Compare / Illinois College (ICO) vs UMSL

Illinois College (ICO) vs UMSL

Illinois College of Optometry in Chicago, IL, and UMSL College of Optometry in St. Louis, MO, 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)	UMSL
Location	Chicago, IL	St. Louis, MO
Type	Private	Public
Seats	125	46
Applicants per seat	5.6	8.6
Class GPA	3.59	3.50
Class OAT	334 AA / 331 TS	318 AA / 304 TS
NBEO ultimate pass rate	86.9% (99 tested)	83.7% (43 tested)
Tuition per year	$53,019 2026–27 first year: three quarters at $17,673 tuition, before fees. Last checked Oct 24, 2026	$30,560 resident, $50,464 nonresident (2026–27)
Living cost tier	Moderate: $25,000 a year	Low: $21,000 a year
Est. 4-year cost, out-of-state	$312,076	$285,856
OptomCAS deadline	May 1, 2027	Mar 1, 2027
Interview	One-on-one with faculty or an administrator, on campus or virtual	On campus
Seat deposit	Not published	$500
Letters	2: optometrist + science professor	3: optometrist 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%.

Where They Differ

Board pass rate: Illinois College (ICO) is higher at 86.9%, against 83.7% at UMSL.
Class GPA: Illinois College (ICO) is higher at 3.59, against 3.50 at UMSL.
Class OAT Academic Average: Illinois College (ICO) is higher at 334, against 318 at UMSL.
Seats: Illinois College (ICO) is higher at 125, against 46 at UMSL.
Applicants per seat: UMSL is higher at 8.6, against 5.6 at Illinois College (ICO).
Four-year cost, out-of-state: Illinois College (ICO) is higher at $312,076, against $285,856 at UMSL.
In-state tuition: UMSL charges $30,560 a year to MO residents. Illinois College (ICO) charges everyone the same rate.
Public or private: Illinois College (ICO) is private, and UMSL 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