Optometry Indigenous Admissions Pathway

Indigenous Admissions Pathway

	Indigenous Admissions Pathway
Admission fees	OUAC fees are waived.
Admission Average & Prerequisite courses	Consideration will be given to applicants whose cumulative average falls in the range of 70.0% to 74.9%. Completion of all prerequisite courses listed for admission.
Course Load	Completion of the majority of terms with a full course load.
References	Minimum one reference required; no conditions on the type of reference submitted.
Experience	No experience required. A brief motivational statement (limited to 1 page) required. E.g. what life experiences have made you want to pursue optometry? Have you shadowed in another healthcare or community setting? Applicants who do have any experience in an optometry setting and/or other work or volunteer experience may still include it, in lieu of a motivational statement. Please email motivational statement in PDF format to: optometry.application@uwaterloo.ca optometry.admissions@uwaterloo.ca
Casper	Register and complete Casper for the given admission cycle. Registration fees are at the expense of the applicant; funding may be sought to alleviate cost.
OAT	Applicants must meet minimum performance standards for OAT (300 overall score). Registration fees are at the expense of the applicant; funding may be sought to alleviate cost.
Interview	Applicants who are Indigenous and meet minimum application requirements will be invited for an interview, and considered for admission into the Doctor of Optometry program.

Verification of Indigenous status/citizenship

Applicants can self-identify in OUAC when applying, and must also declare their intention to apply for the Office of Indigenous Relations (OIR) verification on the applicant portal. Once the form is submitted, the OIR will reach out to applicants via email with next steps.

The admissions committee will connect with the Office of Indigenous Relations to complete verification prior to admission offer.