Southern College of Optometry: A Comprehensive Guide to Tuition, Admissions, and Student Life

Southern College of Optometry (SCO), located in Memphis, Tennessee, is a private institution dedicated to training future Doctors of Optometry. This article provides a detailed overview of SCO, covering tuition costs, the admissions process, student life, and career prospects for graduates.

The Doctor of Optometry Profession

Doctors of Optometry are independent primary health care providers specializing in the diagnosis, treatment, and management of diseases and disorders of the visual system, the eye, and associated structures. They also diagnose related systemic conditions. During an examination, the Doctor of Optometry assesses general health conditions, often detecting conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, and arteriosclerosis. The diagnosis of systemic manifestations of ocular disease is necessary to preserve and enhance the patient's quality of life. When appropriate, the optometrist refers patients to other health care professionals and frequently works with them in co-managing the patient's condition.

Vision constantly changes throughout a person's lifetime, and as it does, vision care needs change. Doctors of Optometry provide optometric examinations and treatment which may prevent a patient's vision problem from developing into a serious vision impairment.

Those who choose optometry enjoy challenging and rewarding careers. In many communities, optometrists are the only primary vision care providers. The Doctor of Optometry enjoys the benefits of financial security, independence and prominent status in the community.

Tuition and Fees

Tuition Costs

The 2025-2026 tuition for students is $45,902. Southern College of Optometry typically has the lowest regional tuition amongst the private optometry schools and has one of the lowest non-regional tuitions of all optometry schools.

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Additional Fees

Beyond tuition, students should be aware of additional fees that contribute to the overall cost of attendance.

Activity Fee: The college annually charges an Activity Fee ($100) to help fund the operations of student events.
SGA Fee: There is also an SGA fee ($140) to provide funds for SGA activities.
American Academy of Optometry Dues: The American Academy of Optometry dues ($15) are charged in 2nd and 3rd year.
Transcript Fee: The transcript fee allows students an unlimited number of future transcript requests.
Preventive Health Fee: The preventive health fee pays for each student’s annual flu shots and TB skin tests as needed.

Financial Aid and State Contract Seats

Many students qualify for a state contract seat or a forgivable loan offered by their respective state. These awards are for a finite number of students from each state for each entering class. Should a student receive a state contract seat/forgivable loan, the amounts below will be applied toward the student’s tuition.

Financial aid is available. Your financial aid packet will contain a short and simple SCO application form, and a longer federal form - the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Students must submit both forms to have a valid application. Once your eligibility has been determined, the SCO Financial Aid Office will work with you to ensure that you receive the necessary funds at the best terms. In other words, depending on how much a student needs to borrow, a Financial Aid Counselor will work with each student to obtain the lowest interest rate, the best grace period (interest deferment) and the most attractive repayment period.

Financial Estimations

Here's a breakdown of financial estimations for students starting Fall 2025:

	First Year	Second Year	Third Year	Fourth Year
In-State Tuition	$45,902	$45,902	$45,902	$45,902
Out-State Tuition	$45,902	$45,902	$45,902	$45,902
Additional Fees	$515	$255	$255	$390
Cost of Living Score	85.8	-	-	-

Scores lower than 100 would indicate a cost of living lower than average.

Read also: Affording SNHU

Admissions

Application Process

SCO participates in the centralized application service known as OptomCAS. SCO's application deadline is March 1 each year. SCO accepts applications from June 26 until March 1 for the 2025-2026 application cycle. For future reference, the specific dates modestly change for each application cycle.

The OptomCAS application fee is $187 for the first school and $85 for each additional school.

Admission Requirements

A candidate for admission to SCO is required to present at least three years of undergraduate work, including a minimum of 90 semester or 135 quarter hours. A minimum of 30 semester or 45 quarter hours must be completed at a four-year college or university.

SCO does not have a preference in academic majors. Students from various academic backgrounds are accepted each year; however, all accepted students must complete all SCO prerequisite courses prior to entering the O.D. program.

