Guides / OptomCAS application timeline

The OptomCAS application timeline

Most optometry schools admit on a rolling basis, so when you apply matters almost as much as what's in your application. Here's how a strong cycle unfolds.

Last checked Oct 19, 2026.

How OptomCAS works

OptomCAS is the single application most U.S. optometry schools use. You fill it out once, attach transcripts, letters and OAT scores, and choose which schools receive it. Some schools then ask for a supplemental application and fee of their own.

• 2026–27 cycle: opened Jun 25, 2026 and closes May 20, 2027, for students starting in fall 2027.
• Fees: $190 for the first school and $85 for each additional one. Five schools cost $530.
• How many schools: applicants last cycle applied to about 4.3 schools on average.

Month by month

This assumes you want to start optometry school in the fall about 15 months after you apply.

January–April: get ready

• Study for and take the OAT. Spring testing leaves time for a retake if you need one.
• Line up your letter writers and tell them roughly when you'll ask.
• Keep building optometry experience and shadowing hours.
• Draft your personal statement.

May–June: prepare to submit

• Finish your personal statement and ask writers for letters with a firm due date.
• Check prerequisites against your transcript for every school on your list.
• When OptomCAS opens in late June, create your account and request official transcripts. Transcripts sent before the cycle opens are discarded.

July–August: submit early

• Submit as soon as your application is complete. Early applicants tend to get interview invitations and scholarship consideration first.
• Budget about 10 business days for transcripts to arrive and post, and up to two weeks for OptomCAS to verify your coursework. Your application isn't sent to schools until it's verified.
• Complete any supplemental applications as schools send them.

September–March: interviews and decisions

• Interview invitations and acceptances come on a rolling basis through fall and winter.
• If your grades improve, you can add them during the academic update window (December 15, 2026 to January 31, 2027 this cycle).
• Watch the deadlines below, but don't wait for them. Some programs fill their seats before their posted deadline.

Every school's 2026–27 deadline

You can submit until 11:59 p.m. Eastern on the deadline date, and OptomCAS doesn't grant extensions.

Deadlines change each cycle. Confirm with each school before you submit.

Sources

• OptomCAS 2026–27 application walkthrough (University of Georgia pre-health advising)
• OptomCAS application cycle dates
• OptomCAS deadlines and other information, 2026–27
• OptomCAS Applicant Data Report 2024–25

Requirements and dates change each cycle. Always confirm with each school before you apply.

Keep reading

• The OAT, explainedWhat's on the Optometry Admission Test, how it's scored, what it costs and the rules for retaking it.
• What's a good OAT score?Entering-class OAT averages for every school, and what score to aim for.
• The new federal loan capWhat the $200,000 limit on federal loans means for every school's cost.
• Shadowing and optometry experienceHow many hours schools expect, how to find an optometrist to shadow, and what counts.