Compare / Chicago (Midwestern) vs Illinois College (ICO)

Chicago (Midwestern) vs Illinois College (ICO)

Chicago College of Optometry, Midwestern University in Downers Grove, IL, and Illinois College of Optometry in Chicago, IL, side by side on the same measures. Schools are listed alphabetically, and neither is a pick from us.

Last checked Nov 2, 2026. Board results are NBEO 2024–25; class figures are the fall 2025 entering class.

Measure	Chicago (Midwestern)	Illinois College (ICO)
Location	Downers Grove, IL	Chicago, IL
Type	Private	Private
Seats	63	125
Applicants per seat	11.7	5.6
Class GPA	3.54	3.59
Class OAT	324 AA / 317 TS	334 AA / 331 TS
NBEO ultimate pass rate	80.4% (46 tested)	86.9% (99 tested)
Tuition per year	$49,634 2026–27 (tuition frozen at the 2025–26 rate)	$53,019 2026–27 first year: three quarters at $17,673 tuition, before fees. Last checked Oct 24, 2026
Living cost tier	Moderate: $25,000 a year	Moderate: $25,000 a year
Est. 4-year cost, out-of-state	$298,536	$312,076
OptomCAS deadline	Apr 1, 2027	May 1, 2027
Interview	Closed-file interview, on campus	One-on-one with faculty or an administrator, on campus or virtual
Seat deposit	Not published	Not published
Letters	2: optometrist required	2: optometrist + science professor

Four-year costs use out-of-state tuition for public schools, four years of flat tuition and a living allowance by tier, before scholarships. For the U.S. as a whole, the board pass rate is 82.5%.

Where They Differ

Board pass rate: Illinois College (ICO) is higher at 86.9%, against 80.4% at Chicago (Midwestern).
Class GPA: Illinois College (ICO) is higher at 3.59, against 3.54 at Chicago (Midwestern).
Class OAT Academic Average: Illinois College (ICO) is higher at 334, against 324 at Chicago (Midwestern).
Seats: Illinois College (ICO) is higher at 125, against 63 at Chicago (Midwestern).
Applicants per seat: Chicago (Midwestern) is higher at 11.7, against 5.6 at Illinois College (ICO).
Four-year cost, out-of-state: Illinois College (ICO) is higher at $312,076, against $298,536 at Chicago (Midwestern).

Class averages aren't cutoffs and pass rates describe past graduates, not you. A higher number isn't a better school; it's a different one to weigh against what you want.

What Each School Page Notes