Admissions Office

Voice 1-800-824-6262
or Email
Admissions@pco.edu

How and What is Needed to Apply

The following is important information for all applicants.  Please read this carefully before completing the application form.  Please send the application form before submitting credentials. When corresponding or having correspondence or transcripts sent to PCO, please be sure to include Department of Graduate Studies on the address.

Application Items that must be submitted:

Transcripts

All applicants are responsible for having official copies of transcripts for every college or university that they have attended sent directly to the Department of Graduate Studies, regardless of whether a degree has been received from that particular institution or not.  These certified copies of official academic records (transcripts) for all undergraduate and graduate work should be mailed directly to the Pennsylvania College of Optometry, Department of Graduate Studies and NOT issued to the student. A transcript which is stamped "Issued to Student" is not acceptable even when delivered in a sealed envelope.

National Test Scores

Applicants who do not have a graduate degree, must have official scores of the appropriate national test sent directly to the Department of Graduate Studies in Vision Impairment, Pennsylvania College of Optometry.  Test scores must be no more than seven years old.

  • MAT: The Miller Analogies Test is a mental abilities test consisting of a series of intellectual problems stated in the form of analogies, mostly verbal, which the student must solve.  The examination is based on general knowledge, takes 50 minutes, and is administered throughout the country, on a regular basis by local test centers.  In the Philadelphia area, the test centers are at Temple University, LaSalle University, St. Joseph's University and Chestnut Hill College.  A $35.00 - $55.00 fee is payable at registration and required in cash or check.  The test is taken only by appointment.
  • GRE: The Graduate Record Examination is administered through the National Program for Graduate School Selection and the Education Testing Service.  The Aptitude Test is a three-and-one-half hour examination measuring general scholastic ability at the graduate level and yielding separate scores for verbal, quantitative and analytic abilities.  Charges for taking the Aptitude test can be found at GRE Test Fees.  The GRE is given five times a year.  (Special administrations are also listed in the GRE Information Bulletin). Score reports take approximately six to eight weeks to reach their destinations.  Students should therefore take care to register for an administration of the examination in time for scores to reach PCO for consideration.
    • Further information may be found in the GRE Information Bulletin available with registration forms from Graduate Record Examination, Educational Testing Service, Box 955, Princeton, New Jersey 08540, (609-771-7670). Website: www.gre.org
  • OAT:  The Optometry Admission Test is designed to measure general academic ability and scientific knowledge.  All the questions are multiple choice; the sections of the test include verbal ability, quantitative ability, biology, chemistry, physics, and reading comprehension.  The charge for taking the test is $75.00.  The test takes approximately four and a half-hours; it is administered twice each year at established testing centers across the U.S.A. and Canada. Additional information is available by writing to the Optometry Admissions Testing Center, Association of Colleges of Optometry, 211 E. Chicago Ave., Suite 1840, Chicago, IL 60611-2678, (312-440-2693). Website: www.ada.org

Letters of Reference

The applicant should complete the top and bottom portions of each reference report.  Send the report to the individual who will be providing the reference.  Request that the individual complete the form and send it directly to the Department of Graduate Studies in Vision Impairment, Pennsylvania College of Optometry, Elkins Park Campus, 8360 Old York Road, Elkins Park, PA 19027. The department fax number is (215)-780-1357.

Job Resume/Curriculum Vita

All applicants should prepare an educational and job resume (or curriculum vita).  The data should list in chronological order education and work experiences, publications, and honors or achievements to date.

Essays

Applicants should submit an essay for one of the options provided in the application.

Application Fee

Mail application fee form and a nonrefundable fee of $50.00 in the form of a check or money order made payable to the Pennsylvania College of Optometry Department of Graduate Studies in Vision Impairment  Pennsylvania College of Optometry, Elkins Park Campus, 8360 Old York Road, Elkins Park, PA 19027.  Please do not send cash.  Do not send a check or money order in excess of the required amount.

Teacher of the Visually Impaired Program

Applicants to the Teacher of the Visually Impaired program must submit copies of current PA and federal background clearances at the time of application to the program.

Submitting an Application:

You can apply for Graduate Studies Programs in Vision Impairment in any of the following ways:

Submit an on-line application to the College.

Complete and submit a written application packet by downloading* the following items:

OR:  Email a request for application materials to be mailed to you.

* IMPORTANT: You must have the Adobe Acrobat Reader version 4 or higher  installed on your computer to view and print the document. If you do not have the reader installed on your computer click  to download a free copy of Acrobat Reader.