Optometry Students
Student Support
Optometry students have access to resources and services in the Student Affairs Office. These services are part of what makes Pacific University a great place to complete your education!
The College of Optometry organizes different programs and events that assist and support students. Such as scheduling and registration of all students, acting as the liaison between students and University offices, and working with the student government (Student Optometric Association). Events that we plan include New Student Orientation, White Coat Ceremony, Welcome to the Profession Ceremony and Practice Opportunity Fairs, among others.
The College of Optometry collaborates with the Student Affairs office to assist students with issues that may not be academic in nature, but affect academic performance. This can include personal/family stress, medical emergencies, financial hardships, etc. The Student Affairs office serves as advocates for students if they need help working out concerns or issues with faculty members or administrators. Our doors are always open, and we encourage students to stop in at any time.
Student Accolades
Our students continue to excel academically. The National Board exams, which represent a national standard of entry-level competence to practice optometry, shows how our students scored in national comparisons.
NBEO Pass Rates by graduation year
updated 11/14/2024
| Part I - Applied Basic Science (March & August Administration) | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Graduation Year |
PUCO Pass Rate - First Time Takers |
National Pass Rate - First Time Takers |
| 2024 | TBD | TBD |
|
2023 |
77.17% | 62.65% |
|
2022 |
74.71% |
73.19% |
|
2021 |
82.76% |
77.67% |
|
2020 |
80.22% |
81.77% |
|
2019 |
87.36% | 74.66% |
|
2018 |
83.75% | 72.93% |
|
2017 |
91.01% | 79.04% |
| Part II - Patient Assessment & Management (PAM) | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Graduation Year |
PUCO Pass Rate - First Time Takers |
National Pass Rate - First Time Takers |
| 2024 | TBD | TBD |
|
2023 |
94.57% | 74.18% |
|
2022 |
86.21% | 86.01% |
|
2021 |
94.25% |
89.65% |
|
2020 |
90.11% |
93.21% |
|
2019 |
97.70% | 87.63% |
|
2018 |
95.00% | 89.96% |
|
2017 |
97.75% | 89.33% |
| Part III - Clinical Skills Exam | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Graduation Year |
PUCO Pass Rate - First Time Takers |
National Pass Rate - First Time Takers |
| 2024 | TBD | TBD |
|
2023 |
64.13% | 74.18% |
| 2022 | 85.06% |
79.89% |
|
2021 |
82.76% |
79.87% |
|
2020 |
74.73% |
85.75% |
|
2019 |
89.66% | 83.88% |
|
2018 |
76.25% | 75.97% |
|
2017 |
79.78% | 81.26% |
| Ultimate Pass Rate | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Graduation Year |
PUCO Pass Rate |
National Pass Rate |
| 2024 | TBD | TBD |
|
2023 |
83.70% | 83.59% |
|
2022 |
85.06% |
87.77% |
|
2021 |
95.40% |
92.46% |
|
2020 |
87.91% |
92.11% |
|
2019 |
96.55% | 92.68% |
|
2018 |
93.75% | 92.09% |
|
2017 |
97.75% | 91.06% |
Per accreditation guidelines, below are the first time pass rates by test administration year regardless of graduation year or enrollment status.
