ASCO Sees the Second Highest Number of Applicants Ever to Optometry School
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ASCO Sees the Second Highest Number of Applicants Ever to Optometry School
ASCO experienced a 3% increase in applicants for the 2022-2023 OptomCAS application cycle compared to 2021-2022, making it the second highest number of applicants ever to optometry institutions. The 2015-2016 application cycle experienced the highest number of applicants at 2,812.
In the 2022-2023 application cycle, there were 2,773 applicants who submitted a total of 11,834 applications. For applications, OptomCAS experienced a 4% decrease in applications submitted compared to last year. On average, applicants applied to 4.27 schools and colleges.
Regarding race/ethnicity, ASCO experienced a 12% decrease in Black/African American applicants (134 vs. 153) compared to last cycle. There was an 11% increase in Hispanic/Latino applicants (361 vs. 326).
Applicants apply through OptomCAS, the Optometry Centralized Application Service, which just recently launched on June 29 for application cycle 2023-2024. All 24 ASCO member schools and colleges in the U.S. participate in OptomCAS.
A full report on the 2022-2023 application cycle will be available at the end of the year.
For answers to questions about the applicant pool and OptomCAS, visit http://www.optomcas.org or contact Paige Pence, ASCO’s Director of Student and Residency Affairs, at ppence@opted.org.
