Illinois College of Optometry

3241 South Michigan Avenue Chicago, Illinois 60616 Phone: 312-94-9700 Email:admissions@ico.edu http://www.ico.edu

The Illinois College of Optometry was found in 1872 by Henry Olin, and has been educating optometrists for more than a century. Located in Chicago, the optometry school offers a Doctor of Optometry (O.D.) and Bachelor of Science in Visual Science degrees, plus provides some outstanding externships through several organizations including the Illinois Eye Institute (IEI), the Hines VA Medical Center, and many other facilities across the United States.

Like the other optometry schools, the Illinois College of Optometry is very competitive to be accepted into, only enrolling about 160 students out of about 930 applicants each year. Only around half of applicants even get to the interview process, and for the class of 2011-2012 the average GPA of accepted applicants was 3.40, and the average OAT (Total Science) score was 317.

Tuition

The tuition for the 2011-2012 academic year was $10,502 per quarter, with three quarters, Fall, Winter, and Spring for the first three years. For the final year the tuition was $8,123 per quarter for the Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring. This comes out to $127,010 for the 4 year optometry program, not including fees, books, cost of living, and other expenses. Please check the school for updated and accurate tuition and fees.

Education Requirements

The Illinois College of Optometry prefers prospective candidates to have an undergraduate degree, or at least 90 semester credit hours that meet their Pre-Optometry Curriculum, which is a list of college-level pre-optometry courses including Calculus, Biology, Microbiology, Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Physics and Psychology.

Admissions Checklist

• Online Application through OptomCAS
• OAT Scores
• Official school transcripts
• 2 Letters of Recommendation – from a non-relative, practicing optometrist and a professor or academic/pre-health advisor

2011 Entering Class Profile

• Total Applications: 1158
• # of Residents Applied: 118
• # of Non-residents Applied:1040
• Number of Applicants Accepted: 329
• # of Residents Accepted: 62
• # of Non-residents Accepted:267
• Number of Students Enrolled: 159
• # of Enrolled with Bachelors degree: 151
• # of Males Enrolled: 45
• # of Females Enrolled: 114
• # of States Represented: 50
• Overall Average GPA: 3.40
• Average OAT AA Score: 317
• Average OAT Total Science Score: 318
• Residents 1st Year Tuition and Fees: $32764
• Non-residents 1st Year Tuition and Fees: $32764
• Offers Advanced Standing: Yes

National Board of Examiners for Optometry Pass Rates

• Part I
• 2011:
• 2010: 97.16%
• 2009: 98.6%

• Part II
• 2011:
• 2010: 96.5%
• 2009: 97.9%

• Part III
• 2011:
• 2010: 100%
• 2009: 100%

Illinois College of Optometry Residency

Illinois College of Optometry Residency in Cornea and Contact Lenses - Chicago, IL

Illinois College of Optometry Residency in Pediatric Optometry - Chicago, IL

Illinois College of Optometry Residency in Primary Care - Chicago, IL

Illinois College of Optometry Residency in Low Vision Rehabilitation and Ocular Disease - Chicago, IL

Affiliated Optometric Residency

Jesse Brown VA Residency in Ocular Disease/Low Vision Rehabilitation - Chicago, IL

Minnesota Eye Consultants Residency in Refractive and Ocular Surgery - Minneapolis, MN

Davis Duehr Dean Residency in Refractive and Ocular Surgery - Chicago, IL

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