Four-Year OD Program Application Instructions

Our application process has changed from last year so please read the following instructions carefully.

• Completed application form: You will need to create an account with OptomCAS  through www.optomcas.org to complete the application. The application should be filed after July 1st of the year preceding your desired matriculation date. The application form along with all required materials must be received by us no later than March 15th. 
   
• Your online application will consist of 7 sections. Please follow the directions on each page carefully. The 7 sections include: 
  1. Student Personal Information
  2. Activities and Work Experience
  3. Academic History
  4. Essay 
  5. Letters of Recommendation
  6. School Designations
  7. Supplemental Application

• Optional questions are for statistical purposes only, and are not factors in the acceptance decision.

• Personal Statement Essay: Describe what inspires your decision for becoming an optometrist, including your preparation for training in this profession, your aptitude and motivation, the basis for your interest in optometry, and your future career goals. Your essay should be limited to 4500 characters.

• Supplemental Application: After you submit your application through OptomCAS, a link will be provided to direct you to our supplemental application.  These additional questions must be submitted in order to complete your file.  The following questions are on your supplemental application:

Are you a new applicant or re-applicant?

If there are any extenuating circumstances for which you want to explain your poor academic performance, please elaborate.

Indicate the sources which had an influence on your decision to apply to the New England College of Optometry.

Which other schools are you applying to?

• Application Fee: There is a non-refundable centralized application fee of $125.00 (plus $45 for each additional school).  An additional non-refundable supplemental application fee of $65 will be due to NECO in order to process your application. The fee can be paid either by credit card on our website at the following link:  http://neco.edu//admissions/application/payment.html or by sending a check or money order to:

The New England College of Optometry
Attn: Admissions Department
424 Beacon Street
Boston, MA 02115  

Your application will not be processed until we receive your application fee. Please note that there is a $25.00 service charge for N.S.F. checks and a $50.00 fee for checks that are not drawn on a U.S. bank.

• Transcripts: Please request an official transcript from each college or university you attended.  All transcripts must be originals issued directly from the institution and must be stamped with the school's stamp or seal.  Copies of transcripts or transcripts not sealed with an official stamp or signature across the flap will not be accepted.  OPTOMCAS will not accept transcripts issued to students.  They must be mailed directly from your registrar's office.  All transcripts must be mailed to:

OPTOMCAS
PO Box 9119
Watertown, MA 02471 

• Some Advanced Placement (AP) credits may be accepted to satisfy prerequisites. If you plan to use AP credits please send an AP College Board report directly to The New England College of Optometry. Only scores of 4 or 5 will be eligible to fulfill a prerequisite.

• Recommendations: Please collect at least 3 letters of recommendation, 2 from faculty members familiar with your work and 1 from an optometrist you have shadowed. If a recommendation is written by a health professions advisory committee, only one comprehensive summary of your academic evaluation is necessary to fulfill the faculty letters requirement. The recommender must provide an original letter on their stationary. Personal recommendations are not required, but may be submitted in support of your application. You may submit up to two personal recommendation letters.  All recommendation letters must be mailed/emailed to OPTOMCAS in order to complete your file.

• The Optometry Admissions Test (OAT): The OAT is required and should be taken as soon as possible. Please indicate in the space provided in the application the date that you took or will take the test.  If the test has been taken, enter your scores in the correct boxes.  All scores will be verified with ASCO.

• TOEFL: The TOEFL test is only for applicants who completed their degree at a non-US institution. TOEFL results are not required for students who have their bachelors from a US institution. Canadian students who have graduated from a Canadian high school where English is the teaching language will also be exempt from TOEFL.

• WES Evaluation: Any transcript(s) from a University outside of US or Canada will need to be evaluated by WES . A course by course evaluation will be required and there is an additional fee $160 due to WES.  Please note this fee is subject to change.  Visit www.wes.org for more information.