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A perfect vision
for your future:

There's a reason that so many prospective students choose to apply to SCO each year.

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Southern College of Optometry building
Admissions

Optometry is an Investment as Your Future Career

When you apply to SCO, you’ve chosen one of the nation’s leading optometry schools—alma mater to 14 American Optometric Association Presidents and nearly 90 years of graduating the best clinicians in the field.

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Southern College of Optometry in Memphis, TN
Stats

Southern College of Optometry by the Numbers

SCO’s numbers reflect the strength of our optometry school and the top qualified students we recruit. From our low student/faculty ratio to the number of patient encounters our interns experience by their graduation, the facts speak for themselves as to why SCO is a leading choice for optometry students across the nation.

Why SCO?

98%

ultimate board passage rate

32

residency programs with 57 residency slots – more than any optometry school in the country

55575

square ft clinic

9:1

student/faculty ratio

60+

endowed scholarships awarded to each entering class

25

consecutive years of 0% default rate on student loans

3

patient care clinics SCO operates in Memphis

2600

patient encounters by graduation (including externships)
Testimonials

Hear from the Students

All Testimonials
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Class of 2021
Lauren Watson
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Class of 2021
Tim Szu
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Class of 2022
Kami Badger
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Class of 2023
Kalen Thompson
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See Your Future in 20/20

SCO actively pursues opportunities that help our patients see better and our students learn at the same time. We would love to share more with you about the many reasons optometry is a rewarding healthcare profession where you will make a difference as a primary eyecare provider.

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Taking notes
  • Optometry: An Ever Evolving Profession 11/30/21
    Hi y’all! Paige Willett (second-year student) here, writing this during one of the busiest semesters I have had of optometry school yet. Second year really kicks it into gear and you hit the gr...
  • Academy Meeting Returns 11/9/21
    Faculty, students, residents, and alumni enjoyed representing SCO at the first in-person meeting of the American Academy of Optometry in two years. Held in Boston, the Academy meeting drew a large...
  • Dr. Glen Steele Named to TICUA Hall of Fame 10/26/21
    Dr. Glen Steele, Southern College of Optometry Professor, has been named to the Tennessee Independent Colleges and Universities Association Hall of Fame. TICUA and its member institutions selected 24...
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