Choose an Optometry School

To receive a Doctor of Optometry degree, students must successfully complete a four-year degree program at an accredited school of optometry. There are 17 colleges and schools of optometry in the United States, including Puerto Rico, and three new schools of optometry are scheduled to open in the next year. Choosing the school that is right for you may be challenging, so we encourage applicants to investigate the different schools and apply to more than one school. The website for the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry offers information that can help answer questions about each school, as well as link you to each school’s website.

All 17 schools and colleges of optometry report statistics to ASCO each year about their entering class. Although a private school, Southern College of Optometry consistently remains competitive in costs, as well as maintaining a high academic standard for admissions.

The cost of attending optometry school does not end with payment of tuition. Although our tuition is among the lowest of all optometry schools, the cost of living in Memphis is among the lowest in the country for cities with populations above 500,000. Those two factors are significant reasons why our students average approximately $100,000 in student indebtedness when they graduate.

Another impressive statistic we are happy to report is that our graduates have had a 0% default rate on student loans for the past 10 years.

SCO is proud of the fact that we successfully prepare our students for the academic and clinical challenges of optometry, which is illustrated by our students who consistently achieve above the national average in board passage rates.

With many factors being considered when applying to optometry school, we invite you to contact us with any questions you may have about SCO.

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