SUNY College of Optometry
About
The SUNY Eye Institute (SEI) is a consortium of scientists from five campuses within the State University of New York. Participating institutions include four SUNY medical schools and the SUNY College of Optometry. The SEI was organized in 2007 and formally recognized by SUNY in 2009. Its aims are (1) to foster collaboration among SUNY research scientists in support of research on all aspects of visual function, with an emphasis on diseases of the human eye and their treatment, and (2) to enhance training in clinical and basic visual sciences in the U.S. State of New York. It receives financial support from SUNY through the SUNY REACH program.
Program outcomes
Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.
Of 4 Title IV programs, 1 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 3 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.
Pass / fail distribution
- Passing1 · 25.0%
- No Data3 · 75.0%
- Failing0 · 0.0%
Severity spectrum
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.
Debt vs earnings
Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.
Accreditation status & history
Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.
Middle States Commission on Higher Education
Programmatic accreditations · 9
Action history · 12
- Mar 2025Renewal of AccreditationAmerican Optometric Association, Accreditation Council on Optometric Education · Optometry (OPTR) - Residency programs
- Jun 2024Renewal of AccreditationAmerican Optometric Association, Accreditation Council on Optometric Education · Optometry (OPTR) - Residency programs
- Jan 2024Grant Substantive Change: OtherMiddle States Commission on Higher Education
- Aug 2023Approved for Distance EducationMiddle States Commission on Higher Education
- May 2022Renewal of AccreditationAmerican Optometric Association, Accreditation Council on Optometric Education · Optometry (OPTR) - Residency programs
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 $8.1M in federal Direct Loans.
Pell recipients · 5-year trend
Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25
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.
Student loan default rate
The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.
Of 79 borrowers who entered repayment, 0 (0.0%) defaulted within three years — below the 2.3% national rate.
Default rate vs national, by cohort
* 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.
Academic programs at SUNY College of Optometry
Top program areas ranked by completions.
Top program families by completions
Enrollment trends & demographics
Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.
Gender split
Campus safety & crime statistics
Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.
3-year trend
Criminal offenses by type
By location
VAWA offenses
Hate crimes by bias
No hate crimes reported.
Arrests vs disciplinary referrals
Residence-hall fires
SUNY College of Optometry vs Peer comparison
The peer institutions SUNY College of Optometry selected for federal comparison reporting.
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 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SubjectSUNY College of Optometry | — | — | 400 | — | — |
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai | — | — | 1,261 | — | — |
Illinois College of Optometry | — | — | 474 | — | — |
Meharry Medical College | — | — | 1,226 | — | — |
Oregon Health & Science University | — | — | 2,942 | — | — |
SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University | — | — | 2,220 | — | — |
The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston | — | — | 3,241 | — | — |
University of California-San Francisco | — | — | 3,007 | — | — |
University of Nebraska Medical Center | — | — | 3,988 | — | — |
University of North Texas Health Science Center | — | — | 2,332 | — | — |
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center | — | — | 2,549 | — | — |
Upstate Medical University | — | — | 1,341 | — | — |
| Peer group median | — | — | 2,276 | — |
SUNY College of Optometry Institutional Research office
The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.
The Office of Institutional Research and Planning supports institutional decision-making and planning through the collection and analysis of data.
Visit IR office pageCommon Data Set (1)
The institution's official annual Common Data Set publications — the most detailed reference for enrollment, admissions, and outcomes.
Reports & documents (3)
Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.
- DFR reportIPEDS Data Feedback Report 20242024nces.ed.gov
- FactbookFactbook - SUNY College of Optometry2026The SUNY College of Optometry Factbook provides detailed information on admissions and enrollment figures, graduation rates, student demographics, finances, faculty details, research activities, and patient care statistics. The data reflects the college's comprehensive operations and achievements, covering the most up-to-date metrics as of 2026, and is guided by the standards set by the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education (ACOE).sunyopt.edu
- Strategic planStrategic Plan - SUNY College of Optometry2026The SUNY College of Optometry has developed a strategic plan for 2026-2031, aimed at fostering excellence, innovation, and engagement in optometry education, research, and patient care. The plan was created by a collaborative working group to address the future needs of the field and incorporate insights from past initiatives. It outlines strategic goals for raising the College’s profile and enhancing its role as a leading academic health center in optometry.sunyopt.edu
Frequently asked questions about SUNY College of Optometry
Quick answers to the questions most often asked about SUNY College of Optometry.
How many students attend SUNY College of Optometry?
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Who runs Institutional Research at SUNY College of Optometry?
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