Student success rates in Optometry Doctoral program

Waterloo’s School of Optometry & Vision Science offers a professional, four-year Doctor of Optometry (OD) degree that is accredited by the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education (ACOE),. The School is the only provider of English-language instruction for optometry in Canada (there is also a French-language school; the École d'Optométrie, Université de Montréal).

Our students enjoy a leading university that attracts award-winning professors along with some of the best and brightest students from around the world. Licensed ODs make up the body of expert faculty and clinic supervisors who provide an optimum mix of theoretical study and practical training.

Student graduation rates in Optometry

Standards for students and for teaching are set very high, but our graduation/attrition rates suggest that our students excel in this environment, as can be seen in the following table of recent graduations:

Matriculation year*	2020		2019		2018		2017
Graduation year for 4 year program	2024		2023		2022		2021
First year students	90		90		90		90
Advanced standing**	5		0		0		0
	Number	% of total	Number	% of total	Number	% of total	Number	% of total
Graduated in 4 years	91	95.8%	86	95.6%	87	96.7%	87	96.7%
Graduated in 5 or more years	0	0%	1	1.1%	3	3.3%	2	2.2%
Still enrolled or on a leave of absence	2	2.1%	2	2.2%	0	0%	0	0%
Attrition for academic reasons	0	0%	1	1.1%	0	0%	0	0%
Attrition for non- academic reasons	2	2.1%	0	0%	0	0%	1	1.1%

Notes

*Matriculation year refers to the year 1 of the four year program.

**Advanced standing students join the matriculated cohort in year 3 of the program after successful completion of the ASOPP program.

Student test scores for registration exams

To complete their professional qualifications, after graduation, students must pass a registration exam. In Canada, this exam is administered by the Optometry Examining Board of Canada (OEBC), and some provinces accept the National Board of Examiners in Optometry (NBEO) exam. Graduates from our program are eligible for either set of registration exams and, depending on their plans, may opt to take one or both exams. The School of Optometry & Vision Science has a history of doing very well on these exams. Here are the most recent results for our students:

OEBC
	Written Assessment			OSCE Assessment
Academic Year	# Students	Pass 1st Time (%)	Ultimate Pass Rate (%)	# Students	Pass 1st Time (%)	Ultimate Pass Rate (%)
2019-2020	88	100	100	84	90.5	100
2020-2021	73	93.2	100	72	84.7	100
2021-2022	68	94.1	100	69	84.1	98.6