MCO Early Admissions Program

The Michigan College of Optometry offers pre-optometry students pre-admission into the MCO doctoral program. Students who have enrolled full-time and for at least one semester beyond their high school graduation can apply to the Early Admissions Program (EAP) if their cumulative GPA is 3.5 or higher.  The EAP guarantees a seat in the class in which the student is eligible and prefers to enter.  The student may enter through the 3+4 Admissions Program or the Regular Admissions Program by completing the prerequisite coursework listed on our web pages for each program.

Process for the Early Admissions Program

(Application files must be completed and received with the required items listed below by March 1)

Submit the requested information below to [email protected] or by mail to:

Michigan College of Optometry
Office of Admissions
1124 S. State Street, Room 236
Big Rapids, MI  49307

• First complete and submit an Early Admissions Application to the MCO by March 1 no earlier than after your first fall semester of undergraduate studies.  This initiates a file for the documents below.
• Submit official college transcripts from each and ALL institution(s) attended other than FSU. Request that their Registrar’s office send all official college transcripts directly to the contact information above.
• Submit official high school transcripts. Request that your high school send the official high school transcript directly to the contact information above.
• Submit the report of your SAT and/or ACT scores.
• Submit an essay. The topic is "Please 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." The essay should be no longer than 4,500 characters.
• Participate in a MCO Admissions Committee interview appointed after March 1 and before May 1.

Applicants who are chosen for Early Admissions will be notified by May 1^st. If accepted, they will be required to:

• Sign a "letter of intent" to be a member of the specified MCO class
• Maintain enrollment in good standing with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.5
• Complete all prerequisite courses with a grade of C or better
• Complete the Optometry Admission Test (OAT) achieving a composite score of at least 310 and request that your OAT results be sent to the MCO by July 1 of the year before your doctoral admissions date
• Complete an application through the Optometry Centralized Application Service (OptomCAS) during the application cycle prior to matriculation at MCO
• Spend at least a total of 20 hours working, shadowing, or volunteering in the office of an optometrist before your doctoral admissions date

Any applicant who is not chosen for or who fails to complete the Early Admissions Program is still encouraged to participate in the 3+4 Admissions Program or the Regular Admissions Program without penalty.  If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Jim Miller at [email protected] or 231-591-2191.