July 31, 2024 — The Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO) reported a record number of applicants for the 2023-2024 OptomCAS (Optometry Centralized Application Service) application cycle, with 2,868 applicants. This surpasses the previous high of 2,812 applicants during the 2015-2016 cycle.

Here are some noteworthy highlights:

• This year’s number of applicants (2,868) is a 3.4% increase compared to last cycle (2,773).
• The total number of applications saw a 7.6% increase from 11,834 last cycle to 12,732, with applicants averaging 4.44 schools each.
• There was a 4.5% increase in Black/African American applicants from 134 last cycle to 140.
• There was a 3.6% increase in Hispanic/Latino applicants from 361 last cycle to 374, the highest number ever recorded.

“These results are so exciting to see, and I am thrilled that people are wanting to enter the wonderful and meaningful profession of optometry,” says ASCO president Fraser Horn, O.D., FAAO. “We are seeing the fruits of our public awareness campaign, Optometry Gives Me Live, which targets undergrads in a STEM program and shows them all that optometry can offer them as a career.”

OptomCAS, used by all 24 ASCO member schools, launched its 2024-2025 cycle on June 27. A full report on the 2023-2024 cycle will be available at the end of the year.