Advanced Standing
The Doctor of Optometry International Advanced-Standing pathway allows candidates who meet one of the below criteria to pursue an OD degree:
- Applicant is currently enrolled, or has previously attended, an optometry program other than in the United States or Canada.
- Applicant earned a terminal medical degree (such as a Bachelor’s in Medicine or Doctor of Medicine), or an optometry degree from outside the United States or Canada.
2027 Application
- Online Application
- Application Checklist
- Personal Competencies for Admission and Matriculation (PDF)
Application Opens: March 1, 2026
Application Closes: November 1, 2026 (11:59 PM EST)
Application Process
- All application materials and application fees must be received on or before the deadline.
- After submitting your application online, you will follow-up with the additional documentation outlined in the application checklist.
- Application materials received after the deadline are considered late and may not be processed.
- A non-refundable application fee of $200 must be paid online at the time you submit your application.
- If the Admissions Committee determines you are eligible to interview, we will contact you to schedule an appointment.
- Admission to the Advanced Standing (OD-AS) program is competitive. An interview is required for consideration. Only qualified applicants will be invited to interview. Transfer credit and year placement are determined on a case-by-case basis. Evaluation may include:
- Prior optometric coursework
- Clinical practice experience
- Demonstrated proficiency through successful completion of examinations administered by the National Board of Examiners in Optometry (NBEO)
- On campus Clinical Competency Exam (required for consideration of advanced clinical placement)
Students admitted to the OD-AS program may be placed into the first, second, third, or fourth professional year curriculum based on the outcome of this comprehensive review.
Admissions Timeline
Application
March 1
Applications open.
Late March
Application processing begins. Candidates will receive emails for:
- Acknowledgment of application receipt
- A list of any missing materials
- Notification when your application is complete and sent to the Admissions Committee
November 1
WesternU’s deadline to submit Online Application through WesternU’s application portal, along with associated fees.
Interview
November–December
Selected candidates will be invited via email for an interview.
Admission Offers
December–January
The committee can provide acceptance into the program; however, potential NBEO exams may delay the placement.
Accepted Candidates
Once placement within the program is received, you will have two weeks from your offer date to pay your $500 deposit.
*Please note that all deadlines will be strictly enforced. *
- A completed online application must be submitted on or before the application deadline.
- A non-refundable application fee of $200 must be paid online at the time you submit your application.
Transcripts and Evaluations
- Official transcripts for all coursework taken from non-US institutions (excluding Canada) must be submitted to one of the approved services listed below.
World Education Services (WES)
P.O. Box 5087, Bowling Green Station
New York, NY 10274-5087
(212) 966-6311
Josef Silny & Associates (JSA)
7101 SW 102 Avenue
Miami, FL 33173
(305) 273-1616
- All foreign transcripts must be evaluated course-by-course with letter grades, pass/fail, or credit/no credit, and must specify which courses are considered undergraduate, graduate and professional.
- The evaluation service should send/release the official evaluation directly to WesternU.
- Official transcripts for any courses completed at U.S. or Canadian institution must be submitted directly to WesternU.
- Receiving transcripts from an approved service can take several months to complete. Therefore, we advise applicants to complete this step first in their application process. Applying to ODAS without completed evaluation of transcripts from an approved service is not recommended.
All non-native English speakers must be proficient in English speaking and reading comprehension as verified by one of the following:
- Official TOEFL internet-based test score report ETS TOEFL
- A minimum score of 79 for the Internet-Based test must be submitted at the time of application.
- Date of score report must be within two years of application.
- Official score report should be sent/released directly to WesternU.
- Official English3 (E3PT) score results.
- An overall minimum score of 75 must be achieved.
- Date of score report must be within two years of application.
- Official score report should be sent/released directly to WesternU.
- Waiver Requests
- Waivers will be considered on a case-by-case basis for those who feel they are proficient in English speaking and reading comprehension.
- If you wish to request a waiver, please email Nicole Gutzke a detailed explanation as to why you feel the TOEFL/E3PT test should be waived. Your request will then be forwarded to the Admissions Committee for consideration.
- We do not accept TOEFL’s “The Best” score. We only accept the Internet-Based test submitted at the time of application. If you retake the test prior to the to the deadline, we will accept the test that has been most recently submitted.
NOTE: If, at the time of the interview, there are concerns about an applicant’s English proficiency, they may be asked to take, or re-take, the TOEFL or E3PT exam in order to complete the admissions process.
- If you have taken the OAT, please release your scores to Western University of Health Sciences.
- We require three letters of recommendation. It is suggested that one letter be from an optometrist/clinical supervisor, and one from a faculty member, pre-health advisor, or employee who is familiar with the applicant’s work.
- The request for a letter of recommendation will be sent electronically to your recommenders with the information you provide in your application.
- A current curriculum vitae with details of your current and/or past professional experiences must be submitted with your application.
- As part of the placement decision, applicants may be requested to take and pass Parts I, II, or III of the NBEO examination testing sequence. Applicants are responsible for any score report fees through NBEO.org.
- All applicants who wish to be considered for placement into the 4th year curriculum will need to have passed all three parts of the NBEO examination before a final decision is made.
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NBEO Sponsorship Policy
Once students have been offered and have accepted admission to the program, they may request sponsorship to take one or more parts of the National Board of Examiners in Optometry (NBEO) exam sequence to support placement determination. Sponsorship will only be granted once.
Accepted students who wish to have their NBEO scores considered for placement may request a deferred admission until after completing the desired NBEO exam(s). Deferred admission may be granted for up to one academic year, with approval from the College Dean. Students requesting a deferral must submit their planned exam schedule and timing.
To ensure informed placement decisions in the best interest of the student, final placement determinations will be made after NBEO scores are received. Only passing scores will be used for placement consideration.
Students who choose not to take any NBEO exams for placement are not required to do so.
For NBEO policies regarding Sponsored Candidates, visit: NBEO Exam Eligibility Policy
- An interview is required for admissions consideration. Competitive applicants will be invited for an interview during late November or December of 2026.
- Matriculating students accepted into the advanced standing program are expected to arrive 3 weeks prior to the start of the regular curriculum for ODAS orientation.
- International students are required to provide proof of funding for one academic year before an I-20 will be issued.
- International applicants, or any other applicants who are not U.S. citizens and who are living in the U.S., must provide proof of legal U.S. residency prior to matriculation.