Optometry School Information

If you're looking for more information, contact the SSSC.

Optometry in Canada

  • Optometry programs are between 4 and 5 years
  • Cost of studying in Canada is approx. 100,000 CAD
  • Cost of studying in the United States is approx. 250,000 CAD
  • Upon completion must satisfy provincial board requirements to be licensed in your province of choice

Optometry Schools

Admission Requirements

University of Waterloo School of Optometry and Vision Science

  • 1 semester of English 
  • 1 semester of ethics
  • 1 semester of psychology
  • 2 semesters of biology w/ labs
  • 1 semester of microbiology
  • 2 semesters of physiology (human or mammalian)
  • 1 semester of chemistry w/ lab
  • 1 semester of biochemistry 
  • 1 semester of organic chemistry 
  • 1 semester of calculus
  • 1 semester of statistics
  • 2 semesters of physics w/ lab
  • OAT required 
  • CASPer required
  • Cut off overall average is 75.0%
  • Minimum three years of a Bachelor of Science with a full course load (5 courses/term, not including labs) 
  • SAT/UNS grades accepted for prerequisite curses during Winter 2020 term (due to COVID-19 pandemic) 

Click here for more information.


Optometry Admissions Test (OAT)

The exam is administered by the American Dental Association (ADA) and is used to measure your general academic ability and comprehension of scientific information. It is around 5 hours long with a 30-minute break. It is computerized, scores are scaled, and it is all multiple-choice. Examinees have access to a digital calculator during the exam. The fee to write the exam approximately 500 USD. It consists of four sections:

  • Survey of Natural Sciences (90 minutes; 100 questions)
    • Biology (40 questions)
    • General chemistry (30 questions)
    • Organic chemistry (30 questions)
  • Reading Comprehension (60 minutes; 50 questions)
  • Physics (50 minutes; 40 questions)
  • Quantitative Reasoning (45 minutes; 40 questions)

Click here for more information about the OAT. There, the OAT Guide can be found with plenty of useful information for examinees.

 Visit https://optometriceducation.org/ for more information about Optometry Schools.

 

Last updated 08/11/2023

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