Optometry school prerequisites are the undergraduate courses you complete before applying.
ASCO's general requirements for most optometry programs include at least one year each of biology or zoology, general chemistry, general physics, English and college math.
Beyond that baseline, each school sets its own list — ASCO's May 2026 chart tracks school-specific requirements in calculus, anatomy, physiology, organic chemistry, biochemistry, microbiology, statistics, psychology and shadowing.
Which science courses are required?
ASCO — the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry — publishes a general prerequisite list for most optometry programs, and its science core is three subjects.
- Biology or zoology — at least one year.
- General chemistry — at least one year.
- General physics — at least one year.
The general list is the baseline, not the whole science requirement.
ASCO's May 2026 prerequisite chart also tracks more science subjects school by school: anatomy, physiology, organic chemistry, biochemistry and microbiology.
Organic chemistry is the one to watch.
It sits outside the general one-year list, but it is on the school-specific side of the chart, so whether a given program requires it is a per-school question.
These courses are the entry side of the full education requirements for optometrists — the OD degree comes first, and licensure follows it.
Which math and other courses?
Two more subjects sit on ASCO's general list: English and college math, each at least one year.
The general requirement is phrased as college math rather than naming a specific course.
Which math classes a program expects is a per-school question — ASCO's May 2026 chart tracks calculus and statistics as school-specific requirements.
- English — general list, at least one year.
- College math — general list, at least one year.
Three more subjects sit on the school-specific side of the chart.
- Calculus — tracked school by school.
- Statistics — tracked school by school.
- Psychology — tracked school by school.
How much of this applies to you depends on where you apply, which is the next question.
Do prerequisites differ by school?
Yes — programs set prerequisites individually, and ASCO tracks them that way.
Its May 2026 prerequisite chart tracks requirements school by school in calculus, anatomy, physiology, organic chemistry, biochemistry, microbiology, statistics, psychology and shadowing.
The general subjects are the shared baseline ASCO describes for most programs.
The school-specific columns are where programs diverge, which is why the chart exists at all.
Shadowing is the one non-course subject among the nine entries ASCO tracks.
Programs track it alongside the prerequisites, so keep it in your planning next to the coursework.
When you compare programs, the school list is the starting point.
Requirements change — confirm each school's list
Can you use AP or community college credit?
For AP credit, ASCO's guidance is direct: check each school.
Its prerequisite guidance tells applicants to confirm with each program about AP and online credit.
There is no blanket answer to cite.
Our research did not establish a national policy on AP, online or community-college credit for optometry prerequisites, so each admissions office is the authority for its own list.
Community-college coursework is a separate question.
We did not confirm how individual programs treat prerequisite courses taken at a community college, so treat it as a per-school question and ask before you rely on a course.
The practical habit is simple.
If any part of your prerequisite record is AP, online or community-college credit, put the question to every school on your list before you apply, not after.
Do you need a bachelor's?
BLS describes optometry applicants as needing at least 3 years of undergraduate education, and typically holding a bachelor's degree.
The OD degree those courses lead into takes 4 years.
Is the bachelor's itself a hard requirement everywhere?
That is not something our research confirmed.
BLS describes it as typical rather than universal, and the undergraduate minimum is a program-level detail.
Check the admissions requirements of the schools on your list before you plan around one assumption.
The requirements name courses, not a major — ASCO's general list is entirely course-based.
Applicant data shows how many routes reach it: in the 2024-25 OptomCAS cycle, biology was by far the most common major among applicants (1,097), followed by biological sciences (266), psychology (173), biomedical science (170) and health science (167).
Plan the general courses early in your undergraduate program, keep the school-specific subjects in view as you choose target schools, and confirm both against each program's current list.