APPLICATION PROCESS: TRADITIONAL OD PROGRAM

Pennsylvania College of Optometry at Salus University actively seeks applicants from every state in the nation as well as worldwide. Students currently attending represent many states, as well as Canada and several other countries.

TO BE CONSIDERED, AN APPLICANT MUST:

Please note: The admissions process for Traditional OD Program Entering 2025 has changed. The Casper Assessment Test is now optional. (updated: 6/03/24)

• Submit a properly completed application to the Optometry Centralized Application Service (OptomCAS) at www.optomcas.org. Detailed instructions regarding the completion of the application and the essay are provided on the OptomCAS website.
• Submit official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended (or currently attending) directly to OptomCAS.
• Complete admissions prerequisites (listed below) at the college level with a grade of ‘C-’ or better. Prerequisite courses must be completed prior to starting the program, not prior to application.
• Arrange to take the Optometry Admission Test (OAT) prior to June 1 of the desired entering year; taking the OAT between July and December of the application cycle is highly recommended.
  
  • While the OAT is strongly encouraged, applicants have the option to take the General GRE (Graduate Record Exam), MCAT (Medical College Admission Test), DAT (Dental Admission Test), or PCAT (Pharmacy College Admission Test) in lieu of taking the OAT. In order to be considered competitive, applicants who take an alternate exam are recommended to have a GPA of 3.5 or higher. If your GPA falls below a 3.5, please contact the Office of Admissions for further guidance.
  • If an applicant has taken the OAT as well as a previous or subsequent alternate exam, an OAT score will be given preference over any alternate exam.
  • The admission exam must be taken within three years, prior to the start of the OptomCAS application cycle to which you are applying. Score reports past three years will not be considered. For example, if you are applying for the 2024-25 application cycle, you must have taken the OAT or approved substitute on or after June 30, 2021.
• Three letters of evaluation are required and should be forwarded directly to OptomCAS. Any three of the following options will be accepted in order to fulfill the letter requirement:
  • A Pre-Professional Committee letter of evaluation (consult with your college/university pre-professional advisor regarding the policy for providing letters of recommendation for pre-professional applicants).
    • One committee letter will fulfill the entire letter requirement.
  • Letter from a teaching faculty member who has taught you in a course (science teaching faculty letter is strongly recommended).
    • Letter from a teaching assistant only accepted if co-signed by faculty member.
  • Letter from your pre-professional or faculty advisor.
  • Letter from practicing optometrist for whom you have shadowed or worked.
  • Letter from a healthcare professional or work supervisor who is able to assess your qualifications for professional education and future career in optometry.
  • Additional letters outside of the above options will enhance the file but will not fulfill our required letters of evaluation.
• Complete a minimum of 25 hours shadowing/observation in the field of optometry or ophthalmology.
• Optional: Take the online Casper Assessment Test (Computer-Based Assessment for Sampling Personal Characteristics). For detailed instructions, please click on the Optional Casper Assessment Test drop down below. If taking the Casper, please complete the assessment between July and December of the application cycle.
• International Students, please review for any additional requirements in the drop down section below.
• All credentials submitted on behalf of an applicant become a part of that applicant’s file with the University and cannot be returned.
• Students will be required to meet University compliance requirements upon matriculation.

It is recommended that applicants with less than a 2.5 (C+) overall grade point average should consult the Office of Admissions prior to applying.

PREREQUISITES

An applicant must have completed a minimum of 90 semester hours or 135 quarter hours of credit from an accredited undergraduate college or university. These credits must include the pre-optometry courses listed below completed with a 'C-' or better.

An applicant need not have completed all prerequisites prior to filing an application but must be able to complete all outstanding prerequisites prior to enrolling.

Prerequisite credits completed ten or more years prior to the anticipated entrance date will be reviewed for approval on an individual basis.

• General Biology or Zoology (with labs) - one year
• General Chemistry (with labs) - one year
• Organic Chemistry (with labs) - one year or
  • ½ year Organic Chemistry with lab, plus ½ year of either Biochemistry or Molecular Biology (lab highly recommended)
• General Physics (with labs) - one year
• Microbiology or Bacteriology (lecture only) - ½ year
• English Composition or English Literature - one year
• Mathematics - one year
  • ( ½ year Calculus fulfills math requirement; however, one year Calculus highly recommended)
• Psychology - ½ year
• Statistics (Math, Biology or Psychology) - ½ year

For the Entering 2025 cycle, the Casper Assessment Test is now optional for the Traditional OD Program.

Candidates to the Traditional OD Program have the option to complete the Casper Assessment Test via Accuity Insights Assessments in order to enhance the application. If taking the Casper, it is highly recommended to complete the test between July and December of the application cycle. This assessment will complement the other tools that we use for applicant review and evaluation. 

The last date to take the test for the 2024/2025 cycle is March 27, 2025.

Please note: Casper test results are valid for one admissions cycle. Applicants who have already taken the test in previous years cannot submit scores from past cycles. Applicants from Canada who may have taken the Canadian Casper Test will need to sit for the U.S. Casper Test for their scores to be considered

What to Expect and How to Prepare

About Casper

Casper is a 90-110 minute online, open-response situational judgment test (SJT). It asks what you would do in a tough situation, and more importantly, why. This helps determine behavioral tendencies of applicants pursuing people-centered professions. For more information about the Casper assessment test, please visit https://acuityinsights.app/casper/

• Dates and Fees
• Preparing for Casper
• Casper Test Day Tips

Accuity Insights & Casper FAQ

INTERNATIONAL TRANSCRIPTS

For applicants who have attended foreign and French-Canadian schools, please provide the Office of Admissions with the following information:

• A course-by-course credential review from an approved agency, such as World Education Services, which evidences all post-secondary studies completed. Please consult agency’s web site for requirements to complete the evaluation.
• An official evaluation may be sent from the agency directly to OptomCAS.
  
