The Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO) has announced that, for the second year in a row, its U.S. institutions received a record-breaking number of applicants during the 2024-2025 Optometry Centralized Application Service application cycle. Specifically, optometric institutions collectively saw 2,897 applicants. The previous highest number of applicants was 2,868 in the 2023-2024 application cycle.

Additionally, ASCO also notes that:

• The median age of applicants was 22 years old, with 73% female and 26% male. Less than 1% declined to state gender.

• The ethnicity breakdown for applicants was 42% White, 31% Asian, 13% Spanish/Hispanic/Latino/Latina, 5% Black/African-American, 4% two or more races, and less than 1% American Indian/Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander. A total of 4% of applicants did not report a race.

• The average overall cumulative grade point average for all applicants was 3.45.

“It’s exciting to see record-breaking interest in optometry for the second year in a row,” says ASCO president Alicia Feis, OD, FAAO. "We encourage more professionals to get involved and share their stories, reminding future applicants of the profound impact we make in our communities and the fulfillment this profession brings. We’re proud to welcome a new generation of talented applicants and look forward to growing the profession with high-quality future optometrists.”

A full report on the 2024-2025 application cycle will be available by the end of the year, says ASCO.