| First time Pass rates by test administration year for Pacific University College of Optometry (PUCO) vs. National Results | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Part I Applied Basic Science (March and August Administrations) |
||||
| PUCO Pass Rate - 1st Time Takers | National Pass Rate - First Time Takers | |||
| Year | # - first time takers | % who passed | # - first time takers | % who passed |
| 2023-2024 | 75 | 72.00% | 1662 | 65.82% |
| 2022-2023 | 80 | 78.05% | 1761 | 65.81% |
| 2021-2022 | 92 | 77.17% | 1753 | 63.66% |
| 2020-2021 | 89 | 73.03% | 1754 | 71.84% |
| 2019-2020 | 86 | 83.72% | 1802 | 77.58% |
| 2018-2019 | 91 | 80.22% | 1776 | 77.53% |
Part II Patient Assessment and Management (December and April Administrations) |
||||
| PUCO Pass Rate - 1st Time Takers | National Pass Rate - First Time Takers | |||
| Year | # - first time takers | % who passed | # - first time takers | % who passed |
| 2023-2024 | 82 | 96.34% | 1768 | 84.16% |
| 2022-2023 | 92 | 94.57% | 1772 | 82.90% |
| 2021-2022 | 87 | 86.21% | 1753 | 84.65% |
| 2020-2021 | 87 | 94.25% | 1810 | 88.56% |
| 2019-2020 | 89 | 92.13% | 1727 | 90.21% |
| 2018-2019 | 84 | 97.62% | 1686 | 90.21% |
Part III Clinical Skills Examination (July – June Administrations) |
||||
| PUCO Pass Rate - 1st Time Takers | National Pass Rate - First Time Takers | |||
| Year | # - first time takers | % who passed | # - first time takers | % who passed |
| 2023-2024 | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| 2022-2023 | 92 | 64.13% | 1761 | 74.39% |
| 2021-2022 | 87 | 85.06% | 1749 | 79.65% |
| 2020-2021 | 87 | 82.76% | 1789 | 80.88% |
| 2019-2020 | 85 | 75.29% | 1593 | 85.12% |
| 2018-2019 | 84 | 91.67% | 1665 | 87.03% |
Ultimate Pass Rate Graduation Year (Oct. 1 – Sept. 30) |
||||
| PUCO Pass Rate - 1st Time Takers | National Pass Rate - First Time Takers | |||
| Year | # - first time takers | % who passed | # - first time takers | % who passed |
| 2023-2024 | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| 2022-2023 | 92 | 83.70% | 1764 | 83.79% |
| 2021-2022 | 87 | 85.06% | 1701 | 87.77% |
| 2020-2021 | 87 | 95.40% | 1795 | 92.46% |
| 2019-2020 | 91 | 87.91% | 1653 | 92.20% |
| 2018-2019 | 87 | 96.55% | 1681 | 92.68% |
OEBC Pass Rates
| OEBC Exam Pass Rates by component - Pacific University compared to All writers | ||
|---|---|---|
| Written Component | ||
| First-Time Writers - PUCO | First time - All writers | |
| Year | Pass Rate | Pass Rate |
| 2023-24 | - | 94% |
| 2022-23 | - | 94% |
| 2021-22 | - | 89% |
| 2020-21 | 100% | 92% |
| 2019-20 | 100% | 98% |
| 2018-19 | 100% | 94% |
| 2017-19 | 100% | 92% |
| 2016-17 | 50% | 85% |
| OSCE Component | ||
| First-Time Writers - PUCO | First time - All writers | |
| Year | Pass Rate | Pass Rate |
| 2023-24 | - | 86% |
| 2022-23 | - | 84% |
| 2021-22 | - | 85% |
| 2020-21 | 0% | 78% |
| 2019-20 | 100% | 85% |
| 2018-19 | 86% | 86% |
| 2017-19 | 100% | 88% |
| 2016-17 | 100% | 82% |
OEBC exam results can be accessed on the Optometry Examining Board of Canada website: https://oebc.ca/reports/exam-
Graduation Rates
| Graduation and Attrition | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Entry Year |
2021 |
2020 |
2019 |
2018 |
2017 |
2016 |
2015 |
| Number of Matriculates | 91 | 96 | 94 | 93 | 91 | 94 | 92 |
| Graduated in 4 years | TBD |
81 (84.38%) |
87 (92.55%) | 85 (91.40%) | 87 (95.60%) | 87 (92.55%) | 83 (90.22%) |
| Graduated in 5 or more years | TBD | TBD |
2 (2.13%) |
5 (5.38%) | 2 (2.20%) | 1 (1.06%) | 4 (4.35%) |
| Graduated at any time | TBD |
81 (84.38%) |
89 (94.68%) | 90 (96.77%) | 89 (97.80%) | 88 (93.62%) | 87 (94.57%) |
| Still enrolled or on leave | 75 (82.42%) | 6 (6.25%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0.00%) | 0 (0.00%) | 0 (0.00%) |
| Attrition for Academic Reasons | 11 (12.09%) | 4 (4.17%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 0 | 0 | 1 (1.09%) |
| Attrition for other reasons | 5 (5.49%) | 5 (5.21%) | 5 (5.32%) | 3 (3.23%) | 2 (2.20%) | 6 (6.38%) |
4 (4.35%) |
Residency Program Matches
| Year of Application | PUCO Applicants | Withdrew/No Ranks Submitted | PUCO Matches | Not Matched |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-2024 | 23 | 1 | 20 | 2 |
| 2022-2023 | 18 | 4 | 11 | 3 |
| 2021-2022 | 24 | 3 | 14 | 7 |
| 2020-2021 | 32 | 7 | 19 | 6 |
| 2019-2020 | 24 | 3 | 13 | 8 |
| 2018-2019 | 28 | 5 | 15 | 8 |