What do graduates do?
- Optometrist in high street practices or hospital eye clinics
- Glasses and contact lens prescribing and dispensing
- Low vision rehabilitation
- Monitoring eye disease such as diabetes and glaucoma
- Research and academia
- Industry and public health
Length by country
EnglandDurations are based on example programmes. They can vary from school to school within the same country.
First year and core courses
Examples from the first year and core course lists of different schools.
Which subjects matter?
Manchester's typical offer is AAA to AAB, including two of chemistry, biology, mathematics or physics at grade A. With the IB it is 35 points with 6, 6, 5 at Higher Level, including two sciences.
This is one example school’s requirement; requirements vary by school and country.
Before you apply
Graduates register directly with the GOC (General Optical Council) in the UK. Rules for practising in other countries vary; Manchester notes that some countries may require extra assessments. An overseas police check is required.
Examples of schools where you can study this subject
2 schools in 2 countries. Programmes were checked on the schools’ own websites. These are only examples; every country has many more options. We choose the schools that fit your budget, documents and goals together.
United Kingdom
University of ManchesterOptometry MSci · Manchester
New Zealand
University of AucklandBachelor of Optometry · AucklandWhat to know, country by country
For each country where you can study this subject: an example tuition fee and the next step in the timeline. You can find the details in our country guides.
- 26 October to 21 December 2026
Booking period for the January 2027 session of the ESAT, TMUA and TARA exams (for universities other than Oxford and Cambridge).
- 15 November 2026
For those considering February/March 2027 (Semester One) entry: the last day to apply from abroad at Otago. At Canterbury the international closing date is 1 December, and at Auckland it is 8 December 2026 for most bachelor's programs.
Let’s build your school list for Optometry together
- We choose schools from 26 countries that fit your grades, budget and documents.
- We gather every school’s application timeline, required documents and exam scores in one list.
- We put tuition fees and living costs side by side.
- We prepare your application file and personal statement together.
Other fields of study in this category
Last checked: November 2026.
Is Optometry right for you?
Let's talk about interests, strong subjects and target countries, and narrow down the subject and school options together.