State University of New York

Admissions Statistics and Requirements for State University of New York, College of Optometry

Background Information

  • Location: New York, New York
  • Institution Type: Public
  • Mission Statement: To advance visual health and patient care through leadership in education, research and service.
  • Combined Degrees Offered: OD/PhD, OD/MS
  • Year Opened: 1971
  • Number of Years to Earn Degree: 4
  • Campus Housing Available: No
  • Class Size: 97

Admission Statistics: (2024 Applicant and Entering Class Data)

Acceptance Rates by Location*:

Number of Applicants
Number of Enrollees
Enrollment Rate
Overall
484
97
20.04%
In-State
116
36
31.03%
Out-State
296
51
17.23%
International
72
10
13.89%

* According to data from ASCO

Academic Averages for Acceptance* :

OAT Academic Average
OAT Science Average
Cumulative GPA
344
342
3.7

* According to data from ASCO

Prerequisites

Prerequisite Course Work:

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
4 / 6
Calculus
3 / 4
Statistics
3 / 4
English
6 / 9
Psychology
3 / 4
Community College Coursework and Advanced Placement Credit:
AP Credit Accepted?
Yes, AP credits are acceptable as long as the courses appear on the candidate’s college transcript and the student has received college credit for the courses.
Community College Coursework Accepted?
Yes (no limit), although they encourage candidates who have taken prerequisite courses at 2-year colleges to take upper-division science courses at 4-year institutions.

Minimum number of College Credit Hours required:

  • Students who have completed all pre-requisite courses and a minimum of three years (90 semester credits) of undergraduate study from an accredited institution will also be considered for admission.

Required Shadowing Hours:

  •  There is no set amount of time required for shadowing experience.

Letters of Recommendation: 

  •  All applicants are required to attain three letters of recommendation. One letter should be from a science faculty member attesting to the applicant’s academic abilities in the sciences. One letter should be from a professional supervisor (employer, coach, non-science faculty, internship director, etc.) attesting to the candidate’s abilities working in a professional, volunteer, or research setting. One letter should be from an optometrist attesting to the applicant’s demonstrated experiences/knowledge of the profession.

Supplemental Information:

Required Supplemental Application?
Supplemental Application Fee
CASPer Required?
Yes
$40
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
$31,630
$52,180
$738
172.5
Second Year
$31,630
$52,180
$653
-
Third Year
$31,630
$52,180
$653
-
Fourth Year
$31,630
$52,180
$653
-

*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
72.73%
89.77%
79.55%
2023
86.46%
93.75%
81.25%
2022
87.37%
93.68%
81.05%
2021
85.39%
93.26%
77.53%
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