Illinois College of Optometry
Chicago, IL · Big city · Private · First class 1872
Fully accreditedOD/MS
- seats per class
- 125
- applications
- 706
- average GPA
- 3.59
- average OAT
- 334
- tuition per year
- $51,651
- four-year cost
- $239,352
Getting in
- Average GPA
- 3.59
- OAT
- 334 academic average · 331 total science
- Entering with a bachelor’s
- 93%
- From in state
- 30% of the class · 22 states represented
- Women in the class
- 70.7%
- Bachelor’s degree
- No
- Prerequisites
- Calculus, organic chem, microbiology, statistics, psychology
- Shadowing
- Strongly recommended
- Deadline
- 5/1/27 · fee None
What it costs
$239,352four-year total, the same for everyone
$214,208median across all 27 programs, for reference
- Tuition
- $51,651/yr, the same for everyone
- Median graduate debt
- $306,389
Board results
NBEO Part I — 71%first-time, n=335
Part II — 89.3%first-time
Part III — 84.5%first-time
Ultimate pass rate — 88.4%including retakes
- Attrition
- 2.8% a year
Living there
85°FJuly high
21°FJanuary low
38″snow a year
93errands score
9.4Mmetro people
- One-bedroom rent
- $1,581/mo · all rentals $1,781
- Cost-of-living index
- 103.6
About this program
Tuition escalates sharply mid-program (Y2 direct expenses ≈$76.5k); the 4-year total captures this.
ACOE program directories & accreditation actions, theacoe.org (retrieved Aug 3, 2026)