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OD Admissions

Applications for Fall 2027 admission are open!

Welcome!

The Admissions Committee of the Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry & Vision Science strives to admit students who will be successful both in the academic program and in the practice of optometry. Our goal each year is to bring in a class of approximately 65 – 70 students. We welcome your application!

Selection Criteria

Selection is based on holistic review of the entire application, including previous college-level academic achievement, standardized test scores, and qualitative factors such as assessment of suitability for performing clinical work, letters of recommendation, interview performance, and life experience.

Important Note On Standardized Test Scores:

For applicants to the Class of 2031 and subsequent years, a standardized test (OAT, DAT, or MCAT) will be a required component of the application. We no longer accept the GRE as an acceptable standardized test.

Priority Decision & General Decision Deadlines

There are two application phases. Applicants who wish to submit their applications for consideration during the “priority” phase, must do so by August 21st, 2026. Applicants who submit their applications after August 21st will be part of the “general” application phase. The general application cycle closes on December 12th, 2026.

We recommend students should always apply when they are most ready. Applying early does not mean you have a better chance of acceptance. However, we have the most seats available during Priority Decision. If we receive a significantly strong application pool early, it could mean a majority of the seats will be filled. Additionally, we have new multi-year funding awards available to incoming students annually. Applying early means applicants could receive the most aid from this financial aid pool. Those that decide to apply for General Decision will still have seats and financial aid saved and available to them. The amount of seats and financial aid for General Decision applicants will vary based on the applicant pool. We will not be filling the whole class or depleting those funds entirely during the Priority Deadline.

All applications must be considered complete and verified before a decision deadline to be read. Applicants may expect to receive their admission decision within three weeks to one month after the last interview has been conducted for that deadline (8-11 weeks total after a deadline has passed). Please note your application must be complete and verified by a week after a deadline, to be considered for admission.

To be considered complete, an application must have:

  • Transcripts and application verified by OptomCAS.
  • Three individual Letters of recommendation received by OptomCAS.
  • A standardized test score (OAT, DAT, or MCAT)
  • UC Berkeley Supplemental Fee paid via the UC Berkeley Admissions Portal (Slate).

Note For Standardized Tests:

Since scores are required for admission, your application will be considered incomplete without them. Students who submit before a deadline but have a score missing will be held until their score is submitted. Submitting a score late can result in being rolled over to the next round or being denied due to a missing score post our last deadline in December. Applicants should ensure that their application is complete with unofficial or official scores before submitting it. Once submitted, the application is assigned to that decision period and reviewed as is. Unofficial scores are accepted for admissions purposes and will need verification if accepted into the program.

Application Deadlines

Priority Decision: August 21st, 2026
General Decision: December 12th, 2026

Invitations to Interview

Invitations to interview will be released 2 weeks after a decision deadline (see schedule above). The Admissions and Student Affairs Office will provide the applicant with available dates to participate in the interview process. All completed applications received by the deadlines indicated below will receive notification by the specified date. Applicants will have one week from the date of notification to accept the invitation to interview and schedule it with admissions staff.

Due to the holiday season, interviews for the last decision deadline will be scheduled in early January.

Interviews of applicants by invitation only. Applicants will be contacted by our Admissions Office to set up an interview time with a current student and faculty. As part of the assessment, you will have the opportunity to speak with current students. These interviews are held in a virtual format to increase accessibility for our applicants.

After You Receive an Offer of Admission

Students who have been admitted into an entering class are required to take certain steps to secure their seats in that class. The deadline to complete these steps will be provided by the Admissions and Student Affairs Office following their recommendation for admission.

  1. Accept the offer via email, accept your intent to register (SIR), and return your signed award letter to the Associate Director of Admissions.
  2. Pay your deposit. Berkeley Optometry requires a non-refundable $750 enrollment deposit to secure your seat. This $750 will be applied to your first semester of tuition.
  3. Complete background check. Berkeley Optometry requires a criminal background check (CBC) for all newly-admitted applicants prior to matriculation into the program. All admitted applicants are “Provisionally Accepted” until CBC results are obtained and cleared through Certiphi.
  4. All students are required to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to be fully considered for all financial aid and scholarship opportunities.

Transfer Students

The Faculty believes that differences in educational philosophy and practice among the schools and colleges of optometry make the completion of a single uninterrupted curriculum in the best interests of both students and the profession. Accordingly, it is the policy of the Faculty to discourage optometry students from other institutions from seeking to transfer to Berkeley Optometry.

The Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry and Vision Science does not accept transfer students or credits from other schools or colleges of optometry. If a student who has attended another Optometry School wishes to apply as a first year student, they would submit an application through OptomCAS. We do not accept applications from any student who is on probation or has been dismissed from a School of Optometry or other health professional school.

Disclosure

After a student has accepted admission, disclosure of information from their student records is governed by the Federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974. While FERPA does not pertain to applicants who have not accepted admission, it is Berkeley Optometry’s policy to not release applicant information to third parties (e.g., parents, pre-health advisors, spouses) unless there has been prior written consent from the applicant.

The US Department of Education has issued regulations requiring higher education programs that are intended to meet professional licensure and certification requirements to disclose to students whether the program meets licensure and certification requirements in individual states. The required disclosure is posted on the website of the Institutional Research and Academic Planning (IRAP) department at UC Office of the President at this URL as of July 1, 2020.

https://www.ucop.edu/institutional-research-academic-planning/content-analysis/academic-planning/licensure-and-certification-disclosures.html

UC Berkeley Supplemental Fee

All graduate students applying to Berkeley need to pay a supplemental fee. Once you submit your OptomCas application, you will receive an email from UC Berkeley’s Graduate Division prompting you how to pay the fee. The fee is $66 for both domestic and international students.

Access to your supplemental fee portal will begin September 15th. If you submit your application before this date, you may still be extended an invitation to interview; however, you will be required to complete the supplemental fee before receiving notification of Berkeley Optometry’s admissions decision. After September 15th, the supplemental fee will be required for a completed application.

How to Apply

On this page we’ll go over the basic requirements for admission to the OD program. You can also visit our Applicant Profile page to see GPA and test scores for our previous applicants.

How to Apply

Virtual Admissions Presentation

Want to learn more? Please watch our 33 minute virtual admissions presentation led by our Associate Director of Admissions.

Virtual Admissions Presentation
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