The Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO) has announced that US optometry institutions received the highest number of applicants in history—2,896 applicants—for the 2024 to 2025 Optometry Centralized Application Service (OptomCAS) cycle. According to a press release, this is a 1% increase from the previous cycle. There were also 12,535 total applications submitted, which was a 1.5% decrease from the previous cycle. On average, each applicant applied to 4.3 schools.

Applications from Black/African American candidates increased 3.6% from last cycle for a total of 145 applicants, though the 2020 to 2021 cycle retains the record for the most applicants at 160. Applications from Hispanic/Latino applicants set a new record with 376 applicants. A comprehensive report on the 2024 to 2025 applicant pool will be released at the end of the year.
OptomCAS includes all 25 ASCO member institutions. The 2025 to 2026 application cycle launched on June 26. Additional information can be found on the OptomCAS website.