Illinois College of Optometry: Enrollment, Tuition and Outcomes Data

About

The Illinois College of Optometry (ICO) is a private optometry college in Chicago, Illinois. Graduating approximately 160 optometrists a year, it is the largest optometry college in the United States and the oldest continually operating educational facility dedicated solely to the teaching of optometrists. The college complex incorporates more than 366,000 square feet (34,000 m2) including an on-site eye care clinic, electronically enhanced lecture center, library, computerized clinical learning equipment, cafeteria, fitness center, and living facilities.

Program outcomes

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

FVT/GE

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

Program

Typical

Benchmark

EP gap

Optometry

First Professional Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences

$133,895

$60,112

National BA Median

+122.7%

+$73,783

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

Program

Median debt

Median earnings

Debt burden

Optometry

First Professional Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences

$227,761

$133,895

170%

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.

DAPIP

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Higher Learning Commission

Accredited since 1969Next review Aug 2029

Programmatic accreditations · 5

Action history · 8

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

Federal Student Aid

In AY 2024–25, students received in Pell grants, alongside $24.2M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients

—

AY 2024–25

Pell disbursed

—

null total

Direct Loans

$24.2M

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$13.7M

331 loan awards

Grad PLUS$10.5M

306 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.

Cohort Default Rate

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%-8.6

2017

0.0%-9.2

2018

0.0%-7.0

2019

0.0%-2.3

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.

IPEDS

Distinct CIP programs1

GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

98 total completions

01Health Professions

98100.0%

01Health Professions

98100.0%

Enrollment trends & demographics

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

IPEDS

Fall total

474

12-mo unduplicated

522

Gender split

Men

28%146

Women

72%376

Campus safety & crime statistics

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

Clery Act

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students

6.21

3 offenses · 483 students

3-year trend

3.892 yrs ago10.401 yr ago6.21Latest

Offenses · 3-yr

10

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

2

Aggravated assault

1

By location

3total

Public property3

VAWA offenses

0

Domestic violence

0

Dating violence

0

Stalking

0 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.

IPEDS

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	Grad-only	Grad-only	474	Grad-only	—
Allen College	No freshman cohort	No freshman entry	483	$31,509	—
Bellin College	63%	97.2%	927	$37,408	—
Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing	No freshman cohort	No freshman entry	591	$18,593	—
Bryan College of Health Sciences	63%	67.4%	765	$26,919	—
Cleveland University-Kansas City	100%	69.2%	588	$35,764	—
Divine Mercy University	Grad-only	Grad-only	463	Grad-only	—
Life Chiropractic College West	Grad-only	Grad-only	618	Grad-only	—
Maryland University of Integrative Health	Grad-only	Grad-only	544	Grad-only	—
Methodist College	20%	38.9%	267	$41,787	—
Michigan School of Psychology	Grad-only	Grad-only	190	Grad-only	—
Middle Tennessee School of Anesthesia Inc	Grad-only	Grad-only	319	Grad-only	—
Mount Sinai Phillips School of Nursing	100%	66.7%	311	$29,680	—
National University of Health Sciences	No freshman cohort	No freshman entry	511	No freshman cohort	—
National University of Natural Medicine	No freshman cohort	No freshman entry	414	No freshman cohort	—
New England College of Optometry	Grad-only	Grad-only	515	Grad-only	—
New York College of Podiatric Medicine	Grad-only	Grad-only	339	Grad-only	—
New York College of Traditional Chinese Medicine	No freshman cohort	No freshman entry	172	No freshman cohort	—
Northeast College of Health Sciences	Not reported	94.3%	564	No freshman cohort	—
Richmont Graduate University	Grad-only	Grad-only	329	Grad-only	—
Saint Francis Medical Center College of Nursing	No freshman cohort	No freshman entry	605	No freshman cohort	—
Sentara College of Health Sciences	No freshman cohort	No freshman entry	312	No freshman cohort	—
Sherman College of Chiropractic	Grad-only	Grad-only	387	Grad-only	—
Sonoran University of Health Sciences	Grad-only	Grad-only	516	Grad-only	—
South Baylo University	Grad-only	Grad-only	198	Grad-only	—
Southern College of Optometry	Grad-only	Grad-only	530	Grad-only	—
Texas Chiropractic College Foundation Inc	Grad-only	Grad-only	261	Grad-only	—
The Chicago School at Anaheim	Grad-only	Grad-only	523	Grad-only	—
The Chicago School at Washington DC	Grad-only	Grad-only	564	Grad-only	—
The Wright Institute	Grad-only	Grad-only	518	Grad-only	—
University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis	65%	89.8%	648	$31,817	—
Virginia University of Integrative Medicine	Grad-only	Grad-only	457	Grad-only	—
Peer group median	64%	69.2%	497	$31,663

Institutions like Illinois College of Optometry

Explore the federal data for institutions in Illinois College of Optometry's comparison group.

