Editorial Policy

Last updated Nov 2, 2026.

FutureOD earns money from a few places. None of them is allowed to change what the site says.

Money Never Changes Data

No school or company can pay to change a figure, its label or its place in any table, list or recommendation. Every number comes from the source cited on the page, and we show when we last checked it.

Rankings and Recommendations

• Lists of companies are alphabetical unless a page says otherwise, and every option is compared on the same criteria.
• A recommendation depends on what the student needs, such as budget, format or a free starting point, never on who pays us.
• FutureOD doesn't publish a ranking of schools or a score for them.

Labeled Links

Affiliate links are marked with an Affiliate tag and explained before the first one on the page. The Affiliate Disclosure lists which companies have one.

Core Tools Stay Free

The school database, Compare, stats checker, OAT score tracker, cost calculator, deadline timeline and every guide are free, with no account.

Sponsorships and Ads

FutureOD has none today. If we add them, they'll be clearly labeled as sponsored or advertising and kept off school profiles, Compare and the pages on money and policy. The privacy policy explains how ad cookies work.

Sources and Labels

Figures carry a label for where they come from: official, school or estimate. About the labels explains each, and About FutureOD lists the sources.

Corrections

When a figure changes, it goes on the What Changed page with the old value, the new one and the source. To report an error, contact us with a link to the source.

Independence

FutureOD isn't affiliated with any school, ASCO or OptomCAS. It's built by a current applicant who works in pediatric eye care.