A specific major is not required for admission to the UAB School of Optometry, but applicants should be completing or have completed a bachelor’s degree. Applicants scheduled to have a bachelor’s degree at the time of matriculation are given preferential consideration over those who will not have their degree prior to matriculation.

Applicants must have completed a minimum of 90 semester hours or 135 quarter hours, which is the equivalent of three years of college education, prior to matriculation. All courses must be taken at a fully accredited institution and must be acceptable to that institution for degree credit and major requirements. No more than 60 semester hours or 90 quarter hours earned at a two-year institution may be applied toward the credit hour requirement.

Candidates must complete all of the courses listed below with a grade of C or better prior to the summer term of the matriculation year. Applicants can submit an application before all prerequisite courses are completed.

Online and AP/CLEP Courses

We will accept prerequisite courses taken online or credits via AP/CLEP courses provided they are offered by an accredited college or university. Documentation of AP/CLEP courses should appear on the undergraduate transcript or through official score reports.

Applicants are encouraged to take the Optometry Admissions Test, which is offered online. We suggest taking the exam during the spring/early summer of the year preceding anticipated application. If the results of the exam are considered to be unsatisfactory, you then have the opportunity to repeat the exam during the summer/early fall of the application year. The exam can be retaken 60 days after the first test date. Other professional school entrance exams (MCAT, DAT, GRE) may be considered on a case-by-case basis.

For more information and to register online for the OAT, visit the Optometry Admissions Test website.

It is not necessary to take the OAT before applying. Interview invitations are extended to competitive applicants without OAT scores. However, admissions decisions cannot be made without OAT scores.

For information about testing times and locations, visit the visit the Optometry Admissions Test website, or contact the Optometry Admissions Testing Program by writing to 211 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60611, or calling 312-440-2693.

If available at the applicant's undergraduate institution, a composite evaluation by a pre-health professions advisory committee is preferred. If a HPA composite letter is not available, we require three individual letters of recommendation. The three individual letters should come from two faculty members who are knowledgeable about your scholastic abilities and personal character and one optometrist with whom you have shadowed and/or worked.

Official and complete transcripts of all work attempted at colleges and universities must be forwarded to OptomCAS by the institutions attended. Supplementary transcripts must be forwarded to OptomCAS following completion of courses not included on the original transcripts.

All admitted candidates must have been interviewed either virtually or in person by the UAB School of Optometry Admissions Committee. Applicants may be invited for an interview any time during a period beginning in August and ending as late as April.

Successful completion of the optometry curriculum requires that a student be able to acquire a large amount of material in a limited time and have the ability to apply this material. In addition to the OAT scores and the overall college record, the UAB School of Optometry Admissions Committee considers whether students maintain or improve their performances as they progress to more advanced courses in their undergraduate curriculum.

Reasonable involvement in extracurricular activities is considered important. Community service and leadership qualities are also desirable.

Applicants are required to explore the optometry field either by employment or in a volunteer/job shadow capacity for at least 40 hours.

The personal and social traits and other non-intellectual characteristics important for the future optometrist are very difficult to measure objectively. The committee relies heavily on the letters of recommendation and/or composite college evaluation, character recommendations and the interview for this information.

The UAB School of Optometry admits a target class size of 58 highly qualified students each year.The Admissions Committee has the responsibility of reviewing and evaluating applications and selecting those who are the best qualified. Notices of acceptance may be received as early as August and as late as May. Applicants who are not accepted for one of the regular class positions may be accepted for an alternate position. Those holding alternate positions may receive notification of admission to the class as late as the middle of August, should a position become available.

Acceptances may be designated as conditional upon successful completion of requirements. All students admitted must maintain the level of academic performance consistent with that previously demonstrated. The Admissions Committee reserves the right to deny admission to an already admitted student whose academic performance falls below standards deemed appropriate for acceptance.

Non-resident students may qualify for a change in residency status if they meet established institutional criteria. Additional details regarding this process are available at the UAB Cost & Aid site (pdf).

In addition, students from Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and South Carolina may be eligible to pay resident tuition through the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) program. To receive this benefit, applicants must meet the residency and eligibility requirements set by their home state and be selected by the Admissions Committee for one of the limited SREB-supported seats.

The Regional Contract Program is a tuition-savings program for college students in the Southern Regional Education Board member states who want to pursue degrees that are not offered by their in-state institutions. Students can attend out-of-state institutions that offer their degree program and pay the in-state tuition rates. These state governments have a contract with the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Optometry to provide this benefit for legal residents of their state. Each state enrolled in the program offers a limited number of contract seats. The University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Optometry has agreements with the following states: Georgia (2-3), Louisiana (2), Mississippi (2) and South Carolina (1) for a total of 7-8 positions. The number of contract seats per state is subject to change based on your state’s ability to fund this program.

Certification Procedures

Certification is the procedure by which state officers verify the legal residency of applicants. States may certify students before admission, during the admissions process or after a student is formally admitted. State residency requirements for participation are determined by each state. State certification officers screen applicants for residency requirements and certify students who are eligible for participation in the SREB program based upon their state requirements.

In-State Tuition for Out-of-State Students

To be considered for admission, international students must have the academic, linguistic, and financial abilities to successfully complete the professional program. Specific requirements are as follows:

Academic Requirements

International applicants must fulfill the same undergraduate academic requirements as United States applicants.

Foreign Transcripts

International applicants are required to submit official foreign transcripts to an approved foreign transcript evaluation service for a course-by-course U.S. equivalency report. The official evaluation should then be sent to OptomCAS. We highly recommend that you contact the foreign transcript evaluation service as early as possible. The service may take several weeks to process your foreign transcript once it is received. Below is a list of commonly used and accepted evaluation services.

• World Education Services, Inc
• Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc

Testing and Interview Requirements

• All applicants must take the Optometry Admission Test (OAT). Other accepted entrance exams includes the MCAT, DAT and PCAT.
• Students from non-English speaking countries are required to submit English proficiency scores (TOEFL/IELTS/PTEA) that meet the UAB Graduate School's minimum score requirements.
  • TOEFL: 80*
  • TOEFL Essentials: 8.5
  • IELTS: 6.5
  • PTEA: 56
  • IELA: 176
  • Duolingo: 120

*UAB does not accept My Best Scores from TOEFL. You will need to submit individual test date score reports to your application. Only English proficiency scores that have been taken within a two (2) year period of the application submission will be accepted. Scores that exceed this time frame are considered expired and will not be accepted.

Visa Information

Student must coordinate any immigration document needs directly with UAB’s Office of Global Engagement.