IPEDS

Reports & documents (2)

Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.

Notable alumni of Illinois College of Optometry (8)

A curated list of alumni recognized for notable achievements across industries.

Ira L. Cooper
Susan Cotter
Joseph B. Ebbesen
Jeff Hilovsky
Donald L. Iverson
Roxann Robinson
Frank Smith Horne
William Townsend
Politics

Frequently asked questions about Illinois College of Optometry

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

What is the acceptance rate at Illinois College of Optometry?

Illinois College of Optometry does not have a reported acceptance rate. This institution offers no undergraduate degree programs, so there is no undergraduate admissions cycle to report.

What is the graduation rate at Illinois College of Optometry?

Illinois College of Optometry does not have a reported federal graduation rate. Federal graduation rates track first-time, full-time undergraduates seeking a degree. This institution offers no undergraduate degree programs, so there is no cohort to follow.

How many students attend Illinois College of Optometry?

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

What is the average net price at Illinois College of Optometry?

Illinois College of Optometry does not have a reported average net price. Net price is a federal metric for first-time, full-time undergraduates receiving federal aid. This institution offers no undergraduate degree programs, so it does not report one.

Where is Illinois College of Optometry located?

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

About the data on this page

Every figure comes from an official federal or public source. Here is each one and the release it is currently on.

IPEDSFall 2025–26 release, published July 28, 2026

Enrollment, completions, graduation rates, tuition, financial aid, staffing, and finance for every U.S. institution in federal student aid programs.

National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education

College ScorecardJune 10, 2026 release (merged 2025–26 files)

Institution and field-of-study costs, graduate earnings, debt, completion, and admissions outcomes compiled from federal aid records, tax data, and IPEDS.

U.S. Department of Education

FVT/GE program performanceProvisional preview, May 18, 2026 release

Program-level debt-to-earnings and earnings-premium measures behind the FVT/GE and STATS accountability frameworks.

U.S. Department of Education

DAPIP accreditationContinuously refreshed

Accreditation status for institutions and programs, reported by recognized accrediting agencies.

U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education

Federal Pell Grant & loan volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026

Pell Grant and Direct Loan recipient counts, award amounts, and disbursement volume by institution and award year.

U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid

Cohort Default RatesFY 2022 official rates

Institution-level federal student loan default rates, measuring borrowers who default within three years of entering repayment.

U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid

Equity in Athletics (EADA)Academic year 2024–25

Athletics participation, coaching, revenues, and expenses by sport and gender for Title IV institutions.

U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education

Campus Safety & SecurityData through reporting year 2024

Criminal offenses, arrests, disciplinary actions, VAWA offenses, and fire statistics reported by campus under the Clery Act.

U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education

Last reviewed July 2026All data sources & release dates →

Illinois College of Optometry

Pass / fail distribution

Severity spectrum

Earnings premium gap

Debt vs earnings

Higher Learning Commission

Programmatic accreditations · 5

Action history · 8

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Default rate vs national, by cohort

Top program families by completions

Gender split

3-year trend

Criminal offenses by type

By location

VAWA offenses

Hate crimes by bias

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

Residence-hall fires

Allen College

Bellin College

Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing

Bryan College of Health Sciences

Cleveland University-Kansas City

Divine Mercy University

Life Chiropractic College West

Maryland University of Integrative Health

Methodist College

Michigan School of Psychology

Middle Tennessee School of Anesthesia Inc

Mount Sinai Phillips School of Nursing

National University of Health Sciences

National University of Natural Medicine

New England College of Optometry

New York College of Podiatric Medicine

New York College of Traditional Chinese Medicine

Northeast College of Health Sciences

Richmont Graduate University

Saint Francis Medical Center College of Nursing

Sentara College of Health Sciences

Sherman College of Chiropractic

Sonoran University of Health Sciences

South Baylo University

Southern College of Optometry

Texas Chiropractic College Foundation Inc

The Chicago School at Anaheim

The Chicago School at Washington DC

The Wright Institute

University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis

Virginia University of Integrative Medicine

What is the acceptance rate at Illinois College of Optometry?

What is the graduation rate at Illinois College of Optometry?

How many students attend Illinois College of Optometry?

What is the average net price at Illinois College of Optometry?

Where is Illinois College of Optometry located?

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