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New England College

Admissions Statistics and Requirements for New England College of Optometry

Background Information

  • Location: Boston, Massachusetts
  • Institution Type: Private
  • Mission Statement: To change the way people see the world.
  • Combined Degrees Offered: OD/PhD, OD/MS
  • Year Opened:1894
  • Number of Years to Earn Degree: 4
  • Campus Housing Available: No
  • Class Size: 128

Admission Statistics: (2024 Applicant and Entering Class Data)

Acceptance Rates by Location*:

Number of Applicants
Number of Enrollees
Enrollment Rate
Overall
858
128
14.92%
In-State
30
10
33.33%
Out-State
614
79
12.87%
International
214
39
18.22%

* According to data from ASCO

Academic Averages for Acceptance* :

OAT Academic Average
OAT Science Average
Cumulative GPA
329
321
3.53

* According to data from ASCO

Prerequisites

Required Course
Credits (Semesters/Quarters)
Required Lab
General Biology
8 / 12
General Chemistry
8 / 12
Organic Chemistry
4 / 6
General Physics
8 / 12
Biochemistry
3 / 4
General Microbiology
3 / 4
Calculus
3 / 4
Statistics
3 / 4
English
6 / 9
Psychology
3 / 4

*There are some acceptable substitutions for specific courses. Go to https://www.neco.edu/admissions/prerequisites-requirements/  for more information 

Community College Coursework and Advanced Placement Credit:
AP Credit Accepted?
Yes, AP courses may be used for prerequisites as long as the appropriate number of credit hours was received. These courses must appear on your official college transcript, in a letter from your university registrar’s office, or on an official score report.
Community College Coursework Accepted?
Yes, prerequisite courses taken at a community college may be accepted; however, they strongly prefer courses taken at the college or university at which your degree will be conferred.

Minimum number of College Credit Hours required:

  • At least 90 undergraduate credits or a bachelor’s degree by your intended start term.

Required Shadowing Hours:

  •  No, but 20 shadowing hours are recommended.

Letters of Recommendation: 

  • Two letters of recommendation are required. One letter must be from a non-relative optometrist. One letter must be from a faculty member (preferably in the sciences) who has taught you in a college-level course or supervised you in a lab setting. One comprehensive recommendation from a university health professions committee may substitute for the two recommendations if your optometrist recommendation is summarized in the letter.

Supplemental Information:

Required Supplemental Application?
Supplemental Application Fee
CASPer Required?
Yes
$30
No

Finances and Application Logistics

Financial Estimations for students starting Fall 2025:

Year
In-State Tuition
Out-State Tuition
Additional Fees
Cost of Living Score*
First Year
$49,852
$49,852
$3,695
150.8
Second Year
$49,852
$49,852
$1,685
-
Third Year
$49,852
$49,852
$375
-
Fourth Year
$49,852
$49,852
$375
-

*All cost of living scores are according to bestplaces.net and provide a rough estimate compared to the average of the United States (a score of 100 is considered average for the United States. Scores lower than 100 would indicate a cost of living lower than average. Scores above 100 indicate a cost of living higher than average).

Board Passage Rates for First Time Takers

Year
Part I Passage Rate
Part II Passage Rate
Part III Passage Rate
2024
78.5%
90.65%
81.31%
2023
57.14%
84.13%
73.02%
2022
74.11%
90.18%
72.32%
2021
76.52%
90.91%
74.24%
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