Compare / Illinois College (ICO) vs Ohio State

Illinois College (ICO) vs Ohio State

Illinois College of Optometry in Chicago, IL, and The Ohio State University College of Optometry in Columbus, OH, 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	Illinois College (ICO)	Ohio State
Location	Chicago, IL	Columbus, OH
Type	Private	Public
Seats	125	69
Applicants per seat	5.6	8.2
Class GPA	3.59	3.86
Class OAT	334 AA / 331 TS	358 AA / 359 TS
NBEO ultimate pass rate	86.9% (99 tested)	98.3% (60 tested)
Tuition per year	$53,019 2026–27 first year: three quarters at $17,673 tuition, before fees. Last checked Oct 24, 2026	$31,746 resident, $52,802 nonresident (2025–26)
Living cost tier	Moderate: $25,000 a year	Low: $21,000 a year
Est. 4-year cost, out-of-state	$312,076	$295,208
OptomCAS deadline	May 1, 2027	Mar 1, 2027
Interview	One-on-one with faculty or an administrator, on campus or virtual	Not published
Seat deposit	Not published	$750
Letters	2: optometrist + science professor	3: optometrist + professor required

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%.

Tuition figures are for the year each school last published; the years differ, so check the notes in the table before you compare them.

Where They Differ

Board pass rate: Ohio State is higher at 98.3%, against 86.9% at Illinois College (ICO).
Class GPA: Ohio State is higher at 3.86, against 3.59 at Illinois College (ICO).
Class OAT Academic Average: Ohio State is higher at 358, against 334 at Illinois College (ICO).
Seats: Illinois College (ICO) is higher at 125, against 69 at Ohio State.
Applicants per seat: Ohio State is higher at 8.2, against 5.6 at Illinois College (ICO).
Four-year cost, out-of-state: Illinois College (ICO) is higher at $312,076, against $295,208 at Ohio State.
In-state tuition: Ohio State charges $31,746 a year to OH residents. Illinois College (ICO) charges everyone the same rate.
Public or private: Illinois College (ICO) is private, and Ohio State is public.

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