Financing an Optometric Education

Accepted applicants should be aware of loans, scholarships, grants, and work-study, which provide the majority of aid to optometry students.

Loans, which are the primary source of financial aid for optometry students, must be repaid after graduation. Scholarships, which are merit-based or need-based, do not require the recipient to repay the award. Work-study gives students the opportunity to work part-time. In addition, there are state contract programs, which pay a portion of a student’s tuition, and U.S. Armed Forces’ scholarship programs, which require a service commitment following graduation.

The following list presents an overview of the most commonly used federal sources of assistance. Applicants are cautioned that requirements for the various loan programs may change or programs may be eliminated based on actions of the government.

Loan Programs

• Federal Direct Loan Unsubsidized
• U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS) Loans for Disadvantaged Students (LDS)
• DHHS Health Professions Student Loan (HPSL)
• Federal Graduate PLUS loans
• Private alternative loans
• Institutional loan programs (limited)

Scholarship Programs

• DHHS Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students (SDS)
• State contracts
• Military Health Professions Scholarship
• Institutional scholarship programs

1. Name of Scholarship/Grant Opportunity/Initiative: Opportunities in Optometry (for pre-optometry students). To promote diversity and equity in the optometric profession for generations to come, the American Optometric Association (AOA) and the American Optometric Student Association (AOSA) have created the AOA/AOSA Opportunities in Optometry Grant program. This fund is designed as a one-time $1,500 stipend for under-represented minority students interested in the field of optometry to help defray the costs associated with applying to optometry school.

   The Opportunities in Optometry application deadlines are April 1 and December 1. Please give us up to 60 days after the deadline to review applications and inform you if you are a grant recipient. Note that if you apply in between deadlines that we will not begin reviewing applications until the next posted deadline (4/1 or 12/1), so allow 60 days after the nearest deadline before reaching out about your application status. If you have questions on the application, please reach out to the Optometry Cares Program Manager, Molly Brown, at mbrown@aoa.org.

   Apply here.

2.  Name of Scholarship/Grant Opportunity/Initiative: University of Pikeville Kentucky College of Optometry (KYCO) OAT Grant.
   
   Description: The Optometry Admission Test (OAT) currently costs $500.00 to register. OAT Preparation materials are expensive with the three most popular practice texts costing $117.95 total. These dollar amounts create a significant financial barrier for some students that wish to enter the profession of optometry. It is KYCO’s desire to increase the diversity of the optometric profession and removing barriers is one way of achieving this goal, therefore, KYCO has established the KYCO Optometry Admissions Test Grant fund to assist students with paying for the OAT and preparation materials. The goal is to remove the cost of the OAT as a barrier for Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, Native American/Native Hawaiian or “first in college” students who need financial assistance. Anyone in the United States who plans to attend optometry school is eligible for the assistance. For more information, contact Dr. Donald Egan at donaldegan@upike.edu.

3. Name of Scholarship/Grant Opportunity/Initiative: The Indian Health Service (IHS) Scholarship Program.
   
   Description: The IHS Scholarship Program provides qualified American Indian and Alaska Native health professions students an opportunity to establish an educational foundation for each stage of your pre-professional careers. Since IHS began providing scholarship support to American Indian and Alaska Native students to pursue health profession careers in 1978, the program has grown to support, educate and place health care professionals within medically underserved Indian health programs throughout the continental United States and Alaska. For more information, click here.

4. Name of Scholarship/Grant Opportunity/Initiative: Black Eyecare Perspective (BEP).Description: BEP was designed and created to cultivate and foster lifelong relationships between African Americans and the eyecare industry. Black Eyecare Perspective raises the alarm regarding the inequality found within the eyecare arena. First steps involve, identifying the issues, presenting sound and equitable solutions, and finding ways to realize the needed outcomes. Data from the US. Census shows that 13.4% of the U.S. population identifies as African American. This is a far cry from the representation currently present in the vision care world. The goals of BEP are:
   • To increase the number of black leaders addressing the biases in the eyecare industry.
   • To help eyecare professionals and companies stay effective and relevant in a forever changing landscape by aligning their values based on equity and inclusion within the eyecare industry.
   • To help facilitate better dialogue between non-minority eyecare professionals and the black demographic in an eyecare setting.

   Black EyeCare Perspective has the first nationally recognized pre-optometry club established to ensure not a single, potential, future black student or optometrist is ignored, discouraged or disadvantaged. Interested in becoming a member of the Black EyeCare Perspective Pre-Optometry Club, complete a membership profile here and an advisor will get in contact with you.

   For more information, click here.

Name of Scholarship/Grant Opportunity/Initiative: US Army Health Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP)

Description: The US Army can help pay for your advanced medical degree with one of the most comprehensive scholarships available in the health care field — The F. Edward Hébert Armed Forces Health Professions Scholarship Program.

Qualifying students can receive full tuition for any accredited medical, dental, veterinary, psychiatric nurse practitioner, psychology or optometry program, plus a generous monthly stipend.

For more information, click here.

Name of Scholarship/Grant Opportunity/Initiative: Transitions^® Optical Advancement Educational Grant Program

Description: To help support and empower the next generation of optometrists and opticians, Transitions, in partnership with its Optical Advancement Board, is now accepting applications for its Transitions^® Optical Advancement educational grant program until April 30, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. ET.

Transitions, which is a part of the EssilorLuxottica group, will award five grants in the amount of $1,000 to applicants who are graduating high school seniors or recent graduates planning to attend opticianry school in the U.S. Additionally, two grants in the amount of $5,000 will be awarded to first-year through third-year optometry students attending an accredited U.S. school or college.

Grant Eligibility

All grant applicants must be U.S. citizens, permanent residents, or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients.

For more information, click here.

The majority of optometry students borrow to pay for the cost of their education. Borrowing means the student has the benefit of using someone else’s money now in exchange for paying it back with interest at a later date. Students are legally obligated to repay their loans. Defaulting on a student loan has financial and legal consequences that can have negative personal and professional effects. The vast majority of optometry graduates repay their loans either on time or early. The financial aid office at a specific college can provide information on management of a student’s debt.