Council on Optometric Education (ACOE) has granted the University of Detroit Mercy School of Optometry the preaccreditation status of Preliminary Approval. Preliminary Approval status signifies satisfactory progress toward accreditation. Achieving Preliminary Approval status is not a guarantee that the ACOE will grant the University of Detroit Mercy School of Optometry an accreditation status. Participants who graduate from a program in Preliminary Approval status are not deemed to have completed an accredited program. For more information, see the ACOE’s website.