Private nonprofit

Illinois College of Optometry

Chicago, Illinois·Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above·Great Lakes·ico.edu
Total enrollment
474
peer median 371
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Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

Of 2 Title IV programs, 1 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 1 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
2
Passing
1
50.0% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

2programs
  • Passing1 · 50.0%
  • No Data1 · 50.0%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
0
Safe
1
No data
1

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

1
Optometry
First Professional Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+122.7%
$133,895 vs $60,112

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

1
Optometry
First Professional Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
170%
$227,761 debt · $133,895 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Higher Learning Commission

Accredited since 1969Next review Aug 2029

Programmatic accreditations · 5

Action history · 8

  1. May 2024Renewal of Accreditation
    American Optometric Association, Accreditation Council on Optometric Education · Optometry (OPTR) - Residency programs
  2. May 2024Renewal of Accreditation
    American Optometric Association, Accreditation Council on Optometric Education · Optometry (OPTR) - Residency programs
  3. Oct 2021Renewal of Accreditation
    American Optometric Association, Accreditation Council on Optometric Education · Optometry (OPTR) - Residency programs
  4. Jun 2019Renewal of Accreditation
    Higher Learning Commission
  5. Jun 2017Renewal of Accreditation
    American Optometric Association, Accreditation Council on Optometric Education · Optometry (OPTR) - Residency programs

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

In AY 2024–25, students received in Pell grants, alongside $24.6M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
null total
Direct Loans
$24.6M
637 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

0k
20
0k
21
0k
22
0k
23
0k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Unsubsidized · Grad$13.8M
330 loan awards
Grad PLUS$10.8M
307 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Of 118 borrowers who entered repayment, 0 (0.0%) defaulted within three years below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
0.0%
-2.3pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
118
Defaulted
0
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
0.7%
2017
0.0%
2018
0.0%
2019
0.0%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at Illinois College of Optometry

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs1
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

121 total completions
01Health Professions
121100.0%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

Fall total
474
12-mo unduplicated
536

Gender split

Men
26%139
Women
74%397

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
10.40
5 offenses · 481 students

3-year trend

1.882 yrs ago3.891 yr ago10.40Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
8
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
1
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

Motor vehicle theft
3
Robbery
1
Aggravated assault
1

By location

5total
  • Public property5

VAWA offenses

1
Domestic violence
0
Dating violence
0
Stalking
1 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons00
Drugs00
Liquor00

Residence-hall fires

No residence-hall fires reported.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Illinois College of Optometry vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Illinois College of Optometry selected for federal comparison reporting.

GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectIllinois College of Optometry
474
Methodist College
20%38.9%267$14,867
National University of Health Sciences
511
Saint Francis Medical Center College of Nursing
605
Saint Anthony College of Nursing
263
Blessing Rieman College of Nursing and Health Sciences
193
Peer group median20%38.9%371$14,867

Frequently asked questions about Illinois College of Optometry

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Illinois College of Optometry.

How many students attend Illinois College of Optometry?

Illinois College of Optometry reports a total enrollment of 474 students per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Illinois College of Optometry located?

Illinois College of Optometry is located in Chicago, Illinois 60616-3878.

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