Post-admission requirements and next steps

If you are taking courses in winter 2025 and received an offer of admission conditional on the successful completion of all current courses and prerequisite(s), this must be satisfied to clear the condition.

We reserve the right to withdraw the Offer of Admission if you do not complete your current post-secondary school year satisfactorily, including the completion of all required pre-requisite courses (if applicable). 

Once your final transcript has been received, reviewed and coded by the Registrar’s Office, it will appear as cleared in the conditions section of Quest.

• If you are taking courses at another university, you must send an official final transcript, which needs to be received by June 23, 2025. 

  • If you have studied within the Province of Ontario, you may use MyCreds to request official transcripts be sent to the University of Waterloo. When sending transcripts through the MyCredsTM portal, please select "send my documents to a registered organization." Do not select "generate a link to my documents".
    OR

  • Your university must mail an official transcript to: 
    
    Registrar’s Office
    Needles Hall
    University of Waterloo
    200 University Ave W
    Waterloo ON  N2L 3G1
• If you are a Waterloo student and took courses in the current winter term or in previous years, you do not need to arrange for a final Waterloo transcript to be sent.​​

A Vulnerable Sector (VSC) is required prior to starting the program.

• It must be dated between April – June 2025.  Unfortunately, previous VSC’s can’t be used. 
• VSC’s usually must be done from your home city*, not the city you attend university. Check with your local police force. 

The original VSC is due to the Special Constable Services by June 23, 2025

• If the VSC is sent to you electronically, please forward the email from the police department you received with the document, to Lisa David lisa.david@uwaterloo.ca. As Special Constable Services receives hundreds of documents, you must indicate that the VSC is for the Doctor of Optometry (OD) program. 
• If the original document is mailed to you, you must send it to:
  
  Lisa David
  University of Waterloo
  Special Constable Services
  Commissary building
  200 University Ave W
  Waterloo ON  N2L 3G1
  
  Please indicate that this is for the School of Optometry - fall 2025.

*If you live in Toronto only, you need to follow a different process.

• Email Lisa David lisa.david@uwaterloo.ca with the following information:
  • Your full name 
  • Note that the VSC is to be provided for the School of Optometry - fall 2025
  • Ask for the "Unique Agency Code" and indicate that it's needed to complete your VSC application.
• After you've obtained the Unique Agency Code, apply online through the Toronto Police Checks page.

If you have any questions about this process, please contact Lisa David directly.

Proof of specific immunizations is required prior to first year, due by August 1, 2025.

• The Waterloo Optometry and Vision Science Student Immunization Form (emailed to you) must be completed by a physician or registered nurse. 
• Once you have the form completed and signed, please email it as a pdf attachment to optometry.status@uwaterloo.ca

This requirement must be met for students to participate in any Optometry clinics. Documentation must provide up-to-date proof of immunization for:

Measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) or Measles, mumps, rubella and varicella (MMRV) 

• Where documentation is unavailable, evidence of immunity by laboratory testing must be provided.

Tetanus and diphtheria

• A DT booster within the last ten years is required (tetanus alone is not acceptable). Tetanus protection must be maintained throughout the duration of your degree program.

Hepatitis B

• If you do not yet have Hep B immunization, you must begin the process now.
• The second in the series of three doses should be administered one month after 1st and the 3rd should be administered 6 months following the 1st.
• If you cannot be immunized and/or are a Hep B carrier, you must provide a written statement to this effect from a physician. Where documentation of immunizations is not available, please provide evidence of immunity.
• If you only had the two dose vaccine, then fill in the dates for the 1st and 2nd administration and write N/A for the 3rd administration.

A recent TB test

• The two step test must have been done between July 2024 and July 2025.  Chest x-ray is required if reading 10mm or greater.

• If you have had a recent two-step Tuberculin Skin Test (TST), albeit prior to July 2024, then a single-step TST is sufficient to meet the requirements. However, you will need a healthcare professional to sign your form indicating that the results of your two-step TST were in fact negative (either based on their records or your own records).

COVID-19

• COVID-19 immunizations are strongly encouraged, but no longer a requirement for the incoming class. 

In the coming weeks you'll also receive more information about:

• Getting your uwaterloo login, email and setting up access to the various systems
• Equipment and textbooks needed for your first year
• Ordering your scrubs 
• Scholarships, awards and bursaries
• Important dates
• Orientation
• Optometry student support and resources
• White Coat Ceremony 
• Additional non-academic requirements during the program
• Pre-arrival checklist