Early Admission

Start your degree a year early with the 3+4 program

While a bachelor’s degree is strongly recommended, some students choose to apply to the Doctor of Optometry program before earning one.

Students who gain early admission to the program enter the School of Optometry—and the job market—a year earlier. They also save money, by paying for one less year of an undergraduate education.

Early admission prerequisites

For early admission to the Doctor of Optometry program, without a bachelor’s degree, you must have:

A cumulative GPA of 3.6 or higher
At least 90 college credit hours from the list of required courses, plus an additional 18 hours of college credit required for early admission, listed below.
Of the 90 credit hours required, at least 12 credits must be at the 300–400 level.

Application Questions?

Would you like to attend an online webinar presentation about the admission process or would you like to meet with an advisor online and discuss your application in a one-on-one setting?

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Required courses for early admission

In addition to the standard admission prerequisites, students entering the Doctor of Optometry program without a bachelor’s degree must have completed additional courses in the following areas. Up to 10 credit hours may be completed online.

Course requirements
Subject area	Minimum credit hours
Arts and humanities (at least two courses)*	6
Foreign language (at least two courses)**	6
Social and historical studies (at least two courses)*	6
Additional credits	as needed

* A minimum of two courses is required for each. For departments in this area, consult the IUB College of Arts and Sciences Bulletin at https://bulletin.college.indiana.edu/curriculum/

** This requirement for an IU Bachelor of Science in Optometry may be met by placement examination. Students who have completed two or more years of a single foreign language in high school with an average grade of C or above, or have completed a bachelor’s degree at another institution, are exempt from this requirement. (Note: Variation exists among academic divisions of the university in basic foreign language requirements and exemption policies. Consult the appropriate bulletin for foreign language requirements.)

Contact the Office of Student Administration

For Doctor of Optometry program admission questions or to schedule an advising appointment, please contact:

Office of Student Administration
Indiana University School of Optometry
800 E. Atwater Avenue
Second Floor
Bloomington, IN 47405

Phone: 812-855-1917
Fax: 812-855-4389
Email: iubopt@iu.edu

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