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 (accredit@theacoe.org) . 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 the Doctor of Optometry Program
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 the most recent graduations. The table shows information by matriculation year, meaning the year that a student joined the OD program in year 1 or joined the program in advanced standing (year 3).
| Matriculation year* | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Students Matriculating | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 | |||||
| Advanced standing** | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| Number | % of matriculants | Number | % of matriculants | Number | % of matriculants | Number | % of matriculants | Number | % of matriculants | |
| Graduated in 4 years | 87 |
96.7% |
87 |
96.7% |
86 |
95.6% |
87 |
96.8% |
83 *** | 92.2% |
| Graduated in 5 or less years | 89 | 98.9% | 90 | 100% | 89 | 98.9% | 89 | 98.9% | TBC | TBC |
| Graduated at anytime | 89 | 98.9% | 90 | 100% | 89 | 98.9% | 89 | 98.9% | TBC | TBC |
| Still enrolled or on a leave of absence | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 7 | 7.8% |
| Completed curricular requirements met, but not graduation requirements | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% |
| Attrition for academic reasons | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 1 | 1.1% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% |
| Attrition for non- academic reasons | 1 | 1.1% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 1 | 1.1% | 0 | 0% |
*Matriculation year refers to the year of joining the program
***Graduated as of June 2025.
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.
First-time Test Takers
Below are the annual institutional pass rates for all first-time takers of the Optometric Examining Board of Canada (OEBC) and the National Board Examiners in Optometry (NBEO). The OEBC has two parts, a written exam and an objective structured clinical evaluation (OSCE). The NBEO has 3 parts: Part I Applied Basic Science (ABS), Part II Patient Assessment & Management (PAM), and Part III Clinical Skills Examination (CSE). As of August 2024, the Part III CSE was replaced with Part III Patient Encounters and Performance Skills (PEPS).
Here are the most recent results for our students:
Annual Institutional Pass Rates for all First Attempt Candidates of OEBC Written and OSCE Exams
OEBC Written
| Academic Year (09/01-08/31) | # of first-time takers, program | first-time pass rate, program | first-time taker pass rates, all exam takers | Program Difference, % points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-2025 | 90 | 98.9% | 95.6% | +3.3 |
| 2023-2024 | 80 | 96.3% | 94.1% | +2.1 |
| 2022-2023 | 71 | 97.2% | 94.2% | +3.0 |
| 2021-2022 | 68 | 94.1% | 89.1% | +5.0 |
OEBC Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE)
| Academic Year (09/01-08/31) | # of first-time takers, program | First-time pass rate, program | First-time taker pass rates, all exam takers | Program Difference, % points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-2025 | 90 | 94.4% | 92.6% | +1.8 |
| 2023-2024 | 80 | 92.5% | 86.3% | +6.2 |
| 2022-2023 | 72 | 94.4% | 84.1% | +10.3 |
| 2021-2022 | 69 | 84.1% | 85.4% | -1.3 |
Annual Institutional Pass Rates for all First-time Takers of NBEO Parts I, II, and III
NBEO Part I Applied Basic Science
| Academic Year (09/01-08/31) | # of first-time takers, program | First-time pass rate, program | First-time taker pass rates, all exam takers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-2025 | <5 | - | 65.8% |
| 2023-2024 | 8 | 75.0% | 65.8% |
| 2022-2023 | 21 | 81.0% | 63.7% |
| 2021-2022 | 26 | 92.3% | 71.8% |
NBEO Part II Patient Assessment and Management
| Academic Year (09/01-08/31) | # of first-time takers, program | First-time pass rate, program | First-time taker pass rates, all exam takers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-2025 | 8 | 100.0% | 84.2% |
| 2023-2024 | 16 | 100.0% | 82.9% |
| 2022-2023 | 21 | 100.0% | 84.7% |
| 2021-2022 | 24 | 100.0% | 88.6% |
NBEO Part III Clinical Skills Examination
| Academic Year (07/01-06/30) | # of first-time takers, program | First-time pass rate, program | First-time taker pass rates, all exam takers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-2025 | N/A - PEPS | N/A - PEPS | N/A - PEPS |
| 2023-2024 | 17 | 64.7% | 74.4% |
| 2022-2023 | 24 | 66.7% | 79.7% |
| 2021-2022 | 23 | 69.6% | 80.9% |
NBEO Part III Patient Encounters and Performance Skills
| Academic Year (07/01-06/30) | # of first-time takers, program | First-time pass rate, program | First-time taker pass rates, all exam takers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-2025 | 8 | 37.5% | 81.7% |