Prerequisite Course Work

Required Course Credits (Semesters/Quarters):

General Biology or Zoology: 8 / 12 (Required Lab)
General Microbiology: 4 / 6

Additional Requirements

AP Credit: Yes, AP credit is acceptable if documentation is provided on the undergraduate transcript or through official score reports. However, the admissions committee may recommend/require additional science coursework covering the AP credit based on overall academic performance and/or OAT scores.
Community College Coursework: Yes
Minimum number of College Credit Hours required: A minimum of 90 semester or 135 quarter hours. A minimum of 30 semester hours (or 45 quarter hours) must be completed at a four-year college or university.
Required Shadowing Hours: There is no required minimum number of hours of shadowing, but 30 or more hours is preferred.
Letters of Recommendation: Two letters of recommendation are required: one from a pre-health advisor or natural science professor, and one from a non-relative Doctor of Optometry.
Supplemental Application: Required
Supplemental Application Fee
CASPer Required?

Academic Averages

Although SCO does not have a minimum OAT score or grade point average (GPA), applicants are encouraged to call the Office of Student Services to discuss their competitiveness if their GPA is under 2.5 or their OAT score is under 300. The average GPA of an entering class is usually around 3.6, and the average OAT score has been around 335.

Interview Process

Applicants receiving an interview invitation are typically offered several dates from which to choose. Interviews are held on our campus in Memphis, Tennessee. SCO begins conducting interviews in August and continues until the end of March. The interview itself is a blind interview, one-on-one with a faculty member who only knows your name and home state. Although the interview is only about an hour long, applicants are also given a tour of the facilities, a tour of the city, a financial aid session, and an information session about living in Memphis. A virtual interview option may be made available for candidates that live outside of the United States.

Acceptance Rate

The ratio of applications received to entering students for the last few years has been between 5:1 and 7:1.

Graduation Rate

There is a perception that professional schools will "weed out" a portion of students after the first year or two. The admissions team evaluates an applicant's potential to successfully complete the degree program at SCO. With the scrutiny of the admissions team, SCO has been able to successfully graduate over 96% of each class in recent years. SCO monitors how each student progresses through our four-year professional program. Passage rates refer to first-time test takers at SCO and do not represent the total number who eventually passed on future exam dates.

Student Life

SCO students actively participate in college life. Approximately 90% of the SCO students are active members of at least one student organization. For almost any organization commonly found on undergraduate campuses, there is a comparable organization active at SCO.

The Student Government Association takes a leading role at the college by recommending policies and coordinating many of the academic, service and social events on campus. The SGA also oversees an extensive intramural program open to all students, spouses, faculty and staff. Intramural sports include basketball, softball, golf, flag football, racquetball, volleyball, etc.

Academic Life

As an SCO student, your first obligation is to your academics. During the week (Monday-Friday), a student's schedule is filled with lecture, lab and clinic assignments. In other words, it is somewhat difficult to secure an off-campus job due to the academic load. Most students who work part-time will utilize the Federal Work-Study Program.

Optometry school is a commitment. Students are usually on campus early morning through middle afternoon. One can compare it to a full-time job. Also, on average, students will study at least three hours a day to keep up with their academic load. Many times, this work can be partially completed during the one to two-hour breaks students usually have during the day. Other students opt to use this time for work-study assignments. Although this is a significant time commitment, SCO students have time to participate in a variety of activities and/or spend time with their families. Many students are active in at least one student organization. Also, a significant portion of our student body is married.

Comparison with Medical School

Both optometry and medical schools are four-year programs in which students pursue their doctoral degree. During the four-year programs, both optometry and medical students will have didactic (classroom and laboratory) assignments, then gradually move into more clinical assignments and rotations. Both optometry and medical students must pass a series of national boards examinations testing basic science and clinical knowledge. The significant difference between optometry and medical school occurs after the student graduates. A student who graduates from medical school must perform a three to five-year residency to become eligible to practice.

Career Outlook

The outlook for the optometric market is strong. First, the scope of practice for optometry continues to grow, and thus creates more need for optometrists. Second, the "baby boomer" generation has begun to retire, so there will be significant opportunities as these optometrists retire over the next 10 years. Finally, and most importantly, optometry is defined as the primary care provider for eye and vision care.

The type of practice setting which the optometrist may enter is also expanding. While private solo practice is still the predominant mode of practice, more optometrists are entering into partnerships or group practices with other optometrists or other health care providers.

To help our students find the best possible practice opportunity when they graduate, SCO maintains a Placement Service for our students. This service helps to match students with a variety of practice opportunities based upon students’ desired criteria.

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