  • Instructions for submitting a foreign credential evaluation.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY

Fluency in written and spoken English is essential for success in a Salus University academic program as well as to help ensure patient/client/student safety and/or effective communication with members of a healthcare or education team.

Official results from the TOEFL iBT, TOEFL Essentials, IELTS or Duolingo examination are required of all non-native English speakers. One of these approved exams must be taken within two years prior to the start date of the entering class to which an applicant seeks admission.

While we recommend that applicants submit TOEFL iBT, TOEFL Essentials, IELTS or Duolingo, exceptions will be considered for foreign applicants who meet one of the following criteria*:

1. successfully completed a degree or diploma held from an accredited, post-secondary institution where the coursework was entirely in English, and provide evidence that it was conducted in English; or
2. successfully completed, and provide evidence of, an approved English language learner’s program

*Note: All exemption materials and other appeals are reviewed on a case-by-case basis and subject to the admission committee’s final discretion. Should any exceptions not be accepted toward the English language requirement, the Office of Admissions will inform the applicant of an alternative to fulfill it.

The Admissions Committee has established policies that include the selection of applicants best qualified to serve the public and the profession in the years to come. Many factors are considered in selecting students for our program, including:

• academic performance
• motivation
• extracurricular activities and interests
• related and unrelated work experience
• personal achievements
• essays
• letters of evaluation
• communication skills, including a demonstrated command of the English language, both written and oral

When evaluating academic performance, the applicant’s overall and science grade point averages, performance in prerequisite courses, number of college credits completed, degree status and results of the Optometry Admissions Test (OAT) are carefully considered. While the OAT is preferred by the Admissions Committee, the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), Dental Admission Test (DAT), or Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT) will be accepted in lieu of the OAT.

A candidate has the option to submit scores from Casper Assessment Test (Computer-Based Assessment for Sampling Personal Characteristics). If submitted, it will be used to evaluate non-cognitive skills and interpersonal characteristics, among other criteria, as listed above. 

Admissions Selection Process (PDF) - OD Traditional Program

INTERVIEW PROCESS

Individuals successfully meeting the required admissions selection criteria may receive an invitation to visit our campus for an interview, which provides further insight into the applicant’s character and motivation, and allows an applicant the opportunity to interview with PCO faculty as well as meet with an Admissions staff member to discuss his or her application. In addition, candidates will tour our campus and meet students. The option for an online interview may be available upon request.

Please note, it is an applicant's responsibility to respond promptly to an interview invitation, either to accept or to decline. Please contact the Office of Admissions with any questions regarding the interview process.

NOTIFICATION OF ACCEPTANCE AND MATRICULATION FEE

An applicant may be notified of his or her acceptance as early as October, prior to the desired year of enrollment. Upon receipt of acceptance, an applicant is required to pay a $1,000 matriculation fee to the University prior to the start of classes, payable as follows:

• Return the matriculation form along with a $500 deposit within 14 days of the date of the acceptance letter.
• The balance of $500 for the matriculation fee is due April 1.
• If accepted after April 1, the offer of acceptance will detail payment requirements.
• All monies received above are non-refundable and will be applied toward first term fees.

Please note that all applicants are to respond promptly to all offers of admission. Once an applicant has accepted an offer, it is the applicant’s obligation to immediately notify and withdraw any outstanding applications or to decline offers of admission from other schools and colleges of optometry. Salus University participates in Shared Acceptance Reports during the OptomCAS cycle.

Students will be required to meet University compliance requirements upon matriculation.

SCHOLARSHIPS

Available internal Optometry Scholarships
Available external Optometry Scholarships

DEFERMENT OF ADMISSION

An accepted student with an unforeseen, extenuating circumstance prohibiting them from matriculating may request a deferment of admission in writing. The request must be directed to both the Dean of Student Affairs and the Dean of PCO, and made via the Office of Admissions.

For deferment consideration, the following is required:

• A deferment request submitted in writing by May 15th, before the August start of the academic year. Please note, submission of a deferral request by the deadline does not guarantee approval.
• Official documentation verifying the extenuating circumstance.
• All non-refundable deposit fees and the matriculation supplement must be received (as directed in the University’s official Letter of Acceptance).

If deferment is approved:

• Admission will be extended to August matriculation of the next academic year.
• A deferment will not extend beyond one admission cycle.
• The student must contact the Office of Admissions, in writing, by April 1st of the deferred admission calendar year regarding his/her intention to resume enrollment.
• The student will be required to meet with a member of the Admissions Committee prior to matriculation (this may be done in person or via phone/online).

If a deferral request is denied:

• A student has the option to withdraw acceptance from the Program, and reapply through OptomCAS for future admission.

For questions regarding this policy, please contact the Office of Admissions at admissions@salus.edu.

POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

Enrolled students who withdraw or are dismissed from the University will be responsible for the payment of tuition in accordance with the institutional refund schedule.

• University Policies
• Refund Policy