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 2024-25 application cycle is May 22, 2025.
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.
Prerequisites
- Courses must be taken from an accredited U.S. or Canadian college or university.
- One year of 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 (6 credit hours or 9 quarter hours) and English (6 credit hours or 9 quarter hours), 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:
- General Anatomy (3 credit hours or 4.5 quarter hours)
- Physiology (3 credit hours or 4.5 quarter hours) or a combined Anatomy/Physiology course
- Biochemistry (3 credit hours or 4.5 quarter hours)
- Microbiology with lab (3 credit hours or 6 quarter hours)
- 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. Prerequisite 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.
Contact
Steven Chang
Executive Director of Admissions
Juliette Daniels,
Associate Dean, Student Services & Enrollment Management
Inquire about School of Optometry
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 send scores from the OAT directly to the Office of Admissions. The program also accepts scores from the MCAT, DAT, PCAT, and GRE, with scores below the mean for each examination considered less competitive. 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.
In addition, it is strongly recommended that applicants complete 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 first class will begin in the fall of 2025 and prospective students can submit applications starting in December.
Complete and submit an Optometry Centralized Application Service (OptomCAS) application by May 29, 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.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Statement
The School of Optometry values all forms of diversity including gender, race, ethnicity, religion, national origin, economic status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, physical ability and learning style.
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.